Bernucca: Three interim coaches return, get a fresh start

2 Comments

On Monday, we looked at the three NBA coaches that will be starting fresh with their respective teams.

Each member of that trio has their hands full with rebuilding projects of varying sizes. Today, we will take an in-depth examination of another trio of coaches – those who took over during last season and will hold their first training camps with their teams.

Keith Smart in Sacramento and Randy Wittman in Washington both will have the opportunity to implement their own schemes rather than fine-tune or simplify the philosophy of their predecessors.

So will Mike Woodson in New York, who has a huge head start in talent but carries the extra weight of heightened expectations.

Let’s get right into it.

kings small logoKEITH SMART, SACRAMENTO: You have to wonder if Smart is becoming another of those guys who never gets a real chance. He had to clean up the mess in Cleveland before LeBron James arrived. Then he got a shot in Golden State, won the trust of his players, improved the team by 10 wins to 36-46 and was cleared out by new ownership, who wanted a bigger name. After replacing the soft Paul Westphal seven games into last season, Smart was retained and gets a full training camp – for a team whose ownership seems more interested in moving than winning.

Smart has shown that he will not let the inmates run the asylum; he had his differences with Stephen Curry in Golden State, played Isaiah Thomas over ballyhooed first-round pick Jimmer Fredette and moved Tyreke Evans to small forward, where his sub-par decision making would have less impact on the offense.

Keith Smart takes over as the interim coach of the Sacramento Kings

His staff includes long-time Mike Dunleavy disciple Jim Eyen and former players Alex English and Bobby Jackson.

IMMEDIATE GOAL: If the Kings are going to do anything more than lose two out of every three games – which is what they have done since Rick Adelman was shown the door in 2006 – Smart has to emphasize focus from his roster. There are some easily envisioned distractions, such as the franchise’s future in Sacramento, playing time for the unproven Fredette and Evans’ contract situation. And there is DeMarcus Cousins, a potential all-NBA talent who often is easily distracted. You might say Smart needs to install a defensive mindset, and you would be right. But you have to focus to play defense.

LONG-TERM GOAL: Find a way to get through to Cousins and develop his maturity. He is just 22 and nowhere near his ceiling as a player, but most of that growth potential is in the mental and psychological aspects of the game. His skills are good enough to build a franchise around, no matter where it plays its home games. Smart and his staff have two years to get that done, because Cousins becomes a restricted free agent in 2014.

wizards small logoRANDY WITTMAN, WASHINGTON: Wittman has an overall record of 118-238 as a head coach and never has been to the postseason. So why was he retained by the Wizards? Well, Washington was 7-4 when midseason acquisition Nene was in the lineup. And Wittman carried a much bigger stick than doormat predecessor Flip Saunders, benching established players for unproven youngsters willing to work harder and refusing to allow Andray Blatche’s cancerous attitude to poison his locker room.

In the offseason, the Wizards added longtime Spurs assistant Don Newman and former Timberwolves assistant Jerry Sichting to Wittman’s staff. Newman will be expected to improve Washington’s middling defense, and Sichting is a former point guard who can provide offensive direction. Both add experience and savvy to Washington’s staff.

IMMEDIATE GOAL: Wittman has to transform John Wall from a guy who just runs up and down the floor compiling stats and losses into a difference-maker more concerned with making the right play rather than the great play. Over the last two years, only Russell Westbrook has committed more turnovers than the 516 – nearly four per game – by Wall, who compounds his mistakes with unreliable shooting. If Wittman can get Wall to slow down, Washington’s rebuilding process will speed up.

LONG-TERM GOAL: There are many young players on the roster in Bradley Beal, Jordan Crawford, Jan Vesely, Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Booker and Chris Singleton who either have tremendous promise or shown flashes of brilliance. The core of a solid young roster is in place; Nene is the current elder statesman at 30. Wittman and his staff have to develop consistency in a majority of these youngsters to create a deep, reliable roster that puts the Wizards back in the postseason conversation on an annual basis.

knicks small logoMIKE WOODSON, NEW YORK: Of the six coaches we have reviewed over the last two days, Woodson has the best qualifications. He has been coaching for so long that many forget how good a player he was. Much of his time as an assistant was spent under Larry Brown. He guided the Hawks from laughingstock to contender and was not afraid of confronting players. And he salvaged last season for the Knicks, reminding the roster that there are two ends of the floor.

