Re: Sanity

["Cecil Wright" <cecil@hfx.eastlink.ca>]

 I am curious to know of what you base your >feelings of their coaching
superiority on?
>
> Oh, silly things like the number of NBA championships they won, their
win-loss %, the universal respect they elicit from coaches and players
alike, including the biggest superstars and headcases.
>

Speaking of silly, that's what it is to classify those guys as superior
coaches based of wins-losses.  A cadaver could have coached the Bulls after
Jordan matured as a player.  And having strong role-players was a huge plus.
Riley has been surrounded by talent during his 3 stints.  The universal
respect issue doesn't matter.  How many players don't maintain respect for
their coach save for Rodman when the cameras and microphones are present?
You're arguments are terribly inconsistent.  One moment, it matters that
they are playing hard.  Now the wins, losses and respect of peers and
players matters.

Cecil

> >What do you consider to be the qualifications one would possess >to deal
with this situation?
>
> Well, I think I'd like to see an NBA lifer - someone who was a good player
and can get respect from the players, preferably with a good coaching record
and necessarily a skill at calmly managing the often volatile personalities
of today's players to get them playing at their best. While some of these
characteristics are not always necessary (neither Auerbach nor Daly played
in the NBA, nor did Doc Rivers have any coaching experience), having them,
IMO, makes one more likely to be a success as the next Celtics coach.
>

Yep, Pat Riley had an unforgettable career in the pros didn't he?  How many
out there would say he was a good player?  Same for Jackson, who wasn't the
worst player, but definitely not one who would have been remembered for a
stellar career.  But out the other side comes the but it's not always
necessary comment.  Bill Fitch, Larry Brown, George Karl, Dr. Jack Ramsey,
Greg Popovich, Don Casey, Paul Westhead, Jeff Van Gundy, Flip Saunders etc.
You would not have wanted them hired because their chances of success would
be less according to your estimation because they weren't good players.  Don
Chaney was a good player.  Where's he now?

And as much as I like Doc, it is rather foolhardy to even mention him since
he has less than a year of coaching experience.  Give him some time to see
how things go down the road before annointing him a better coach than
others.

Cecil