1.) 2,628 Kevin Love 2007 Lake Oswego
4.) 2,382 Drew Wiley 2008 Thurston/McKenzie
5.) 2,331 Brad Tinsley 2008 Oregon City
8.) 2,207 Kyle Singler 2007 South Medford
19.) 1,949 Michael Harthun 2008 South Medford
58.) 1,661 Andy Poling 2008 Westview
72.) 1,578 Cameron McCaffrey 2009 Century
91.) 1,519 E.J. Singler 2009 South Medford
94.) 1,508 Paul McCoy 2008 DeLaSalle/Grant
96.) 1,502 Brian Conklin 2008 North Eugene
100.) 1,488 Michael Moser 2009 Grant
4.27.2009
LEBRON JAMES - WORK ETHIC
LeBron James made 3-pointers from every angle, drove into the lane for dunks and leaned into low post moves.
He was just getting warmed up -- two hours before tipoff -- and his regular routine provided another demonstration of greatness.
James had 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists Sunday to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 99-78 victory against the Detroit Pistons, sweeping the Eastern Conference first-round series.
The 24-year-old superstar said his work ethic has been "everything" in a breathtaking career that has surpassed unprecedented hype.
"You're only born with a certain amount of gifts," he said. "You have to take advantage of them, and put in the work. My work ethic has helped me be the player I am today."
Cavs coach Mike Brown said James is a "workaholic," and relayed an anecdote about his son being in awe of James lifting weights and going through individual drills during last offseason.
"I said, 'LeBron doesn't just show up at the game with a Superman outfit on,'" Brown recalled saying to his son.
James and the top-seeded Cavs were so efficient in sweeping Detroit they might be off for more than a week, waiting for Atlanta or Miami to advance.
"That's what happens when you take care of business," James said.
He was just getting warmed up -- two hours before tipoff -- and his regular routine provided another demonstration of greatness.
James had 36 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists Sunday to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 99-78 victory against the Detroit Pistons, sweeping the Eastern Conference first-round series.
The 24-year-old superstar said his work ethic has been "everything" in a breathtaking career that has surpassed unprecedented hype.
"You're only born with a certain amount of gifts," he said. "You have to take advantage of them, and put in the work. My work ethic has helped me be the player I am today."
Cavs coach Mike Brown said James is a "workaholic," and relayed an anecdote about his son being in awe of James lifting weights and going through individual drills during last offseason.
"I said, 'LeBron doesn't just show up at the game with a Superman outfit on,'" Brown recalled saying to his son.
James and the top-seeded Cavs were so efficient in sweeping Detroit they might be off for more than a week, waiting for Atlanta or Miami to advance.
"That's what happens when you take care of business," James said.
D WADE PROVIDING LEADERSHIP
Long after his Miami Heat had finished wiping the AmericanAirlines Arena floor with the Hawks Saturday night, Dwyane Wade said something that crystalized the difference between these two playoff combatants.
Asked about the leadership he provides for his team, the Heat superstar described his evolution as a team leader.
“One thing about being a leader is that it’s 24/7, 365 days a year,” Wade said. “It never stops. I was very disappointed with myself in Game 1. I was quiet, and that is not what my team needs. In Game 2 and Game 3 I took it upon myself to make sure that my voice is heard. To drive the points the coaches made and make sure they hear it again before they get on the court.”
You won’t hear anything resembling that from the Hawks. They don’t have a vocal leader in the mold of Wade. So their won’t be anyone rescuing the Hawks from themselves between now and the start of Monday night’s epically important Game 4.
All those cliches about leaders being born and not bred don’t register in this case. Leaders emerge in times like this. Leaders rise to the occasion and impose their will in times like this.
There are a handful of leaders in the NBA these days Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce come to mind. The mettle required of your team leader in the playoffs isn’t hard to spot and Hawks’ captain and All-Star Joe Johnson has yet to show if he has it in him in this series.
The contrast between his demeanor Sunday and that of Wade over the past few days was striking. Wade vowed to revive his crew after that humiliating, 26-point loss in Game 1 and has done exactly that with two backbreaking efforts since then. Johnson didn’t sound a similar alarm Sunday when asked if he was ready to do it himself, speaking in terms of “we” and “us” when it’s clear that he has to pick up the mantle and carry his team back to even in this series.
“We’ve just got to grow up, man,” Johnson said, his voice trailing off with every word. “We hit a little adversity and now it’s as if we’re out of it. But we have to think positive the rest of the way. You’ve just got to believe. And we have to put it in the guys who have never been in this situation and we have to make them believe we can do this. We have to keep talking to them and keep putting confidence into them.”
The words are fine, but in the playoffs a man can only be judged by his actions.
Asked about the leadership he provides for his team, the Heat superstar described his evolution as a team leader.
“One thing about being a leader is that it’s 24/7, 365 days a year,” Wade said. “It never stops. I was very disappointed with myself in Game 1. I was quiet, and that is not what my team needs. In Game 2 and Game 3 I took it upon myself to make sure that my voice is heard. To drive the points the coaches made and make sure they hear it again before they get on the court.”
You won’t hear anything resembling that from the Hawks. They don’t have a vocal leader in the mold of Wade. So their won’t be anyone rescuing the Hawks from themselves between now and the start of Monday night’s epically important Game 4.
All those cliches about leaders being born and not bred don’t register in this case. Leaders emerge in times like this. Leaders rise to the occasion and impose their will in times like this.
There are a handful of leaders in the NBA these days Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce come to mind. The mettle required of your team leader in the playoffs isn’t hard to spot and Hawks’ captain and All-Star Joe Johnson has yet to show if he has it in him in this series.
The contrast between his demeanor Sunday and that of Wade over the past few days was striking. Wade vowed to revive his crew after that humiliating, 26-point loss in Game 1 and has done exactly that with two backbreaking efforts since then. Johnson didn’t sound a similar alarm Sunday when asked if he was ready to do it himself, speaking in terms of “we” and “us” when it’s clear that he has to pick up the mantle and carry his team back to even in this series.
“We’ve just got to grow up, man,” Johnson said, his voice trailing off with every word. “We hit a little adversity and now it’s as if we’re out of it. But we have to think positive the rest of the way. You’ve just got to believe. And we have to put it in the guys who have never been in this situation and we have to make them believe we can do this. We have to keep talking to them and keep putting confidence into them.”
The words are fine, but in the playoffs a man can only be judged by his actions.
4.25.2009
JERMAINE O'NEAL
Jermaine O’Neal’s commitment to the game and improving is still strong after 12 years in the NBA. He’s watched film of Game 2 twice already. By the time you read this he’ll have watched it a third time.
The first time he watched strictly for offense. The second time was strictly for defense. The third time was for timing on blocking shots and getting in position for rebounds. O’Neal suspects when he attempts to block a shot the Hawks sneak behind him and position themselves to grab rebounds.
Jermaine teaches us a valuable lesson, never stop trying to improve and get an edge on your opponent!
The first time he watched strictly for offense. The second time was strictly for defense. The third time was for timing on blocking shots and getting in position for rebounds. O’Neal suspects when he attempts to block a shot the Hawks sneak behind him and position themselves to grab rebounds.
Jermaine teaches us a valuable lesson, never stop trying to improve and get an edge on your opponent!
LEADERSHIP
Washington Wizards coach Flip Saunders "I don't know any team that's ever really had success if the best player hasn't been a leader."
4.24.2009
VETERANS NEED TO BE LEADERS
"Your veteran players have to be mentors of those young players, and when you are mentors, you have a vested interest and they take accountability with the young players. You come out and a guy goes into the game, you're excited to see him have success." Gilbert Arenas
4.21.2009
CRITICISM
CRITICISM DEFINED
"The goal of true criticism is to help someone be the best they can be...When criticism is done appropriately, the person who has been criticized will understand what he or she has done wrong and will feel inspired to make a change for the better. Not only should we not avoid being criticized, we should embrace criticism because it is the only way we can continue to grow professionally and personally."
Is the criticism offered constructively (in an effort to help)?
Does the critic have the insight and perspective to speak credibly?
LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN
Sincere criticism rarely comes without a morsel of truth. The trick is to stay open when confronted with negative feedback. When criticized, people are tempted to react defensively, angrily, or from a place of hurt. With emotions swirling about inside, it can be difficult to keep listening and to absorb critical comments.
Those who gain the most out of criticism hold their tongue and control their emotions in order to gain access to hard truths. By listening and remaining objective, they grow increasingly self-aware and improve their leadership.
"The goal of true criticism is to help someone be the best they can be...When criticism is done appropriately, the person who has been criticized will understand what he or she has done wrong and will feel inspired to make a change for the better. Not only should we not avoid being criticized, we should embrace criticism because it is the only way we can continue to grow professionally and personally."
Is the criticism offered constructively (in an effort to help)?
Does the critic have the insight and perspective to speak credibly?
LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN
Sincere criticism rarely comes without a morsel of truth. The trick is to stay open when confronted with negative feedback. When criticized, people are tempted to react defensively, angrily, or from a place of hurt. With emotions swirling about inside, it can be difficult to keep listening and to absorb critical comments.
Those who gain the most out of criticism hold their tongue and control their emotions in order to gain access to hard truths. By listening and remaining objective, they grow increasingly self-aware and improve their leadership.
TEAMMATES
Michael Phelps' Olympic Triumph
A victory in the 400-meter medley relay marked Michael Phelps' eighth gold medal in the Beijing Olympic games. The record-breaking feat made Phelps the single greatest Olympian in history. As he celebrated the triumph with his teammates, Phelps could be heard uttering the same phrase over and over again: "I couldn't have done it without you guys."
Phelps wasn't merely giving lip service to teamwork. If not for the superhuman efforts of a teammate, his historic quest for eight gold medals would have come to a premature end.
An Amazing Comeback
In the 400-meter freestyle relay, Phelps swam the lead leg. Although he put the Americans in front, they were overtaken by the French and trailed considerably as the final swimmers dove into the pool. John Lezak, the oldest man on the American swim team, desperately tried to catch up. Despite his efforts, halfway into his anchor leg Lezak was almost a body-length behind France's Alain Bernard. Just as the television announcers were writing off the Americans, Lezak found another gear. During what seemed like an eternity, he inched closer and closer to the French lead. As they approached the finish line, both swimmers lunged for the wall. Lezak touched it first by a fingernail - one-one hundredth of a second - and the Americans won the gold.
Michael Phelps' accomplishments in Beijing garnered him the individual record of eight gold medals in a single Olympics. However, he never could have achieved the historic mark without the contributions of his teammates.
The leadership lesson in his story is simple: No matter how much talent you have, teammates can take you farther than you can go by yourself.
A victory in the 400-meter medley relay marked Michael Phelps' eighth gold medal in the Beijing Olympic games. The record-breaking feat made Phelps the single greatest Olympian in history. As he celebrated the triumph with his teammates, Phelps could be heard uttering the same phrase over and over again: "I couldn't have done it without you guys."
