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Reading the thread on Rod Strickland, I got to wondering if NBA players make poor college coaching candidates.

1) Except for guys who just get quick taste of NBA life, I suspect most of them might have trouble adjusting to working their way up the coaching ladder.
2) The best players would not have the opportunity to start coaching until they are in their mid/late 30's.
3) Would they react well to recruiting?
4) Those who can do, those who can't teach. Magic was my favorite player back in the day. As a coach, a failure.

By comparison Rudy T, Lenny Wilkens, Phil Jackson, Don Nelson, Larry Bird, etc. were all excellent NBA players and then coaches. Two different skill sets, but not mutually exclusive.

mustangxc wrote:By comparison Rudy T, Lenny Wilkens, Phil Jackson, Don Nelson, Larry Bird, etc. were all excellent NBA players and then coaches. Two different skill sets, but not mutually exclusive.

Great example of NBA coaches. As good as they are as players, I just can't think of many examples as college coaches.

I made the counter with those coaches because you used Magic as an example and he never coached college, only NBA. Reggie Theus is an example of an NBA player succeeding in college coaching. Not many others have tried. Bryce Drew, Rex Walters...