With players, we often talk about the importance of showing one "NBA skill"--something a player does at a consistently high level that all but guarantees he'll stick around in the league. Now, I didn't follow McMillan when he coached the Sonics, but in his Blazers tenure I just haven't seen that one NBA coaching skill that convinces me he's up for this.

The statistics seem to support this conclusion. Only three current head coaches have been with their current team longer than Sarge (Popovich, Rivers, and Karl), and each of those three has been to the conference finals or beyond. Among the twelve active coaches who've been with their team more than two seasons, only Skiles, D'Antoni, and McMillan haven't made it out of the first round. I think most would agree that Skiles and D'Antoni will be on the hot seat if they don't improve this season. Meanwhile, McMillan's folding chair seems as cool as ever.

This is not a "Fire Nate!" rant by any means. I'm honestly perplexed by our coach. Like most of our rookies lately, it feels like McMillan always ends the season with an "Incomplete" due to injuries or disadvantageous playoff matchups. When will it be fair to grade him, and what does he need to do to pass? Does he have an "NBA coaching skill" that forces other coaches to adjust to his teams? Poll after the jump.