khandor’s sports blog

The Sunday afternoon a nation stood still …

… and, then, cheered as ONE.

If you have but 1 article to read today, make it this one.

Bill Plaschke’s take, on the background to why, exactly …

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Lakers Coach Phil Jackson is liked but not beloved

He may have mastered Zen, but he has not mastered Los Angeles.

There will be no statue of him outside Staples Center. There might not ever be a night honoring his achievements. There will be very little fanfare when he retires, just as there was very little outcry when he left the team several years ago.

He is not Tom Lasorda. He is not Pete Carroll. He is not Mike Scioscia. He is not the sort of folksy personality that this town expects of its high-profile coaches.

More than anything else, he is not Pat Riley.

When longtime Lakers fans think of coaches, they still will think of Riley, even though he coached one fewer season here. Riley looked like Los Angeles. He acted like Los Angeles.

“Pat Riley is the L.A. story,” admitted Jeanie Buss, Lakers executive vice president and Jackson’s longtime girlfriend. “This was the birthplace of him as a coach and a leader, we watched it all happen, it’s like a mother and a child, any success that Pat has, we feel we have part of.”

And Phil?

“Before Phil came here, all I knew about him was that he was a freaky dude who left his job in Chicago on a motorcycle,” said Buss. “I thought that was strange. A freaky dude.”

That is still the way much of Los Angeles looks at Jackson, and that is too bad, because that freaky dude may be the greatest sports leader in this town’s history. That we haven’t completely embraced him is as much about the city as it is about the man.

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At the end of the day, it really is all about being able to say with the utmost conviction …

Kudos … all around.

Craig Kwasniewski [The Association], a die-hard LA Lakers fan and season-ticket holder, smacks one a clear country mile, when reviewing the precise reasons why the Boston Celtics SHOULD simply “stay the course” with their latter-day version of the Big Three:

Celtics Should Keep Ray Allen for One Last Ride with The Big Three

I think it’s insane to break up The Big Three so soon after hanging banner 17.  Shouldn’t they be allowed to give it one last shot together?  Shouldn’t we consider that this might be a rough patch in a long season?  Why break up a good thing so quickly, did you not forget the 22-year championship drought?

Anyway, here are a few reasons why the C’s should keep Ray Allen and give The Big Three one last chance at a title:

The long regular season. Relax Boston… I know it’s cold and miserable back east and the long winter is getting to you but you really need to be reminded how The Association works.  The NBA regular season is a very long 82-games over six months. Mix in preseason and hopefully a long postseason and you’re looking at a 8 or 9 month season. Veteran teams always seem to hit a lull somewhere between Christmas and Easter. It’s impossible to bring playoff efforts when your key players are in their 30’s… it’s just not possible (and the ones that did, like the Pat Riley Heat teams in the late 90’s collapsed in a heap by playoff time).  Just ride out this rough patch, usually teams find their second wind around March Madness.

Don’t be so quick to blow up the Big Three.  Counting playoffs The Big Three era has lasted about 2 1/2 seasons for a total of 253 games.  Actually that sounds like a good number of games… a good run at legitimate title contention, right?  Not really when you consider that the C’s were last legit contenders when Bird retired in 1992.  That’s 15 seasons with 6 brief postseason appearances (and only one conference championship appearance in 2001-02 with the Jim O’Brien chuck-and-duck era) for a grand total of 1,275 games.  Suddenly 253 games doesn’t sound like a lot does it?  Maybe you might want to remember the long drought before sending off a future hall-of-fame guard for a quick fix.

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In the judgment of yours truly, Craig’s take is 100% on the money.

Although Ubuntu! may not have enough left in the tank this season to be able to actually win-it-all, again … with the Lakers, Magic and Cavaliers being as strong as they are right now … it sure as heck DESERVES THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY, at least, ONE MORE TIME, even bloodied and battered.

Simple put … that’s THE RIGHT STUFF of which True Champions are made, whether or not they, in fact, succeed on the court together.

Although it may have taken them 43 years, too many heart-aches to count properly, and one absolutely devastating semi-”the-man”-made natural disaster …

Who Dat? Dat’s the Super Bowl Champs!

As Leigh, a friend and blogger from New Orleans, said to me,

“The energy in this entire town is incredible.  People here have been ready for this for decades…but the way the media is treating the Saints as underdogs isn’t a surprise to any of us.  The people of New Orleans have been subjected to those attitudes for a long time ourselves, and we still are in too, too many ways, but we’re still here.  And those who are still unable to return here due to the displacement caused by the storm, or the recession, or other circumstances - they’ll return in one way or another, because this is a town that can teach the rest of this country how to live.  It always has, and it always will, despite it all.”

