New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season
- Thread starter Ron Party
- Start date
Is there any call for Jerry Sloan? That would be an interesting mix of game styles and personalities.
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
How Jim Buss hired him in the first place is a mystery. I didn't like him in Cleveland and even less in LA
Yep, didn't like him either and think I brought that up a few times in this forum. Lacks any imagination. Forex., Clev. should've run a motion offense around Lebron who has Magic-like court vision, instead they ran the typical iso.
I think D'Antoni would be a good choice with a good defensive asst coach. He might want a more mobile scoring forward but he would adapt.
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That was fast. I thought Jim Buss wanted to wait till it's 1-14, but it was a good move, I'd say.
That would add some drama and maybe give the Lakers a real big shot of adrenalin. And Phil Jackson will be intrigued to 'refining' Howard in the manner that he did to Shaq and use Howard's talent to the max.
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I can't see anyone but Phil returning although D'Antoni's name is being thrown around
Where is Jerry Sloan
Definitely won't be Brian Shaw
Where is Jerry Sloan
Definitely won't be Brian Shaw
If it's D'Antonini, he would be reunited with Nash like the Suns' days. And there will be a lot of running. Question is, who will be his defensive assistant? I'm surprised to find out that Mike Brown is regarded as a defensive specialist. He worked under Popovich and Carlisle and had winning seasons with them.
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
when he was with the Cavs he was all about Defense and giving the ball to LBJ and letting him run the offense
That's true, Steve. Looking back, I noticed that with the Cavs. They had a tight defense then, but somehow with LA, the defense was not as tight.
Whaaat? I just read that one! Well.. I didn't know Bickerstaf was with the Lakers. He was a decent coach.
Now who's going to be the permanent coach? Does Phil Jackson want to coach again? Will they approach him? Soa Opera in L.A.
IN the meantime from Bil Simmons at Grantland. CLICK HERE
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Knicks win fourth of the year over Dallas. Meanwhile they're second in the league in defense allowing only 87.5 ppg. (for some reason NO leads the league with 86ppg but is only 2-2; perhaps it's that they can't score? 
)
)
Knicks win fourth of the year over Dallas. Meanwhile they're second in the league in defense allowing only 87.5 ppg. (for some reason NO leads the league with 86ppg but is only 2-2; perhaps it's that they can't score?
That's a good sign, that their defense is tightening up. I believe NY's success is long overdue. How a big city cannot win a title in like 40 years is quite a mystery to me, given that even Chicago and Detroit has done it already. This should be their break out year, with Kidd around, he could even be the 'lucky charm' that gave Dallas its first title.
Amazing Rasheed and Camby are given playing time, ahead of Kurt Thomas even.
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Jackson, D'Antoni on Lakers' radar
By David Aldridge
After initially resisting the idea of reaching out again to former coach Phil Jackson to once again come to their rescue, the Los Angeles Lakers have changed course. The team now plans to look at Jackson and former Suns and Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni for their vacant head coaching position, according to league sources.
The Lakers fired Mike Brown Friday morning after getting off to a 1-4 start, and announced they would begin a "nationwide" search for a new coach. Early Friday afternoon, the team informed people that Jackson, whose 11 championships as a coach are the most in league history, was not going to be considered for the job. But the team has changed gears and now plans to seriously consider bringing back Jackson, who won five titles in two stints as the Lakers coach before once again retiring following the 2010-11 season, when L.A. was unceremoniously swept by the Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs.
"I know they're trying to get Phil [Jackson] like crazy," said a source with knowledge of the team's thinking.
Former Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw could also be in the mix, according to league sources, but is believed to be below Jackson and D'Antoni on the team's wish list. Shaw, currently the Pacers' assistant head coach, is well-respected around the league. He interviewed for the Orlando Magic job this summer before the Magic chose Spurs assistant Jacque Vaughn as their coach.
Jackson took last season off and addressed some long-standing health issues, including having his left knee replaced last March. Last June, Jackson was looking for a "hybrid" management role that would make him the head of basketball operations for an organization and give him authority to pick a coach who would commit to running the triangle offense Jackson has used in Chicago and Los Angeles, his longtime agents Todd and Brian Musburger said then. At that time, the Musburgers said, Jackson was not interested in coaching again and wanted to play a "consigliere" role for a coach the way his longtime assistant, Tex Winter, performed that task for him on the bench.