Woodson’s staff of coaching lifer Jim Todd, hard-nosed Darrell Walker and soft-spoken Herb Williams has plenty of experience. Recently added was shooting specialist Dave Hopla. And the veteran roster will not need constant reminders to maintain focus and prepare properly.

IMMEDIATE GOAL: Woodson’s 18-6 mark after taking over for Mike D’Antoni could be partially attributed to his emphasis on defense, which should be easy to sustain with the offseason additions of Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd, Ronnie Brewer and Kurt Thomas. More important is finding a way for Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire to productively co-exist, which may take some time with a trio of new point guards. Finally, Woodson must remind his players that competing for a championship requires more than just talking about it.

LONG-TERM GOAL: You’re kidding, right? When’s the last time the Knicks had long-term goals?

(RELATED: Three new coaches have plenty of work to do in Portland, Charlotte and Orlando)

Chris Bernucca is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Wednesday and Sunday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.

Filed Under: Bernucca, Columns Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Best NBA Finals Game 3 showdowns of the David Stern Era

1 Comment

When we decided to flush out the five best NBA Finals games of the David Stern Era, we didn’t think we would have so much trouble with Game 3.

Since Stern became commissioner in 1984, no Finals game number has had more duds than Game 3. While other games had seven and eight candidates for our top five list, we had issues coming up with five truly great Game 3 showdowns.

Three of the games making our list took place in the last six years. Prior to that, if there was a Finals game that was worth missing due to a graduation, wedding or dinner at the in-laws, it was definitely Game 3.

Of course, it should be noted that during Stern’s reign as commissioner, the best Finals game also was a Game 3.

Our list is below. If you missed our Game 1′s, they’re here. And our Game 2′s are here. 

5. LEBRON DOESN’T GET THE CALL: How easily we forget that LeBron James carried a Cleveland Cavaliers team whose second-best player was – who? Drew Gooden? Anderson Varejao? – to the 2007 NBA Finals in just his fourth season. They lost the first two games on the road to the championship-tested San Antonio Spurs and needed to win Game 3 to have any chance of staying in the series. Abandoning the ridiculous idea of having Larry Hughes and his plantar fasciaitis try to stay in front of Tony Parker, the Cavs dug in on defense and fought out of a 10-point hole in the fourth quarter within 73-72 on James’ layup with six seconds to go. Two free throws by Manu Ginobili rebuilt the lead to three points before Cleveland again went to James, who came off a downscreen, caught the ball above the circle and took an escape dribble away from Bruce Bowen, who grabbed his arm trying to commit a foul before James could shoot. James was in his shooting motion and – as the MVP playing on his home floor in the NBA Finals – could have been awarded three shots on continuation. But the whistle of Bob Delaney remained silent, James missed the shot, and the Cavs were done.

4. I DO NOT LIKE THIS SAM I AM: In 1994, the New York Knicks were back in the Finals for the first time in 21 years and had a real chance to win the title after splitting the first two games on the road against the Houston Rockets. The hype was the matchup between centers Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, but Game 3 was decided by a lesser-known member of Olajuwon’s supporting cast – rookie guard Sam Cassell, who became an instant villain at Madison Square Garden. Houston pulled within 89-88 on two free throws by Cassell with 32 seconds to play. The Rockets got a stop and Cassell – ignoring Olajuwon – drilled a 3-pointer for a 91-89 lead. The Knicks had a chance to tie, but Ewing was called for an illegal screen trying to free John Starks and Cassell sealed it with two more free throws to finish with 15 points, more than twice his season average. The Rockets ultimately won their first championship by taking Games 6 and 7 at home, denying the Knicks.

3. DIRK’S DOZEN DOESN’T GET IT DONE: A year ago, the Miami Heat were coming off a stunning Game 2 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks in which they blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead and lost on a last-second bucket by Dirk Nowitzki. In Game 3, they were watching a shorter version of the same movie, opening an 81-74 lead with less than six minutes to go before Nowitzki caught fire, scoring Dallas’ next 12 points to forge an 86-86 tie with 1:39 to play. A baseline jumper Dallas native Chris Bosh – just 6-of-17 from the field to that point and nursing a swollen left eye – gave Miami the lead with 39 seconds remaining. Nowitzki had two more chances, but threw away a pass and, after LeBron James missed a 3-pointer, back-rimmed a jumper at the horn as he was hounded by Udonis Haslem. The Heat had escaped with the win, and many felt that they had regained the upper hand in the series. But they never won again as they were done in by James’ disappearing act and Nowitzki’s clutch shooting.

