April 27, 2011RATTO ARCHIVEWARRIORS PAGEWARRIORS VIDEORay Ratto
CSNBayArea.com
Keith Smart is Tom Cable. He met all the reasonable expectations for record, and got fired anyway.
The lesson: Sometimes, the record doesnt really enter into it.
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Smarts firing as the Warriors coach was not a shock, given that the Warriors improvement was from 26 to 36 wins was tolerable only when you focus on the 26 and not the 36. Plus, he fell victim to the New Owners Need To Make Splash syndrome.
Of course, it wasnt entirely that simple, as there was significant division within the front office whether Smart should get piano-wired.
The decision did not hinge on whether he played Stephen Curry enough as much as it did on internal divisions. As in, "Who wants to make a noise with a new hiresigns of change, and who wants to do nothing based on the fear of hiring a new coach and having no games to play?" Smart per se never entered into it.
In short, Smart could not have saved himself because this was one of those political decisions that are made based on far more than what you see before you.
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The Warriors are still an operation in flux, with a seemingly lame-duck general manager (who doubtless lost on the Smart retention), an active owner with opinionated partners, and a roster and cap strangulations that require far more activity than the operation has shown so far.
And if there is a lockout, they will do what they do so often -- look foolish, with a new coach and nothing to coach. In short, they were sort of hosed either way on this decision, given that they could not sufficiently foretell the future.
But for Keith Smart, a valuable lesson was learned. Sometimes in a breakup, the one breaking up with you can honestly say, It wasnt you, honest. The Warriors still dont know who or what they are; they just know that whatever they turn out to be, they dont want Smart to be part of the equation.
Ray Ratto is a columnist for CSNBayArea.com.