An inside look at the interview process for NBA head coaches

This article was initiallypublished by Basketball News on Nov. 4, 2020.

Every NBA team approaches theirsearch for a head coach differently, and no two searches are thesame. Here are a few things to consider or put into perspectivewhen it comes to NBA teams’ coaching searches.

Some teams ask you to draw upplays you’d run for their team on a chalkboard in the room beforeyou even sit down. In some interviews, they just want to talk aboutyour philosophies (as far as basketball and life in general). Theymight ask you what changes can be made to the roster. It all justdepends on that team’s way of doing things.

My interview with the ChicagoBulls was much different than my interview with the Los AngelesClippers. They were totally different situations, and otherinterviews I’ve been in were completely different thanthose. You’re never sure what’s going to happenuntil you walk into the interview. Sometimes, you don’t even knowwho’s going to be interviewing you.

Sometimes, it’s just thefront-office staff. Other times, the owner will be very involved.Some teams bring in their team psychologist, and they have a wholelist of questions to ask you. They’re going to want to know whatkind of leader you are, and they’re going to want examples -- notjust of your successes, but of your failures as well. How did youadapt to change in these particular situations? How do you drownout the media noise? How will you work with the players andmanagement? What is your overall level of commitment?

But it’s not just thedecision-makers that you have to sell yourself to, it’s the playerstoo. And you have to do that 24/7. You have to sell them onwhat youbelieve in if you want that giveand take and if you want them to buy in. Also, you have to makethem understand the standards that you’ve set for theteam.

Not every job is for everycoach. Every coach has different standards, beliefs and teachingstyles, and the team you’re interviewing with might not share thesame philosophy. You really have to know what you’re gettinginto.

When you’re interviewing for ahead-coaching job, you talk about the roster and you have your ownquestions that you want answered too. Are they trying to buildaround a certain player? Are they willing to go into the luxurytax? How much will they involve their head coach in draft andfree-agency decisions? For example, some teams want their coach tobe very involved and present for every draft workout; others don’twant them to focus on that at all.

There’s way more research thatgoes into preparing for an interview than most people can evenbegin to imagine. You have to know as much as possible about theteam. The more details you have, the better. Not only are you doingyour homework about the roster, you’re looking at how the team issituated going forward too. How many draft picks do they have inthe years ahead? What does the team’s cap situation look like? Youhave to research all pertinent information about the roster and theteam’s flexibility moving forward.

Also, it’s important tounderstand the team’s expectations (in the short-term andlong-term). Continued team improvement is paramount. Does the teambelieve they can realistically contend for a playoff position thatseason? Is there a certain future championship window (depending onall of the talent assembled)?

Once a coach does get the job,that’s when the real work starts. It’s very difficult to win at ahigh level, and it’s extremely difficult to win at a high levelconsistently. You have to lead, and not all personalities arethe same or mesh well with certain leadershipstyles.

Everyone throws around the word‘culture’ like it’s easy to create. The teams thathave been able to create a consistent culture do sofrom the ownership to the front office, all the way down to the endof the bench.

The biggest keys to success inwinning are talent and consistency. When you look at all of thesewinning organizations, what do they all have in common? They wereall consistent with their decision-making. They may have beenfortunate with draft picks that turned out much better than theyexpected or free agents that just needed a fresh start, but that’sonly part of the equation.

You need to have a vision forhow all of these players are going to fit together. Each player isa piece to the puzzle, and you’re trying to emphasize the player’sstrengths and work with them on their weaknesses. The staff isalways working on player development and focusing on thefundamentals, while also learning each player’s personality andskill sets to put them in the best position for success. Buildingrelationships with players is always the goal, which allows you toimprove players’ skill sets and ensure that the work they’reputting in is not only helping the team but also their individualcareer.

You can’t let rumors about yourteam, your job security or yourself cloud your vision. You walkedinto that interview room with a plan and a goal, and you can’t letanything or anyone distract you from it. However, it’s also vitallyimportant to be flexible and open to making adjustments as you moveforward and receive new information.

You have your standards. Youhave your vision. And you have to be yourself.

Finally, here’s something thatI’ve learned after being around the NBA for many years (as aplayer, executive and head coach): The most important thing for acoach is time. The more time a coach has, the more they can learnabout their team - from knowing everyone’s strengths and weaknessesto figuring out people’s tendencies to seeing how certain guys playwell together. Over time, a coach will build strong relationshipswith the players as well as others throughout the organization.Trust and loyalty is earned and, if earned, must be reciprocated.And everyone has to be pulling in the same direction in order toexceed expectations and align with the standards setforth.

Time is a coach’s bestfriend.