RE: Pitino's style

["Michael Griffin" <mgriffin@rillc.com>]

Well written synopsis that I agree with entirely.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-celtics@igtc.com [mailto:owner-celtics@igtc.com]On Behalf Of
> Alex Wang
> Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2000 1:07 PM
> To: celtics@igtc.com
> Subject: Pitino's style
> 
> 
> I've been thinking about how Pitino has fluctuated from wanting
> an athletic, running, pressing team to wanting a tough, halfcourt,
> man-to-man team, and now back again to an athletic team. I think
> there are a few major influencess that explain this: his college
> teams, his previous pro experience with the Knicks, and the success
> of Pat Riley.
> 
> In college he's always relied on his trademark style and achieved
> great success. In his early years he takes existing players and
> coaches them to success beyond what their prior records would
> indicate was possible. He follows that by recruiting more talented,
> athletic players that fit his system.
> 
> His experience with the Knicks was somewhat different. He made
> an adjustment between his first and second year, reducing the
> amount of pressing, which coincided with a big increase in
> victories. Also, the trade for Charles Oakley, a tough, defensively
> talented rebounder contributed to his success. Furthermore, he
> achieved with a group of players that were not notably athletic,
> including Mark Jackson. So it was a different formula than his
> college success.
> 
> I think as a result, when he got to the Celtics and coached them
> to a similar first year record and then a relatively unsuccessful
> first half to the lockout season, he decided to go for the Knicks
> approach. He'd try to get his team tougher, press less, and
> play man-to-man defense. He acquired guys like Potapenko and
> Fortson and tried to use the press as an occasional weapon.
> 
> Of course, the result has been ugly. The situation with the Knicks,
> who had a dominant center in Ewing, didn't translate well to the
> Celtics. And Pitino has only a single season of experience playing
> this halfcourt game, when he had that dominant defensive center.
> His whole career has been built using his own system, not his ability
> to coach a halfcourt, man-to-man game. I think he may have been
> influenced by Pat Riley, who Pitino envies because he succeeded 
> using two styles of play. Pitino probably wanted to similarly prove
> himself to be a great coach that could succeed with multiple styles.
> 
> Finally it seems that Pitino has come to the realization that if
> he is going to excel, it is by using the system that he has used
> all his life. Maybe it's from watching Phil Jackson coach the 
> Lakers. He came in and saw the personnel and said, "Hey, I coach
> the triangle offense. I like a big backcourt so I'm going to get
> Harper even though the GM just signed Derek Fisher to a big 
> contract as our point guard. I like a role playing, rebounding
> power forward so I'm going to start A.C. Green." He stuck with
> what he believed in and won with it.
> 
> I don't know whether the "headless chicken" can win in the NBA.
> But I do know that Pitino's a much better "headless chicken" coach
> than he is a "traditional" NBA coach. And if he's going to stay,
> for one year or for the rest of his contract, I'd rather see him
> coach the style that he's always used - full court pressure for
> 48 minutes - with the types of players that he likes, rather than
> try to become something he isn't. Personally, I'm optimistic that
> we're going to see a team that is both entertaining, different,
> and competitive this year. 
> 
> Alex
>