ducks
05-22-2004, 02:01 PM
Golden State do over
by Larry Beil, Yahoo! Sports
May 21, 2004
Imagine poking yourself in the eyes for 10 straight years and you can begin to understand what it feels like to be a Golden State Warriors fan. Don't look now, but the Warriors have just gone for the double-whammy of eye-gouging.
They fired the man who resuscitated the franchise in two short years, coach Eric Musselman, and replaced him with Mike Montgomery. True, Montgomery built Stanford University into a national power, but he has zero pro experience.
Anybody got some Visine?
Musselman's major sins were that he wasn't hired by Chris Mullin, the man now in charge of the Warriors, and that he didn't have an especially warm relationship with the former Dream Team member. In fact, we're told Musselman wasn't especially warm with anybody in the organization.
He privately was criticized for being too intense, for rubbing people the wrong way. Ironically, these are the very reasons why Musselman was hired in the first place – to kick some butt behind the scenes in a franchise that had grown all too accustomed to losing.
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Musselman follows a conga line of ex-Warriors coaches. From Rick Adelman to P.J. Carlesimo to Garry St. Jean, and then from Dave Cowens to Brian Winters. Just imagine the stories they could share at a little reunion party. "Hey, remember the time we decided it was too risky to draft that high school kid, Kobe Bryant – we went the safe route and scooped up Todd Fuller. Ha ha, boy was that great."
Which leads us to Montgomery – he actually has some experience doing the impossible. He transformed Stanford from a school that produced nothing but brainiacs to one that started cranking out pro basketball players. Brevin Knight, Mark Madsen, Casey Jacobsen, Jason">sports.yahoo.com/nba/play...30/">Jason (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3530/) Collins and Jarron Collins, to name a few.
Actually, it cranked out too many pros and Montgomery found more and more of his underclassmen leaving early. The grind of recruiting became more and more difficult, and Monty felt it was time for a new challenge.
It makes sense for him give the Warriors a shot. At age 57, this likely is his one and only shot at the NBA. There's no real downside. Win and he's a miracle worker. Lose and he's escorted out in a couple of years with a few million parting gifts.
It's much riskier for Golden State.
It's easier to skinny-dip in a pool of piranhas than to make the transition from college ball to the pros. Just ask Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Jerry Tarkanian, Tim Floyd and Carlesimo. They all tried and failed.
But Mullin believes the league is different now than it was a few years ago. With so many teenagers joining the NBA, maybe now there's more of a need for coaches who can teach the game to kids.
That sounds great on paper. And we can assume the Warriors soon will know how to defend the UCLA high-low offense. But the reality is that there's almost no time for teaching during the season. Not when you're playing three or four nights a week, constantly getting on and off planes, and checking in and out of hotels.
College coaches are in total control of their environments while NBA coaches have all the power of a substitute teacher. That's part of the reason 20 out of 29 teams have made coaching changes in the past two seasons.
Dealing with millionaire athletes who don't always feel like playing is, quite simply, a huge challenge. Monty, meet Nick Van Exel.
The only thing that gives Montgomery a fighting chance is that Mullin will be at his side, helping him learn the ropes. It always helps when the boss has your back. Just ask Musselman.
Ultimately I'm reminded of how an old football coaching buddy of mine described his transition from college ball to the NFL. He said it was like trying to drink water from a fire hose that was open full blast.
In other words, Warriors fans, cover your eyes again.
Send Yahoo! Sports analyst Larry Beil a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
link (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBqam1ocWIyBF9TAzk1ODYxOTQ4BHNlYwNl Y2w-?slug=lb-gswhoop&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
by Larry Beil, Yahoo! Sports
May 21, 2004
Imagine poking yourself in the eyes for 10 straight years and you can begin to understand what it feels like to be a Golden State Warriors fan. Don't look now, but the Warriors have just gone for the double-whammy of eye-gouging.
They fired the man who resuscitated the franchise in two short years, coach Eric Musselman, and replaced him with Mike Montgomery. True, Montgomery built Stanford University into a national power, but he has zero pro experience.
Anybody got some Visine?
Musselman's major sins were that he wasn't hired by Chris Mullin, the man now in charge of the Warriors, and that he didn't have an especially warm relationship with the former Dream Team member. In fact, we're told Musselman wasn't especially warm with anybody in the organization.
He privately was criticized for being too intense, for rubbing people the wrong way. Ironically, these are the very reasons why Musselman was hired in the first place – to kick some butt behind the scenes in a franchise that had grown all too accustomed to losing.
ADVERTISEMENT
Musselman follows a conga line of ex-Warriors coaches. From Rick Adelman to P.J. Carlesimo to Garry St. Jean, and then from Dave Cowens to Brian Winters. Just imagine the stories they could share at a little reunion party. "Hey, remember the time we decided it was too risky to draft that high school kid, Kobe Bryant – we went the safe route and scooped up Todd Fuller. Ha ha, boy was that great."
Which leads us to Montgomery – he actually has some experience doing the impossible. He transformed Stanford from a school that produced nothing but brainiacs to one that started cranking out pro basketball players. Brevin Knight, Mark Madsen, Casey Jacobsen, Jason">sports.yahoo.com/nba/play...30/">Jason (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3530/) Collins and Jarron Collins, to name a few.
Actually, it cranked out too many pros and Montgomery found more and more of his underclassmen leaving early. The grind of recruiting became more and more difficult, and Monty felt it was time for a new challenge.
It makes sense for him give the Warriors a shot. At age 57, this likely is his one and only shot at the NBA. There's no real downside. Win and he's a miracle worker. Lose and he's escorted out in a couple of years with a few million parting gifts.
It's much riskier for Golden State.
It's easier to skinny-dip in a pool of piranhas than to make the transition from college ball to the pros. Just ask Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Jerry Tarkanian, Tim Floyd and Carlesimo. They all tried and failed.
But Mullin believes the league is different now than it was a few years ago. With so many teenagers joining the NBA, maybe now there's more of a need for coaches who can teach the game to kids.
That sounds great on paper. And we can assume the Warriors soon will know how to defend the UCLA high-low offense. But the reality is that there's almost no time for teaching during the season. Not when you're playing three or four nights a week, constantly getting on and off planes, and checking in and out of hotels.
College coaches are in total control of their environments while NBA coaches have all the power of a substitute teacher. That's part of the reason 20 out of 29 teams have made coaching changes in the past two seasons.
Dealing with millionaire athletes who don't always feel like playing is, quite simply, a huge challenge. Monty, meet Nick Van Exel.
The only thing that gives Montgomery a fighting chance is that Mullin will be at his side, helping him learn the ropes. It always helps when the boss has your back. Just ask Musselman.
Ultimately I'm reminded of how an old football coaching buddy of mine described his transition from college ball to the NFL. He said it was like trying to drink water from a fire hose that was open full blast.
In other words, Warriors fans, cover your eyes again.
Send Yahoo! Sports analyst Larry Beil a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
link (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBqam1ocWIyBF9TAzk1ODYxOTQ4BHNlYwNl Y2w-?slug=lb-gswhoop&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)