tlongII
12-23-2012, 07:47 PM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/12/blazers_insider_the_surging_blazers_are_getting_th .html
Since the first day of training camp, every Trail Blazers player has received a morning text message from coach Terry Stotts.
“9:01 a.m.,’’ Nicolas Batum says, pulling out his cellphone as proof. “9:01, 9:01, 9:01. Every day.’’
The message is inspirational in nature, chosen from a cache that Stotts has accumulated throughout the years. Sometimes, Batum admits, he has to read the passages twice to understand them.
On Saturday, before the Blazers would go out and beat the Phoenix Suns 96-93 for their fifth consecutive victory, Stotts sent the following:
“It is the present that holds the next step to the future, and each present step is independently as important as the next. Accomplish today.’’
“It’s pretty cool, huh?’’ reserve guard Ronnie Price said, scrolling past all the messages, which go back to October. “A lot of coaches, they don’t put forth the effort to be involved in their team that way. So it’s neat.’’
And really, that’s what we have here in this developing Blazers season - a pretty neat story.
The Blazers are 13-12. And yeah, it’s early - really early - but they are one-half game out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. I don’t think anyone, save for maybe Wesley Matthews, really believed this team would enter Christmas with a winning record.
But Damian Lillard has not only been Rookie of the Year good, he’s been All-Star good. And Batum and Matthews are flourishing in Stotts’ free-flow offense, having the best years of their careers. And J.J. Hickson - who recorded his seventh consecutive double-double on Saturday with 19 points and 15 rebounds - has resurrected his career.
Along the way, a bench that was at one time laughable has become serviceable. Luke Babbitt has become a bonafide threat. Sasha Pavlovic has proven to be smart and tough. Victor Claver, with solid fundamentals and even better savvy, improves with each game. And Meyers Leonard, with his freakish leaping ability and chiseled body, can’t help but make you dream, even if you have to pause to shake your head at some of his airhead plays.
The bench, the players say, wouldn’t have kept it’s spirit above water had it not been for Stotts. When fans and some in the media chastised the group, Stotts vehemently stuck up for the reserves, both publicly and behind closed doors.
“Since the first 10 games of the season, a huge difference for us has been the bench,’’ Batum said. “Now, we have two units. And Coach did a great job because he kept believing in them. Because when people talked bad about our bench and the second unit - the ‘blah, blah, blah,’ - Coach said ‘I trust you.’ So he kept putting them on the court, and now we are seeing the results.’’
Stotts is the fourth Blazers coach I have covered, dating back to Mike Dunleavy. Three months into his tenure, I can tell you Stotts is the best communicator of them all. He is direct, but not abrasive. He is pleasant, but not a pushover. Above all, you get the sense he is just a good man.
That translates to the NBA player. He has dealt with his share of complaints from this roster. Players always want more playing time. Some want to be used differently. And he has dealt with his share of headaches. The same players making the same mistakes. Certain players drifting away from the team concept in order to get their stats.
Through it all, Stotts has met each player, met each problem head on. He said learned to be direct from Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, whom he spent the past four seasons as an assistant.
“One of the things Rick taught me is to tell the truth,’’ Stotts said. “But to me, a lot of it is in the delivery. I don’t necessarily want to berate a player. I think you have to be honest and truthful and see their side of it, but I think it’s important that they know that I know. But there needs to be a truthfulness to it. A lot of that is in the delivery. You can tell a guy something, and if you don’t tell him the right way it’s going to have zero effect. I try not to B.S. them. NBA players are smart. They are intuitive. They know the game. And you try to B.S. them, they see through that.’’
Earlier this season, at a shootaround in Charlotte, Stotts had come to a coaching decision. He was going to switch gears and give his young players a chance to show what they could do, at the expense of the playing time that had been going to Jared Jeffries, Pavlovic and Price. He gathered the three veterans and told them of his intentions in a straight-forward and honest manner.
“I’ve had two coaches in my career who have been open like that,’’ said Price, who is in his 8th NBA season and fourth team. “The other was (Phoenix coach Alvin) Gentry. But Terry is on a whole another level. As an older guy, you kind of build a relationship with a coach when he is open like that. You don’t have any surprises.’’
The biggest surprises are saved for 9 a.m. in the form of his motivational text message.
“They inspire you everyday,’’ Batum said.
On Friday, the day after a hard-fought win over Denver, Stotts sent out the following:
“The path of least resistance is the path of least progress.’’
This morning’s message, Stotts says, is already queued up in his cellphone, at the ready for its rounds throughout the roster. He says he might not send it out at 9 a.m. today, wary of the team’s need to sleep-in after an overnight flight to Sacramento for tonight’s game. Typical Stotts, thinking about his players first.