"Phil would be very comfortable if he never returns to the NBA," Todd Musburger said at the time. "But I think he would be very comfortable returning. There's a lot of frustration when you're sitting in your living room and watching a team try to defend a screen and roll, and you can't put your hands on an organization."
Said Brian Musburger in June: "He gets frustrated this time of year." He added that Jackson would like to be involved with a coaching staff not to interfere, but to act as a mentor.
However, the pull of coming back to the Lakers -- and to Los Angeles, where Jeanne Buss, the Lakers' executive vice president and Jackson's longtime partner, still lives and works -- could be overwhelming.
If the Lakers opt for Jackson, though, the price will be considerable.
Jackson's original deal with the Lakers, in 1999, was for five years and $30 million. He then got a three-year, $30 million deal upon returning to the team in 2005, after a one-year sabbatical following his mutually-agreed-upon departure from the team. A two-year extension worth $24 million followed, and Jackson still was making $10 million in his last season coaching. For the Lakers to bring him back a third time would likely mean a salary in excess of the $12 million he got in 2009.
The Lakers are flush with new money after agreeing to a 20-year, $3 billion deal with Time Warner Cable to broadcast their games. But the team's payroll will skyrocket when and if it re-signs center Dwight Howard; the L.A. Times estimated a combined salary and luxury tax payment of $195 million for the 2013-14 season if Howard gets a max deal next summer. The Lakers are also expected to be major contributors to an enhanced revenue-sharing system that will funnel money from the league's most successful teams to those that are struggling financially. But reducing coaching salaries as well as player salaries has been a priority for the league in the last few years; Boston's Doc Rivers, at $7 million a year, is currently the NBA's highest-paid coach.
The decision to once again consider Jackson would likely mean the final decision on the new coach will reside with owner Jerry Buss rather than his son, Jim, the team's executive vice president. Jim Buss has gradually assumed control of the team's on-court basketball decision making over the past few years, with Jeanne Buss continuing to run the business side. It was Jim Buss that chose Brown over Jackson's and Bryant's preferred successor, Shaw, in the summer of 2011. Bryant was not consulted before Jim Buss hired Brown. And, over the past two years, the Lakers purged almost everyone that had had any association with Jackson, including athletic trainer Chip Schaefer, longtime equipment manager Rudy Garciduenas and athletic performance coordinator Alex McKechnie. Assistant general manager Ronnie Lester, who'd worked side by side with Kupchak for more than a decade, also was let go in 2011 after 24 years with the team.
But Jim Buss did give the okay to the four-team deal that brought Howard to the Lakers in August, even though it meant L.A. had to part with center Andrew Bynum, whom Buss had championed through several seasons after the team took Bynum with the 10th pick of the 2005 Draft. Bynum was sent to Philadelphia as part of the trade, and has yet to play with the 76ers after getting offseason treatment on his balky knees.
Ironically, like Jackson, D'Antoni also had knee replacement surgery late last month. While he is expected to be on crutches for a few weeks, the surgery has no long-term implications. D'Antoni resigned as the Knicks' coach in March, after clashing with star Carmelo Anthony. New York failed to make the playoffs in D'Antoni's first two seasons there, but he underwent a Renaissance last winter when unheralded guard Jeremy Lin sparked a winning streak that brought the term "Linsanity" into the sports lexicon. With Lin on the ball, and Anthony injured, New York played the freewheeling, ball-moving style that D'Antoni's Phoenix teams played. But Anthony's return and a knee injury to Lin ended the improved chemistry. When the Knicks refused to consider trading Anthony in the spring, according to a source, D'Antoni decided to step down. New York then went on a roll under new coach Mike Woodson, making the playoffs.
D'Antoni has a solid relationship with Bryant, having been an assistant coach on the U.S. men's gold-medal winning Olympic teams in 2008 and 2012. He was not planning to coach this season, but the sudden opening of the Lakers' job Friday got his interest. Even though D'Antoni struggled in Phoenix to find a suitable backup for Nash and usually went with a short playing rotation -- something that would not work with this older Lakers team, which needs to extend its bench and get improved play from the reserves -- D'Antoni would have no reservations about coaching them.
