Jack’s Blog

Most people, myself included, read Sports Illustrated for the articles.  At least until the swimsuit edition arrives.  But other than that issue, pictures are secondary (after the first few pages) to the written word.  The last page has become an audition to see which writer comes as close in popularity to the readers as Rick Reilly.  It might be a stretch to compare him to John Wooden but there seems to be no outright favorite yet even though there have been several very good columns.  It seems that there are many Gene Bartows, Gary Cunninghams, Walt Hazzards, Jim Harricks, Steve Lavins and Ben Howlands (most of whom were outstanding coaches) at SI but no one like Coach Wooden.  For my money, there hasn’t even been a Larry Brown yet.

When SI first asked its readers which of a list of sports, other than football, basketball, baseball and possibly a couple others that currently escape my mind (which shows my particular tastes), they had an interest in, e.g. tennis, golf, auto racing, etc. my choices came down to tennis and golf.  It was a tough choice and if I were younger - and still playing tennis - that would have been what I’d have selected.  Since my back issues eliminated playing tennis about a decade ago, I chose golf.  Now I get additional articles on the sport as well as special extra editions.  A good friend of mine is a scratch (or close) golfer so those issues go to him, after I’ve briefly scanned them.

The one on the Masters that just came out intrigued me enough that as I perused it, the article with their panel of (three) experts (and one anonymous pro) caught my eye.  Opinions abound in sports and I’ve found (through experience) it’s always a good idea to hear what others who are deeply involved in a sport or topic think before you start popping off, or even discussing, issues so as not to look foolish.  Although I’ve read some interesting points in the past, little did I think I’d come across as introspective an explanation as Gary Van Sickle’s regarding Rory McElroy’s approach to his profession.  Van Sickle said of the young star:

“He’s not all golf like Tiger was.  Rory is going to take the time to enjoy his life.  He reminds me of Arnold Palmer a little there.  He’ll be streaky great, and he’s got other interests.  He’ll have a better quality of life, and if that means a couple fewer major wins in the long run, that’s all right.”

In addition to expertly defining the differences between the two golfers, the Van Sickle quote speaks volumes to most everybody who has a job.  If you’ve just entered the working world, those are your choices.  How do you approach your profession?  Do you love it so much that it consumes your every waking minute?  In the business world, that type of an employee is called a workaholic.  Those people often find an abundance of material wealth, yet, frequently, there is something missing in their life in another area of it.  In the field of sports, we call them single minded and driven.  Some (most?) people think a person’s life should be balanced.  We all remember the old adage “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” 

The times and people (and salaries/purses for sporting events/endorsement deals) have made that quote obsolete.  Now, it’s “get it while you can” and “the window of opportunity is open only so long.”  Maybe not so much in golf where some wise brilliant old golfer had the imagination - or told somebody else - to create a Seniors Tour.  Still, people don’t want to see extraordinary talent not pushed to the ultimate.  Usually parents and agents because 1) nearly all of them weren’t as athletically blessed and 2) they don’t have to do the heavy lifting.

Far too many people have altered the line so that it turned around the original message.  Maybe Rory McElroy has it right but for now it’s become:     

“All work and no play make Jack (or Jill) a champion.”

Amir Johnson was selected 56th in the 2005 draft - fifth from the last pick - by the Detroit Pistons.  He played at Westchester HS in Los Angeles, arguably the best high school basketball program in California (unarguably, one of the top five), both in wins and production of NBA players.  He was originally signed by Louisville.  Based on his recent actions, it’s questionable if he would have qualified academically.

Prior to the 2006 draft, the NBA instituted a rule that requires American players to be at least one year removed from the graduation of their high school class to be eligible so barring still another rule change (who knows, maybe Adam Silver wants to put his footprint on the league once he takes over for David Stern), Johnson will be the last-ever high school player drafted.  Then-Pistons head coach Larry Brown thought that, eventually, Johnson could be an impact player.  After Monday night, he’s got a way to go - just to prove he’s mentally fit to play at all.