“His vibe is always positive, no matter what is going on,’’ Price said.
Since the first day of training camp, every Trail Blazers player has received a morning text message from coach Terry Stotts.
“9:01 a.m.,’’ Nicolas Batum says, pulling out his cellphone as proof. “9:01, 9:01, 9:01. Every day.’’
The message is inspirational in nature, chosen from a cache that Stotts has accumulated throughout the years. Sometimes, Batum admits, he has to read the passages twice to understand them.
On Saturday, before the Blazers would go out and beat the Phoenix Suns 96-93 for their fifth consecutive victory, Stotts sent the following:
“It is the present that holds the next step to the future, and each present step is independently as important as the next. Accomplish today.’’
“It’s pretty cool, huh?’’ reserve guard Ronnie Price said, scrolling past all the messages, which go back to October. “A lot of coaches, they don’t put forth the effort to be involved in their team that way. So it’s neat.’’
And really, that’s what we have here in this developing Blazers season - a pretty neat story.
The Blazers are 13-12. And yeah, it’s early - really early - but they are one-half game out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. I don’t think anyone, save for maybe Wesley Matthews, really believed this team would enter Christmas with a winning record.
But Damian Lillard has not only been Rookie of the Year good, he’s been All-Star good. And Batum and Matthews are flourishing in Stotts’ free-flow offense, having the best years of their careers. And J.J. Hickson - who recorded his seventh consecutive double-double on Saturday with 19 points and 15 rebounds - has resurrected his career.
Along the way, a bench that was at one time laughable has become serviceable. Luke Babbitt has become a bonafide threat. Sasha Pavlovic has proven to be smart and tough. Victor Claver, with solid fundamentals and even better savvy, improves with each game. And Meyers Leonard, with his freakish leaping ability and chiseled body, can’t help but make you dream, even if you have to pause to shake your head at some of his airhead plays.
The bench, the players say, wouldn’t have kept it’s spirit above water had it not been for Stotts. When fans and some in the media chastised the group, Stotts vehemently stuck up for the reserves, both publicly and behind closed doors.
“Since the first 10 games of the season, a huge difference for us has been the bench,’’ Batum said. “Now, we have two units. And Coach did a great job because he kept believing in them. Because when people talked bad about our bench and the second unit - the ‘blah, blah, blah,’ - Coach said ‘I trust you.’ So he kept putting them on the court, and now we are seeing the results.’’
Stotts is the fourth Blazers coach I have covered, dating back to Mike Dunleavy. Three months into his tenure, I can tell you Stotts is the best communicator of them all. He is direct, but not abrasive. He is pleasant, but not a pushover. Above all, you get the sense he is just a good man.
That translates to the NBA player. He has dealt with his share of complaints from this roster. Players always want more playing time. Some want to be used differently. And he has dealt with his share of headaches. The same players making the same mistakes. Certain players drifting away from the team concept in order to get their stats.
Through it all, Stotts has met each player, met each problem head on. He said learned to be direct from Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, whom he spent the past four seasons as an assistant.
“One of the things Rick taught me is to tell the truth,’’ Stotts said. “But to me, a lot of it is in the delivery. I don’t necessarily want to berate a player. I think you have to be honest and truthful and see their side of it, but I think it’s important that they know that I know. But there needs to be a truthfulness to it. A lot of that is in the delivery. You can tell a guy something, and if you don’t tell him the right way it’s going to have zero effect. I try not to B.S. them. NBA players are smart. They are intuitive. They know the game. And you try to B.S. them, they see through that.’’
Earlier this season, at a shootaround in Charlotte, Stotts had come to a coaching decision. He was going to switch gears and give his young players a chance to show what they could do, at the expense of the playing time that had been going to Jared Jeffries, Pavlovic and Price. He gathered the three veterans and told them of his intentions in a straight-forward and honest manner.
“I’ve had two coaches in my career who have been open like that,’’ said Price, who is in his 8th NBA season and fourth team. “The other was (Phoenix coach Alvin) Gentry. But Terry is on a whole another level. As an older guy, you kind of build a relationship with a coach when he is open like that. You don’t have any surprises.’’
The biggest surprises are saved for 9 a.m. in the form of his motivational text message.
“They inspire you everyday,’’ Batum said.
On Friday, the day after a hard-fought win over Denver, Stotts sent out the following:
“The path of least resistance is the path of least progress.’’
This morning’s message, Stotts says, is already queued up in his cellphone, at the ready for its rounds throughout the roster. He says he might not send it out at 9 a.m. today, wary of the team’s need to sleep-in after an overnight flight to Sacramento for tonight’s game. Typical Stotts, thinking about his players first.
“His vibe is always positive, no matter what is going on,’’ Price said.