Leigh’s pride runs across NOLA tonight. The same week that Education Secretary Arne Duncan outrageously called Hurricane Katrina “the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans”, the city has delivered a counterpunch to Duncan as well as any and all doubters. Their ascendancy means that the arduous post Hurricane recovery work has gotten more publicity in the last two weeks than it’s received in the last two years. This is maddening but many New Orleans residents wouldn’t have it any other way. As Saints linebacker Scott Fujita’s wife Jaclyn said, “The people of New Orleans love the Saints not because they provide a distraction from their fall but because they are a reflection of their rise.”

Whether you believe that or not, the proof is in the very vibe of the city. The French Quarter is hopping tonight. The Ninth Ward is hopping tonight. Algiers is hopping tonight. People in New Orleans are feeling damn good right now, and to scoff at that is to scoff at the very resiliency that makes us human. Community activist and former Black Panther Malik Rahim who has lived in the city for three decades and still works in Algiers, told me, “I haven’t seen people this happy since Katrina. No question about it.” That doesn’t mean all – or even some – questions about the future of New Orleans are solved by a Saints Super Bowl win. Jobs, housing, and the right of return for displaced residents still need to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

But it does mean that folks of the Big Easy are feeling fearless tonight. Every last person – from Bush to Brownie - that wrote this city off has to now bend down and kiss the ring. President Barack Obama, who often seems allergic to saying the words “New Orleans” must now greet the team at the White House and acknowledge both the Saints and the city that bears their name. Even if tomorrow is unbearably hard, we have today. And today feels mighty fine.

In case you might not know of him, just yet, Dave Zirin [Edge of Sports] is one of the finest sports writers in America today.

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Full [and much better quality] version of this post-game interview

… and, Jim Caldwell is one of the finest sportsmen these eyes have yet to see.

“Our head is bloodied, but unbowed.”
- Invictus

Despite winning the 2007-2008 NBA Championship, there are certain many? individuals, who are highly active in the on-line hoops community, that consistently attempt to put down the effectiveness of Doc Rivers’ coaching.

In reality, however …

What Doc keeps doing, repeatedly, is simply knocking ‘em outside the yard … with coaching expertise like this:

Example 1, via specific play design

Example 2, via specific verbal communication with his players

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Rivers won’t go with flow

They were words spoken when a team loses a game it should have won, and after blowing an 11-point halftime lead to the Magic yesterday at home, someone in the Celtics’ locker room said them.

“We’re better than Orlando.’’

Despite what you may have been told to believe by certain segments of the on-line hoops community …

Not all coaches are, in fact, created equal, and some really do make a tangible difference to the quality of performance they elicit from the individual players on their team, on a game-to-game basis and over the course of a season and/or a career.

When it comes to working successfully with the very best of the best … men like Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Bill Sharman, Red Holtzman, Dr. Jack Ramsay, Chuck Daly, Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich have set the standard:

#1. By the way in which they communicate their priorities to their players each and every time they speak … 

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Spurs fizzle late against Blazers

“That’s what this journey is about,” Popovich said before tipoff Thursday. “It’s an exercise in commitment to each other, and having the character to continue to believe, and not try and moan and blame, but to try and be the best group you can be, no matter what.”

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and,

#2. By the exacting quality of their personal handywork, in the areas of the game over which they have complete control, for example:

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Crunch-time X’s and O’s by a master

What does the ideal crunch time play look like?

The play that got the Spurs’ preferred shooter (Manu Ginobili) the best possible shot for his team (a wide-open 3 from the corner, where 3s are shorter distance and easier) in the highlights above is about as pretty as crunch time execution gets.

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Fans of the NBA game should learn to appreciate each one of them for what they truly are … i.e. a very special type of human being that does not come along every day.

Related:

Teachable Moments, NBA Style

Toronto is currently in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division, and in 5th place [overall] in the Eastern Conference standings, with a 26-23/.531 W-L record.

After starting out 7-13/.350, with a difficult road-heavy schedule, the Raptors have since played 19-10/.655 basketball, with an easier predominently home-based schedule, that has effectively balanced out their season to-date.

If the Raptors can now manage to play .531 basketball for the remainder of the campaign they will finish with an overall mark of 43-39, or 44-38, which should then be good enough to qualify for the Eastern Conference playoffs and earn a mid-level seed [i.e. #5 or #6].

In a 1st Round playoff series of this type the Raptors would then be most likely to face one of:

1. The Atlanta Hawks/#4, who were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers [i.e. 2006-2007 NBA Finalists] last season [in the 2nd Round] and the Boston Celtics 2 seasons ago [in Game 7 of the 1st Round];

2. The Boston Celtics/#3, who were 2007-2008 NBA Champions; or,

3. The Orlando Magic/#2, who were 2008-2009 NBA Finalists;

each of which is a team with more experience than Toronto, having qualified for the post-season elimination tournament for the last two seasons.