Johnson’s been traded twice, both coming in 2009.  Detroit traded him to Milwaukee who, two months later (before ever issuing him a uniform), traded him to Toronto.  He played in all 82 games (starting 5), shooting 62.3% from the floor and 63.8% from the line, averaging 6.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and .8 blocks in less than 18 minutes a game.  As (too) often occurs in the NBA, he then signed a 5 year, $34 million contract with the Raptors on the first day of free agency (an oxymoron if there ever was one).

While he makes big boy money, he displayed the temperament of a child Monday night in Portland where the Raptors were beaten 94-72.  After a made Portland free throw, referee David Jones retrieved the ball.  While he was holding it, Johnson reached over and grabbed the ball.  While it was a classic “jump ball,” anytime it’s between a referee and a player, the unwritten rule is “ref ball.”  Unwritten because it’s never happened!  An altercation between ref and player ensued.  Jones didn’t appreciate Johnson’s effort and let go to “T” him up.  Amir must have reached into his vocab book for a choice one because Jones turned and gave him the heave-ho sign.

Johnson absolutely freaked!  Teammates had to restrain him from Jones who was wisely heading in the opposite direction.  Johnson then did exactly what a spoiled child would have done in this situation.  He threw his mouthpiece at the authority official.  To prove he’s got game, the mouthpiece hit Jones squarely in the back.  The NBA suspended him one game without pay.  I wonder if anyone has put into perspective to him how much that tirade cost him - in terms of what that money actually means - especially when his career ends.  Even if it’s 15 years from now (when he’s 40). And people who act like he did last night never last until they’re forty.

Amir Johnson has made in excess of $45 million since he’s been in the league.  Early in his career, he spent a couple stints in the D-league.  Although he played well there, that’s not exactly the blueprint for a superstar’s career.  His actions in Portland can only be explained by the quote:

“The difference between genius and stupidity is genius has its limits.”

Coaches are an interesting breed.  If ever there was a profession that exposes incompetence (and competence for that matter), it’s one that keeps score and has a winner and a loser in every game.   Because no one wants to be thought of as a failure, it’s also a profession which comes up with an inordinate amount of excuses.

Ego plays a major part in athletics, coaching included.  Sometimes a seemingly small quote or action occurs that makes for a good story years down the road.  This past August at Michael Jordan’s Flight School (basketball camp), some of the coaches recounted stories from past camps and, if not the best story, certainly one that’s in the finals was when the camp had Larry Brown as the guest speaker.  It was 2004 and he had just led the Detroit Pistons to the NBA championship.

His son was attending the camp so he agreed to speak to the whole group.  After he spoke, the camp broke up for afternoon games.  Prior to the games, there was a period during which the camp coaches were to have their teams go through a brief practice.  I was one of the eight commissioners and, as fate would have it, Larry’s son was in my league.

As his team went out on one of the outdoor courts at UCSB, I could see that Larry, who is the definition of a “coach’s coach,” couldn’t help himself.  The guy who was the actual coach of the team was more of a philosopher than a coach and was doing what he usually did - talking about how things should be.  Since the kids were standing around while the other eight teams were practicing, Larry jumped in and got the guys in a 4-on-4 shell drill.  From a health standpoint, he wasn’t in tip top shape but this was his element.  He never feels better than when he’s teaching the game.

To me, it was an amazing sight.  Upon seeing what was taking place, the “coach” of his son’s team turned to me and, incredibly said, “Is this my team or Larry Brown’s?”  I was stunned to the point where I was speechless.  If you want to know what the significance of that is, ask someone who knows me.  Here’s a guy who just won an NBA championship and he’s helping coach your team.  And you’re complaining about it?

This story reminded me of a quote George Raveling once said:

“You can get a lot done in coaching if you don’t let your ego get in the way.”

P.S, Check me out on CoachGeorgeRaveling.com.  Click on #JackAndCoach.

It was reported that when the Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s NBA Finals, one of the Heat players (Dwyane Wade?)  said the guys took a week or two off and then went back to work - to prepare for this year.  They knew how close they came and also knew what was needed to take that final step.  Getting to the finals is quite an accomplishment but when you don’t win it all,   . . . you lost.  Just like the other 28 teams in the league.