Phelps wasn't merely giving lip service to teamwork. If not for the superhuman efforts of a teammate, his historic quest for eight gold medals would have come to a premature end.
An Amazing Comeback
In the 400-meter freestyle relay, Phelps swam the lead leg. Although he put the Americans in front, they were overtaken by the French and trailed considerably as the final swimmers dove into the pool. John Lezak, the oldest man on the American swim team, desperately tried to catch up. Despite his efforts, halfway into his anchor leg Lezak was almost a body-length behind France's Alain Bernard. Just as the television announcers were writing off the Americans, Lezak found another gear. During what seemed like an eternity, he inched closer and closer to the French lead. As they approached the finish line, both swimmers lunged for the wall. Lezak touched it first by a fingernail - one-one hundredth of a second - and the Americans won the gold.
Michael Phelps' accomplishments in Beijing garnered him the individual record of eight gold medals in a single Olympics. However, he never could have achieved the historic mark without the contributions of his teammates.
The leadership lesson in his story is simple: No matter how much talent you have, teammates can take you farther than you can go by yourself.
FIVE ATTRIBUTES OF INSPIRATIONAL LEADERS
Five Attributes of Inspirational Leaders
Dr. John C. Maxwell
The Sahara plays tricks on the eyes of its travelers. As the desert sun beats down on the sand, heat waves rise from the ground. Light bends as it passes through the superheated air, painting illusory pictures on the horizon. To thirsty travelers moving through the Sahara, it often appears as if an oasis looms in the distance. However, as the voyagers journey on, the oasis proves to be nothing more than a mirage.
Unfortunately, the ranks of leadership are inhabited by a host of mirages: people who look impressive from a distance, but end up being disappointments.
To restore society's confidence with those in power, leaders have to be able to inspire. People right now are looking for a leader attuned to their personal needs. They want leaders who will encourage them, believe in their potential, and help them grow.
Five Attributes of an Inspirational Leader
ATTITUDE OF SERVICE
To be an inspirational leader, you must adopt an attitude of service toward those you lead. This requires laying aside selfish interests to add value to another person. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." When you serve, you awaken something magnetic inside of you. People are drawn to follow you because they know you'll find ways to make them better.
AFFIRMATION
To inspire means to have a positive view of others. If we're not careful, we become fault-finders, magnifying the flaws in everyone around us. Instead, leaders should emulate gold prospectors - always on the lookout for potential gold mines. In the same fashion, leaders ought to search for the best traits within a person and commit to uncovering them.
One of the best applications of this idea is expressed in what I call the 101 percent principle: Find the one thing that you believe is a person's greatest asset, and then give 100 percent encouragement in that area. Focusing on a person's strengths inspires them by promoting confidence, growth, and success.
ATTENTIVENESS
Great inspirers know the desires of those they lead. As much as people respect the knowledge and ability of their leaders, these are secondary concerns for them. They don't care how much their leaders know until they know how much their leaders care. When leaders attend to the deeply felt needs of their team, the determination and commitment of each team member skyrockets.
AVAILABILITY
Leaders inspire by intentionally investing time in the people they lead. They make themselves available. People cannot be nurtured from a distance or by infrequent spurts of attention. They need a leader to spend time with them - planned time, not just a conversation in passing.
In our fast-paced and demanding world, time is a leader's most precious commodity. While it feels costly to give up, nothing communicates that you value a person more than the gift of your time.
AUTHENTICITY
To inspire, leaders have to be genuine. More than anything else, followers want to believe in and trust their leaders. However, when leaders break promises or fail to honor commitments, they reveal themselves as being inauthentic, and they lose credibility. Trust rests upon a foundation of authenticity. To gain trust, a leader must consistently align words and deeds, while showing a degree of transparency.
SUMMARY
I prefer to think about inspiring as more of a process than an event. More than a brilliant speech, it's cultivating habits of brilliance that manifest themselves daily. By modeling the five attributes of an inspiring leader, you'll win the respect of those you lead and earn the right to influence them.
Dr. John C. Maxwell
The Sahara plays tricks on the eyes of its travelers. As the desert sun beats down on the sand, heat waves rise from the ground. Light bends as it passes through the superheated air, painting illusory pictures on the horizon. To thirsty travelers moving through the Sahara, it often appears as if an oasis looms in the distance. However, as the voyagers journey on, the oasis proves to be nothing more than a mirage.
Unfortunately, the ranks of leadership are inhabited by a host of mirages: people who look impressive from a distance, but end up being disappointments.
To restore society's confidence with those in power, leaders have to be able to inspire. People right now are looking for a leader attuned to their personal needs. They want leaders who will encourage them, believe in their potential, and help them grow.
Five Attributes of an Inspirational Leader
ATTITUDE OF SERVICE
To be an inspirational leader, you must adopt an attitude of service toward those you lead. This requires laying aside selfish interests to add value to another person. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." When you serve, you awaken something magnetic inside of you. People are drawn to follow you because they know you'll find ways to make them better.
AFFIRMATION
To inspire means to have a positive view of others. If we're not careful, we become fault-finders, magnifying the flaws in everyone around us. Instead, leaders should emulate gold prospectors - always on the lookout for potential gold mines. In the same fashion, leaders ought to search for the best traits within a person and commit to uncovering them.
One of the best applications of this idea is expressed in what I call the 101 percent principle: Find the one thing that you believe is a person's greatest asset, and then give 100 percent encouragement in that area. Focusing on a person's strengths inspires them by promoting confidence, growth, and success.
ATTENTIVENESS
Great inspirers know the desires of those they lead. As much as people respect the knowledge and ability of their leaders, these are secondary concerns for them. They don't care how much their leaders know until they know how much their leaders care. When leaders attend to the deeply felt needs of their team, the determination and commitment of each team member skyrockets.
AVAILABILITY
Leaders inspire by intentionally investing time in the people they lead. They make themselves available. People cannot be nurtured from a distance or by infrequent spurts of attention. They need a leader to spend time with them - planned time, not just a conversation in passing.
In our fast-paced and demanding world, time is a leader's most precious commodity. While it feels costly to give up, nothing communicates that you value a person more than the gift of your time.
AUTHENTICITY
To inspire, leaders have to be genuine. More than anything else, followers want to believe in and trust their leaders. However, when leaders break promises or fail to honor commitments, they reveal themselves as being inauthentic, and they lose credibility. Trust rests upon a foundation of authenticity. To gain trust, a leader must consistently align words and deeds, while showing a degree of transparency.
SUMMARY
I prefer to think about inspiring as more of a process than an event. More than a brilliant speech, it's cultivating habits of brilliance that manifest themselves daily. By modeling the five attributes of an inspiring leader, you'll win the respect of those you lead and earn the right to influence them.
4.18.2009
D. ROSE
Rose talked about Game 1 after he had 36pts and led the young Chicago Bulls to a win over the defending NBA champs Boston Celtics: "I want that as a player, the pressure. Whenever I get the ball in my hands I just calm down. Thats what a point guard does."
NICK SABAN - PASSION
The coach who led Alabama to a 12-0 regular season, the SEC championship game and the Sugar Bowl last season said people see many strengths this season on paper.
Nick Saban said there are more important components than whats on paper.
"What is the passion that our team has next year? Who are the leaders? What is the goal of the team?" Saban asked, noting how the Crimson Tide answers those questions will have more of an impact on its success than the number of returning starters and which freshmen earn playing time.
"Last year, our team was a great example of what having a passion and enthusiasm can accomplish," Saban said.
Passion, he said, will determine who is successful.
"What's going to be Florida's passion? What's going to be LSU's passion? Tennessee's passion? Ours?" Saban said. "That's going to determine what happens -- passion and purpose in what we want to do, what we want to accomplish."
He said he asks his players daily, "What are you willing to do? What are you willing to invest in it? What do you want to accomplish?"
Nick Saban said there are more important components than whats on paper.
"What is the passion that our team has next year? Who are the leaders? What is the goal of the team?" Saban asked, noting how the Crimson Tide answers those questions will have more of an impact on its success than the number of returning starters and which freshmen earn playing time.
"Last year, our team was a great example of what having a passion and enthusiasm can accomplish," Saban said.
Passion, he said, will determine who is successful.
"What's going to be Florida's passion? What's going to be LSU's passion? Tennessee's passion? Ours?" Saban said. "That's going to determine what happens -- passion and purpose in what we want to do, what we want to accomplish."
He said he asks his players daily, "What are you willing to do? What are you willing to invest in it? What do you want to accomplish?"
RON ARTEST - GROWING UP
There is a feeling that comes over Rockets forward Ron Artest that he cannot explain, but that he loves.
He must control it, he admits, citing the wisdom gained with years and experiences. But he must use it, too, especially now, with another postseason to begin and another team looking to him to be the difference.
When the stakes are high as they will be beginning Saturday when the Rockets open the postseason against the Trail Blazers, Artest can sense that emotion grow within him. He can feel it drive and change him.
This is Artest at his best. It is sometimes Artest at his worst. It could be the difference between the Rockets ending their long playoff slump, or falling quickly again.
"It’s part of who he is," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "That’s what makes him very good in this league.
"It’s his competitiveness. He’s going to keep coming at you. He may be having a terrible game, but he’s going to keep coming, keep coming at you. He’s not going to ever shy away. That’s good and that’s bad, but that’s the biggest thing, his competitiveness."
There have been times his competitiveness has gotten the better of him. He drove the Rockets to their commanding lead in Chicago, and also their collapse from a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead to a stunning loss.
Yet, he said he has improved over the years and through this season in channeling his off-the-charts aggressiveness and competitiveness. He said he has avoided the mistakes that he made in the past when things have gone wrong, as they often did this season, when he was initially coming off the bench, slowed by injuries and frustrated by losses.
More than that, he said he has learned to cherish the postseason and another chance.
"Now I realize the mistakes I made. You have to play hard, but it’s fun basketball. It’s the best time of the year. And when you win it makes it that much better. The city loves you. All the people around the country are talking about you. It gives you that much more incentive to go out and play".
"Some people, when they miss the last shot and think, ‘Oh I missed the last shot,’ and really get down on themselves instead of being fearless and taking the next one. If the next one goes in, then you’re the king."
The Rockets are convinced Artest, 6-7, is not trying to be "the king." He is driven to compete and win, even if he sometimes gets out of control with the effort.
"Watching him over the last several years, my take is he’s got a very good handle of his game and how he fits into that team," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, Artest’s coach in Indiana. "I think he knows how to channel his competitiveness in a way that helps their team. He’s grown a lot."
"Ron’s a great player. He brings toughness. He brings a physical dimension to the position. He’s one of the really unusual players in this league because of a combination of strength and skill. Every year he’s been in the league, he’s been one of the more difficult guys to match up with."
But Artest believes he has grown off the court, diminishing issues on it, and preventing the flare-ups of misdeeds in his past. Everything from his own incidents to dealing with his daughter Diamond’s chemotherapy for a cancerous kidney tumor, now in remission, brought perspective, he said.
