Joel Lorenzi: Bulls' addition of Tiago Splitter is an 'encouraging hire'
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Of course I follow Mark Cody on Twitter. I love you guys, and I'm thrilled to be here. I've been listening to The Score for many, many, many years.
Rahimi Harris and Grody on the score. Bulls have named Tiago Splitter to be their new head coach. He was the interim head coach for the Portland Trailblazers last year. You remember him from such places as the San Antonio Spurs, the most prominent time in his playing career from 2010 to 2015. Won a title with the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard and Greg Popovich back in the year 2010. So Tiago Splitter is in. Let's keep the conversation going right now about Tiago Splitter with Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. He joins us now. He is the NBA writer for The Athletic. He covers the Bulls for The Athletic. So Joel Lorenzi, I ask you, what do you think about the hiring of Tiago Splitter as the Bulls' new head coach?
Yeah, I think it's I think it's a good it's an encouraging hire is the way I describe it. I think when you look at sort of the resume, obviously, there's not there's not any extensive head coaching resume among any of the guys. They sort of look at his finalists, which included Mike Inoria, Minnesota, that included Ryan Schmidt. In Atlanta, and that included Wesson Sell Jr., who has the most NBA head coaching experience of that crop.
What are the highlights of Tiago Splitter's coaching career?
But Thiago's been head coach of both the Brazilian national team. Obviously, this past year, he kind of got thrown into the fire with Chauncey Billups getting roped into this gambling investigation and sort of had to... It's a tough thing to be roped in, not just for those reasons. That's sort of a dark cloud that looms over a team. But to then take them to the playoffs and sort of earn a seventh seed in the play-in, like, that's not nothing. And so I think... The Bulls were both impressed with that, and you combine that with everything he learned. He had a long playing career, but the bulk of his NBA career was spent with the Spurs, where he won a title, and obviously everybody knows Greg Popovich's resume and what you absorb from that culture.
That's a culture that teams are trying to replicate. That's a culture that influenced Sam Presti, which is a guy that I think everybody sort of wants to think like. So there's a lot to like with Splitter, and I think most importantly, the Bulls are clearly approaching this sort of inevitable period of development, right? And Tiago's 41. And so I think the idea, and I think you can kind of see this with a guy like Schmidt, too, was... You know, I think you wanted somebody who could grow with whatever nucleus you come up with. Now, obviously, they still got to draft a couple of guys and do the thing this summer so that the team looks like what this regime would prefer. Excuse me. But like this, this is a guy that's young enough at 41 to sort of grow with this next era of basketball.
Joel, I love this hire just because even though I know it's not going to be a super impactful right-of-way hire because they're not expected to be good, as you said, Bryson Graham's already told us it's a rebuild. He's plainly stated what it is. But what do you think Tiago Splitter's role in development on some of these other teams could lead the Bulls to do with whoever they come up with in next week's draft?
Yeah, I mean, he's lauded for player development. Like this is this is a reputation he's built. I think he saw the way the sausage was cooked in San Antonio and he's been tabbed on to sort of play some of those roles. He was a player development guy in Houston, went out and I didn't even mention this. He went out and coached in the EuroLeague for Paris basketball and was head coach there like he he. When you talk to people, player development is the thing. I was actually told this week before they sort of advanced to this final stage that among that crop of the four guys I mentioned, that he was the most qualified as far as player development and that he would be the best thing for Matas Buzelis, which I know is like a point of contention for everybody.
Of the guys from the last regime, that's the guy that everybody wants, right?
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:31
2
What are the highlights of Tiago Splitter's coaching career?
1:31–4:50
3
Why do the Bulls consider Tiago Splitter an encouraging hire?
4:50–7:38
4
What challenges did Tiago Splitter face as interim coach of the Blazers?
7:38–9:26
5
How does Tiago Splitter's experience with the Spurs influence his coaching style?
9:26–9:53
Speakers
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