Now I’m not naive enough to believe the Heat was the first squad to ever use such a ploy.  However, they did seem like a much more focused group this year who was determined to shed their previous year’s strategy.  DWade allowed LeBron to lead - beginning with the mini-speeches prior to taking the floor before each game.  Chris Bosh embraced being the #3 option.  James didn’t worry that people were saying he shied away from scoring at crunch time.  He just made the right play - and it usually resulted in a score for the Heat, whether from a LeBron basket, free throw or assist.  The guys they were counting on to make open threes came through.

If OKC employs the same post-finals philosophy, the Thunder might be hoisting next year’s trophy.  After all, the team that rolled to a 2-0 finals lead returns more or less intact.  Plus, they ooze talent and have character (according to every pundit covering them) and claim to like playing with each other.  Their coach seems to be the perfect match for this group.  Seldom does a club appear to have so many of the right ingredients.

Whatever happens, it looks like NBA fans will be seeing more and more rivalries.  The team that wins it will have to rely on each other but, when it comes to a player improving his game, the best advice is from one of the greatest winners of all-time, John Wooden:

“A good place to look for a helping hand is at the end of your arm.”

Out of town on business.  The blog will return Tuesday.

Hall-of-Fame coach Larry Brown used to say high school coaching is the purest form of teaching the game of basketball.  In California, high school coaches are allowed to work with their players year round.  While this can be an invaluable time for coaches and their teams, overzealous members of the profession can, unwittingly, cross the line and put undue pressure on their players - and themselves.

It’s June and every weekend there are tournaments (whether high school or AAU) in which teams can play up to six-eight games.  I’ve found it to be true that when kids are in the gym, they don’t get into trouble.  Recently, I spoke with John Welch, an assistant with the Denver Nuggets (and with whom I served on Jerry Tarkanian’s Fresno State staff).  John is a true basketball junkie, known to those in the business as “Johnny Workout.”  He has strong feelings about kids playing too much.   Too much five-on-five, that is.  John, as well as many other coaching “lifers,” sees two problem areas.  One is not enough attention to fundamentals.  The other, a real bone of contention with Welch, is that kids don’t play enough one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three.

John’s belief, shared by many other veterans in the business, is that kids learn much better how to play when fewer guys are involved.  Young guys playing five-0n-five can hit a jumper, leak out for a breakaway layup and hit another shot during the course of the game, then “hide” - and think they played well.  Fewer guys in the game force kids to be more active participants - in pick and roll situations, help and recover, understanding offensive spacing, etc.

Another issue with five-on-five is that it’s a game - meaning score is kept.  Sure, score is also a factor in three-on-threes, etc. but there’s one difference: coaches aren’t involved.  Last night, a few of us “dinosaurs” watched high school competition and saw a varying amount of “coaching intensity”- ranging from coaches encouraging to others enraged.  Somewhere, someone made the claim that losing is unacceptable - ever!

That adage was adopted by a few coaches, some of which became extremely successful.  My feeling is that these coaches would have been successful anyway - without the excessive pressure these spring and summer games inflict upon teenagers.  Yet, due to this desire to excel, too many coaches are coaching like the outcomes actually mean something - and, unknowingly, burning out their most valuable assets.

The consensus among the group I was with is that:

“The only coaches in the country who need to be stressing out this late into June are the staffs of the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.”

Which finals coach has the make up of a champion?  Neither Rick Carlisle nor Erik Spoelstra has been to the mountaintop of coaching.  How can they be evaluated then?  The following is a blog from last June.  Does it shed light on which guy will be hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy?  Decide for yourself.

Much has been made of the fact that in the last 20 years, only six coaches have claimed the NBA championship (neither of this year’s contestants are a member of that group).  So what ingredients go into making a championship basketball coach on the professional level?