2. PAT RILEY’S ONE-WORD MESSAGE: The Heat and Mavericks first met in the 2006 Finals, when Dallas easily won the first two games by neutralizing Shaquille O’Neal, limiting him to a combined 22 points and 13 rebounds. O’Neal wasn’t much better in Game 3, and a big third quarter by Dallas turned a nine-point deficit into a 77-68 lead heading into the final period. Heat coach Pat Riley called timeout with 8:36 left and his team trailing, 83-71. On his greaseboard, he didn’t draw up a play but wrote ‘SEASON’ across it, letting his players know that their season would be over if they didn’t come back and win this game. The Heat got the message – especially Dwyane Wade, who scored 11 of his 42 points in a five-minute stretch. A jumper by Gary Payton gave Miami a 97-95 lead with 3.4 seconds to go. Even though Dallas managed just one basket in the final five-plus minutes, it still had a chance to tie when Dirk Nowitzki was fouled and went to the line with 3.4 seconds to go. But the 90 percent foul shooter missed the second free throw. Wade made 1-of-2 from the line, and Nowitzki overthrew a lob pass. A day later, the NBA admitted there were a pair of malfunctions in the final minute that allowed extra time to run off the clock, which clearly impacted Dallas’ last possession. It was the first of many things that seemed to work against the Mavs, who had a meltdown over the next week and never won again in the series.

1. THE SECOND-GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED: Uh, probably not. But the fact remains that there have been just two triple-overtime games in Finals history and both involved the Phoenix Suns – Game 5 at Boston in 1976, which many considered the greatest game of all time, and Game 3 at Chicago in 1993, which the Suns won to stay alive after losing the first two games at home. Phoenix’s coach was Paul Westphal, who played in the 1976 game. The Suns blew an 11-point lead with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but Westphal kept telling jokes before the start of each overtime to keep his team loose. In the first overtime, the teams shot a combined 3-of-16 for eight points as fatigue already was setting in. The Suns looked dead in the second OT, trailing 114-110 in the final minute before a basket by Charles Barkley (24 points, 19 rebounds) and a jumper with 3.2 seconds left by Dan Majerle (25 points, six 3-pointers) forced a third overtime. Majerle’s 3-pointer and steal leading to Barkley’s layup gave the Suns a 121-118 lead with 2:38 left before the game’s key play. Chicago’s Horace Grant fouled out and was replaced by Stacey King, who grabbed a rebound but threw a lazy pass underneath his own basket that Barkley stole and laid in for a 123-118 bulge. Phoenix made six free throws in the final 100 seconds, matching Chicago’s total for the entire game. There was no late clutch shooting by Jordan, who scored 44 points but made just 19-of-43 shots. Teammate Scottie Pippen had 26 points on 13-of-35 shooting. Johnson set a Finals record by playing 62 minutes and Majerle played 59 minutes without a foul or turnover. It wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the 1976 game, but it is the best Finals game of the Stern era.

 

Filed Under: NBA Finals Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kings pull off stunning comeback; Portland best in West

1 Comment

And the best team in the Western Conference is … 

Ah, you don’t want to read about the Portland Trail Blazers, do you?

You’d rather fawn over the Miami Heat for their 3 1/2-hour, triple-overtime victory in Atlanta, or dump on the Dallas Mavericks and those who said two weeks ago that they were the best team in the NBA.

Perhaps you’d prefer to postulate over where  Dwight Howard will end up (just a thought, but if I’m Rich DeVos, and I’m 85 years old, I keep the big fella and roll the dice on winning it all this year). Maybe you’d like a prediction on whether this will be Mike D’Antoni’s final day prowling the sideline for the New York Knicks.

Or perhaps you’d prefer to debate whether getting paid to lose weight, or getting paid to sit courtside and make funny remarks, is the biggest scam in the world (Charles Barkley certainly has an opinion).

Well, dammit, you are going to read about the Portland Trail Blazers … but not yet.

