damm steve kerr calls out james again

[ducks]

Firing lines

By Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
March 15, 2007





Two more victims fell off the NBA's coaching carousel this week with the firings of Bernie Bickerstaff and Terry Stotts.

Bickerstaff will remain on the Charlotte Bobcats' sideline for the remainder of the season, and his replacement won't be named until the offseason. The move wasn't unexpected – Bickerstaff had stated he wanted to coach for only two to three seasons when he was hired to lead the expansion franchise three years ago. The question, though, is what will happen next.

Before Michael Jordan took over as general manager, it was assumed that Bickerstaff would transition from coaching to the front office. Jordan said that he'd love to have Bickerstaff join him in some capacity next season, but it's unknown whether that will happen.

As for the new coach, Jordan says he wants to bring in someone who will fit the personnel of the team. Given that the Bobcats are extremely young and in need of the occasional kick in the pants, it would make sense for Jordan to go after a fiery disciplinarian type. Bickerstaff provided guidance and wisdom to his team – a bit like Del Harris with the Mavericks – but maybe the Bobcats need their own Avery Johnson to take the next step.

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As for Stotts, his firing has been rumored for quite some time – even before the Milwaukee Bucks lost 17 of 20 games with Michael Redd on the sidelines. Stotts will be replaced by assistant coach Larry Krystkowiak, a former Buck in his first season on the team's coaching staff.

Krystkowiak is a fan favorite in Milwaukee for his hard-charging style as a player in the late '80s and early '90s, and he enjoyed great success as the head coach at the University of Montana, where he led his alma mater to two straight NCAA tournaments before joining the Bucks' staff. He will offer a more defensive-minded approach than Stotts, who frequently employed zone defenses this season in an effort to hide the team's defensive deficiencies.

The Bucks, however, haven't been able to stop anyone, giving up an average of 103.3 points per game. Krystkowiak will place much more of an emphasis on defensive intensity and strategy, but whether the club has the personnel to make much improvement is another issue.


With LeBron James out of the lineup due to back spasms on Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers poured in 124 points in a rout of Sacramento. Cleveland has employed a new motion offense this season (patterned after San Antonio's style) with the objective of spacing the court and swinging the ball to get better movement around LeBron. The problem at times this season has been the Cavs' reliance on James – the ball has stopped moving once it reached his hands.

Without LeBron on Tuesday, the ball moved because it had to – nobody else on the roster is good enough to create much offense on his own. Cleveland ran its offense so well that it passed for 35 assists, shot 54.1 percent from the field and 56.5 percent from the three-point line.

A night later, with James back on the floor, the offensive flow continued. The Cavaliers drained 54 percent of their shots in scoring 118 points and blowing out Memphis for their seventh consecutive victory.

If LeBron keeps moving the ball and his teammates don't rely on him to do everything, Cleveland becomes an explosive team, particularly now with Hughes playing well at the point. The Cavaliers look like they are peaking at the right time.

[NBA Junkie]

Dude, your lack of objectivity towards Lebron is getting tiresome. :rolleyes

[monosylab1k]

LOL he doesn't even call out James in this one....if anything he's calling out his teammates to continue moving in the offense instead of standing around watching Lebron do everything.

[Fillmoe]

why does FUCKS hate lebron so much?

[TheTruth]

How is that calling out Lebron? More him calling out Lebron's teammates.

[ducks]

LOL he doesn't even call out James in this one....if anything he's calling out his teammates to continue moving in the offense instead of standing around watching Lebron do everything.
If LeBron keeps moving the ball
james refuses to pass the ball

[Trainwreck2100]

fuck lebron

[ggoose25]

weak sauce

[sabar]

Weak, he's praising LeBron and the Cavs while pointing out one flaw.
I think it's time to take the James hate down a notch.

[monosylab1k]

If LeBron keeps moving the ball
james refuses to pass the ball

yeah that's where his 6 assists per game come from.

[v2freak]

It is possible to be selfish despite averaging assists, you know. If I hold the ball for 20 seconds and then dish it off at the last second, I'd say that's pretty selfish/stupid. How about a player who is unwilling to pass unless he gets an assist? That's pretty selfish. Or what about the player who only looks to pass if he doesn't have a shot, and he just happens to get an assist? I wouldn't get caught up in the numbers

[SRJ]

It is possible to be selfish despite averaging assists, you know. If I hold the ball for 20 seconds and then dish it off at the last second, I'd say that's pretty selfish/stupid. How about a player who is unwilling to pass unless he gets an assist? That's pretty selfish. Or what about the player who only looks to pass if he doesn't have a shot, and he just happens to get an assist? I wouldn't get caught up in the numbers

How often do you think the pass is successfully converted after a player holds the ball for 20 seconds? I really doubt playing that way would yield six assists per game.

And a player looking to pass if he doesn't have a shot is the exact opposite of selfish play. A selfish player would force it up in that instance.

[Kori Ellis]

:lol

This is the weakest call out I've seen, if you want to call it a call out.

If anything, Kerr is calling out the TEAM for not using more motion in the past. And praising them for using it in these few games.