"That has a lot to do with it," Artest said. Dealing with so many things around you that aren’t about basketball, helped me figure it out.
"I guess you get older and wiser. I always had trouble with losing. I would get so mad. I would let it upset me. It would carry over for the next couple games. It would end up hurting team chemistry for a couple days, or a week or even longer than that. I don’t accept losing, but I know now, if you lose, get better from it. Find out why you lost and improve."
Still, this postseason could be as important for him as for the Rockets organization. A free agent this offseason, he has said he wants to return to Houston and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said he wants to have Artest back.
"Now I know when you’re down, still play within the team," Artest said. "Just because you’re one of the better players on the team doesn’t mean you have to take it upon yourself. It took a long time to get there, but now I realize that. I understand now, you’re not going to win by yourself. It’s impossible.
"Going into the playoffs with this team is going to be fun. Everybody is ready. The team is really into each other. And we feel confident. We know if we play well, we’ll win."
He must control it, he admits, citing the wisdom gained with years and experiences. But he must use it, too, especially now, with another postseason to begin and another team looking to him to be the difference.
When the stakes are high as they will be beginning Saturday when the Rockets open the postseason against the Trail Blazers, Artest can sense that emotion grow within him. He can feel it drive and change him.
This is Artest at his best. It is sometimes Artest at his worst. It could be the difference between the Rockets ending their long playoff slump, or falling quickly again.
"It’s part of who he is," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "That’s what makes him very good in this league.
"It’s his competitiveness. He’s going to keep coming at you. He may be having a terrible game, but he’s going to keep coming, keep coming at you. He’s not going to ever shy away. That’s good and that’s bad, but that’s the biggest thing, his competitiveness."
There have been times his competitiveness has gotten the better of him. He drove the Rockets to their commanding lead in Chicago, and also their collapse from a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead to a stunning loss.
Yet, he said he has improved over the years and through this season in channeling his off-the-charts aggressiveness and competitiveness. He said he has avoided the mistakes that he made in the past when things have gone wrong, as they often did this season, when he was initially coming off the bench, slowed by injuries and frustrated by losses.
More than that, he said he has learned to cherish the postseason and another chance.
"Now I realize the mistakes I made. You have to play hard, but it’s fun basketball. It’s the best time of the year. And when you win it makes it that much better. The city loves you. All the people around the country are talking about you. It gives you that much more incentive to go out and play".
"Some people, when they miss the last shot and think, ‘Oh I missed the last shot,’ and really get down on themselves instead of being fearless and taking the next one. If the next one goes in, then you’re the king."
The Rockets are convinced Artest, 6-7, is not trying to be "the king." He is driven to compete and win, even if he sometimes gets out of control with the effort.
"Watching him over the last several years, my take is he’s got a very good handle of his game and how he fits into that team," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, Artest’s coach in Indiana. "I think he knows how to channel his competitiveness in a way that helps their team. He’s grown a lot."
"Ron’s a great player. He brings toughness. He brings a physical dimension to the position. He’s one of the really unusual players in this league because of a combination of strength and skill. Every year he’s been in the league, he’s been one of the more difficult guys to match up with."
But Artest believes he has grown off the court, diminishing issues on it, and preventing the flare-ups of misdeeds in his past. Everything from his own incidents to dealing with his daughter Diamond’s chemotherapy for a cancerous kidney tumor, now in remission, brought perspective, he said.
"That has a lot to do with it," Artest said. Dealing with so many things around you that aren’t about basketball, helped me figure it out.
"I guess you get older and wiser. I always had trouble with losing. I would get so mad. I would let it upset me. It would carry over for the next couple games. It would end up hurting team chemistry for a couple days, or a week or even longer than that. I don’t accept losing, but I know now, if you lose, get better from it. Find out why you lost and improve."
Still, this postseason could be as important for him as for the Rockets organization. A free agent this offseason, he has said he wants to return to Houston and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said he wants to have Artest back.
"Now I know when you’re down, still play within the team," Artest said. "Just because you’re one of the better players on the team doesn’t mean you have to take it upon yourself. It took a long time to get there, but now I realize that. I understand now, you’re not going to win by yourself. It’s impossible.
"Going into the playoffs with this team is going to be fun. Everybody is ready. The team is really into each other. And we feel confident. We know if we play well, we’ll win."
RON ARTEST
There is a feeling that comes over Rockets forward Ron Artest that he cannot explain, but that he loves.
He must control it, he admits, citing the wisdom gained with years and experiences. But he must use it, too, especially now, with another postseason to begin and another team looking to him to be the difference.
When the game is tight, or more so, when the Rockets are losing, when the stakes are high as they will be beginning Saturday when the Rockets open the postseason against the Trail Blazers, Artest can sense that emotion grow within him. He can feel it drive and change him.
This is Artest at his best. It is sometimes Artest at his worst. It could be the difference between the Rockets ending their long playoff slump, or falling quickly again. It could be the measure of their experiment to plug him into a team looking for something to push it further than it has gone in more than a decade.
"It’s part of who he is," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "That’s what makes him very good in this league.
"It’s his competitiveness. He’s going to keep coming at you. He may be having a terrible game, but he’s going to keep coming, keep coming at you. He’s not going to ever shy away. That’s good and that’s bad, but that’s the biggest thing, his competitiveness."
There have been times his competitiveness has gotten the better of him. He drove the Rockets to their commanding lead in Chicago, and also their collapse from a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead to a stunning loss.
He got himself in an individual battle with the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, inciting Bryant to dominate him, and then explained, "I like to talk to the guy who’s going to kill me."
Yet, he said he has improved over the years and through this season in channeling his off-the-charts aggressiveness and competitiveness. He said he has avoided the mistakes that he made in the past when things have gone wrong, as they often did this season, when he was initially coming off the bench, slowed by injuries and frustrated by losses.
More than that, he said he has learned to cherish the postseason and another chance.
"Now I know it has to be fun," Artest, 29, said. "Before, the time with coach Adelman (with the Kings in 2006), it was a lot of angry emotion involved toward the other team and not enough focus on my own team.
"Now I realize the mistakes I made. You have to play hard, but it’s fun basketball. It’s the best time of the year. And when you win it makes it that much better. The city loves you. All the people around the country are talking about you. It gives you that much more incentive to go out and play and poke your chest out a little bit.
"When you’re a basketball player you know how much fun it is to put the ball in the hoop to win a game, to hit an off-the-glass shot, a 3, to get an and-one — that’s fun. It looks like it’s a different type of emotion, but it’s fun. When you get a chance to go home, just sit back, eat some dinner and you won a game, that’s fun.
"Some people, I think, when they miss the last shot and (think), ‘Oh I missed the last shot,’ and really get down on themselves instead of taking the next one. If it goes in, then you’re the king."
The Rockets are convinced Artest, 6-7, is not trying to be "the king." He is driven to compete and win, even if he sometimes gets out of control with the effort.
Still, just as he has seemed far removed from the guy that went into the stands at the Palace of Auburn Hills, inciting the worst brawl between fans and players in NBA history, he has grown on the court as well.
"Watching him over the last several years, my take is he’s got a very good handle of his game and how he fits into that team," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, Artest’s coach in Indiana. "I think he knows how to channel his competitiveness in a way that helps their team the most, now. He’s grown a lot. I don’t see anything as being an issue.
"Ron’s a great player. He brings toughness. He brings a physical dimension to the position. He’s one of the really unusual players in this league because of a combination of strength and skill. Every year he’s been in the league, he’s been one of the more difficult guys to match up with."
But Artest believes he has grown off the court, diminishing issues on it, and preventing the flare-ups of misdeeds in his past. Everything from his own incidents to dealing with his daughter Diamond’s chemotherapy for a cancerous kidney tumor, now in remission, brought perspective, he said.
"That has a lot to do with it," Artest said. "Playing under a lot of duress, stress and wanting to get better … when there are so many things around you that aren’t about basketball, helped me figure it out.
"I guess you get older. I always had trouble with losing. I would get so mad. I would let it upset me. It would carry over for the next couple games. It would end up hurting team chemistry for a couple days, or a week or even longer than that. I don’t accept losing, but I know now, if you lose, get better from it. Find out why you lost and improve."
Still, this postseason could be as important for him as for the Rockets organization. A free agent this offseason, he has said he wants to return to Houston and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said he wants to have Artest back.
But both know that his and the team’s future will depend to some degree on what happens when he gets that feeling.
"Now I know when you’re down, still play within the team," Artest said. "Just because you’re one of the better players on the team doesn’t mean you have to take it upon yourself. It took a long time to get there, but now I realize that. I understand now, you’re not going to win by yourself. It’s impossible.
"Going into the playoffs with this team is going to be fun. Everybody is ready. The team is really into each other. And we feel confident. We know if we play well, we’ll win."
He must control it, he admits, citing the wisdom gained with years and experiences. But he must use it, too, especially now, with another postseason to begin and another team looking to him to be the difference.
When the game is tight, or more so, when the Rockets are losing, when the stakes are high as they will be beginning Saturday when the Rockets open the postseason against the Trail Blazers, Artest can sense that emotion grow within him. He can feel it drive and change him.
This is Artest at his best. It is sometimes Artest at his worst. It could be the difference between the Rockets ending their long playoff slump, or falling quickly again. It could be the measure of their experiment to plug him into a team looking for something to push it further than it has gone in more than a decade.
"It’s part of who he is," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "That’s what makes him very good in this league.
"It’s his competitiveness. He’s going to keep coming at you. He may be having a terrible game, but he’s going to keep coming, keep coming at you. He’s not going to ever shy away. That’s good and that’s bad, but that’s the biggest thing, his competitiveness."
There have been times his competitiveness has gotten the better of him. He drove the Rockets to their commanding lead in Chicago, and also their collapse from a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead to a stunning loss.
He got himself in an individual battle with the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, inciting Bryant to dominate him, and then explained, "I like to talk to the guy who’s going to kill me."
Yet, he said he has improved over the years and through this season in channeling his off-the-charts aggressiveness and competitiveness. He said he has avoided the mistakes that he made in the past when things have gone wrong, as they often did this season, when he was initially coming off the bench, slowed by injuries and frustrated by losses.
More than that, he said he has learned to cherish the postseason and another chance.
"Now I know it has to be fun," Artest, 29, said. "Before, the time with coach Adelman (with the Kings in 2006), it was a lot of angry emotion involved toward the other team and not enough focus on my own team.
"Now I realize the mistakes I made. You have to play hard, but it’s fun basketball. It’s the best time of the year. And when you win it makes it that much better. The city loves you. All the people around the country are talking about you. It gives you that much more incentive to go out and play and poke your chest out a little bit.
"When you’re a basketball player you know how much fun it is to put the ball in the hoop to win a game, to hit an off-the-glass shot, a 3, to get an and-one — that’s fun. It looks like it’s a different type of emotion, but it’s fun. When you get a chance to go home, just sit back, eat some dinner and you won a game, that’s fun.
