Skyforce in no rush to tab new coach; interest in position high
Although the Miami Heat pride themselves on doing business every day of the year, the franchise is in no great rush to select a new coach for their NBA D-League affiliate the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
The NBA Summer League just ended, and the Heat were on the short list of teams that had entries in Orlando and Las Vegas. Free agency is in full swing, and there's that little matter of completing the now LeBron James-less roster. Plus, Pat Delany only left two weeks ago to accept a gig as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets, a move that ended his tenure at one (successful) season.
The replacement process is in a stage of reflection more than definitive action.
"We're trying to recharge," said Adam Simon, who is Miami's assistant general manager and Sioux Falls' general manager of basketball operations. "We've had some preliminary discussions in house. But we haven't done anything from our end to reach out to people or interview."
There's not really a firm timeline, either. Delany wasn't given the gig until mid-August last year and didn't relocate to Sioux Falls until September meaning time isn't a major factor at this point.
The New Jersey native Delany was an internal hire, previously serving as the advance scout for the Heat. Will Miami again look to promote? Or will it seek a fresh addition? Simon would only say that he's not "leading anybody on."
Delany was the first to coach the Skyforce since they entered into a hybrid agreement with the Heat last summer; that means they handed control of – and financial obligations for – basketball operations to the NBA club. Simon said it was fairly clear early in the process that Delany would be the guy.
This time, there's a bit of momentum. Year 1 of the exclusive affiliation was a well-known success, the team going 31-19 and reaching the D-League semifinals and moving into the $19 million Sanford Pentagon. The New York Times helped spread the word by running a feature on the situation.
The point man for Skyforce offseason activity, Simon said that he's received a higher volume of interest from potential candidates this time around.
"I think coaches know, they see it has an opportunity to develop themselves and be under an NBA umbrella and an NBA team and an opportunity to potentially get to the NBA," he said. "It's a position that's become more in demand – not that it wasn't before. So many guys have made it to the NBA as assistant and head coaches from the D-League."
To that end, Simon wasn't surprised to see Delany – a Heat employee for 12 seasons – land a spot on an NBA bench after just one season with the Force. Ideally, every coach in the Sioux Falls-Miami era will be good enough to get to the next level.
"We knew that he did a great job, and he's a coach on the rise so that's part of the deal," Simon said. "There's always eyes on you; there's opportunities for guys to get to the next place or maybe a coach has a vacancy and opportunities open up. He's a good young coach."