Coaching just got harder

Just before the 40th PBA season starts, there could be more changes in the coaching picture. We’ve already heard of the announcement of the Manny V. Pangilinan group and the changes for Talk ‘N Text and Meralco.

Jong Uichico will now coach the Tropang Texters and Black will handle the Bolts. A few more announcements might be forthcoming as three new teams get to make the competition more interesting.

Unlike in the old days when coaches had generous amounts of time to develop teams and foster the all-important bonds necessary for a productive and often peaceful working relationship, there is an emphasis now on delivering soon on key performance indicators. The strengths and weakness of coaches are not based solely on qualitative factors but on actual winning.

Keep in mind that PBA teams are among the leading manufacturing and services companies in the country. They did not get to be leaders in their categories by simply offering good products.  They worked on the essentials like price, presence, promotions and even brand identities. They get the brightest marketing minds to come up with campaigns to maintain their positions of strength in their industries.

It’s understandable therefore when teams peg performance measurements for coaches. And it’s clear when those that belong in the same conglomerate do a coaching rigodon the way that the San Miguel group does it. The need is simply for the best individual who can produce, to use another marketing and corporate term, the deliverables.

What could those key performance indicators be?

Winning is perhaps at the top of the list and in a Philippine context, this does not necessarily translate into a simple win-loss percentage. Teams are looking for coaches that can produce conference wins and even semifinal finishes. Making it to the quarterfinals without advancing over a given time may not be enough.

Then there is the ability to motivate players. Two-time Grand Slam coach Tim Cone is not exactly a sweet talker but he does get players of different abilities and backgrounds to blend together. The triangle offense used by Cone and once described by Michael Jordan as the “equal opportunity offense,” is great for the pros because it allows individual versatility within a system. That’s great motivation for any star or bench player.

Then there’s the power to bring a team to a place they’ve never been before.  Again, San Mig Coffee could have been just another good team because, even when it was known as Purefoods, it already had a winning tradition. Cone made the players believe they could win it all and they all went into history as a Grand Slam team.

Cone will be a hard act to follow but the die is cast. Performance is the final yardstick coaches will be measured against and they will have to shine to keep their jobs.