"Some people, I think, when they miss the last shot and (think), ‘Oh I missed the last shot,’ and really get down on themselves instead of taking the next one. If it goes in, then you’re the king."
The Rockets are convinced Artest, 6-7, is not trying to be "the king." He is driven to compete and win, even if he sometimes gets out of control with the effort.
Still, just as he has seemed far removed from the guy that went into the stands at the Palace of Auburn Hills, inciting the worst brawl between fans and players in NBA history, he has grown on the court as well.
"Watching him over the last several years, my take is he’s got a very good handle of his game and how he fits into that team," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, Artest’s coach in Indiana. "I think he knows how to channel his competitiveness in a way that helps their team the most, now. He’s grown a lot. I don’t see anything as being an issue.
"Ron’s a great player. He brings toughness. He brings a physical dimension to the position. He’s one of the really unusual players in this league because of a combination of strength and skill. Every year he’s been in the league, he’s been one of the more difficult guys to match up with."
But Artest believes he has grown off the court, diminishing issues on it, and preventing the flare-ups of misdeeds in his past. Everything from his own incidents to dealing with his daughter Diamond’s chemotherapy for a cancerous kidney tumor, now in remission, brought perspective, he said.
"That has a lot to do with it," Artest said. "Playing under a lot of duress, stress and wanting to get better … when there are so many things around you that aren’t about basketball, helped me figure it out.
"I guess you get older. I always had trouble with losing. I would get so mad. I would let it upset me. It would carry over for the next couple games. It would end up hurting team chemistry for a couple days, or a week or even longer than that. I don’t accept losing, but I know now, if you lose, get better from it. Find out why you lost and improve."
Still, this postseason could be as important for him as for the Rockets organization. A free agent this offseason, he has said he wants to return to Houston and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said he wants to have Artest back.
But both know that his and the team’s future will depend to some degree on what happens when he gets that feeling.
"Now I know when you’re down, still play within the team," Artest said. "Just because you’re one of the better players on the team doesn’t mean you have to take it upon yourself. It took a long time to get there, but now I realize that. I understand now, you’re not going to win by yourself. It’s impossible.
"Going into the playoffs with this team is going to be fun. Everybody is ready. The team is really into each other. And we feel confident. We know if we play well, we’ll win."
NATE McMILLIAN - SARGE
His team is almost all hip-hop, choosing to listen to Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne, while he leans mostly toward Luther Vandross and Patti LaBelle.
His team is all video games, and he is all books.
His team is all about sleeping in, and he is all about his 6:45 a.m. alarm.
Among the Trail Blazers, there is no doubting that when it comes to old-fashioned tastes and principles, there's nobody more old school than coach Nate McMillan.
But an interesting thing happened this season as McMillan directed the NBA's second youngest roster to 54 wins.
Mr. Old School went New School.
In the first week of training camp, he took the players and coaches for a team-building retreat in the woods.
During the season, there were innovative one-on-one talks, which included showing a then-sullen Greg Oden a television ad of himself as a happy-go-lucky kid.
"Where is that Greg Oden?" McMillan implored.
There were out-of-the-box pregame speeches, like the one before a late-season matchup with Phoenix, which started with rap music and finished with a highlight video.
Throughout it all, McMillan compromised with the players regarding starting times for shootarounds, and even whether practice was needed.
"It's always been about communicating, reaching these young guys," said McMillan, celebrating above after the Nuggets victory Wednesday. "It's just coaching."
The hard edges of Sarge, as he was dubbed in his first season in Portland because of his no-nonsense approach, had softened. He had become cutting edge. New age. Coaching hip.
"He has shown the ability to adapt or adjust to a bunch of 22, 24-year-olds, and not be afraid of that," guard Brandon Roy said. "I think some coaches could say, 'I'm already up here, I'm just bringing you guys with me.' But with Coach Nate, it's like we are all growing together."
McMillan agreed that he has changed since his first day on the job in Portland. But he shied away from the notion that he did anything more than just do his job.
"It's always been about communicating, reaching these young guys," McMillan said. "It's just coaching."
Whatever it's called -- new school, cutting edge or just coaching -- McMillan in his fourth season has taken one of the NBA's most troubled franchises and steered it back into the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
After finishing with an NBA-low 21 wins in his first season, the Blazers have improved each season. He has done it by shaping a team that plays hard, smart and together, all traits that defined McMillan as a standout point guard during his 12-year NBA career.
McMillan says the rebuilding project in Portland isn't complete: "The next step for us is not only to get to the playoffs, but to win ... win a championship." But the ever-focused coach said his rebuilding project is not yet complete.
"The next step for us is not only to get to the playoffs, but to win ... win a championship," McMillan said. "What we talked about doing when I came here, we can see it now."
As his ultimate goal comes into focus ahead of him, McMillan can't help but look in the rear-view mirror at the road he has taken.
Yes, he admitted, he has changed since those first days in Portland. And he suspected before long he will change again. It's just the nature of coaching.
"I'll be what I need to be, when I need to be it," he said firmly.
Later, he chuckled about those first days in Portland. Matter of fact, it's the first day that stands out the most.
"I guess that's when I came to be Sarge," he said with a smile.
When McMillan arrived for the first day of practice with his team, the plan was set. Training camp would be held in McMinnville at Linfield College, a 45-minute bus ride from the team's facility in Tualatin.
Excited, but daunted by the task at hand, McMillan waited in the front seat of the bus to get started with the rebuilding effort. He would build a team on the foundation of togetherness and respect.
But in his first act as coach, he was disrespected.
"It's our first trip, and we have three guys who are late," McMillan said. "But not just late, not even there."
Athletic trainer Jay Jensen turned to McMillan and asked what the bus driver should do.
McMillan remembered not even hesitating.
"Hell yes, we're taking off," he remembered hissing. "We're gone!"
When McMillan arrived in Portland in the summer of 2005, he inherited a group that lacked heart and discipline. The franchise had invested heavily in Zach Randolph -- a player who had suckerpunched a teammate two years earlier -- and Darius Miles, a player who had berated the team's previous coach.
Both Randolph and Miles were among the three late. The other was rookie Jarrett Jack.
When the team arrived in McMinnville, the players were paired as roommates, a practice uncommon in the NBA. McMillan was hoping the tactic would accelerate communication and camaraderie among the team.
When McMillan first arrived in Portland, it wasn't his X's and O's knowledge but his stern demeanor that left an impression on his Blazers players. Shortly after, the three tardy players found their way to the small college town and learned of their room assignments.
The next item on the agenda was the team dinner, where McMillan would address the team for the first time. Shortly before the dinner, the coach was notified that two players checked out of their rooms.
"And I mean, this is the very first day. The very first day," McMillan said, still incredulous. "I get to the dinner and said, 'Who checked out of their rooms?'"
The hands of Randolph and Miles went up.
"I said, 'Get the hell out!' And that was it," McMillan said. "Just, 'Get out!' So they got up and left, and we went on with the meeting."
The message had been sent. There would be no messing with McMillan.
"Do I remember it? How could you not?" said center Joel Przybilla, then in his second season with the Blazers. "But it was exactly what we needed. It was about time somebody put their foot down."
After the meeting, Randolph and Miles found their coach. They pleaded, McMillan said, that they were grown men, that they didn't sleep with other men. McMillan told them they were missing the point. He outlined his rules. Told them his plan. And once again told them their roommates.
The first whistle had yet to be blown, the first ball yet to be bounced, and McMillan realized he was in deeper than he ever imagined. He would have to be tough. Stern. Unyielding.
He would have to be like a drill sergeant.
When the team finished the week-long training camp, it headed back to Tualatin. In the first practice, McMillan booted Randolph off the court for loafing.
In March, after another lopsided defeat, Randolph complained aloud that the team had yet another practice.
"Sarge, he don't give no days off," Randolph grumbled. "Hell no. Not from Sarge."
The next day, McMillan met with Randolph for 45 minutes, but instead of taking offense to the nickname, he embraced it.
"It was appropriate at the time," McMillan said. "I was being me, and I love Gomer Pyle. So when he talked about Sarge, I think of Sergeant Carter. I'm thinking, 'Yeah, Sergeant Carter is nuts, and I'm probably going to have to be a little nuts here for awhile.'"
Line of communication
Last week, as the Blazers flew to Los Angeles for a Saturday game against the Clippers, McMillan heard rumblings on the team plane about the next morning's 11 a.m. meeting.
Eventually, Roy, the team co-captain confronted him. They had just beaten the Lakers. It was about to be their fifth game in seven nights. Could they get an extra hour of sleep and have the meeting at noon?
Four years ago, there wouldn't have been a soul brave enough to ask Sarge for such a reprieve.
But as McMillan said, this group is different. They work hard. They listen. And he has developed a cohesive line of communication with the team's leaders: co-captains Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, and veterans Przybilla and Travis Outlaw. So McMillan moved the meeting.
"I want them to feel like this is theirs," McMillan said. "It's about them. So I want to communicate with them. When we were practicing hard and long years ago, shoot, we won 21 games. We are supposed to be in the gym. That's how it works. You pay the price. And this group has."
The foundation of togetherness and trust he hoped to build as he headed to McMinnville his first day was cemented earlier this season, when he took the team on a one-day retreat to a camp in the woods.
There were no cameras, no reporters and no mention of it by the players or coaches throughout the year. It wasn't about publicity, it was about them becoming closer.
As McMillan continues to look for ways to reach his players, he also knows he has to keep up with the times. He tries to absorb their music, saying he doesn't like the lyrics, but can feel the beat. And he proudly states that he has become an official user of text messaging out of necessity of reaching his players.
"Nobody picks up their phone anymore," he said. "But if you text, you hear right back from them. It's just a whole different generation of players."
And somehow, someway, McMillan will find a way to reach them.
It's called coaching.
His team is all video games, and he is all books.
His team is all about sleeping in, and he is all about his 6:45 a.m. alarm.
Among the Trail Blazers, there is no doubting that when it comes to old-fashioned tastes and principles, there's nobody more old school than coach Nate McMillan.
But an interesting thing happened this season as McMillan directed the NBA's second youngest roster to 54 wins.
Mr. Old School went New School.
In the first week of training camp, he took the players and coaches for a team-building retreat in the woods.
During the season, there were innovative one-on-one talks, which included showing a then-sullen Greg Oden a television ad of himself as a happy-go-lucky kid.
"Where is that Greg Oden?" McMillan implored.
There were out-of-the-box pregame speeches, like the one before a late-season matchup with Phoenix, which started with rap music and finished with a highlight video.
Throughout it all, McMillan compromised with the players regarding starting times for shootarounds, and even whether practice was needed.
"It's always been about communicating, reaching these young guys," said McMillan, celebrating above after the Nuggets victory Wednesday. "It's just coaching."
The hard edges of Sarge, as he was dubbed in his first season in Portland because of his no-nonsense approach, had softened. He had become cutting edge. New age. Coaching hip.