"The lure of coaching with Steve Nash again, it's pretty compelling," said a source with knowledge of D'Antoni's thinking.
Brown's camp believes that the decision to fire him was made solely by Jerry Buss and not by Jim Buss or with any input from Bryant. The Lakers' star had steadfastly maintained his loyalty to Brown throughout the team's rough start, which culminated in a loss to the Jazz in Salt Lake City Wednesday to make the team 1-4 with a sole win over Detroit. That followed an 0-8 preseason in which injuries and poor play caused a near-panic among Lakers fans who expected the team to contend this season for a championship. Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff was named interim coach
By David Aldridge
After initially resisting the idea of reaching out again to former coach Phil Jackson to once again come to their rescue, the Los Angeles Lakers have changed course. The team now plans to look at Jackson and former Suns and Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni for their vacant head coaching position, according to league sources.
The Lakers fired Mike Brown Friday morning after getting off to a 1-4 start, and announced they would begin a "nationwide" search for a new coach. Early Friday afternoon, the team informed people that Jackson, whose 11 championships as a coach are the most in league history, was not going to be considered for the job. But the team has changed gears and now plans to seriously consider bringing back Jackson, who won five titles in two stints as the Lakers coach before once again retiring following the 2010-11 season, when L.A. was unceremoniously swept by the Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs.
"I know they're trying to get Phil [Jackson] like crazy," said a source with knowledge of the team's thinking.
Former Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw could also be in the mix, according to league sources, but is believed to be below Jackson and D'Antoni on the team's wish list. Shaw, currently the Pacers' assistant head coach, is well-respected around the league. He interviewed for the Orlando Magic job this summer before the Magic chose Spurs assistant Jacque Vaughn as their coach.
Jackson took last season off and addressed some long-standing health issues, including having his left knee replaced last March. Last June, Jackson was looking for a "hybrid" management role that would make him the head of basketball operations for an organization and give him authority to pick a coach who would commit to running the triangle offense Jackson has used in Chicago and Los Angeles, his longtime agents Todd and Brian Musburger said then. At that time, the Musburgers said, Jackson was not interested in coaching again and wanted to play a "consigliere" role for a coach the way his longtime assistant, Tex Winter, performed that task for him on the bench.
"Phil would be very comfortable if he never returns to the NBA," Todd Musburger said at the time. "But I think he would be very comfortable returning. There's a lot of frustration when you're sitting in your living room and watching a team try to defend a screen and roll, and you can't put your hands on an organization."
Said Brian Musburger in June: "He gets frustrated this time of year." He added that Jackson would like to be involved with a coaching staff not to interfere, but to act as a mentor.
However, the pull of coming back to the Lakers -- and to Los Angeles, where Jeanne Buss, the Lakers' executive vice president and Jackson's longtime partner, still lives and works -- could be overwhelming.
If the Lakers opt for Jackson, though, the price will be considerable.
Jackson's original deal with the Lakers, in 1999, was for five years and $30 million. He then got a three-year, $30 million deal upon returning to the team in 2005, after a one-year sabbatical following his mutually-agreed-upon departure from the team. A two-year extension worth $24 million followed, and Jackson still was making $10 million in his last season coaching. For the Lakers to bring him back a third time would likely mean a salary in excess of the $12 million he got in 2009.
The Lakers are flush with new money after agreeing to a 20-year, $3 billion deal with Time Warner Cable to broadcast their games. But the team's payroll will skyrocket when and if it re-signs center Dwight Howard; the L.A. Times estimated a combined salary and luxury tax payment of $195 million for the 2013-14 season if Howard gets a max deal next summer. The Lakers are also expected to be major contributors to an enhanced revenue-sharing system that will funnel money from the league's most successful teams to those that are struggling financially. But reducing coaching salaries as well as player salaries has been a priority for the league in the last few years; Boston's Doc Rivers, at $7 million a year, is currently the NBA's highest-paid coach.