If the Raptors are indeed able to compete successfully in this type of series … by winning at least 2 [or, possibly, 3] games … the challenge they would then face, in the off season, is trying to re-sign their best player, Chris Bosh, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer [July 1, 2010].

The NBA’s in-season trade deadline is now two weeks away [Feb 19], and the most important question on the minds of Raptors fans is:

QUESTION

Should Toronto make a trade, in advance of the deadline, in an effort to further improve their team right now, in hopes of being able to win their 1st Round playoff series this spring and, in the process, demonstrate to Chris Bosh that he will have a legitimate chance to compete for a league championship, in the immediate future, if he decides to renew his contract with the Raptors this off season, as a maximum salaried player? 

ANSWER

No, the Raptors should not make a trade of this sort, in advance of the deadline, in an effort to win their 1st Round playoff series this spring.

RATIONALE

Young teams like the Raptors need to be able to grow together, gradually, over an extended period of years, which involves taking 5 DISTINCT STEPS:

STEP 1. Learning how to make the playoffs, and then losing a 1st Round series;

STEP 2. Learning how to make the playoffs and, then, after making minor player acquisitions, advancing to the 2nd Round;

STEP 3. Learning how to make the playoffs and, then, after making a key player acquisition, advancing to the Conference Finals;

STEP 4. Learning how to make the playoffs and, then, after making another key player acquisition, advancing to the NBA Finals; and,

STEP 5. Learning how to make the playoffs and, then, after making minor player acquisitions, winning the NBA Championship. 

The Raptors’ current roster looks like this:

and is ”good enough”, as is, to compete successfully in a 1st Round playoff series this spring, if their GM and head coach can [i] create the proper atmosphere around their team, and [ii] use their resources effectively.

Stability is what the Raptors need most right now … and, to be able to find out exactly what they’ve got from their current group of players, when it comes to being battle-tested in a 1st Round playoff series against a veteran team like the Hawks, or the Celtics, or the Magic. 

What the Raptors do not need right now is increased Instability … in hopes of blithely skipping over Step 1 with this specific collection of players.

If Chris Bosh is actually the Right Person to lead the Raptors team into the future, then, he will decide on his own that Toronto is the best fit for him, and his long term goals/objectives, both, as a marquee player in the NBA, and as a person.

If Chris Bosh eventually makes the decision to resign with Toronto, the Raptors will then be in a “good” position to attempt to take Step 2 next year, after making minor player acquisitions during this coming off season. 

3. If Chris Bosh is not actually the Right Person to lead the Raptors team into the future, then, he will decide on his own that Toronto is not the best fit for him, and his long term goals/objectives, both, as a marquee player in the NBA, and as a person.

If Chris Bosh eventually makes the decision to sign with another team, then, the Raptors will still be in an “okay” position … i.e. with his vacant salary slot … to once again try to accomplish Step 1, in the gradual process of building a legitimate contending team in this league, over a number of years.

The major problem with this specific scenario is that this is precisely where the team has been before, on more than one occasion, during the Raptors’ first 15 years of existence:

A. With Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady;

B. With Vince Carter and Chris Bosh;

C. With Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani;

and, subsequently,

D. With Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan; etc., etc., etc.

Each time the Raptors have gotten to this same point before …

they have somehow managed to !@#$%^&* it up, royally, by trying to ”Swing for the fences”, prematurely, and in hopes of skipping Steps along the way.

Hopefully they [i.e. MLSE, Bryan Colangelo, and Jay Triano] have finally learned their lesson and, this time, are finally able to exercise the type of sound basketball judgment it takes to eventually build a legitimate NBA championship contending team in Toronto.

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For the Raptors …

It is time to batten down the hatches.

Let the current season play out.

Allow Chris Bosh to make his own call.

And, sail the ship forward, regardless, on a straight [and well-charted] course. 

In this world, it takes time, to build something truly worthwhile.

What the Charlotte Bobcats’ Tyson Chandler is, in fact, learning from his new coach, Larry Brown, is precisely what it takes to become a True Champion …

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The Team Bus, Coach Brown, a Rough Baby and CP3

BASKETBALL 24/7
People ask what Coach Brown is like when he’s not talking basketball and he’s a great dude, but the thing is, he’s talking basketball 24/7.

There are not too many conversations that you’ll have with him that aren’t about basketball. He’s a very concerned person, but he’s 100 percent into basketball.

