Bob Weiss's short tenure as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics ended on Tuesday.
After Seattle dropped its past two games, Sonics general manager Rick Sund fired Weiss and replaced him with assistant coach Bob Hill. The move came a day after the Sonics lost 115-96 to the Indiana Pacers to fall to 13-17 on the season. It was the sixth time this season the Sonics have lost by at least 19 points.
Offensively, the Sonics have been among the league's best, boasting some of the NBA's top talent in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, but defensively, the team has struggled.
Seattle is the worst in the league in points allowed (105.2) and field goal percentage (49.8).
The 63-year-old Weiss was in his first season as head coach of the Sonics. He replaced Nate McMillan, who left for the Portland Trailblazers in the off-season after leading Seattle to the Northwest Division title last year.
"[Bob Weiss] and I agreed that a change needed to be made to serve as a catalyst for elevating the performance of our team, and the timing is right for us today," Sund said in a statement, adding that Weiss will remain with the team in an advisory role.
Weiss previously coached Atlanta, San Antonio and the Los Angeles Clippers and has an overall record of 223-299. He was a Sonics assistant from 1994-2005.
This will be Hill's fourth head coaching job. He previously coached the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks and had his most success with the San Antonio Spurs.
From 1994-96, Hill compiled a 124-58 record with the Spurs, won two division titles and advanced to the 1995 Western Conference finals before losing to Houston. Hill has a 257-212 overall record.
"With Bob Hill's experience and success as a coach in the NBA, we believe he will help us toward our goal of making the playoffs this season," Sund said.
The Sonics take on the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night in their second game of a five-game road stint.
CBC.com
After Seattle dropped its past two games, Sonics general manager Rick Sund fired Weiss and replaced him with assistant coach Bob Hill. The move came a day after the Sonics lost 115-96 to the Indiana Pacers to fall to 13-17 on the season. It was the sixth time this season the Sonics have lost by at least 19 points.
Offensively, the Sonics have been among the league's best, boasting some of the NBA's top talent in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, but defensively, the team has struggled.
Seattle is the worst in the league in points allowed (105.2) and field goal percentage (49.8).
The 63-year-old Weiss was in his first season as head coach of the Sonics. He replaced Nate McMillan, who left for the Portland Trailblazers in the off-season after leading Seattle to the Northwest Division title last year.
"[Bob Weiss] and I agreed that a change needed to be made to serve as a catalyst for elevating the performance of our team, and the timing is right for us today," Sund said in a statement, adding that Weiss will remain with the team in an advisory role.
Weiss previously coached Atlanta, San Antonio and the Los Angeles Clippers and has an overall record of 223-299. He was a Sonics assistant from 1994-2005.
This will be Hill's fourth head coaching job. He previously coached the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks and had his most success with the San Antonio Spurs.
From 1994-96, Hill compiled a 124-58 record with the Spurs, won two division titles and advanced to the 1995 Western Conference finals before losing to Houston. Hill has a 257-212 overall record.
"With Bob Hill's experience and success as a coach in the NBA, we believe he will help us toward our goal of making the playoffs this season," Sund said.
The Sonics take on the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night in their second game of a five-game road stint.
CBC.com