"He has shown the ability to adapt or adjust to a bunch of 22, 24-year-olds, and not be afraid of that," guard Brandon Roy said. "I think some coaches could say, 'I'm already up here, I'm just bringing you guys with me.' But with Coach Nate, it's like we are all growing together."
McMillan agreed that he has changed since his first day on the job in Portland. But he shied away from the notion that he did anything more than just do his job.
"It's always been about communicating, reaching these young guys," McMillan said. "It's just coaching."
Whatever it's called -- new school, cutting edge or just coaching -- McMillan in his fourth season has taken one of the NBA's most troubled franchises and steered it back into the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
After finishing with an NBA-low 21 wins in his first season, the Blazers have improved each season. He has done it by shaping a team that plays hard, smart and together, all traits that defined McMillan as a standout point guard during his 12-year NBA career.
McMillan says the rebuilding project in Portland isn't complete: "The next step for us is not only to get to the playoffs, but to win ... win a championship." But the ever-focused coach said his rebuilding project is not yet complete.
"The next step for us is not only to get to the playoffs, but to win ... win a championship," McMillan said. "What we talked about doing when I came here, we can see it now."
As his ultimate goal comes into focus ahead of him, McMillan can't help but look in the rear-view mirror at the road he has taken.
Yes, he admitted, he has changed since those first days in Portland. And he suspected before long he will change again. It's just the nature of coaching.
"I'll be what I need to be, when I need to be it," he said firmly.
Later, he chuckled about those first days in Portland. Matter of fact, it's the first day that stands out the most.
"I guess that's when I came to be Sarge," he said with a smile.
When McMillan arrived for the first day of practice with his team, the plan was set. Training camp would be held in McMinnville at Linfield College, a 45-minute bus ride from the team's facility in Tualatin.
Excited, but daunted by the task at hand, McMillan waited in the front seat of the bus to get started with the rebuilding effort. He would build a team on the foundation of togetherness and respect.
But in his first act as coach, he was disrespected.
"It's our first trip, and we have three guys who are late," McMillan said. "But not just late, not even there."
Athletic trainer Jay Jensen turned to McMillan and asked what the bus driver should do.
McMillan remembered not even hesitating.
"Hell yes, we're taking off," he remembered hissing. "We're gone!"
When McMillan arrived in Portland in the summer of 2005, he inherited a group that lacked heart and discipline. The franchise had invested heavily in Zach Randolph -- a player who had suckerpunched a teammate two years earlier -- and Darius Miles, a player who had berated the team's previous coach.
Both Randolph and Miles were among the three late. The other was rookie Jarrett Jack.
When the team arrived in McMinnville, the players were paired as roommates, a practice uncommon in the NBA. McMillan was hoping the tactic would accelerate communication and camaraderie among the team.
When McMillan first arrived in Portland, it wasn't his X's and O's knowledge but his stern demeanor that left an impression on his Blazers players. Shortly after, the three tardy players found their way to the small college town and learned of their room assignments.
The next item on the agenda was the team dinner, where McMillan would address the team for the first time. Shortly before the dinner, the coach was notified that two players checked out of their rooms.
"And I mean, this is the very first day. The very first day," McMillan said, still incredulous. "I get to the dinner and said, 'Who checked out of their rooms?'"
The hands of Randolph and Miles went up.
"I said, 'Get the hell out!' And that was it," McMillan said. "Just, 'Get out!' So they got up and left, and we went on with the meeting."
The message had been sent. There would be no messing with McMillan.
"Do I remember it? How could you not?" said center Joel Przybilla, then in his second season with the Blazers. "But it was exactly what we needed. It was about time somebody put their foot down."
After the meeting, Randolph and Miles found their coach. They pleaded, McMillan said, that they were grown men, that they didn't sleep with other men. McMillan told them they were missing the point. He outlined his rules. Told them his plan. And once again told them their roommates.
The first whistle had yet to be blown, the first ball yet to be bounced, and McMillan realized he was in deeper than he ever imagined. He would have to be tough. Stern. Unyielding.
He would have to be like a drill sergeant.
When the team finished the week-long training camp, it headed back to Tualatin. In the first practice, McMillan booted Randolph off the court for loafing.
In March, after another lopsided defeat, Randolph complained aloud that the team had yet another practice.
"Sarge, he don't give no days off," Randolph grumbled. "Hell no. Not from Sarge."
The next day, McMillan met with Randolph for 45 minutes, but instead of taking offense to the nickname, he embraced it.
"It was appropriate at the time," McMillan said. "I was being me, and I love Gomer Pyle. So when he talked about Sarge, I think of Sergeant Carter. I'm thinking, 'Yeah, Sergeant Carter is nuts, and I'm probably going to have to be a little nuts here for awhile.'"
Line of communication
Last week, as the Blazers flew to Los Angeles for a Saturday game against the Clippers, McMillan heard rumblings on the team plane about the next morning's 11 a.m. meeting.
Eventually, Roy, the team co-captain confronted him. They had just beaten the Lakers. It was about to be their fifth game in seven nights. Could they get an extra hour of sleep and have the meeting at noon?
Four years ago, there wouldn't have been a soul brave enough to ask Sarge for such a reprieve.
But as McMillan said, this group is different. They work hard. They listen. And he has developed a cohesive line of communication with the team's leaders: co-captains Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, and veterans Przybilla and Travis Outlaw. So McMillan moved the meeting.
"I want them to feel like this is theirs," McMillan said. "It's about them. So I want to communicate with them. When we were practicing hard and long years ago, shoot, we won 21 games. We are supposed to be in the gym. That's how it works. You pay the price. And this group has."
The foundation of togetherness and trust he hoped to build as he headed to McMinnville his first day was cemented earlier this season, when he took the team on a one-day retreat to a camp in the woods.
There were no cameras, no reporters and no mention of it by the players or coaches throughout the year. It wasn't about publicity, it was about them becoming closer.
As McMillan continues to look for ways to reach his players, he also knows he has to keep up with the times. He tries to absorb their music, saying he doesn't like the lyrics, but can feel the beat. And he proudly states that he has become an official user of text messaging out of necessity of reaching his players.
"Nobody picks up their phone anymore," he said. "But if you text, you hear right back from them. It's just a whole different generation of players."
And somehow, someway, McMillan will find a way to reach them.
It's called coaching.
TURIAF
Ronny Turiaf is smiling.
Bouncing on an aerobics ball after Tuesday's practice, Turiaf, the Warriors backup center, gazed at the rafters and flashed his trademark smile wide and bright.
"I can't remember when," he said, "but one time Warriors coach Don Nelson stopped me in the hall. He said, 'Ronny, I knew you were good, but I didn't know you were this good.' That made me happy."
Turiaf said he likes being counted on. He likes for people to rely on him, to have expectations of him.
When it was announced in July that Turiaf was signing a four-year, $17 million deal with Golden State, not many thought he would turn out to be considered a bargain.
Turiaf's averages are unastounding: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists in 21.5 minutes. They hardly convey his contribution to the Warriors. It certainly isn't how members of the organization gauge his worth.
"He's the full package," said Larry Riley, the Warriors' assistant general manager. "He is great in the locker room and his play and energy on the court is what we need. He's improved all year. The other thing that he brings is his unselfishness. We're thrilled as can be to have him with us."
Turiaf is the defensive catalyst on an offensive squad. He protects the basket like few others in the league — his 4.8 blocks per minute are second in the NBA among qualified players — and he defends the best opposing big man. He also leads the team in deflections.
"People don't understand how smart he is," said forward Rob Kurz. "He's always in the right place. You know he's always got your back."
Ronny Turiaf is smiling.
His understudy, rookie forward Anthony Randolph, had 20 points and 15 rebounds against New Orleans' All-Star forward David West. But what people will remember most about the performance was Randolph's missed break-away dunk in the final moments.
It was an opportunity for Turiaf to step in and offer some words of encouragement, an opportunity he was all too happy to seize.
"He's part of the reason I've developed so much in such a short time," Randolph said. "He's unselfish. He's a great leader, on and off the court. He's one of the best teammates you can have."
Though he's never lost like this before, having played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Gonzaga, Turiaf is credited with keeping the locker room cohesive despite the lack of success. He's often the one lifting spirits, giving pep talks, keeping alive the hope.
Want to know how much Turiaf means to the Warriors? Talk to their rookies.
Randolph will tell you about the time Turiaf got a technical foul for him. At Sacramento, Randolph didn't get a foul called. But Randolph already had one technical not two minutes earlier, so Turiaf went and argued his case for him, picking up a technical foul.
Guard Anthony Morrow will tell you about the time he was famished and Turiaf picked him up at 2 a.m. and took him to hamburger joint. Morrow at the time was living at the downtown Oakland Marriott and didn't have a car.
"I couldn't believe it," Morrow said. "If he can help you, he will."
Ronny Turiaf is smiling.
He's standing shoulder to shoulder with Warriors ambassador Al Attles before Monday's game. Together, they cup a glass plaque that represents the Angela & Chris Cohan Community Service Award. This is something Turiaf can brag about.
He shies away from praise for his shot-blocking ability. He plays down fans' comments about him deserving more minutes. But this, being recognized for giving back, that's commendation he happily embraces.
He purchased 25 season tickets for kids. He visited patients at Kaiser Hospital. He personally gave out food on Thanksgiving. He's done a bunch of meet-and-greets with fans.
"I am from a place where there wasn't much given to me," Turiaf said. "I saw my mom giving back when she had nothing. From a young age, she instilled in me and my little sisters to take care of others before you take care of self."
Included with the blocked shots and contagious energy and leadership, the Warriors got a community ambassador in Turiaf. They got a guy who makes touching others a priority.
For that, the organization is smiling.
Bouncing on an aerobics ball after Tuesday's practice, Turiaf, the Warriors backup center, gazed at the rafters and flashed his trademark smile wide and bright.
"I can't remember when," he said, "but one time Warriors coach Don Nelson stopped me in the hall. He said, 'Ronny, I knew you were good, but I didn't know you were this good.' That made me happy."
Turiaf said he likes being counted on. He likes for people to rely on him, to have expectations of him.
When it was announced in July that Turiaf was signing a four-year, $17 million deal with Golden State, not many thought he would turn out to be considered a bargain.
Turiaf's averages are unastounding: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists in 21.5 minutes. They hardly convey his contribution to the Warriors. It certainly isn't how members of the organization gauge his worth.
"He's the full package," said Larry Riley, the Warriors' assistant general manager. "He is great in the locker room and his play and energy on the court is what we need. He's improved all year. The other thing that he brings is his unselfishness. We're thrilled as can be to have him with us."
Turiaf is the defensive catalyst on an offensive squad. He protects the basket like few others in the league — his 4.8 blocks per minute are second in the NBA among qualified players — and he defends the best opposing big man. He also leads the team in deflections.
"People don't understand how smart he is," said forward Rob Kurz. "He's always in the right place. You know he's always got your back."
Ronny Turiaf is smiling.
