duncan228
06-03-2010, 09:48 PM
Nice guys can be tough, Raptors’ P.J. Carlesimo says (http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/raptors/article/818914--nice-guys-can-be-tough-raptors-p-j-carlesimo-says)
By Doug Smith
P.J. Carlesimo’s been around long enough to know that toughness is not something that can be taught to NBA players.
But he’s also been around long enough to know that it doesn’t really matter.
“To me, maybe the best player in this league since I’ve been in the league, in total for 15 years, might be Tim Duncan and there might not be a nicer person than Tim Duncan,” the newest Raptors assistant coach said Thursday. “You can be nice and still be aggressive and still compete and still do all those things.”
The context, of course, was the lack of grit or toughness exhibited by the Raptors over the last couple of years, a failing that’s been a large reason why they missed the post-season for two straight springs.
Carlesimo, who has been a head coach of four teams and was on Gregg Popovich’s staff for three San Antonio Spurs championships, realizes he can’t change players, as much as he’d like some tough guys on his roster.
“I like having some chippy guys to be honest with you but there’s no one better than the two guys who broke me in in San Antonio, you’re not going to find two nicer guys than David Robinson and Tim Duncan and they got me three rings. They’re good enough at not being nice but they can compete.
“I don’t mind not being nice but you don’t have to have, necessarily, some thugs who are going to knock people down. It’s okay, but it’s not a necessity.”
The 61-year-old Carlesimo harbours no grand plans as he joins Jay Triano’s staff after being out of the game for almost two seasons. He said he’s known Triano for more than two decades and comes to his new job as a different voice.
He said he learned from the years working with Popovich and the Spurs that a good assistant knows when to speak and when to push. And a good head coach knows when to listen and when to go on his own instincts.
“I think as assistant coaches, the more you can take off the head coach’s plate, the better it is,” he said. “Also the more you can literally throw ideas at him, that’s a plus.
“Pop really encouraged that. He loved to stir things up and he’d just kind of sit there and laugh and we’d be arguing about who should be playing or why we were doing this or doing that.
“Sometimes he already knew what he was going to do, sometimes he’d listen and go that way. I think that’s a strength Jay already has.”
There are not expected to be any distinct divisions of responsibilities among Triano’s staff of Carlesimo, Alex English, Marc Iavaroni and Eric Hughes. But the focus of all of them will be on defence since that’s where the Raptors are lacking.
“I think they’re not the Lone Ranger, there are a lot of teams like that in the league and they’re not playing now,” said Carlesimo. “
“We’re a young team still . . . The hardest thing to learn is defence in this league. It takes time to get a system in and get players to understand it, believe in it and realize how important it is.”
By Doug Smith
P.J. Carlesimo’s been around long enough to know that toughness is not something that can be taught to NBA players.
But he’s also been around long enough to know that it doesn’t really matter.
“To me, maybe the best player in this league since I’ve been in the league, in total for 15 years, might be Tim Duncan and there might not be a nicer person than Tim Duncan,” the newest Raptors assistant coach said Thursday. “You can be nice and still be aggressive and still compete and still do all those things.”
The context, of course, was the lack of grit or toughness exhibited by the Raptors over the last couple of years, a failing that’s been a large reason why they missed the post-season for two straight springs.
Carlesimo, who has been a head coach of four teams and was on Gregg Popovich’s staff for three San Antonio Spurs championships, realizes he can’t change players, as much as he’d like some tough guys on his roster.
“I like having some chippy guys to be honest with you but there’s no one better than the two guys who broke me in in San Antonio, you’re not going to find two nicer guys than David Robinson and Tim Duncan and they got me three rings. They’re good enough at not being nice but they can compete.
“I don’t mind not being nice but you don’t have to have, necessarily, some thugs who are going to knock people down. It’s okay, but it’s not a necessity.”
The 61-year-old Carlesimo harbours no grand plans as he joins Jay Triano’s staff after being out of the game for almost two seasons. He said he’s known Triano for more than two decades and comes to his new job as a different voice.
He said he learned from the years working with Popovich and the Spurs that a good assistant knows when to speak and when to push. And a good head coach knows when to listen and when to go on his own instincts.
“I think as assistant coaches, the more you can take off the head coach’s plate, the better it is,” he said. “Also the more you can literally throw ideas at him, that’s a plus.
“Pop really encouraged that. He loved to stir things up and he’d just kind of sit there and laugh and we’d be arguing about who should be playing or why we were doing this or doing that.
“Sometimes he already knew what he was going to do, sometimes he’d listen and go that way. I think that’s a strength Jay already has.”
There are not expected to be any distinct divisions of responsibilities among Triano’s staff of Carlesimo, Alex English, Marc Iavaroni and Eric Hughes. But the focus of all of them will be on defence since that’s where the Raptors are lacking.
“I think they’re not the Lone Ranger, there are a lot of teams like that in the league and they’re not playing now,” said Carlesimo. “
“We’re a young team still . . . The hardest thing to learn is defence in this league. It takes time to get a system in and get players to understand it, believe in it and realize how important it is.”