The decision to once again consider Jackson would likely mean the final decision on the new coach will reside with owner Jerry Buss rather than his son, Jim, the team's executive vice president. Jim Buss has gradually assumed control of the team's on-court basketball decision making over the past few years, with Jeanne Buss continuing to run the business side. It was Jim Buss that chose Brown over Jackson's and Bryant's preferred successor, Shaw, in the summer of 2011. Bryant was not consulted before Jim Buss hired Brown. And, over the past two years, the Lakers purged almost everyone that had had any association with Jackson, including athletic trainer Chip Schaefer, longtime equipment manager Rudy Garciduenas and athletic performance coordinator Alex McKechnie. Assistant general manager Ronnie Lester, who'd worked side by side with Kupchak for more than a decade, also was let go in 2011 after 24 years with the team.
But Jim Buss did give the okay to the four-team deal that brought Howard to the Lakers in August, even though it meant L.A. had to part with center Andrew Bynum, whom Buss had championed through several seasons after the team took Bynum with the 10th pick of the 2005 Draft. Bynum was sent to Philadelphia as part of the trade, and has yet to play with the 76ers after getting offseason treatment on his balky knees.
Ironically, like Jackson, D'Antoni also had knee replacement surgery late last month. While he is expected to be on crutches for a few weeks, the surgery has no long-term implications. D'Antoni resigned as the Knicks' coach in March, after clashing with star Carmelo Anthony. New York failed to make the playoffs in D'Antoni's first two seasons there, but he underwent a Renaissance last winter when unheralded guard Jeremy Lin sparked a winning streak that brought the term "Linsanity" into the sports lexicon. With Lin on the ball, and Anthony injured, New York played the freewheeling, ball-moving style that D'Antoni's Phoenix teams played. But Anthony's return and a knee injury to Lin ended the improved chemistry. When the Knicks refused to consider trading Anthony in the spring, according to a source, D'Antoni decided to step down. New York then went on a roll under new coach Mike Woodson, making the playoffs.
D'Antoni has a solid relationship with Bryant, having been an assistant coach on the U.S. men's gold-medal winning Olympic teams in 2008 and 2012. He was not planning to coach this season, but the sudden opening of the Lakers' job Friday got his interest. Even though D'Antoni struggled in Phoenix to find a suitable backup for Nash and usually went with a short playing rotation -- something that would not work with this older Lakers team, which needs to extend its bench and get improved play from the reserves -- D'Antoni would have no reservations about coaching them.
"The lure of coaching with Steve Nash again, it's pretty compelling," said a source with knowledge of D'Antoni's thinking.
Brown's camp believes that the decision to fire him was made solely by Jerry Buss and not by Jim Buss or with any input from Bryant. The Lakers' star had steadfastly maintained his loyalty to Brown throughout the team's rough start, which culminated in a loss to the Jazz in Salt Lake City Wednesday to make the team 1-4 with a sole win over Detroit. That followed an 0-8 preseason in which injuries and poor play caused a near-panic among Lakers fans who expected the team to contend this season for a championship. Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff was named interim coach
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
By GREG BEACHAM, AP
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A few hours after the Los Angeles Lakers' top brass abruptly fired coach Mike Brown and threw their season into turmoil before mid-November, Brown's former players demonstrated why there's still ample reason to think this team can be saved.
The Lakers should find out soon whether Phil Jackson gets the chance to do the saving - again.
Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, Pau Gasol added 14 points and 16 rebounds, and the Lakers doubled their win total with a 101-77 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
Jordan Hill scored 14 points for the Lakers, who were uniformly stunned by Brown's dismissal after just 18 months on the job. Following a bumpy first half against Golden State under interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff, they pulled away in the third quarter with a 25-9 run led by Bryant, who also had nine rebounds and seven assists.
``I think everybody didn't know how to react to it emotionally,'' Bryant said. ``Everybody had to just go about their business and play basketball. ... A lot of the emotion that was picked up was kind of unleashed when we played.''
The comfortable victory capped one of the most tumultuous days in recent history for a franchise that's never short on drama. With the high-priced veteran club off to a Western Conference-worst 1-4 start following a winless preseason, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and owner Jim Buss abruptly dismissed Brown, informing players during their morning shootaround.
Bickerstaff ran the Lakers as the interim coach, but the veteran NBA bench boss isn't likely to be a candidate for the full-time job. Kupchak is searching for a replacement, possibly making a selection before the Lakers' next game on Sunday against Sacramento.