His understudy, rookie forward Anthony Randolph, had 20 points and 15 rebounds against New Orleans' All-Star forward David West. But what people will remember most about the performance was Randolph's missed break-away dunk in the final moments.
It was an opportunity for Turiaf to step in and offer some words of encouragement, an opportunity he was all too happy to seize.
"He's part of the reason I've developed so much in such a short time," Randolph said. "He's unselfish. He's a great leader, on and off the court. He's one of the best teammates you can have."
Though he's never lost like this before, having played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Gonzaga, Turiaf is credited with keeping the locker room cohesive despite the lack of success. He's often the one lifting spirits, giving pep talks, keeping alive the hope.
Want to know how much Turiaf means to the Warriors? Talk to their rookies.
Randolph will tell you about the time Turiaf got a technical foul for him. At Sacramento, Randolph didn't get a foul called. But Randolph already had one technical not two minutes earlier, so Turiaf went and argued his case for him, picking up a technical foul.
Guard Anthony Morrow will tell you about the time he was famished and Turiaf picked him up at 2 a.m. and took him to hamburger joint. Morrow at the time was living at the downtown Oakland Marriott and didn't have a car.
"I couldn't believe it," Morrow said. "If he can help you, he will."
Ronny Turiaf is smiling.
He's standing shoulder to shoulder with Warriors ambassador Al Attles before Monday's game. Together, they cup a glass plaque that represents the Angela & Chris Cohan Community Service Award. This is something Turiaf can brag about.
He shies away from praise for his shot-blocking ability. He plays down fans' comments about him deserving more minutes. But this, being recognized for giving back, that's commendation he happily embraces.
He purchased 25 season tickets for kids. He visited patients at Kaiser Hospital. He personally gave out food on Thanksgiving. He's done a bunch of meet-and-greets with fans.
"I am from a place where there wasn't much given to me," Turiaf said. "I saw my mom giving back when she had nothing. From a young age, she instilled in me and my little sisters to take care of others before you take care of self."
Included with the blocked shots and contagious energy and leadership, the Warriors got a community ambassador in Turiaf. They got a guy who makes touching others a priority.
For that, the organization is smiling.
BURN THE BOATS
Burn the Boats. It was Boston University's motto all season, and it was never more fitting. The Terriers wore t-shirts under their jerseys with the motto.
"I was sitting in my house in when Ben Smith came by in early September," Parker said. "Ben came by with a printout of a story about Spanish conqueror Cortez. Cortez got four or five ships together and he got the best men he could find and they sailed to Cuba. During the trip some of the people started whining and complaining halfway over, 'This is harder than I thought. I didn't know it was going to be this way.' When he got to Cuba he got rid of all the whiners and kept the ones that were ready to fight.
"Now that he had the guys he wanted he gave one last order, burn the boats."
Parker said it was meant to raise the crew's level of commitment because there was no going back.
"His quote was, 'If we're going back, we're going back in their boats.' There was no turning around and jumping in their ships, they had to go conquer the people if they wanted to get back and that's what he did. It was all or nothing.
"I was sitting in my house in when Ben Smith came by in early September," Parker said. "Ben came by with a printout of a story about Spanish conqueror Cortez. Cortez got four or five ships together and he got the best men he could find and they sailed to Cuba. During the trip some of the people started whining and complaining halfway over, 'This is harder than I thought. I didn't know it was going to be this way.' When he got to Cuba he got rid of all the whiners and kept the ones that were ready to fight.
"Now that he had the guys he wanted he gave one last order, burn the boats."
Parker said it was meant to raise the crew's level of commitment because there was no going back.
"His quote was, 'If we're going back, we're going back in their boats.' There was no turning around and jumping in their ships, they had to go conquer the people if they wanted to get back and that's what he did. It was all or nothing.
4.14.2009
PAT RILEY
Pat Riley was once a marginal NBA player. He told sports writer David Halberstam what Lakers General Manager Fred Schaus told him:
"Do you want a job on this team?" Schaus said. "Your job is to keep the starters Jerry West and Jimmy McMillan in shape, to push them very hard every day in practice. Don't back off and make them work hard."
"Do you want a job on this team?" Schaus said. "Your job is to keep the starters Jerry West and Jimmy McMillan in shape, to push them very hard every day in practice. Don't back off and make them work hard."
STEVE SPAGNUOLO - ST LOUIS RAMS
For Steve Spagnuolo, it's never too early to look for leaders. His first minicamp as the St Louis Rams head coach is as good a time to start as any.
"We'll try to identify those leaders on our team, and hopefully, they'll step to the forefront in those tough times that you know you're going to have," Spagnuolo said. "I remember vividly going through it in Philadelphia. I remember Brian Dawkins and Donovan McNabb at a certain point in the season deciding that, 'Hey guys, we got to pick it up.' They did little things with the other players. Very unseen things, but it made a big difference.
There certainly is a leadership void to be filled with the 2009 Rams. Veterans Torry Holt, Orlando Pace, Corey Chavous and Trent Green have been released.
"I believe that the underlying leaders surface once there's no leadership in front of them," Spagnuolo said. "Hopefully, there's some undiscovered secret leaders on this roster right now."
Over the course of five minicamp practices which span the next three days at Rams Park, Spagnuolo will be looking for leaders.
"You'll look to see which guys jump in front of the lines, which guys are encouraging other people," Spagnuolo said. "When I'm sitting in the back of the meetings, I'm going to be looking for who's taking notes — actually sitting and writing notes. The best players that I've worked with are great note-takers."
During his decade of coaching in the NFL, Spagnuolo has observed that the players who are meticulous in their preparation are the ones who last the longest in the league.
"Because they've figured it out — that it's as much from the chin to the hairline as it is anything that they do with their body," Spagnuolo said.
In trying to foster an atmosphere of togetherness and teamwork, Spagnuolo said leadership has to come from several sources.
"No matter what, it's never going to be about one person," Spagnuolo said. "It's always going to be about the makeup of the whole team. Sometimes I think we all make mistakes when we focus on one position. We know the glory position and the one that's out in the forefront is the quarterback position, but it takes more than just that."
Spagnuolo cited his most recent NFL team, the New York Giants, as a good example of leadership and teamwork combining to do great things.
"We had a great leader in Tom Coughlin; we had a team of people that were heading in the same direction," Spagnuolo said. "It's not one person that creates the losing; it's not one person that creates the winning. It's a team sport. I know it's a cliché, but it's true. I lived it. I believe in it."
For Spagnuolo, that approach is part of his plan to change the culture at Rams Park, a losing culture that has experienced success only five times in the past 32 games. The early results have been encouraging, with renewed enthusiasm.
"It's easy right now," Spagnuolo said. "It's a honeymoon period. It's new. The test will be really a year from now, depending on how the season goes. Will we still be able to feel that way?"
Spagnuolo says he has a better sense of his roster now than he did 2½ months ago when he was hired. But he still has much to learn about the returning players and the newcomers and realizes he won't get complete answers overnight.
"I don't know that I'll feel like we have it completely evaluated until we get through the preseason games and then into a quarter of the season," he said. "That's a ways down the road."
But the process begins with this first minicamp.
"We'll try to identify those leaders on our team, and hopefully, they'll step to the forefront in those tough times that you know you're going to have," Spagnuolo said. "I remember vividly going through it in Philadelphia. I remember Brian Dawkins and Donovan McNabb at a certain point in the season deciding that, 'Hey guys, we got to pick it up.' They did little things with the other players. Very unseen things, but it made a big difference.
There certainly is a leadership void to be filled with the 2009 Rams. Veterans Torry Holt, Orlando Pace, Corey Chavous and Trent Green have been released.
"I believe that the underlying leaders surface once there's no leadership in front of them," Spagnuolo said. "Hopefully, there's some undiscovered secret leaders on this roster right now."
Over the course of five minicamp practices which span the next three days at Rams Park, Spagnuolo will be looking for leaders.
"You'll look to see which guys jump in front of the lines, which guys are encouraging other people," Spagnuolo said. "When I'm sitting in the back of the meetings, I'm going to be looking for who's taking notes — actually sitting and writing notes. The best players that I've worked with are great note-takers."
During his decade of coaching in the NFL, Spagnuolo has observed that the players who are meticulous in their preparation are the ones who last the longest in the league.
"Because they've figured it out — that it's as much from the chin to the hairline as it is anything that they do with their body," Spagnuolo said.
In trying to foster an atmosphere of togetherness and teamwork, Spagnuolo said leadership has to come from several sources.
"No matter what, it's never going to be about one person," Spagnuolo said. "It's always going to be about the makeup of the whole team. Sometimes I think we all make mistakes when we focus on one position. We know the glory position and the one that's out in the forefront is the quarterback position, but it takes more than just that."
Spagnuolo cited his most recent NFL team, the New York Giants, as a good example of leadership and teamwork combining to do great things.
"We had a great leader in Tom Coughlin; we had a team of people that were heading in the same direction," Spagnuolo said. "It's not one person that creates the losing; it's not one person that creates the winning. It's a team sport. I know it's a cliché, but it's true. I lived it. I believe in it."
For Spagnuolo, that approach is part of his plan to change the culture at Rams Park, a losing culture that has experienced success only five times in the past 32 games. The early results have been encouraging, with renewed enthusiasm.
"It's easy right now," Spagnuolo said. "It's a honeymoon period. It's new. The test will be really a year from now, depending on how the season goes. Will we still be able to feel that way?"
Spagnuolo says he has a better sense of his roster now than he did 2½ months ago when he was hired. But he still has much to learn about the returning players and the newcomers and realizes he won't get complete answers overnight.
"I don't know that I'll feel like we have it completely evaluated until we get through the preseason games and then into a quarter of the season," he said. "That's a ways down the road."
But the process begins with this first minicamp.
WHY DO SOME PEOPLE SUCCEED?
What makes successful people different,to paraphrase F. Scott Fitzgerald. "They are different in their attitudes, behaviors, personalities and goals," Chatzky writes.
They are more passionate, more optimistic, more resilient, more visionary, more connected to others, have great confidence, and they are grateful for their good fortune. These are all things anybody can learn.
The bottom line is nothing is going to work unless you truly want it. You have to believe. It's about making your own luck, not taking no for an answer, and paying very close attention to the things you're doing.
They are more passionate, more optimistic, more resilient, more visionary, more connected to others, have great confidence, and they are grateful for their good fortune. These are all things anybody can learn.
The bottom line is nothing is going to work unless you truly want it. You have to believe. It's about making your own luck, not taking no for an answer, and paying very close attention to the things you're doing.
IZZO - DRAWING IT UP
Michigan State shooting guard Durrell Summers scored a big uncontested basket near the end of Saturday night's win over Connecticut in the national semifinal off an in-bound play.
"From the beginning of his career, coach has always been awesome with special teams, as he calls them," said assistant coach Dwayne Stephens. "We break it down like football. It's something we put a lot of time into it.
"I don't think a lot of teams spend a lot of times on special teams. We feel if we can score anywhere from five to 10 points on BLOBS (baseline out-of-bounds plays) and SLOBS (sideline out-of-bounds) it gives us an advantage."
