Why Don’t Head Coach/GM Hybrids Predominate In The NBA?

There is a new tendency that appears to be permeating (rather than sweeping) the NBA.

No, not Tom Thibodeau-style overloading defense, “small ball,” or four-point plays, but they are all exciting basketball trends.

I’m talking about coaches who have at least one foot in the front office.

In order to board the Los Angeles Clippers’ ship as both head coach and senior vice president of basketball operations, Doc Rivers jumped ship from the Boston Celtics’ sinking ship last summer. As president of basketball operations and head coach of the Detroit Pistons this spring, Stan Van Gundy followed suit.

But could this simply be the beginning of a more pervasive movement in the NBA’s fusion of coaching and management? Could we see more overseers working in this capacity in basketball, similar to how they did in the past in the MLB and NHL, as well as in European club soccer and the NFL?