The Lakers' crowd quickly made its choice known: A chant of ``We want Phil!'' rose out of the stands while Bryant shot a free throw in the third quarter, and echoed a few more times later in the half.
``I can understand why,'' Bickerstaff said. ``The guy's got the rings.''
Jackson, the 11-time NBA champion coach who won five rings in two previous stints running the Lakers, is near the top of Kupchak's list again, the GM acknowledged. Mike D'Antoni, the former Knicks and Suns coach, also is thought to be a prime candidate.
Bryant said he would be thoroughly happy with Jackson, D'Antoni or former Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw in charge. Bryant's injury struggles during Jackson's final season would give him particular motivation for a third stint together.
``I wasn't able to give him my real self because I was playing on one leg,'' Bryant said. ``It's always kind of eaten away at me that in the last year of his career ... I couldn't give him everything I had because I was playing on one knee.''
Dwight Howard had six points and eight rebounds while playing just 24 minutes for the Lakers in his ongoing return from offseason back surgery. Steve Nash, the other major addition to the club, watched from behind the bench, missing his fourth straight game with a small fracture in his leg. Nash will be out for at least another week, the Lakers announced after the game.
After the protracted drama between Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy and the six-time All-Star center, Howard met questions about the Lakers' coaching staff with a smile and silence.
``I'm going to keep that to myself,'' Howard said. ``I learned my lesson last year.''
Brown never got the chance to integrate the two stars into his new offense while they were dogged by health issues. Kupchak and Buss still needed to see more progress than the Lakers managed in the past six weeks, particularly on defense - and they saw it against the Warriors, who managed just 33.7 percent shooting and made 19 turnovers.
``We were just out of sync, no excuse,'' Golden State coach Mark Jackson said. ``If you're going to beat a good team on the road, you've got to take care of the basketball. We came in with the mindset to run, and they outscored us even in fast-break points. Just disappointed overall.''
Stephen Curry scored 18 points and Klay Thompson had 15 for the Warriors, who have lost five straight to the Lakers overall, and nine in a row at Staples Center since March 2008.
``I think we played well, but the score doesn't say that,'' Curry said. ``Defensively, we did a pretty good job. We're just undersized down there, trying to battle the boards and the paint.''
The Lakers' offensive struggles evaporated in the third quarter while they leaped to an 18-point lead over the undermanned Warriors, who struggled to contend inside without injured center Andrew Bogut.
Darius Morris had career highs of 10 points and five rebounds while playing the majority of the Lakers' minutes at point guard. Los Angeles' reserves have been largely ineffective during Brown's tenure, but Morris and Hill led a spirited effort against the Warriors, outscoring their counterparts with Golden State 37-17.
NOTES: Lakers F Devin Ebanks was inactive after getting arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs early Friday morning. Rookie Darius Johnson-Odom made his NBA debut in the final minutes. ... Warriors C Andris Biedrins came up roughly 2 feet short on an airballed free throw in the first half. The Latvian veteran has a career free throw shooting percentage just over 50 percent. ... Brown went 42-29 with the Lakers, coaching them to the second round of the playoffs during the strike-shortened season before his abbreviated start to this fall.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A few hours after the Los Angeles Lakers' top brass abruptly fired coach Mike Brown and threw their season into turmoil before mid-November, Brown's former players demonstrated why there's still ample reason to think this team can be saved.
The Lakers should find out soon whether Phil Jackson gets the chance to do the saving - again.
Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, Pau Gasol added 14 points and 16 rebounds, and the Lakers doubled their win total with a 101-77 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
Jordan Hill scored 14 points for the Lakers, who were uniformly stunned by Brown's dismissal after just 18 months on the job. Following a bumpy first half against Golden State under interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff, they pulled away in the third quarter with a 25-9 run led by Bryant, who also had nine rebounds and seven assists.
``I think everybody didn't know how to react to it emotionally,'' Bryant said. ``Everybody had to just go about their business and play basketball. ... A lot of the emotion that was picked up was kind of unleashed when we played.''
