Re: thoughts on Paul Westphal

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, I've offered mine already, but I'll try to organize them a little
better here.



He was one of the first names that popped to mind for me. It makes sense
for all the obvious reasons - former Celtic, familiar to/with Ainge,
offensive-minded, experienced, successful. So all of those things are
covered.



You can look at his success a couple of ways. He had incredible talent -
Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle were the cornerstones. He never won
a title. Is that fair to Westphal? Not sure. His best team lost to
Jordan's Bulls in six games in the Finals. That was a great team. The
two seasons after that, his teams lost to the Rockets in the Western
Conference playoffs - I believe both times in seven games. Those Rockets
teams went on to win the championship both years. So Westphal's teams
lost to the eventual NBA champs in three successive seasons in six,
seven and seven games. That's pretty impressive.



In Seattle, he had a mess. Baker was just starting his terrible decline,
dragging Westphal down with him. Payton is great, but uncoachable, and
Payton was best buddies with Vin. Throw in the lockout, and you have
utter chaos. And the GM there was going to side with Payton and Baker.
He had to. Still, Westphal didn't do much to help the situation. Just
like in Phoenix, his success/failure was a shared thing. In Phoenix, he
had great players, in Seattle, he had coach-killers.



What are his positives, as they pertain to the Celtics?





--- Westphal is a former Celtic. He understands the franchise, the
history and, most importantly, the style of play that led to all that
success.



--- Westphal is a former head coach who has had success and failure.
Danny said himself that this was important. You have to think Westphal
learned from his mistakes, and he certainly has had plenty of success.



--- Westphal is an offensive-minded coach. His Suns teams played an
incredibly entertaining style. They ran the floor, shared the ball and
scored a lot of points. Of course, they had Kevin Johnson and Charles
Barkley. That's a pretty good start.



--- Westphal has spent the last few years coaching at Pepperdine. He has
had success there, but more importantly, now has considerable experience
dealing with young people and players. The Celtics are a young team with
some really young building blocks. Westphal should be able to relate to
them. Also, by all accounts he's a really nice guy. He'll need that kind
of temperament with a young, growing group. Obie wasn't the right type
at all.



--- If Ainge hires him, he'll be "Danny's Boy." I don't see Ainge
tolerating a player revolt against the coach he chooses. If there's a
player problem, I'm betting Ainge sides with Westphal and ships out the
problem player. The players have to know they can't run the coach out of
town. If they think they can, they'll do it.





What are the negatives?



--- He has been out of the league for a few years. He probably isn't
familiar with many of the teams or players. You point out Hubie Brown -
but Brown was broadcasting NBA games. Westphal hasn't been. Not sure it
matters, but something to consider.



--- His teams weren't known for their toughness. As good as the Suns
were, they were soft. The Celtics are a soft bunch already. Does that
make for a bad mix? It concerns me.



--- His teams weren't known for defense. Ainge wants an offensive coach,
and Westphal qualifies. But the Suns didn't defend much at all. The two
concepts aren't mutually exclusive. Look at Jerry Sloan.



--- My biggest concern: He's a nice guy. A players' coach. I worry about
this with a team built around Pierce. Paul seems to need that tough,
disciplined leader to keep him focused. I'm afraid Pierce would drift -
a natural tendency of his - without strong direction from the bench. But
with the right personnel - and Chucky Atkins seems like a good start -
my concerns in this area would be eased. Put a few tough-minded leaders
on the floor with Pierce, and that may do the trick. Point guard is
crucial.



My verdict? I think he'd be a good fit. Could it go south? Maybe. I
really think the key is a symbiotic relationship between the coach and
Ainge. They have to be in agreement on all the major issues. If Westphal
and Ainge are in lockstep, I think it could be a great match.



Mark