Scomerica
Registered User
I have a feeling he would have got another season (on a short leash) if the teams form didnt completely nose dive for the last couple of months when they started falling away from the play offs race. Felt like he lost the locker room and you had veterans phoning it in, and whatever he said or did just didn't work. There's not really a way to come back from that.Regardless what people think about Hakstol, this is the part that I find so puzzling.
It’s an expansion team, you hire that first coach with the intention of establishing some stability and a culture. Hakstol is a “culture” kind of coach, he had success working with college kids, he had success working with expansion draft castoffs. Nobody thought he was the guy to take a team to that next level… he was there to lay the groundwork for someone else to build on.
So he comes roaring out of the gate with an Adams-worthy job of getting that team shockingly close to a Conference Final in its second year, loses talent compared to the second-year roster (which is supposed to be a stage of building talent), then gets axed when they tie for 23rd the following year? It just doesn’t feel strategic. Either he was the wrong hire in the first place, or firing him this fast is a knee-jerk move. Either way, it doesn’t look good on Francis, who has seemed like he’s been in over his head with this GM role.
I agree though, I didn't love the signings last year and the talent reduced last year which is on the GM.