Other special teams plays include the opening tip and defending those areas.
"Coach talks a lot about executing on plays out of timeouts and I think that's something we've done a pretty good job of all season, especially (against UConn)," Summers said. "We executed it to a T, they bit like we thought they would and I was able to get an easy uncontested layup.
"From the beginning of his career, coach has always been awesome with special teams, as he calls them," said assistant coach Dwayne Stephens. "We break it down like football. It's something we put a lot of time into it.
"I don't think a lot of teams spend a lot of times on special teams. We feel if we can score anywhere from five to 10 points on BLOBS (baseline out-of-bounds plays) and SLOBS (sideline out-of-bounds) it gives us an advantage."
Other special teams plays include the opening tip and defending those areas.
"Coach talks a lot about executing on plays out of timeouts and I think that's something we've done a pretty good job of all season, especially (against UConn)," Summers said. "We executed it to a T, they bit like we thought they would and I was able to get an easy uncontested layup.
TY LAWSON
North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson can't swish jump shots in his sleep but he does convert hundreds of shots while America is sleeping.
"My freshman year and last year I wasn't in the gym as much as I should have been," Lawson said. "So now sometimes I shoot at 2 o'clock in the morning. I just have more dedication than I've had in the past. When I first came to college I tried to rely only on my speed and my athletic ability. Coach WIlliams taught me how much more effect I could be if I improved my shooting ability."
Lawson's decision to remain in school instead of entering the NBA draft, coupled with a determination to make himself a better all-around player, has paid off. He enters tonight's national championship game against Michigan State as one of the country's most talked-about players.
"He's the best point guard in the country," Michigan State point guard Kalin Lucas said
Through his late-night shooting practices, Lawson has dramatically improved his aim. His overall shooting percentage has climbed to 54% and his three-point shooting efficiency has risen from 36% to 49% in the last year.
Walton said Lawson's strength is as noteworthy as his quickness, and his only thought on stopping him is "you have to make his shots tough, because if he gets an angle he's going to bulldoze in."
Lawson says he's a better all-around player this season.
"I'm more of a leader, and I'm not turning over the ball as much," he said.
Ty Lawson will be presented today with the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard.
"My freshman year and last year I wasn't in the gym as much as I should have been," Lawson said. "So now sometimes I shoot at 2 o'clock in the morning. I just have more dedication than I've had in the past. When I first came to college I tried to rely only on my speed and my athletic ability. Coach WIlliams taught me how much more effect I could be if I improved my shooting ability."
Lawson's decision to remain in school instead of entering the NBA draft, coupled with a determination to make himself a better all-around player, has paid off. He enters tonight's national championship game against Michigan State as one of the country's most talked-about players.
"He's the best point guard in the country," Michigan State point guard Kalin Lucas said
Through his late-night shooting practices, Lawson has dramatically improved his aim. His overall shooting percentage has climbed to 54% and his three-point shooting efficiency has risen from 36% to 49% in the last year.
Walton said Lawson's strength is as noteworthy as his quickness, and his only thought on stopping him is "you have to make his shots tough, because if he gets an angle he's going to bulldoze in."
Lawson says he's a better all-around player this season.
"I'm more of a leader, and I'm not turning over the ball as much," he said.
Ty Lawson will be presented today with the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard.
4.13.2009
Univ. of Wisconsin Has A New "Battle Cry"
"WE BEFORE ME! Usually, the teams that win are the teams that stick together."
Mike Conley - Memphis Grizzlies
"The first year at any level is all about learning the game all over again and the speed of the players. It took me awhile to adjust when I was at Ohio St. and especially in the NBA because your playing against the best players in the world."
TRYING TO FIND A LEADER
New Univ. of Oregon football coach Chip Kelly is going through the tough process of finding the leader of his football team for next season.
After losing team leaders Patrick Chung and Nick Reed on defense and Max Unger and Jeremiah Johnson on offense, the Ducks are looking for someone to take over that hard-to-define role of team leader.
"There's a Zen saying that says when leadership is needed, a leader emerges," Kelly said. "But obviously our guys don't take Zen, because nobody's figured that out yet."
Asked if anyone is more vocal this spring, Kelly offered his signature quick response.
"Besides the coaching staff?" he said. "No."
The Ducks have five seniors with appreciable experience but, "sometimes that's hard just for a guy to assume that role," Kelly said.
Possible leaders start, as usual, with the quarterback. Jeremiah Masoli, who earned credibility with his improvement and tough play last season, has made a concerted effort this spring to become a more vocal leader. But Kelly said Masoli has work to do on his own game before he can ride his teammates.
"You can't be a vocal leader if you're not making plays," Kelly said. "He needs to stop yelling at people and start doing things himself, too. He's got to know what he's doing, and right now he's forcing the issue on too many things, and it'll come.
"I think he wants everything too fast. When he starts to do his job, then he can start getting on some other guys."
So where can the Ducks find some leadership?
They have a senior running back, but Blount was suspended this winter for not following team rules. And in football, the leader must first follow.
The eldest receiver is junior Jamere Holland, who said he's ready to lead as "the oldest receiver" on the team, and he has drawn praise from Kelly this spring. Dickson is a personable, NFL-bound senior tight end but one under whom coaches continually try to light a fire.
On defense, the only returning starter on the line is Tukuafu, who at 25 is certainly old enough to be a leader. But he's soft-spoken, as is junior Casey Matthews, the elder statesman among linebackers.
"We need somebody to step up on both sides of the ball," Kelly said. "We've got players that are kind of doing some things by example, but it shouldn't be up to the coaching staff to get these guys to play hard all the time and understand it."
And it's not just about practice effort or keeping teammates out of trouble off the field. It's the ability to make game-changing plays, as the aforementioned four leaders of last season did with regularity. Kelly said those players are often one and the same.
"Who's the guy who's going to step up?" Kelly said. "And it's the same guy who would step up in a game if we had a couple three-and-outs on offense. If we're on defense and we've given up a couple big plays in a row, who's gonna kind of bow his back and stand in there and make a play for us to rally around?"
After losing team leaders Patrick Chung and Nick Reed on defense and Max Unger and Jeremiah Johnson on offense, the Ducks are looking for someone to take over that hard-to-define role of team leader.
"There's a Zen saying that says when leadership is needed, a leader emerges," Kelly said. "But obviously our guys don't take Zen, because nobody's figured that out yet."
Asked if anyone is more vocal this spring, Kelly offered his signature quick response.
"Besides the coaching staff?" he said. "No."
The Ducks have five seniors with appreciable experience but, "sometimes that's hard just for a guy to assume that role," Kelly said.
Possible leaders start, as usual, with the quarterback. Jeremiah Masoli, who earned credibility with his improvement and tough play last season, has made a concerted effort this spring to become a more vocal leader. But Kelly said Masoli has work to do on his own game before he can ride his teammates.
"You can't be a vocal leader if you're not making plays," Kelly said. "He needs to stop yelling at people and start doing things himself, too. He's got to know what he's doing, and right now he's forcing the issue on too many things, and it'll come.
"I think he wants everything too fast. When he starts to do his job, then he can start getting on some other guys."
So where can the Ducks find some leadership?
They have a senior running back, but Blount was suspended this winter for not following team rules. And in football, the leader must first follow.
The eldest receiver is junior Jamere Holland, who said he's ready to lead as "the oldest receiver" on the team, and he has drawn praise from Kelly this spring. Dickson is a personable, NFL-bound senior tight end but one under whom coaches continually try to light a fire.
On defense, the only returning starter on the line is Tukuafu, who at 25 is certainly old enough to be a leader. But he's soft-spoken, as is junior Casey Matthews, the elder statesman among linebackers.
"We need somebody to step up on both sides of the ball," Kelly said. "We've got players that are kind of doing some things by example, but it shouldn't be up to the coaching staff to get these guys to play hard all the time and understand it."
And it's not just about practice effort or keeping teammates out of trouble off the field. It's the ability to make game-changing plays, as the aforementioned four leaders of last season did with regularity. Kelly said those players are often one and the same.
"Who's the guy who's going to step up?" Kelly said. "And it's the same guy who would step up in a game if we had a couple three-and-outs on offense. If we're on defense and we've given up a couple big plays in a row, who's gonna kind of bow his back and stand in there and make a play for us to rally around?"
RON WILSON - TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Coach Wilson gives his thoughts on the upcoming offseason...
Even though the players will technically have the next five months off, Wilson wants them to be working harder than ever. He's instituted a new type of fitness testing.
"What I've told our team all along, we've got to start training and driving ourselves to become elite athletes, forget the hockey part," said Wilson. "We're nowhere near an elite team when it comes to your max VO2 (maximum heart rate) and our overall conditioning, which doesn't come from a hockey season. It comes from your work habits that you put yourself through in the summertime and offseason."
"My God, if you haven't made the playoffs in the three of four years, those four or five months that you have you ought to put them to good use."
Even though the players will technically have the next five months off, Wilson wants them to be working harder than ever. He's instituted a new type of fitness testing.
"What I've told our team all along, we've got to start training and driving ourselves to become elite athletes, forget the hockey part," said Wilson. "We're nowhere near an elite team when it comes to your max VO2 (maximum heart rate) and our overall conditioning, which doesn't come from a hockey season. It comes from your work habits that you put yourself through in the summertime and offseason."
"My God, if you haven't made the playoffs in the three of four years, those four or five months that you have you ought to put them to good use."
4.11.2009
TOM BRADY
Tom Brady was not given one snap at quarterback on a winless freshman team at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif.
He was seventh on the depth chart when he enrolled at Michigan and struggled so mightily for playing time that he hired a sports psychologist to help him cope with frustration and anxiety. He heard 198 other names called before the New England Patriots took a flier on him in the sixth round of the 2000 draft.
"Throughout my football career," Brady says, "i have always has been looking up at other people."
Not anymore.
After an improbable climb to the pinnacle of his profession, he is without equal among current NFL quarterbacks when it comes to winning championships, having surpassed boyhood idol Joe Montana by becoming the first to win three Super Bowl rings before his 28th birthday.
"There is no quarterback I would rather have," Patriots coach Bill Belichick says simply.
How can it be that the two-time Super Bowl MVP reigns supreme after being for so long a passer no one particularly wanted?
If there could be a glimpse into Brady's soul, it would almost surely reveal a raging fire, fueled by all of those coaches and all of those teams that did not think he was quick enough or strong enough or good enough. He will never forget the rejection of his past.
"I would say every day he feels that pain," says his sister, Nancy. "I think that people will never know how much being considered a backup by some of the people that he really respected hurt him."
Says his father, Tom Brady Sr.: "His competitive nature kicks in every time somebody says he can't do something, and as a result he works harder. He's the guy who trains every single day to prove people wrong."
For Brady, 29, unwavering dedication was the only way to crack the lineup and complete an against-all-odds rise to stardom.
