These coaching jobs aren't for everyone

Sporting News, The, May 5, 1997 by Shaun Powell

So many jobs, so few Pitinos. With six or seven head coaching openings expected in the league, maybe Rick Pitino should clone himself. Imagine the money he'd make. Imagine the exposure he'd get. Imagine how much larger his ego would swell if, five years from now, ifs Pitino vs. Pitino in the Finals.

Everyone wants the Kentucky coach. The Celtics. The Warriors. The Sixers. If other teams didn't have G.M.s who were threatened by him, there would be more clubs waving small fortunes in front of him."

"I'm going to get Pitino," 76ers owner Pat Croce vowed. I'm going to get him."

Here's news for Croce: Pitino's remaining in Lexington. After flirting with the Celtics -- the only club he'll take seriously, because his family loves New England -- Pitino told his players he's staying put He did the same thing last year when the Nets came calling. Telling his players means closure for Pitino.

Therefore, those teams with job vacancies should look elsewhere. But before they figure out who they want, they must understand the kind of coach they need.

Here's a quick examination of the headhunters:

Sixers. What a mess. This team is big on talent short on clues. When Croce and others purchased the franchise last year, they took the cheap and inexperienced route to fill the Sixers' most important jobs. The Sixers hired first-timers Brad Greenberg and Johnny Davis to manage and coach the team.

Oops. Citing a lack of communication and discipline on the Sixers -- and the 22-win season factored in, too-Croce canned both.

He was furious when Derrick Coleman missed the final three weeks with a bruised thigh and was angry with Coleman's attitude. overall. Allen Iverson was late for several practices and this, too, rubbed Croce the wrong way. Once, the Sixers called a timeout and Iverson didn't get up from the bench to join the huddle. Croce rushed down from his midlevel suite and ordered assistant coach Maurice Cheeks to get Iverson's behind off the bench.

Croce took these and other incidents of insubordination as signs the players had total disrespect for the coaching staff and management.

"I don't think Johnny and Brad had good communication," Croce says. "I went to practice. I went on the road. I went to the games. I saw what was going on."

Now, Croce admits, "Experience pays off."

Solution: The Sixers need a firm authority figure, someone with the power to get instant respect from a player such as Iverson. First they need to trade Coleman, a certifiable coach-killer. Then they need to decide whether to combine the coach and G.M. jobs, or keep them separate. If Chuck Daly wanted the job, which he doesn't he'd have it.

Celtics. Once the Celtics publicly acknowledged they were looking for a coach, M.L Carr was officially halfway out the door. Carr's crimes were mostly confined to his role as G.M.: signing Pervis Ellison, overpaying Dana Barros, giving Dino Radja and Greg Minor outrageous contract extensions and thereby killing the Celtics' cap. Given his lame-duck status, the Celtics probably will replace Carr in the front office and on the bench.

Solution: Look for Larry Bird to assume the personnel role, while the Celtics sell Larry Brown on Celtic tradition.

Pacers. Brown said recently reports of his departure from Indiana were "premature." The guess here entering the week was that those reports would soon be mature" because Brown will desert this sinking ship. He hasn't been using this time to, contemplate a return; he has been weighing other offers. He greased his own skids out of Indiana when he recently said Reggie Miller "isn't a great player."

Brown is smart. Paranoid about being fired, he's leaving before the Pacers start pushing. And he's leaving at the right time. They wrapped up a disappointing season, and those straight-face excuses about Haywoode Workman's knee injury rang hollow. Ifs quite possible the Pacers are a middle-aged team that simply maxed themselves out. None of their main players can raise their games any higher, and there isn't a youngster on the roster with an All-Star future. They are what they are.

Solution: With so many veterans around, they need a veteran coach, not an up-and-comer.

Warriors. By romancing Pitino, owner Chris Cohan is giving indications of a front-office housecleaning. At the very leas, coach Rick Adelman win be history.

Three years ago, the Warriors wanted someone different than the demanding, psychologically punishing Don Nelson. Now they want someone with more edge than Adelman.

Solution: The Warriors could use someone to teach Joe Smith, who regressed in his second season, before they decide to break the bank for their soon to-be free agent Brown is a possibility here, too.

Nuggets. The franchise is a mess and, truthfully, G.M. Allan Bristow will become more important than any coach the Nuggets hire. Bristow's immediate challenge is finding Players, not a coach.

Solution: A first-timer could survive in Denver, especially if he has solid backing from management and particularly if he has name recognition in a city that tuned out the Nuggets last season. That's why Bristow will make the smart move and bring in Hawks assistant Bill Hanzhk, a popular ex-nugget and Bristow's good friend.