Great player?  Doubtful (Carlisle was the better player but neither would be considered great).  There have been many more great players who’ve tried their hand at coaching and haven’t won than those who have. Of the six latest NBA championship coaches, Rudy Tomjanovich would probably rank as the best player, with Gregg Popovich being at the bottom of the list skill-wise (Doc Rivers, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson and Larry Brown are the others who’ve won titles in the NBA since 1990).  Moot point this year.

As far as coaching in the college ranks prior to taking on an NBA job, only Pop and Brown had done so, Larry having a great deal more success (winning an NCAA title with Kansas) than Pop (who struggled mightily at Pomona-Pitzer).  If I’m not mistaken, of all the coaches who’ve ever won an NBA championship, only Chuck Daly, Jack Ramsey, Dick Motta, Paul Westhead and Bill Fitch were collegiate head coaches before going on to win an NBA title.  Once again, non-factor.

In fact, there doesn’t seem to be any blueprint for NBA coaching success other than the obvious: having a whole lotta talent (advantage Spoelstra).  But even with that, a championship isn’t guaranteed.  Within the past two decades, communication has become of vital importance in leading any type of organization.  The authoritative mentality, e.g. “He treats us all the same - like dogs” used so successfully by Vince Lombardi would meet with resistance (probably to a man) now, unlike in the heyday of the Packers.  Neither fits the bill.

The one common denominator each of those championship coaches had was a very focused leader on the floor, one who commanded the respect of his teammates.  At the risk of upsetting some, let’s say these leaders are named Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade.  Of course they all possessed overwhelming talent, but beyond that, each superstar had his own style of leading, some more vocal than others, but each displaying one common theme - leading by example (put each in that category).  From MJ to Hakeem to David Robinson and Tim Duncan to Kobe and Shaq (granted, it was difficult to follow Shaq’s example - he, among all of these guys, could truly be categorized as unique) to Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton to KG, they were comfortable in their roles as the go-to guy and were, for the most part, players who set good examples.

So, to make one of the greatest understatements of all-time, it seems like the coach isn’t nearly as valuable as the best player (much more apparent this year).  As long as that player doesn’t flaunt his power. In all, acceptance of leadership is what’s necessary for a championship club (and this year - THAT could be the key) and in the words of Nathaniel Branden:

“Accepting does not necessarily mean ‘liking,’ ‘enjoying,’ or ‘condoning.’ I can accept what is - and be determined to evolve from there.”

Recently, I read a story about Peyton Manning and a pretty absurd request from a fan which he managed to wriggle out of by concocting an excuse nearly anyone would have seen through.  I can’t remember the exact details but I do recall thinking it was mandatory that he get out of whatever the awkward situation was - and, hence, didn’t blame him for the fabrication.

That article jogged my memory to an event that occurred at Michael Jordan’s camp in August of ‘05.  I blogged about it several years ago, but it bears repeating if only to read how otherwise normal people act in the face of “royalty” (each of the people in the story I consider normal - except for their performance on that particular day).

Considering most of the kids at Michael Jordan’s camp (ages 8-18) don’t remember seeing MJ as a player, observing the adults is much more interesting than following the kids.  The most amazing story occurred two years ago at the tenth anniversary of the camp.

There was to be a mystery guest speaker on the third night and the speculation ran wild as to the identity.  The camp’s director is George Raveling.  If you’ve read my blogs, you’ll know I worked with George as a graduate assistant at Washington State in the early ’70s, as an associate head coach at USC in the early ’90s and as assistant chairman on the Recruiting Committee of which he was chairman for about 17 years in between.  During the second day of MJ’s camp, George confided in me the speaker in question was Larry Brown, recently signed as coach of the Knicks, who had a fabulous coaching career which included an NCAA Championship at Kansas and an NBA World Championship with the Pistons.

Later that evening, I was approached on five separate occasions by parents asking me who the speaker was going to be.  Each conversation went something like this:

Parent: “Who’s the mystery guest?”

JF: “I can’t tell you.”

Parent: “But you know who it is?”

JF: “Yes.”

Parent: “Oh, come on, you can tell me (us).”

