AROUND THE LEAGUE

I’m going to try and write about each head coach in the NBA over the next few days.

Today I start with Doc Rivers of the championship Boston Celtics.

I loved Doc as a player, especially his early days with the Atlanta Hawks.  He ran the show at the point pushing the ball in transition finding guys like Dominique Wilkins, Cliff Levingston, Antoine Carr and John Battle.  Along with his high basketball I.Q., Doc was a very good defensive player.

I had a chance to meet Rivers while I was a doorman at Planet Hollywood while Doc was a member of the New York Knicks late in his career.  I knew right there he was a great guy!

Rivers began his coaching career with the Orlando Magic in 1999, where he coached for more than four NBA seasons. Rivers won the Coach of the Year award in 2000 after his first year with the Magic. That season, he led the team that was picked to finish last in the league to a near playoff berth. He made the post season in his next three years as coach, but was fired in 2003 after a disastrous start to the season. After spending a year working as a commentator for The NBA on ABC, he took over the Boston coaching position in 2004. Rivers won his first NBA Championship as a head coach. -Wikipedia

Boston Herald has a piece on Rivers – good read.

“I love coaching,” said the man whose Internet critics, in particular, made a living for several years insisting almost daily that he couldn’t. They then disappeared when he was given the kind of team that could win and did just that with it.

“Even when it was bad I loved it. I love the winning and I’m miserable when we lost any time, but whether we were good or bad, whether we were the favorite or the underdog, I still convinced myself we would win.

“I thought we’d win every game I’ve coached. You get your heart broken every night when you lose, but to me it’s a joyous job. Miserable joy, but it’s great work.”

PLAYERS CHASE COACH

I understand that players complain about the coach often, but this takes the cake.  Daily Monitor Online reports.

“I have developed a strong feeling that this man (Kayira) is not a coach. Actually he is the reason we have lost all these games terribly. He only fields his friends,” one player who feared to be named, said on Wednesday. The team is now divided with some players lobbying for  assistant coach George Afidra to take full charge while others are backing Kayira.

A TEAM WITH CLASS

Found a great story on the San Antonio Spurs via My SA.com

Popovich always pushed for this, from family-friendly charters to watching presidential debates with his players. He’s led them on field trips, too, including one a few years ago to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.

Popovich wants to do the right thing, but there’s strategy involved, too. His thinking: If he can get his guys out of the work place, and if they learn to be supportive, and if the young ones watch the old ones, then maybe this closeness translates to the court, too.

ISIAH THOMAS

Not sure if you have heard about this (I talked with a coach today who hadn’t heard about it) so here is the link to something regarding Isiah Thomas via ESPN.com

Authorities have not publicly identified Thomas as the victim, but a person familiar with the case, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official police report has not been released, has confirmed it was the former NBA star and Knicks coach.

PLAYERS EVALUATE COACH

I came across this article written by Williams C. Rhoden of the New York Times on N.F.L. Players Evaluating NFL Coaches. Interesting read…but I believe one trait is missing.

According to the survey, the most desirable attributes in a head coach were good communication skills, followed by motivational skills, approachability, management skills and leading by example.

Ok so let me get this right -

Communication skills, motivational skills, approachability, management skills, and leading by example are attributes the players like to see in a coach.

Please, someone explain to me why ‘Work ethic’ isn’t mentioned?

Wouldn’t you want your head coach to work hard?

-Coach Finamore

hoops135@hotmail.com