Topic: Coaches

We watch NBA basketball for the players, because the players are where the fun is. But in some rare cases, coaches are able to meld with their players in a way that enriches both. In Tom Thibodeau's case, it has created a team that functions as an extension of his manic, strange, and kind of awesome combination of will and anxiety.

Howard has pulled yet another surprise, as the world learned that the All-Star center wanted his coach gone. More than ever, one has to ask, does Howard know what he's doing? And if he does, is he reading from the same playbook as his peers?

During his long life in basketball, Jeff Ruland has been a McDonald's All-American and NBA All-Star, and a successful college coach and NBA assistant. So what's the bruiser formerly known as McNasty doing coaching at the Division II University of the District of Columbia?

Todd Haley has the misfortune of looking like a huge asshole. Fleece vests, intermittent shitty beard, jocko-dickwad sunglasses, things dangling on a lanyard, golf visors (the worst), even right down to being named Todd—a first name that’s been repurposed as a common noun meaning “alpha douche.” I hate dudes like Todd Haley, and that reflects poorly on me.  But Todd Haley also has the misfortune of acting like a huge asshole. While dressed in fleece vest, shitty beard, golf visors, right on down the line, which amplifies everything. His sideline demeanor as a coach was like a composite sketch of the worst possible Little League dad.