JF (looking around surreptitiously): “OK, it’s…George W. Bush.”

On no occasion, not once! did anyone question my answer.  I got replies from, “Oh, great, he’s my favorite” to “Good, that will be a great experience for my son” to, believe it or not, “I wonder if he’ll wear shorts.”  No one ever said, “Come on, you’ve got to be kidding.”

I did eventually tell them it really wasn’t the President.  They were all disappointed, but not one of them said, “I knew you were putting me on.”

Reminds me of the old line:

“Did you know that the word ‘gullible’ isn’t in the dictionary?”

For whatever reason, William Wesley, aka World Wide Wes, has been in the news recently.  A sneaker salesman, who allegedly sold more kicks in a bad neighborhood of Philly than other store owners in affluent areas, World Wide Wes caught the attention of some power brokers and, voila, a real life version of Where’s Waldo? came to life.

Many call this cat the most influential man in all of sports and for someone who has no “stats,” he burst on the scene like nobody’s business.  But “the most influential man in sports?”  Here’s a past blog that shows how Michael Jordan defines influence - even when you don’t have it.  This is reprinted from 8/14/07. 

As I mentioned, I spent from Aug. 1-10 at the Michael Jordan Flight School in Santa Barbara where I serve as one of the eight league commissioners (there are eight leagues of eight teams in each league).  This was the fifth year I’ve worked the camp.

Considering most of the campers (ages 8-18) don’t remember seeing Michael as a player, observing the adults is much more interesting than following the kids.  The most amazing story occurred two years ago at the tenth anniversary of the camp.

There was to be a mystery guest speaker on the third night and the speculation ran wild as to his identity.  The camp director is George Raveling.  If you’ve read my blogs, you’ll know I worked with George as a graduate assistant at Washington State in the early ’70s, as an associate head coach at USC in the early ’90s and as assistant chairman on the Recruiting Committee of which he was chairman for about 17 years in between.  During the second day of MJ’s camp, George confided in me the speaker in question was Larry Brown, recently signed as coach of the Knicks, who had a fabulous coaching career which included an NCAA Championship at Kansas and a World Championship with the Pistons.

Later that evening, I was approached on five separate occasions by parents asking me who the speaker was going to be.  Each conversation went something like this:

Parent: “Who’s the mystery guest?”

JF: “I can’t tell you.”

Parent: “But you know who it is?”

JF: “Yes.”

Parent: “Oh, come on, you can tell me (us).”

JF (looking around surreptitiously): “OK, it’s…George W. Bush.”

On no occasion, not once! did anyone question my answer.  I got replies from, “Oh, great, he’s my favorite” to “Good, that will be a great experience for my son” to “I wonder if he’ll wear shorts.”  No one ever said, “Come on, you’ve got to be kidding.”

I did eventually tell them it really wasn’t the President.  They were all disappointed, but no one ever said, “I knew you were putting me on.”

This experience reminded me of Colin Powell’s line:

“You don’t know what you can get away with until you try.”

And it explains why kids today are so gullible - it’s an inherited trait.

Much has been made of the fact that in the last 20 years, only six coaches have claimed the NBA championship.  So what ingredients go into making a championship basketball coach on the professional level?

Great player?  Doubtful.  There have been many more great players who’ve tried their hand at coaching and haven’t won than those who have.  Of the six latest NBA championship coaches, Rudy Tomjanovich would probably rank as the best player, with Gregg Popovich being at the bottom of the list skill-wise (Doc Rivers, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson and Larry Brown are the others who’ve won titles in the NBA since 1990).

As far as coaching in the college ranks prior to taking on an NBA job, only Pop and Brown had done so, Larry having a great deal more success (winning an NCAA title with Kansas) than Pop (who struggled mightily at Pomona-Pitzer).  If I’m not mistaken, of all the coaches who’ve ever won an NBA championship, only Chuck Daly, Jack Ramsey, Dick Motta, Paul Westhead and Bill Fitch were collegiate head coaches before going on to win an NBA title. 

