C.J. Miles on being coached by Jordi Fernandez with the Cavaliers

On this episode of Strictly Hoops, C.J. Miles discusses his time alongside Jordi Fernandez with the Cavaliers and gives his thoughts on Fernandez's knowledge, work ethic and personality. Listen to full episode on Fernandez, Sergio Scariolo and how coaching changes impacts players on the 'Raptors Over Everything' podcast feed.

Video Transcript

CJ MILES: And if we can-- I mean, just what I do have on him, he was great. Like, I we didn't get-- I didn't have time to create a real bond with him. He's a little quiet in the beginning, and, like, obviously, there were coaches there from the year before, and Phil Handy came in, who I already knew. So, like, it was easy for me to fall into relationships with guys who are already there, and a guy I already knew. So I didn't really get to spend a lot of time with Sergio because that had to be built.

And as everybody knows, that's the year that the championship was won that first year. We came into that thing running. Like the energy, that's one thing that was great about that year is, like, when that season started, when we came back into August, September, I mean, whatever it is-- what is-- September or August? Whenever we get ready, like, it was full blown jumping in the gym already. Like, guys were at it. Guys in shape working, playing, like it wasn't no easing into that. We were already in training camp like before training camp started. So we got moving.

AMIT MANN: And for Sergio, he has openly talked about, I'll stop short of saying discomfort, but he was kind of getting his groove still with being in North America and being a coach. The Raptors, they were trying something with him, and, obviously, you look at his credentials. Like, he was clearly qualified to be an assistant coach in the NBA, but it's a new experience for him. So I don't think he-- he was probably trying to tiptoe a little bit, gradually get to know people, and then, obviously, you just didn't have that much time with him. But, I mean--

CJ MILES: All that's completely understandable, right? Like, it's so different. Like, everything-- and even from the point of like, if he's coming from coaching at home, which we know he speaks two languages. Even from the standpoint of just speaking English more, not that he can't, but like just the like the shock of that. You know what I mean? Like, yes, he speaks both languages very well, but you're coming from being at home with a comfortability of everybody has got this certain-- like everybody feels when they go home, you feel at home.

And then you get thrown into North America, different situation. Guys that already know each other. It's not like there's a whole new staff. Like, you're the new guy really. Like it's a new staff kind of, but you're the one that's the newest part of this whole thing. And you're just trying to figure out where your feet go. Like, do I speak up now, or does Nick want me to do this, or do I'm a just the offensive guy? Do I speak up when we're doing this? Do I-- it's so much that goes into that.

AMIT MANN: Yeah, what was his job when you were in Toronto like? I think Nick does like distinguish, OK, you're the offensive coach. You're the defensive coach. That kind of thing. Did he have a role necessarily?

CJ MILES: So I remember him speaking more on the offensive side. I think Nick let him-- I think him and Nick's relationship is way different than what, obviously, the players saw because I know both of them sat around and like tinkered, right? But I think the biggest thing, remember, we were--

AMIT MANN: Brain waves happening.

CJ MILES: Yeah, the biggest thing for that year was getting the offense to a European style of movement and passing and flowing, and Nick wanted somebody else that thought in that realm. And I think that was one of the biggest reasons why they sought him out because he was that, and you look at his track record, he has been great. And that's the type of stuff that he did, and Nick wanted somebody else to help him cultivate that.

AMIT MANN: Factoring in what we saw and where we are now, Nick Nurse is now head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. And I would imagine, especially with some of the personalities and people that are coming up for this Raptors job, is Chris Quinn in Miami. It's Jordi Fernandez. It's David Edelman. It's Sergio. There seems to be an emphasis on finding some offensive creativity in their next head coach. Fair?

CJ MILES: Yeah, I mean, I think it has to be. I think you need that now. Just the way the-- because, like, it's like-- so we're going to go through this shift, right? All the time, it's like, we went through the shift that we're in now. And it's been-- and we've been opening up the creativity, opening, opening and opening, and now we know the league is also a copycat league. So everybody starts to see us working, and things starts to happen, so you try to bring in some fresh blood to add on top of that. And we're just also seeing something that it takes a long time to happen.

The coaching pool is just changing because of the changes of the game. Like, we talked to-- I think we talked about this before. Like, some of the coaches that you used to see get fired would get hired like three days later. The coaching pool is growing now because there's younger coaches coming up that's been working with all these young guys, who are the guys. And they are the ones who taught the game the way the game is being played now.

AMIT MANN: Exactly.

CJ MILES: So that's why the coaching pools changing. And that's no slight to the older coaches. It's just time for those new voices to see what they can do in the front chair. That's all that's happening. Like, that's-- there's no slight. Those guys were great and it's a time. Everybody-- it's like a player has a time, coaches have their time too.

The game is so different, and those guys that are open to that last longer, obviously, the-- like Pop is open to-- and Pop's always kind of been ahead-- they always played this way. The way we play now. They kind of played that way after it wasn't just throw it to Tim Duncan every time. As he got older, they opened that thing up, and it was more so figuring out how to play with him in that. They had a European style already, but like now, you've got all these young coaches who've been in the gym with all these young guys and expanding this game and teaching the skill sets and teaching the-- it's time to see what they can do.

And I think now you find out some of the elder coach-- I shouldn't say elder. That makes them sound-- but some of those coaches where they could be of great help now is what we were talking about, some of them being first assistants. And if they--

AMIT MANN: That would be a weird transition.

CJ MILES: They can let-- but I don't think so because it's such a collective now. It's just understanding, like, what you can do now. Like, you just kind of, like, steady the ship because that young guy is like, oh, we're going to try this, this, that. He's like, whoa now. Like, you know what I mean? Like, let's remember some of these things do not go away.

Some things are part of the game, and it's just embedded in the floor plan. Like it's just every floor plan of every successful organization has certain things in it. And you're going to need some of those wise voices to make sure those things stay also.

AMIT MANN: It's like a superstar going-- as they get older, all of a sudden, they become like the sixth man. It's kind of like that.

CJ MILES: Or like-- or like-- or even like we look at K-Low's position right now.

AMIT MANN: Yeah, that's who I was thinking of too.

CJ MILES: Now you thinking like that, and now he's, like, all right, I'm coming off the bench on a good team. Doing this, all right, but I bring all these things. I bring this pace, this mentality, these things that some of these guys that's playing over me might not necessarily have, but when they-- I lead by example. And I show them that these things still affect the game, then I can rub it off. It rubs off on people.

AMIT MANN: He's a player coach, but he's still a player.

CJ MILES: Exactly.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.