Re: PITINO

[j.hironaka@unesco.org]

Alejandro wrote:

> Come on now, Pitino hasnt done the job we thaught he would, but hey, he
> never promissed us the playoffs this year, he promissed us the playoffs
> next year, if we dont make them in 2000 then start talking about RP, i
> still like him after all, and I still think he will make us a wining team.

Finally a post we can all agree on, depending on whether we interpret the typo
to mean "winning" or "whining". :-)

BTW, I know first hand how hard it is to write in a foreign language (English
is pretty much my native language now). Please don't take any offense,
Alejandro. I think it's great for all Celtics fan to see that we are an
international team. Also, please don't correct my excellent fake Spanish. :-)

Everytime I watch (or read summaries) of the "Rick Pitino Show", I'm reassured
that this guy is a professional who knows a lot more about basketball than all
of us combined. But since we're on the subject, one thing that bothers and
surprises me is hearing him shout so much at his team on offense.

IMHO, a coach can bark all he wants on defense but ought to refrain from doing
so on offense. In fact, I believe players would be better off tuning out the
coach if he does! Effective offense is about being relaxed, confident, alert
and 100% "tuned in" to all that movement around you. On defense, you can be a
lot more pumped up and aggressive like a footballer and still be effective. I
feel this aggressive mentality won't reward you on offense... it just makes
you stiff and error-prone. Smart transition from defense to offense requires
changing the music soundtrack inside your head back and forth from hard rock
to cool jazz.

In general, there really seem to be "diminishing returns" from shouting too
many instructions at employees. Coaches like Red, KC and Bill Russell were
hugely successful by following the "KISS" principle ("keep it simple,
stupid"). You listen to these guys talk basketball and all they do is repeat
the same boring but valid fundamental principles. They make you think that
anyone could do it. Even Red sometimes sounds like a simpleton. But those guys
coached 14 NBA championship teams that were known more for their execution
than their superior talent, while all the "summa cum loudmouths" (Pitino,
Calimari, Fratello, Loughery) have yakked their way to zero NBA titles,
despite being excellent communicators with innovative ideas.

I assume Pitino recognizes this. Part of the shouting in games this year may
arise from justifiable frustration and because of the lack of practice time. I
wish he would become slightly more like Lenny Wilkins and Larry Bird. Maybe
it's insecurity. Have you guys noticed that the fingers on his left hand are
getting more and more fidgety around his mouth? It's like he's conveying
baseball signals to some invisible demon. The biggest question mark Pitino has
raised this year is whether or not he really is an "effective communicator".
Honestly, I think Pitino learned as many valuable lessons this year as any
player.

Good execution depends on clear, simple instructions PLUS constant repetition
in practice (not repetition by word). When you study a foreign language, the
smart thing to do is repeat the first year's instruction (until you are good
enough to even teach it) rather than go on to the second year. When you cram
in tons of complex information, you may find yourself unable to apply in
actual conversations even 10% of what you've been taught in the classroom,
even if you aced every test. That's because the important basic fundamentals
will be just one of a thousand other equally vague details crammed inside your
head. FWIW, I've studied six languages at the university level (not that I'm
good at any).

I don't mean to be so self-referential here (as usual!). My point is that the
Celts need to work on the basics this summer (duh!), even if they THINK
they've been taught it already.

Adios in the playoff primo roundo, el Fakers & senor Pennzoil-head Pat Riley!


Joe