Re: Playoff opponent

[Eggcentric@xxxxxxx]

< Define good coach. > - Kim

Let's not get too tricky here, Kim.  I think you and everyone else on this 
list recognizes the accepted qualities of what constitutes a good coach 
no matter the era or roster.   

Coaching is a term that comes from the days when people were 
transported by horse-drawn carriages, or coaches. The person who sat 
atop the coach was the coachman. The coachman's job was not to lead 
the team of horses, but rather to guide, direct and encourage, or even 
rein in when necessary. To keep them on the right path. To keep them 
from peril (the lottery). To help them achieve the ultimate destination 
(championship).

A good coach is someone who gets the most out of each player and is 
able to blend their individual skills into an optimum formula.  A good 
coach is someone who can make each player believe he has an important 
role in his team's success and that team success is more important 
than individual success. 

Rick Carlisle has taken a bunch of guys named Joe and skillfully molded 
them into winners.  Knowledge of the game, experience as a former NBA 
player, intelligence, motivational and communication skills, instinct,  
and discipline (a team without discipline is without structure; a team 
with too much discipline is without heart), are all reasons why I 
respect Rick Carlisle. 

I would not consider a ''good'' coach one who would force players 
such as Baker, Brown, Bremer, Delk into roles which conflict with their 
basic abilities while conversely allowing two players - Walker and 
Pierce - to run their own show.   

Only a monarch is able to serve until death before being succeeded. 
Thankfully, Jim O'Brien is not a monarch.

Egg