PJ Carlesimo hired as Sonics Head Coach

[Hopeless206]

From ESPN.com:

SEATTLE -- The Seattle SuperSonics are apparently about to pluck another one from the San Antonio Spurs' organization.

The Sonics have scheduled a Thursday news conference amid reports that the team has hired P.J. Carlesimo as its new head coach. Team officials refused to comment Tuesday on a report that first appeared on the San Antonio Express-News Web site, which said Carlesimo had been chosen by Sonics' ownership.

Carlesimo and former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey have been considered front-runners for the Seattle job. Casey told The Associated Press on Tuesday evening that he was informed by the Sonics they were going with another candidate. Casey said he was not told who the choice was.

"They said they were going in a different direction and that I made it a tough decision," said Casey, a former assistant in Seattle. "I'm disappointed."

Seattle general manager Sam Presti, who spent the last seven years working in the Spurs' organization before becoming Seattle's GM on June 7, was traveling and unavailable for comment.

Carlesimo, 58, has been an assistant the last five seasons in San Antonio and before that was a head coach in Portland and Golden State. The position in Seattle has been vacant since the Sonics fired Bob Hill on April 24 after the team went 31-51 last season.

When the 30-year-old Presti was hired, finding a new coach seemed to be the top priority for the youngest GM in basketball, who was given authority over the coaching search.

But the process dragged, in part because Carlesimo couldn't interview until after the Spurs won their third NBA title since 2003.

Sonics' owner Clay Bennett, a former member of the Spurs' board of governors in the 1990s, has repeatedly said he wants to model the Sonics after the San Antonio organization. He seems on his way there, having plucked Presti and now, apparently, Carlesimo from the Spurs.

Carlesimo took Portland to the playoffs each of his three seasons with the Trail Blazers, but never advanced out of the first round.

Honestly not that excited by the hire. He has a 183-222 record as a head coach, and has only won 3 playoff games in his career. Not to mention he won 46 games in 2 1/2 seasons with the Warriors. Not exactly a stellar resume, but he was a Spurs assistant so i guess thats good enough

Thoughts?

[TKellion]

Im not highly enthused with his past performance as a HC but hope the influence from Popovich in SA as well as seeing what it takes to be champions will be the difference.