His impact has been huge. One thing about coach is he’s going to bring it and be the same every single day. He will never stop coaching. I don’t know if I’ve ever been around anyone who loves basketball as much as he does and has the passion for it that he does.

It never stops and he’ll breakdown everything in footage. He’ll breakdown a mistake that a rookie made at the end of the game as if it was the first play of the game that a starter would make. That’s one thing I appreciate about him is that he coaches every single player the same.

If you make a mistake, he will correct you. He doesn’t care if you’re in your 12th year or your first. That attitude trickles down to our team and gives us our character.

Coach Brown has shown me the dedication every day that it takes to be great. It’s about understanding the passion and knowledge that you have to have to be great. The way he talks about the game is totally different from anybody I’ve ever heard talk about it.

The way he breaks things down, the way he looks at mechanics, the way he understands why guys are great scorers or great rebounders. Everything he does is from studying and that’s something I have learned from him.

For example, I’ll shoot a hook shot or a short jump shot and I’ll make it and he’ll come back and say, “Oh Tyson, come on, you have to get the ball in your fingertips.”

After he says something like that it feels uncomfortable. But then I’ll shoot it and miss it and he’ll say, “great shot.” Your first reaction is to say: “What are you talking about, great shot? I just missed that.”

But I’ve come to the realization that he understands that it doesn’t matter if you miss it that particular time. If you continue to shoot the ball the right way and you get to the point where you shoot the same way every single time, you’re going to make a higher percentage. It works out better than if you’re shooting half the time one-way and half the time another.

It’s just stuff like that that he’s a stickler on. He’s a stickler on you doing things the right way every single time.

You have to have a team that’s receptive to his coaching and his coaching style. Guys have to be willing to learn every day because he’s not going to stop teaching. If you’re the type of person that at some point wants that voice to go away, it’s not.

Every player I’ve talked to that has ever played for him says: “You’re going to understand how great he is when you don’t have him.”

It can be tough for guys being coached non-stop because a lot of players have never had that in their career. But when you’re on a different team and away from him, you look back and realize that he was just an incredible coach. Every guy I’ve talked to has said I’ll learn more than I’ve ever learned just playing for him and it’s true.

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in The Game Of Life.

Kudos gallore to both men for continuing to put in the work [i.e. Tyson for being willing to listen; and, Larry for being willing to speak, relentlessly].

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PS. Great basketball players simply do not exist without the benefit of working with great basketball coaches.

When you take a look at the following extended video clip, it’s important to understand exactly what the Portland Trail Blazers are trying to accomplish this season …

and just how remarkable it would be, if they can actually pull it off, considering that they are playing WITHOUT their:

1. Starting Center, i.e. Greg Oden;

2. Back-up Center, i.e. Joel Przybila; and,

3. Back-up Power Forward, i.e. Travis Outlaw;

completely, and with several other key players like their:

4. Starting Off Guard, i.e. Brandon Roy;

5. Starting Small Forward, i.e. Nicolas Batum; and,

6. Back-up Small Forward, i.e. Rudy Fernandez;

each having spent a fair number of games on the Inactive List this season, due to an assortment of different major and minor injuries.

Yet, somehow, this team is still:

- well above the .500 mark with a W-L Record of 29-21 [i.e. .580]
- in 3rd place in the Pacific Division
- in a tie for 5th place in the Western Conference

in spite of also having to cope with the fact that their head coach, Nate McMillan, is still in ”recovery mode”, himself, from a torn achilles tendon injury, sustained when he stepped into practice earlier this season because the Blazers did not otherwise have enough “healthy” players on their roster to be able to conduct a full scale session.

If Portland can sustain their current level of performance … especially their present Points Allowed Ranking and Rebounding Differential Ranking … now that some of their walking wounded are finally beginning to return to good health, and make the Western Conference playoffs, then, there should be NO DOUBT, whatsoever, which coach should eventually receive this year’s Coach Of The Year Award, in the NBA.

No … doubt … whatsoever!

As long as he is willing to offer up this ↓ sort of “passive, no-help interior defense/shot blocking” when his teammates are in dire need of tangible assistance vs decisive lane penetration:

those who think that Chris Kaman warrants actual recognition, as one of the very best centers in the NBA, by being selected to participate in the annual mid-season all-star game, are free to campaign on his behalf,

Someone Made a Mistake With the All-Star Ballot

but there is absolutely no chance, whatsoever, that he would ever get a vote from this corner … while playing this sort of basketball with the score, 77-73, in favour of New Jersey, at the 8:34 mark of the 4th quarter.

Centers who play basketball this way … i.e. hanging their teammates out to dry, at the defensive end of the floor … can score as many points as they wish, but they will never, ever end up being a focal point for a legitimate contending team in the NBA.