In fact, there doesn’t seem to be any blueprint for NBA coaching success other than the obvious: having a whole lotta talent.  And even with that, a championship isn’t guaranteed.  Within the past two decades, communication has become of vital importance in leading any type of organization.  The authoritative mentality, e.g. “He treats us all the same - like dogs” used so successfully by Vince Lombardi would meet with resistance (probably to a man) now, unlike in the heyday of the Packers.

The one common denominator each of those championship coaches had was a very focused leader on the floor, one who commanded the respect of his teammates.  Of course they all possessed overwhelming talent, but beyond that, each superstar had his own style of leading, some more vocal than others, but each displaying one common theme - leading by example.  From MJ to Hakeem to David Robinson and Tim Duncan to Kobe and Shaq (granted, it was difficult to follow Shaq’s example - he, among all of these guys, could truly be categorized as unique) to Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton to D Wade to KG, they were comfortable in their roles as the go-to guy and were, for the most part, players who set good examples.

So, to make one of the greatest understatements of all-time, it seems like the coach isn’t nearly as valuable as the best player.  As long as that player doesn’t flaunt the obvious.  In all, acceptance of leadership is what’s necessary for a championship club and in the words of Nathaniel Branden:

“Accepting does not necessarily mean ‘liking,’ ‘enjoying,’ or ‘condoning.’  I can accept what is - and be determined to evolve from there.” �

Larry Brown has made the statement that he doesn’t know whether his Charlotte Bobcats can actually beat the Orlando Magic.  Many in the field of psychology would be appalled if they heard the leader of a group say something that would plant a seed of doubt in his team.  Being the underdog in the series, you’d think the coach would try to bolster the confidence of his club.

Why, then, would Brown make a comment like that?  My guess is that what Larry Brown said is exactly what he believes - and he’s been around long enough and has had so much success that he feels it would be foolish to try to play mind games or use some other psychological ploy.  As Charles Barkley (another who’s been known to speak frankly) pointed out, if Charlotte is to win (a game), the Bobcats need someone to have an other-worldly experience in terms of point production, because the Magic, who had five players in double figures in their game two victory, simply have too much firepower for Charlotte.

In the first two games, Dwight Howard, aka Superman, had subpar production, mainly due to foul trouble, yet the Bobcats never even posed a threat.  In game two, they scored a mere 30 points in the first half.  Their defense, or rather their half-court offensive philosophy of walking the ball up the floor on each possession, limited Orlando to only 41 points themselves.    

Gregg Popovich called his team out after their game one defeat in Dallas.  He said the Spurs played “like dogs.”  Whoa!  Psychology majors are in for a real challenge trying to analyze these two veteran coaches.  None of the players for San Antonio, though, when questioned, took exception with their coach’s comments.  And wouldn’t you know it, the Spurs came out in the second game and played like gangbusters, jumping to a 9-0 start and never looking back, leading by as much as twenty points.

The game did get close, however, when the Mavs cut the lead to five in the fourth quarter but eight straight points by ageless Tim Duncan squashed any hopes the hometown club had on sweeping the opening two games.  Not surprisingly, Duncan made no mention of his desire to prove to Pop he wasn’t a dog in the post-game press conference.

Both Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich have grabbed the brass ring - on more than one occasion - Brown claiming an NCAA national championship (Kansas) and a World Championship (Detroit) and Pop winning multiple titles with the Spurs.  Then why did Pop’s psychology work better than Larry’s?  I’ve done a great many of these blogs in which I’ve stated Jerry Tarkanian’s philosophy of coaching (click on the “Jerry Tarkanian” category and you’ll be sure to find it mentioned on numerous occasions).  “Talent” is always Tark’s reply.   

There’s an old saying that sums up why Charlotte couldn’t do to Orlando in game two what San Antonio did to Dallas (even though each is a #7 seed playing a #2).  Substituting for the chicken products that Charles Barkley - The Round Mound of Rebound - or, as he might now be referred to following Tuesday night’s TNT broadcast, the Prince of Profanity - would use in the old adage, the message is:

“You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”