The comfortable victory capped one of the most tumultuous days in recent history for a franchise that's never short on drama. With the high-priced veteran club off to a Western Conference-worst 1-4 start following a winless preseason, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and owner Jim Buss abruptly dismissed Brown, informing players during their morning shootaround.
Bickerstaff ran the Lakers as the interim coach, but the veteran NBA bench boss isn't likely to be a candidate for the full-time job. Kupchak is searching for a replacement, possibly making a selection before the Lakers' next game on Sunday against Sacramento.
The Lakers' crowd quickly made its choice known: A chant of ``We want Phil!'' rose out of the stands while Bryant shot a free throw in the third quarter, and echoed a few more times later in the half.
``I can understand why,'' Bickerstaff said. ``The guy's got the rings.''
Jackson, the 11-time NBA champion coach who won five rings in two previous stints running the Lakers, is near the top of Kupchak's list again, the GM acknowledged. Mike D'Antoni, the former Knicks and Suns coach, also is thought to be a prime candidate.
Bryant said he would be thoroughly happy with Jackson, D'Antoni or former Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw in charge. Bryant's injury struggles during Jackson's final season would give him particular motivation for a third stint together.
``I wasn't able to give him my real self because I was playing on one leg,'' Bryant said. ``It's always kind of eaten away at me that in the last year of his career ... I couldn't give him everything I had because I was playing on one knee.''
Dwight Howard had six points and eight rebounds while playing just 24 minutes for the Lakers in his ongoing return from offseason back surgery. Steve Nash, the other major addition to the club, watched from behind the bench, missing his fourth straight game with a small fracture in his leg. Nash will be out for at least another week, the Lakers announced after the game.
After the protracted drama between Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy and the six-time All-Star center, Howard met questions about the Lakers' coaching staff with a smile and silence.
``I'm going to keep that to myself,'' Howard said. ``I learned my lesson last year.''
Brown never got the chance to integrate the two stars into his new offense while they were dogged by health issues. Kupchak and Buss still needed to see more progress than the Lakers managed in the past six weeks, particularly on defense - and they saw it against the Warriors, who managed just 33.7 percent shooting and made 19 turnovers.
``We were just out of sync, no excuse,'' Golden State coach Mark Jackson said. ``If you're going to beat a good team on the road, you've got to take care of the basketball. We came in with the mindset to run, and they outscored us even in fast-break points. Just disappointed overall.''
Stephen Curry scored 18 points and Klay Thompson had 15 for the Warriors, who have lost five straight to the Lakers overall, and nine in a row at Staples Center since March 2008.
``I think we played well, but the score doesn't say that,'' Curry said. ``Defensively, we did a pretty good job. We're just undersized down there, trying to battle the boards and the paint.''
The Lakers' offensive struggles evaporated in the third quarter while they leaped to an 18-point lead over the undermanned Warriors, who struggled to contend inside without injured center Andrew Bogut.
Darius Morris had career highs of 10 points and five rebounds while playing the majority of the Lakers' minutes at point guard. Los Angeles' reserves have been largely ineffective during Brown's tenure, but Morris and Hill led a spirited effort against the Warriors, outscoring their counterparts with Golden State 37-17.
NOTES: Lakers F Devin Ebanks was inactive after getting arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs early Friday morning. Rookie Darius Johnson-Odom made his NBA debut in the final minutes. ... Warriors C Andris Biedrins came up roughly 2 feet short on an airballed free throw in the first half. The Latvian veteran has a career free throw shooting percentage just over 50 percent. ... Brown went 42-29 with the Lakers, coaching them to the second round of the playoffs during the strike-shortened season before his abbreviated start to this fall.
A change of coach can fire up a team. That's what happened to the Knicks last season when D'Antonini was fired. Woodson ultimately earned full coaching status after that. And long long time ago, Bill Fitch was fired by the C's in '83 and the next year the C's won a title under KC Jones.
FYI, I think Woodson is the most underrated coach in the league. A good year for the Knicks could earn him coach of the year. And look at his pedigree. A Bobby Knight disciple. Defense first!
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Kobe Bryant pulls for Phil Jackson's return....
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--kobe-bryant-pulls-for-phil-jackson-s-return.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--kobe-bryant-pulls-for-phil-jackson-s-return.html
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