Paul Woolpert, head coach of the Tulsa 66ers, will not be retained as coach of the Tulsa 66ers. Woolpert arrived in Tulsa after winning three CBA championships with the Yakima Sun Kings of the CBA, where he finished as the fifth winningest coach in CBA history. The 66ers are owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and as such, I'd assume Woolpert wasn't in charge of many basketball decisions other than coaching. If that is indeed the case, this would seemingly be a personality conflict, as Woolpert's known to be a bit of a hot head - ejection from his first D-League game included.
Woolpert led Tulsa to just a 15-35 record, but didn't have much to work with, due to both injuries and personnel decisions that he more than likely wasn't making on his own. Chris Richard, Tulsa's first round pick and former NBAer, was out for the majority of the season with a back injury. Steven Hill was acquired mid-season after being on assignment from OKC early in the season, but shortly thereafter also was shut down for the season with injury issues. Former Philiadelpia 76er Herbert Hill, acquired late in the season by Tulsa, played well in five games for Tulsa, averaging 17.6 points and 9.6 boards. Hill, however, was also lost for the season due to injury.
Personnel decisions weren't as pronounced, but the 66ers kept Steven Hill on the roster for the remainder of the season, even though his last game he played in was January 27th. This was no doubt so that he was kept in the OKC system, but hamstrung Woolpert, as he was left to play with just nine players, none of which included a center.
The 66ers seemed to make decisions that benefitted the parent club rather than the 66ers, which is the right way to do things. If they want to continue to do things the right way, I think they should bring back coaching legend Joey Meyer, Tulsa's previous head coach who was left out in the cold when OKC bought the 66ers.
Meyer is a two-time D-League champion, having previously coached the Asheville Altitude to back-to-back D-League championships (Assistant? Old pal Mike Sanders!) before moving to Tulsa with the team after Asheville relocated. Last year in Tulsa, the 66ers just barely missed the playoffs, but did develop Ramon Sessions pretty well, as he was the first ever D-League alum with an NBA triple-double this season. Meyer also coached 13 years DePaul from 1984-1997.
For more coaching options, refer to this recent post, where I profiled the more high-profile assistant's in the D-League.
Comments
I think they should hire...
Jasper Johnson as a player/coach. He seems like he’d be really good at implementing a super conditioning program.
By NothingButHornets on 04.19.09 6:21pm
I was thinking this as well...
Seems to me, if they had a better trainer, Wooly woulda had a chance. Jasper seemed to keep himself in top physical condition. Good work, IceMan.
By Scott Schroeder on 04.19.09 7:22pm
Woolpert is a very good coach...
…but probably not a good fit for Tulsa. He’ll get on somewhere and make them a winner…
By Rumble on 04.20.09 1:59am
I was thinking about getting into this tomorrow
He was excellent in the CBA where he didn’t have to worry about waivers and all of that – he simply brought in his type of players and won.
In the D-League, it’s tough. Knowing the intricacies of both fairly well (CBA probably better), they’re totally different.
In the CBA, it’s your job to find players, offer them what they’re worth, and bring them in.
In the D-League, it’s your job to draft well opening night, inherit a good team, or hope that you get to the top of the waiver wire when the right player is there. There’s no finding of players, just hoping you’re able to bring in who fits your system the best from the pool.
By Scott Schroeder on 04.20.09 2:13am
Scotty, I will take your word for it...
…what you say makes sense…but I have to think someone like Paul can and would adapt to the new world order. That being said, a team owned club is a different beast entirely. If Gates moves on, I would take Paul here if just for the entertainment value – he can peel paint off the wall.
By Rumble on 04.20.09 11:34am
Consider this
Last season, Kasib Powell called up Duane Ticknor in Dakota and said “Hey Tick, I want to play in Dakota again.”
Tick told him, “well, ‘sib, this isn’t the CBA anymore. You have to wait until we get to the top of the waiver wire and we’re number 12 right now.”
As Powell’s one of the better players in the D-League, the Wizards would have to, more than likely, wait until 1) the league signed 11 players 2) make sure they were quality players so that teams claimed them rather than waiting for them to clear waivers 3) making sure there’s no call-ups that move teams to the front of the list.
If a player wants to play for you in the CBA, you can just say “Okay, we’ll get you a plane ticket.”
Harder to find out who is available in the CBA if you’re not familiar with players, but easier to attain them. The D-League does all of your homework, but it’s pretty difficult to attain the players you really want.
Regardless, I do like Woolpert and agree that he’s a good coach, but coaching in the D-League could be frustrating if you’re used to other minor leagues and vice versa as well.