LeBron is an extremely good passer and not very selfish at all. Like many have said, he averages six assists per game. You can find some stuff to bitch about LeBron if you want, but selfish isn't one of them.

There's not much to fault about a guy averaging 27/6/6.

[ducks]

i never said it was a strong call out
it is a call out

[v2freak]

How often do you think the pass is successfully converted after a player holds the ball for 20 seconds? I really doubt playing that way would yield six assists per game.

And a player looking to pass if he doesn't have a shot is the exact opposite of selfish play. A selfish player would force it up in that instance.

I'd imagine that the chances of something like that happening are slim. But take into account that LeBron rarely takes breaks, that he is the primary ball handler and that a basketball game is 48 minutes (meaning tons of posessions), I'd say you're bound to at least a few.

A player looking to shoot everytime he touches the ball is selfish to me, whether he's open or not. The difference between what you said is this: it's not a selfish player that would force it up, it's a stupid player (given there is more than 2 seconds on the shot clock).

Why do you think players like Iverson and Marbury get heat for being selfish, despite averaging 8+ assists? Inversely, Barry is probably the least selfish player I've seen. I'd even fault him for it, as he often passes up good looks for worse ones. But he doesn't average that many assists. Know what I mean?

[ducks]

:lol

This is the weakest call out I've seen, if you want to call it a call out.

If anything, Kerr is calling out the TEAM for not using more motion in the past. And praising them for using it in these few games.

LeBron is an extremely good passer and not very selfish at all. Like many have said, he averages six assists per game. You can find some stuff to bitch about LeBron if you want, but selfish isn't one of them.

There's not much to fault about a guy averaging 27/6/6.


ai people is selfish and he has lots of assist..............

[SRJ]

I'd imagine that the chances of something like that happening are slim. But take into account that LeBron rarely takes breaks, that he is the primary ball handler and that a basketball game is 48 minutes (meaning tons of posessions), I'd say you're bound to at least a few.

That's fair, but I'm sure that those assists more often in the flow of the offense than the hypothetical you described.


A player looking to shoot everytime he touches the ball is selfish to me, whether he's open or not. The difference between what you said is this: it's not a selfish player that would force it up, it's a stupid player (given there is more than 2 seconds on the shot clock).

1. The entire point of a possession is to get a quality shot. If your best scorer gets an open look in a spot on the floor where he produces efficiently, it's hard to call that a bad shot or selfish. If I'm coaching, I want him taking that shot again and again.

In the famous NCAA Championship game between UCLA and Memphis State, the game where Bill Walton shot 21/22, John Wooden (known to most as a quality coach) was asked during a timeout by his player Greg Lee if he would draw up a play for another player, so that someone other than Walton could score.

Wooden's answer: "Why?"

2. Do we have any sort of evidence that LeBron is taking bad shots? Do we have any evidence to suggest that LeBron is doing anything other than what Mike Brown wants from him?


Why do you think players like Iverson and Marbury get heat for being selfish, despite averaging 8+ assists? Inversely, Barry is probably the least selfish player I've seen. I'd even fault him for it, as he often passes up good looks for worse ones. But he doesn't average that many assists. Know what I mean?

1. Shot selection. Both players have a reputation for taking quick shots, taking difficult shots, disrupting the flow of the offense.

2. As we are well aware, the fewer possessions motion offense style doesn't yield many assists for any Spur. I do agree, Barry is very unselfish, occasionally to a fault. Conversely, I would be tempted to call Michael Finley selfish, and he certainly takes more quick shots than any Spur, but Popovich has said time and again in his interviews that Finley has a permanent green light. So if he has the coach's blessing (and I assume LeBron has Brown's), then Finley (and LeBron) is just doing what he is instructed to do.

[Kermit]

In the famous NCAA Championship game between UCLA and Memphis State, the game where Bill Walton shot 21/22, John Wooden (known to most as a quality coach) was asked during a timeout by his player Greg Lee if he would draw up a play for another player, so that someone other than Walton could score.

Wooden's answer: "Why?"

god, sometimes i wish that rick barnes would take that kind of measure to ensure that durant touched the ball every possession.

[1Parker1]

:lol

This is the weakest call out I've seen, if you want to call it a call out.

:lmao :tu I was looking for the rest of the article wondering if I missed something...

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

:lol I'm beginning to wonder what the first Ducks interpreted article of Steve's was about.

Ducks makes my head hurt trying to think like he does! :dizzy

[RonMexico]

LeBron still is terrible in the clutch... at least he's good at passing off his choking to other players like Gilbert Arenas in last year's PO.

[SRJ]

Firing lines
By Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
March 15, 2007


I like Kerr, but he's got some goofy ideas from time to time. Let's see what he's got here...


Two more victims fell off the NBA's coaching carousel this week with the firings of Bernie Bickerstaff and Terry Stotts.

Bickerstaff will remain on the Charlotte Bobcats' sideline for the remainder of the season, and his replacement won't be named until the offseason. The move wasn't unexpected – Bickerstaff had stated he wanted to coach for only two to three seasons when he was hired to lead the expansion franchise three years ago. The question, though, is what will happen next.

