[Sean Highkin] Former Pacers head coach and Raptors assistant Nate Bjorkgren has been in attendance at the Blazers’ last few predraft workouts. Worth noting considering they currently have three open assistant spots to fill on Chauncey Billups’ staff.
by sean_buttcannon
9 Comments
He was viewed pretty poorly as a head coach in Indy due to his abrasive coaching style and communication styles. Hopefully he’s better as an assistant
He was very, very unpopular in Indy.
Really? The guy who pissed everyone off in Indy?
Here’s a long form article about how bad of a “people person” he is and how he’s basically a giant asshole that can’t get along with anyone. Apparently he was like this even as an assistant in Toronto which is a bad sign.
https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2021/06/09/indiana-pacers-fire-coach-nate-bjorkgren-after-one-disastrous-season/5141531001/
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2942713-inside-the-turbulent-tenure-of-indiana-pacers-coach-nate-bjorkgren
>In Phoenix, when Bjorkgren was elevated to an assistant under Earl Watson, he operated in an often clandestine fashion, sources told B/R, and sought ways for himself to channel daily communication from players and other coaches to Watson.
>”He would get in early and kind of orchestrate the path for himself,” said a Western Conference assistant general manager.
>That behavior seems to have continued in Toronto. One league source compared the dynamic to Bjorkgren acting like a politician’s chief of staff, at points preventing other coaches and Toronto’s players from holding conversations with Nurse that did not go through Bjorkgren first.
>”He would do things like police the communication about the team schedule on a road trip and when other people got a hold of it, so he was in control,” said the person with knowledge of the situation.
>”It’s one thing if the head coach designates his lead assistant as a person to delegate communication, as a means to organize your business. It’s another when that person seems to be doing it without the head coach’s direction,” said the aforementioned assistant general manager.
Wooof, I’d be very concerned about this dude becoming the interim head coach. Maybe he’d be fine as an assistant for one year with no wink wink promotion at the end but eehhhhh. Very uncomfortable with these links.
He was considered one of the best assistants in the league and comes from the Nurse tree, winning a championship with him in the g league and Toronto. He’d be an upgrade over Brooks.
Is Olshey still our GM? This hire is very Neil Olshey.
😬