Re: Jerry West interview.

["Michael J. King Sr." <kingpin@primenet.com>]

At 19:34 5/9/98 , Kim Malo wrote:
>At 12:43 PM 5/10/98 -0700, "Michael J. King Sr." <kingpin@primenet.com>
wrote:
>>At 12:39 5/10/98 , damekmo@teleport.com wrote:


>Right. And why WAS that? Jerry West. The walking talking refutation of the
>mantra that you have to go to the bottom and get a top draft pick to
>rebuild. Paul's right on this one. The rot in the Cs org predated ML. We've
>been sinking lower and lower for the past 10 years or so, because there was
>no one with the guts and vision to make the right moves. The point isn't if
>West could done more than RP this one year, but that the same problems
>wouldn't have been there to deal with if we'd had leadership at the top
>instead of the years of inaction, drafting guys like Michael Smith and Acie
>Earl, extending the contracts of mediocre players and signings like 'Nique's
>for box office rather than basketball reasons. 
>
No kidding. i said I pretty much agreed with his assessment just not to his
degree. I realize it wasn't just M.L. screwups that started the cliff fall.
What I was saying was to give RP a chance to show his vision and guts, that
is all.


>> I have to
>>disagree with going solely on the  talent of a player no matter that he
>>might be a cancer in the locker room. Do you think Jerry would jump on the
>>likes of  J.R. Rider , Latrell Sprewell , Derrick Coleman , Oliver Miller,
>>Vernon Maxwell , Lloyd Daniels or Richard Dumas?
><snip>
>
>But 'locker room cancer' can be as much reputation as fact, or a function of
>the particular locker room as real problems with the player himself. Classic
>case in point -DJ. The cases you cite are the extreme ones, and while I
>agree that past problems should not totally be ignored, there are other,
>lesser risks worth looking at. It does still take talent to win. There'd be
>no scandal with a team full of Marty Conlons, but no championships either.
>And winning has usually seemed to smooth out all but the most extreme
>personality problems, just as losing has magnified borderline ones.

Again you have gone way past what I was saying or asking!  Paul stated that
West goes after players SOLELY on talent , problems be damned and I
disagreed with that as I guarantee he takes in the whole picture. I don't
want 12 Marty Conlons but I also don't want them to take players with
verifiable problems. He stated that West would take a flyer on a player
with a bad rep and I then asked would he take chances on a list of a few
players? I think not as he Is smart and wouldn't waste time or money on
proven problem players. I think you , Paul and I all respect JW? Good then
we are all barking up the same tree. I still say let us see if RP can
deliver us back to total respectability as I think he can, and give him
credit for what he has done in only one year. Later.Mike