Because the story of the night in the NBA happened in Sacramento just hours after Paul Westphal was fired as coach, the lowly Kings coming back from a 21-point halftime deficit to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 103-100 — a comeback that spawned an embrace between DeMarcus Cousins and new coach Keith Smart at the old barn in northern California that used to be called Arco Arena. 

“You just felt free out there,” Cousins said. “You didn’t feel like you had like 30-pound bags on your back. You just felt free. It felt good to be out there.”

Read more
Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Paul Westphal fired by Sacramento Kings

3 Comments

For those of you who had Mike D’Antoni in the first coach to be fired pool, we have some bad news.

Sacramento Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof pulled a fast one today, canning coach Paul Westphal just seven games into the season. Keith Smart will coach the team tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks, who will be without Andrew Bogut again (he is in Australia dealing with a personal matter and won’t return until next week.)

Westphal went 51-120 in his two-plus seasons. His dismissal comes four days after he feuded with DeMarcus Cousins and told him to stay away from the team for one game, saying the young center had demanded a trade. Kings GM Geoff Petrie and Joe Maloof said they supported Westphal’s decision, but also said they would not trade Cousins.

Here is a roundup from around the Web about what is being said about the firing:

From Zach Lowe of SI.com: “(Tyreke) Evans called out Westphal last week, saying “nobody really knows what to do” in Westphal’s offense, which Evans characterized as “just pass, cut.” Evans still hasn’t found his game, even though he’s recovered from the plantar fasciitis that robbed him of his explosiveness last season. He’s shooting poorly, hasn’t developed his jumper and has seen his assist numbers drop as the Kings have divided ball-handling duties among him, Thornton, Salmons and Jimmer Fredette. The Kings have been running simplistic stuff, one reason their offense ranks 26th in points per possession — one spot better than their swiss-cheese defense. Evans will bring up the ball, toss it to Thornton on the wing, cut to the corner and watch Thornton isolate or run a pick-and-roll. As that unfolds, Evans will rotate back to the top and be ready to receive the ball if the initial action fails to produce a shot. Repeat the same hum-drum stuff on the next 90 possessions, mixing up the names so that everyone gets a turn and adding a bunch of Cousins post-ups, and you’ve basically got Sacramento’s offense. Any NBA team can defend that. … The Kings have assisted on just 41.7 percent of their baskets, per Hoopdata. No team since the ABA-NBA merger has finished a season with an assist rate lower than about 46.5 percent, per Hoopdata and Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus. Blame whatever and whomever you’d like, but it’s a number like that represents a top-to-bottom organizational failure. The Kings don’t have an above-average distributor on their roster, so they’re running a simplistic offense without a primary distributor or even clear-cut roles. Will interim coach Keith Smart do any better? It will be interesting to watch. He’s a defense-first coach, a former guard who will push his young guards hard to be better on that end. And that’s good, because any young guard needs that kind of repetitive instruction. Thornton and Fredette are young and learning, and the team has inexcusably surrendered more fast-break points per game than anyone but the Timberwolves.

From Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee, in a live chat earlier today: “This all came down pretty quickly, which probably means Geoff Petrie and the Maloofs are still studying their alternatives. They can go one of two ways here – give the job to assistant Keith Smart on an interim basis for the remainder of the season or try to make a big strike with one of the established coaches available. The list of the latter is fairly impressive: Jerry Sloan, Larry Brown, Don Nelson and Phil Jackson, though it sounds like Phil wants to take off a year. Sloan would seem like an obvious choice here. I am hearing he wants to coach again, likes some of the Kings’ talent, and likes coaching in small markets.

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , , ,

DeMarcus Cousins requests a trade

11 Comments

Wow. Four games into the season, and there is a new big man for other teams to drool over aside from Dwight Howard.

This guy, however, has a reputation as a head case.

DeMarcus Cousins has reportedly requested a trade from the Sacramento Kings, and coach Paul Westphal told him not to attend tonight’s game against the New Orleans Hornets.

More from Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee: “We’re not quite sure what happened after The Bee’s Jason Jones, Ailene Voisin and Matthew Kawahara left Power Balance Pavilion on Saturday night, but The Kings issued this interesting statement from Westphal at 3:21 p.m. today:

STATEMENT FROM KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

Read more
Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: , ,