MacKinnon believes Armor can bring championship |
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Sept. 19, 2011
By Chris Maza
Reminder Assistant Editor
SPRINGFIELD — For the second time in the team’s history, the Springfield Armor announced the hiring of a new head coach.
Bob MacKinnon Jr., who led a team to a National Basketball Association (NBA) Developmental League (D-League) championship in his first year as a head coach, will take the reigns from Dee Brown, who left the organization to take a job with the Detroit Pistons.
“Today is a very exciting day,” newly hired New Jersey Nets General Manager of Minor League Operations Milton Lee said. “Our role is to focus on player development in every aspect. Bob MacKinnon understands this and has a track record of success with those goals.”
The Armor and the Nets are about to embark on the first year of a hybrid affiliation, making Springfield New Jersey’s lone minor league affiliate.
“This is a great situation and I think it’s a great time to be a part of the Armor,” MacKinnon said. “It’s a new start for everybody and I think being here at the start is very exciting.”
MacKinnon, who led the Colorado 14ers — now the Texas Legends — to the D-League title in 2009, said that he believes he can win in Springfield and that consistently preparing talent to move on to the next level will breed success in the win column.
“If you’re going to be a good player and play at the next level, you have to be able to show that you can win and this level,” he said. “I’m going to do whatever I can to bring a championship for [Owner] Mike [Savit], for [Armor General Manager] Alex [Schwerin] and for the city of Springfield.”
MacKinnon has had seven Gatorade NBA Call Ups and said he takes the most pride in producing players ready to move on to basketball’s elite league. He recognized that call ups usually mean the top talent on the minor league team is gone, but stressed that in a strong developmental system, it does not necessarily mean the team will begin losing.
“One of my greatest victories in Idaho [with the Stampede] was when players got called up,” MacKinnon said. “But when a player gets called up, it gives the opportunity to the next guy. That’s why you have to be ready and develop a team. Also, when players are getting called up, players and agents take notice and players will want to play here.”
MacKinnon was passed over for the head coaching position in favor of Brown when the team was searching for its first coach. Weeks later, he was hired by the Stampede and let them to a 25-25 record before coaching in China last year.
The Armor posted a 20-80 record in two seasons under Brown.
“It just didn’t work out and, quite frankly, we felt that Dee was the person to get this franchise off the ground,” Savit said. “We didn’t win enough games, but won-loss not withstanding, Dee was a great coach for us, a great guy to work with and a great guy for the community.”
MacKinnon said the Armor will play an up tempo offense, but will focus primarily on rebounding and defending, much like Nets’ Head Coach Avery Johnson’s unit will work in New Jersey.
“If you come to our practices, you’ll see that somewhere between 65 and 80 percent is focused on defense,” MacKinnon said. “I’d much rather take a scorer and teach him defense because if you have a kid who plays good defense, but can’t shoot by age 25, you’re not going to make him a good scorer.”
With the NBA labor impasse expected to continue, MacKinnon said the situation could work in Springfield’s favor.
While the NBA may not begin the regular season on time, the D-League will and the coach believes the D-League will offer a better opportunity to players than international teams that are attempting to woo them away.
“When the lockout ends, [NBA] teams are going to be looking for players and we’re right here,” he said. “Our players will be in shape and won’t have to try and get back here from overseas, so if I’m a player, I’m thinking about staying home.”
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