Before Michael Jordan took over as general manager, it was assumed that Bickerstaff would transition from coaching to the front office. Jordan said that he'd love to have Bickerstaff join him in some capacity next season, but it's unknown whether that will happen.

As for the new coach, Jordan says he wants to bring in someone who will fit the personnel of the team. Given that the Bobcats are extremely young and in need of the occasional kick in the pants, it would make sense for Jordan to go after a fiery disciplinarian type. Bickerstaff provided guidance and wisdom to his team – a bit like Del Harris with the Mavericks – but maybe the Bobcats need their own Avery Johnson to take the next step.

Why would team owners ever hand the keys to Jordan/Isiah/Ainge? Did Robert Johnson not pay attention to the Washington debacle? Is Leonard Hamilton coming back?


As for Stotts, his firing has been rumored for quite some time – even before the Milwaukee Bucks lost 17 of 20 games with Michael Redd on the sidelines. Stotts will be replaced by assistant coach Larry Krystkowiak, a former Buck in his first season on the team's coaching staff.

Well, at least Bucks management doesn't panic whenever their team loses a few games due to injury. I remember when Terry Porter got like five seasons to coach the Bucks and it just didn't work out - hang on, something doesn't sound right-

(looks up Milwaukee's 2005 record)

So their player games lost to injury increased 95% from 2004 to 2005, including All-Rookie second teamer TJ Ford missing the entire year...Porter had a very good first year in 2004 when everyone was healthy...everyone got hurt and Porter got fired for that after just two seasons...

- my mistake. Bucks management is full of Chicken Littles. No matter what, it's always the coaches fault in Milwaukee. This is one hell of a way to create stability - fire the coach every two years. Now we know why Milwaukee hasn't been relevant since Don Nelson coached there.


Krystkowiak is a fan favorite in Milwaukee for his hard-charging style as a player in the late '80s and early '90s, and he enjoyed great success as the head coach at the University of Montana, where he led his alma mater to two straight NCAA tournaments before joining the Bucks' staff. He will offer a more defensive-minded approach than Stotts, who frequently employed zone defenses this season in an effort to hide the team's defensive deficiencies.

Boy, nothing like challenging your weakness head on, eh Krystowiak? Krystowiak's "defensive-minded approach" sounds a bit like the Spurs addressing the age issue by signing Robert Parish to a five year deal. Larry, if you have bad defenders, you'll need to zone more.

By the way, Krystowiak was a fan favorite because he was a big white stiff with a goofy name.


The Bucks, however, haven't been able to stop anyone, giving up an average of 103.3 points per game. Krystkowiak will place much more of an emphasis on defensive intensity and strategy, but whether the club has the personnel to make much improvement is another issue.

With this roster, that 103.3 isn't going to change much no matter how much intensity or strategy you emphasize.


With LeBron James out of the lineup due to back spasms on Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers poured in 124 points in a rout of Sacramento. Cleveland has employed a new motion offense this season (patterned after San Antonio's style) with the objective of spacing the court and swinging the ball to get better movement around LeBron. The problem at times this season has been the Cavs' reliance on James – the ball has stopped moving once it reached his hands.

Pay special attention to that last sentence. Here, I'll bold it for extra clarity:

The problem at times this season has been the Cavs' reliance on James – the ball has stopped moving once it reached his hands.


Without LeBron on Tuesday, the ball moved because it had to – nobody else on the roster is good enough to create much offense on his own. Cleveland ran its offense so well that it passed for 35 assists, shot 54.1 percent from the field and 56.5 percent from the three-point line.

OK, now pay attention to the first sentence of the last paragraph. I'll set it aside and bold it:

Without LeBron on Tuesday, the ball moved because it had to – nobody else on the roster is good enough to create much offense on his own.

- and the sentence before it -

The problem at times this season has been the Cavs' reliance on James – the ball has stopped moving once it reached his hands.

Now read them consecutively:

The problem at times this season has been the Cavs' reliance on James – the ball has stopped moving once it reached his hands.

Without LeBron on Tuesday, the ball moved because it had to – nobody else on the roster is good enough to create much offense on his own.

"LeBron, we rely on you to produce. Now would you please get rid of it so Eric Snow can get more shots, even though you're shooting 48% and scoring 27 per game? You see, the problem is that occasionally the ball stops moving because we need you to score. So pass it."

Huh?


A night later, with James back on the floor, the offensive flow continued. The Cavaliers drained 54 percent of their shots in scoring 118 points and blowing out Memphis for their seventh consecutive victory.

A high-shooting, high-scoring game against the Memphis Sieve is proof of something? If the Grizzlies defense was gravity, we could travel to the moon on a pogo stick.


If LeBron keeps moving the ball and his teammates don't rely on him to do everything, Cleveland becomes an explosive team, particularly now with Hughes playing well at the point. The Cavaliers look like they are peaking at the right time.

Yep, back-to-back wins against the dregs confirms that.