By Scott Schroeder on 04.20.09 12:15pm
No I hear ya...
…a DLeague team has to keep a core set of key vets, get set up in the draft, hopefully pick up a free agent gem (preferably young), figure out quickly who is/isn’t going work, hope not to lose key guys to call ups too early or too late to callups/Europe and have a good relationship with the affiliates.
As you say, no CBA style bailouts if any of this gets screwed up. So you dance with what you have. Which to me makes having a good coach all the more critical…since there are minimal levers to pull over the season, the only ability make a change is by keeping the atmosphere a winning one and by coaching the lads you have “up.”
By Rumble on 04.20.09 1:20pm
Yes and no
Having a good coach is critical, but being lucky has a lot to do with it.
Consider the Final Four in the D-League this year:
Austin – NBA talent allocated frequently, somehow traded Mo Abukar for Dwayne Jones
Colorado – Sonny Weems allocated, all 5 starters allocated/returning, drafted Trey Gilder and got lucky with John Lucas
Dakota – Returning 4 players that play key roles from past 2 seasons, top of waiver wire when Rich Hendrix came in.
Utah – 3 returners from last season, usually 3 NBA players on assignment, acquired Ron Dupree in sign & trade
By Scott Schroeder on 04.20.09 3:37pm
I would say luck has most to do with it...
…or good at the personnel game, which by definition means lucky too.
I thought Utah was good because of brilliant ownership?
I just can’t help but think having a Woolpert on the bench and at the side of Potter assisting at roster refinement wouldn’t have made for a better year for the Mad Ants.
For the record, I believe Gates to be a much better personnel guy than he is on the bench (and he’s not shabby on the bench).
As a side note, Gates said on the radio before the Austin game that he traded Jones to Austin because he had Jawai coming down and he didn’t want a log jam at the center position – almost as much for Jones sake (not said but implied). Gates also did that in the Scott trade to the Vipers where he basically gave Scott away for nothing when he brought in Bergerson who had just returned from Turkey. In both instances he had other players that would have been better choices to leave but he didn’t want the position duplication for either him or the player.
When he traded Scott to RGV he had a “no play” clause put in so Scott had to sit against Idaho. When I heard it I thought it was the dumbest thing I ever heard but after the Toros game I wish he would have had that clause in for Jones…
By Rumble on 04.20.09 4:38pm
Utah is good because of brilllliant ownership
To be clear, I really like Woolpert as a coach, which is why I didn’t rip him apart at all in this post. He can coach. I know this.
Gates has been a good personnel guy – I think it’s the CBA guys that actually had to learn how to evaluate players rather than read something that the league gives them and go from there.
The “no play” cause is interesting. Fairly certain they couldn’t put that in writing anywhere.
I like Gates’ thinking, but in the D-League, it never hurts to have too much talent, no matter the position..
By Scott Schroeder on 04.20.09 5:23pm
Scott - we are in violent agreement!
I like Woolpert too – I hope he lands somewhere were he can make something happen.
Gates did player eval with his first Idaho stint. However I am sure his year in Austin was an eye opener as to what needed to be done.
As for the Ernest Scott’s “no play” against Idaho – lets just say I can’t imagine Clay Moser and the Stampede ownership/management ever having a “gentlemen’s agreement” about anything. My guess is that at least four lawyers would have drafted it if it was between those parties…
By Rumble on 04.20.09 5:36pm
I am not sure where Woolpert fits in this league right now and it will be interesting to see where guys like Sam Vincent, Bob Mackinnon and Joey Meyer end up. I also would wonder if Quin Snyder hasn’t earned his way onto an NBA bench now, especially in San Antonio. There may be quite a few D-League jobs open up. Nick Nurse might get an NBA assistant’s job with the work he put in this year.
There will be plenty of movement. I would like to think Woolpert stays in the D-League. But who knows he may go for something overseas or in the PBL where he can have greater control over player personnel.
By vipersradio on 04.20.09 5:52pm
PBL's not paying
It’s a good thought, but this year, his salary would’ve been cut in half, unless he was getting paid rather poorly by the 66ers.
There will be a lot of openings… I wonder how soon they’ll be publicized..
By Scott Schroeder on 04.20.09 6:01pm
The guy did have some CBA Chops...
But he was never able to get these guys to play together. All season long we had to watch most of the players playing selfish ball. It wasn’t until late in the year with an influx of new players that they started to play more as a team, and that translated into more wins. To me, part of a coach’s job is to get these guys to play as a team, and I just don’t feel like he ever really put much of a focus on that.
By Mr Pappagiorgio on 04.20.09 5:58pm