We learned just before the show yesterday that Stan Van Gundy will be the next head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.

After agreeing on a multi year deal on Wednesday, Stan was the seventh new head coach hired this off season.

So, Paul, let me ask you this.

Which higher so far is the best in your opinion, going with Ty Lue here for the Clippers?

Because when you lose a coach like Doc Rivers, I was like, Who could replace him?

And there was no candidate out there except for Ty Lue to replace a guy like Doc Rivers in that spot.

I mean, yeah, no, it's Here's the deal.

Tyler is the only guy who's walking into a locker room where all the guys know him where he has a pre existing relationship.

All those other coaches Steve Nash, Stan Van Gundy, uh, Billy Donovan up in Chicago, Doctor.

They're all walking into a room full of strangers pretty much, and they're gonna have to sell them on how they want them to play.

And also, they gotta figure out the different communication styles.

You guys know you can't coach one guy the same way you coach the other guy, You can't talk to one guy the same way you talk to the other guy.

Everyone's got different ways of being motivated and getting the best out of them.

And so Tyler has an advantage over all the other coaches out there in that.

He already knows these guys.

He knows who he could be.

Hard on, who he needs to put an arm around the shoulder and adapt his coaching style that way.

Yeah, look, I think we all agree that Tie has an inherent advantage for all the reasons that you guys outlined.

But Paul, I'm a little surprised you didn't go with your guy Doc Rivers.

Well, it goes along with the reasons I mean said, Like I said, when you lose a guy like Doc Rivers and when I looked around at other other coaches that were available, I was like, Who's gonna fit in with quiet Paul George?

Other than Tyler, who has a respect as a championship player who has a respect as a championship coach?

And like you said, I mean, he already knows the guys he knows who could get on, who just get on who could back off and you know people are comfortable with Tyler and respect him around the league.

Let's go around this a little bit real quick, because let's stick with Doc for one second because I want to move on some of these other guys, like, what is your expectation there with Doc and Philly?

Paul?

Because, look, that team has gotten progressively worse as Faras, Simmons and Embiid being able to play well together, and their net rating has gone down together every single year.

But I think that has less to do with them and more about the structure of that team.

The way it's constructed, there's not a lot of shooting on that team.

What does Doc bring to the table there?

Well, he brings a voice of reason.

He brings leadership and he brings, ah, confidence that that team probably didn't have before.

And so when you bring a guy like Doc Rivers on, then you have a player of Ben Simmons and Embiid caliber.

You're start talking championships.

He's gonna voice that in that locker room, guys that I'm here to win a championship with you guys because Doc right now is not into rebuilding you know he doesn't see, didn't see a rebuilding stage with this time.

He saw opportunity to where he could take a team from one level to the next level and possibly win a championship.

Can they go to that next level?

They can.

It's not gonna be easy.

I think.

You know, people ask me a lot of times should they break up and beat.

And Simmons, I said, no, You gotta wait till the new coach comes in and gives it a try.

We all are striving to accumulate, you know, top 15 talent in this league, all MBA type talent.

They've got two of them.

You gotta give Doc a chance.

But having said that, the structure of this team, as as you guys pointed out, isn't really, you know, congruent.

It's not pieces that really fit.

So it's gonna take some creativity on docks and to make it.

And if it doesn't, then we need to start talking about roster changes.

Whether that means trading and beater Simmons or someone else.

I don't know, but as currently constituted is gonna take a pretty creative approach by Doc Rivers to get them to that next level.

Speaking of creative Stan Van Gundy has been known to be creative.

We were talking about this yesterday on the show.

I mean, we'll start with you.

I mean, he was playing four out before it was invoked.

You know what I mean?

Like it was Dwight Howard, a bunch of shooters around him.

What does he need to do in New Orleans to have a successful season?

In your opinion?

Well, I think, you know, First and foremost, I talked to Tim Hardaway senior today on Sirius X M N b.

A radio, and I asked him, What do you think Stan learned in Detroit because he was successful in Miami?

Uses successful Orlando.

Detroit was the first time stand, was under 500 struggled to make the playoffs and was in that position.

And Tim said something interesting.

He said he needs So I think he's learned how to not take losses as hard.

How to not take everything as seriously George, You and I both know stand away from the game.

He's a funny guy.

He's an interesting guy.

He's got a lot of interest outside of basketball, but for whatever reason, you put a whistle on a clipboard in his hand, he turns into a maniac, and he has to have learned how to tone that down some, especially dealing with a young roster.

That's one from a basketball standpoint.

I really want to see what he does with Zion in terms of making him more of a playmaker out of the elbow position.

He's not quite, you know, Turkey Lou, but he does have some good passing instincts.

And I think offensively, Zion could really open up his game.

I have the ball in his hands and being a playmaker, But all of that doesn't mean anything if he's not in shape.

And that's Number one on the Zion agenda.

Well, to be successful for any team as a head coach, you must once 11 thing you need to do is gain the trust of your best players, and then the next thing you have to gain the confidence.

And so once you have those two things in place, you have to establish those relationship that makes your best players want to go out there every day and demand great practices and be great in games.

And so if he is able to establish that from Zion Ingram.

It flows through the rest of the team, and once you gain that trust and confidence in your best players, you could be successful.

This team has potential to make the playoffs, and it has toe start with your two best players and the coaches relationship.

We'll get back to more coaching a little later.

Nate Bjorkman is the new hire in Indiana will have that later in the show.

We'll discuss that and that particular relationship with his potential star player there in Victor Oladipo.

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