To this day, he leads by example. He remains the player to beat when it comes to winning the coveted parking spot given to the most devoted member of the Patriots' offseason program.
"If I'm not up at 6 am or I'm not trying to win the parking spot here," Brady says, "then someone else is going to win it and I'm going to have to drive in every day and see their name up on the wall rather than mine."
"If another team wins the Super Bowl, it's going to be painful to watch those guys celebrate. I'm not going to be happy for them."
Brady's greatest strength is his ability to will his team to victory:
•When New England was tied 17-17 with the heavily favored St. Louis Rams with 1:21 left in Super Bowl XXXVI to close the 2001 season, he hit five of eight passes for 53 yards in a final drive that led to a 20-17 triumph and his first MVP award.
•When the Patriots were tied 29-29 with the Carolina Panthers with 1:08 remaining in Super Bowl XXXVIII, he converted four of five throws for 47 yards to position Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal as part of a dazzling 32-for-48, 354-yard, three-touchdown MVP performance.
•With a 58-20 record and .744 winning percentage entering this season, he joined Roger Staubach (85-29, .746, from 1969-79) and Montana (117-47, .713, from 1979-94) as the only passers in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to win at more than a 70% clip.
Brady has performed his late-game magic so often — he led the Patriots to victory on 21 occasions when they faced a fourth-quarter deficit or were tied through 2005 — that it is virtually expected. "If we have the ball in our hands," veteran offensive tackle Matt Light says, "we always feel we have a chance to win."
A critical juncture in Brady's life came when he was a sophomore at Michigan. He was concerned about his seeming lack of opportunity and was considering transferring. He met with coach Lloyd Carr to discuss whether he had a future with the Wolverines.
Carr responded: "Go out there and do everything you can to control what you can control and quit worrying about how many reps you get or the other quarterbacks get, the skills they have and you don't. Worry about things that you do well because thats all you can control."
Brady uses his intelligence and work ethic to master each week's game plan. His knowledge of defenses allows him to almost immediately recognize whatever look is presented and quickly make whatever adjustments are necessary.
He is fanatical about preparation, so much so that then-offensive coordinator Charlie Weis jokingly complained about the quarterback's late-night calls to his hotel room in the days leading to New England's 24-21 decision against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
"I don't want any unknowns. I don't want any guesswork. When I go out onto the field, I want to know exactly what we're going to do versus every defense we could face," he says. "And when I feel like I'm prepared like that in my mind, I feel like it's just execution from there, and if I can go out and execute and that's the stuff I work on, then we're going to do exactly what we set out to do."
There are never loose ends.
"I don't take the field if I'm not prepared," he says. "It's as simple as that."
Brady's glittering 10-1 postseason record stems largely from his ability to limit turnovers when the stakes are highest. He has been picked off only five times in 11 postseason appearances, an interception percentage of 1.36 that is the best in playoff history.
As much as he has accomplished, Brady wants more. He is not content with either his lofty position in the game or his number of championships he has won.
As painful as the journey has been for Brady, as much as each snub gnawed at him, he would not change a thing:
"At the end of the day, you can hold that Super Bowl trophy up and you know you've done everything the right way and you've paid the price. When the situation came up and the pressure was at the highest, you performed your best."
He was seventh on the depth chart when he enrolled at Michigan and struggled so mightily for playing time that he hired a sports psychologist to help him cope with frustration and anxiety. He heard 198 other names called before the New England Patriots took a flier on him in the sixth round of the 2000 draft.
"Throughout my football career," Brady says, "i have always has been looking up at other people."
Not anymore.
After an improbable climb to the pinnacle of his profession, he is without equal among current NFL quarterbacks when it comes to winning championships, having surpassed boyhood idol Joe Montana by becoming the first to win three Super Bowl rings before his 28th birthday.
"There is no quarterback I would rather have," Patriots coach Bill Belichick says simply.
How can it be that the two-time Super Bowl MVP reigns supreme after being for so long a passer no one particularly wanted?
If there could be a glimpse into Brady's soul, it would almost surely reveal a raging fire, fueled by all of those coaches and all of those teams that did not think he was quick enough or strong enough or good enough. He will never forget the rejection of his past.
"I would say every day he feels that pain," says his sister, Nancy. "I think that people will never know how much being considered a backup by some of the people that he really respected hurt him."
Says his father, Tom Brady Sr.: "His competitive nature kicks in every time somebody says he can't do something, and as a result he works harder. He's the guy who trains every single day to prove people wrong."
For Brady, 29, unwavering dedication was the only way to crack the lineup and complete an against-all-odds rise to stardom.
To this day, he leads by example. He remains the player to beat when it comes to winning the coveted parking spot given to the most devoted member of the Patriots' offseason program.
"If I'm not up at 6 am or I'm not trying to win the parking spot here," Brady says, "then someone else is going to win it and I'm going to have to drive in every day and see their name up on the wall rather than mine."
"If another team wins the Super Bowl, it's going to be painful to watch those guys celebrate. I'm not going to be happy for them."
Brady's greatest strength is his ability to will his team to victory:
•When New England was tied 17-17 with the heavily favored St. Louis Rams with 1:21 left in Super Bowl XXXVI to close the 2001 season, he hit five of eight passes for 53 yards in a final drive that led to a 20-17 triumph and his first MVP award.
•When the Patriots were tied 29-29 with the Carolina Panthers with 1:08 remaining in Super Bowl XXXVIII, he converted four of five throws for 47 yards to position Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal as part of a dazzling 32-for-48, 354-yard, three-touchdown MVP performance.
•With a 58-20 record and .744 winning percentage entering this season, he joined Roger Staubach (85-29, .746, from 1969-79) and Montana (117-47, .713, from 1979-94) as the only passers in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to win at more than a 70% clip.
Brady has performed his late-game magic so often — he led the Patriots to victory on 21 occasions when they faced a fourth-quarter deficit or were tied through 2005 — that it is virtually expected. "If we have the ball in our hands," veteran offensive tackle Matt Light says, "we always feel we have a chance to win."
A critical juncture in Brady's life came when he was a sophomore at Michigan. He was concerned about his seeming lack of opportunity and was considering transferring. He met with coach Lloyd Carr to discuss whether he had a future with the Wolverines.
Carr responded: "Go out there and do everything you can to control what you can control and quit worrying about how many reps you get or the other quarterbacks get, the skills they have and you don't. Worry about things that you do well because thats all you can control."
Brady uses his intelligence and work ethic to master each week's game plan. His knowledge of defenses allows him to almost immediately recognize whatever look is presented and quickly make whatever adjustments are necessary.
He is fanatical about preparation, so much so that then-offensive coordinator Charlie Weis jokingly complained about the quarterback's late-night calls to his hotel room in the days leading to New England's 24-21 decision against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
"I don't want any unknowns. I don't want any guesswork. When I go out onto the field, I want to know exactly what we're going to do versus every defense we could face," he says. "And when I feel like I'm prepared like that in my mind, I feel like it's just execution from there, and if I can go out and execute and that's the stuff I work on, then we're going to do exactly what we set out to do."
There are never loose ends.
"I don't take the field if I'm not prepared," he says. "It's as simple as that."
Brady's glittering 10-1 postseason record stems largely from his ability to limit turnovers when the stakes are highest. He has been picked off only five times in 11 postseason appearances, an interception percentage of 1.36 that is the best in playoff history.
As much as he has accomplished, Brady wants more. He is not content with either his lofty position in the game or his number of championships he has won.
As painful as the journey has been for Brady, as much as each snub gnawed at him, he would not change a thing:
"At the end of the day, you can hold that Super Bowl trophy up and you know you've done everything the right way and you've paid the price. When the situation came up and the pressure was at the highest, you performed your best."
4.02.2009
VILLANOVA
Kyle Lowry, now with the Houston Rockets, was just a freshman when Villanova battled North Carolina in the Sweet 16 in 2005.
It was four years ago when Villanova and North Carolina played. In Villanova circles it’s remembered by, “the call.” In the waning seconds the whistle blew and everyone figured a foul was going to be called. Instead the referee signaled travel, negating the made basket, negating a free throw attempt that might have forced overtime, negating a shot at an epic upset.
Four years later the dust has settle for Villanova and they have got their rematch in the Final Four with North Carolina, but the question has to be asked again:
How did this happen?
How did a team with no evident NBA prospects on its roster get to the Final Four.
The answer is in that 2005 game against North Carolina.
"Carolina had a bunch of pros and nobody knew who we were," said Kyle Lowry. "We weren't a national team or anything like that, so no one gave us a chance. But in that game, we really showed our resiliency. We weren't going to back down from the fight and that's the kind of team we decided to be. That's the kind of program Villanova is now."
Sports teams always talk about developing an identity and passing it down.
Villanova has established a predictable persona. Villanova is going to be tough. Theirs a trait passed down like a treasured family heirloom from generation to generation.
Asked to characterize his team's attitude, Scottie Reynolds said, "No excuses."
Former guard Mike Nardi was reached by phone as he was sitting in his beachfront apartment on the Adriatic Sea in Italy, explained Villanova this way, "No matter what you take care of your business. Guys might be sick, injured, maybe you have homework to do, we don't care. You take care of business."
Senior co-captain Dante Cunningham described it, "It doesn't matter what the refs call or what happens in the game, we just play."
Kyle Lowry, now with the Rockets, said, "We don't back down from a fight, doesn't matter what the odds are."
Shane Clark, another current senior shrugged his shoulders, "Everybody is going to have bumps along the way. You can't worry about it."
Randy Foye, who now plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves described it simply, "We don't quit."
And so the identity was born in 2005.
After two years, one great recruiting class, two NIT berths and probation to show for it, Jay Wright was on the hot seat.
Villanova started the year slowly.
Then the Wildcats won their final seven games of the regular season to earn a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Wright became an instant hero.
But early into the second-round game against Florida, Curtis Sumpter crumbled to the floor. Sumpter averaged 15 points and 7 boards.
The diagnosis was immediate: a torn ACL. He was done.
"We were building a power team, not this little four-guard team," Wright said. "And then, bam! Curt goes down and we changed everything."
The Wildcats dispatched of Florida 76-65 to roll to the Sweet 16 showdown with North Carolina.
Most people figured good enough.
After all, Lowry wasn't exaggerating. That Tar Heels team sent four first-round picks to the NBA that June. Without Sumpter the Wildcats were basically six deep.
"I vividly remember Jay saying to Mike Nardi and Kyle, the two smallest guys on the team, 'if you get switched off on any big guys, you better not get posted up,'" said Pinckney, then an assistant on the Villanova bench and now with the Timberwolves. "They took that to heart."
From the opening tip, Villanova went at Carolina. Foye drained 11 points in the opening 4:30, delivering the message: GAME ON.
"One thing I've learned, players look at games completely different," said Brett Gunning, then the associate head coach at Villanova and now on the Rockets staff. "Fans are thinking, 'No chance.' As coaches we're thinking, 'Oh my God,' but players are just thinking, 'Let's play.' Do you think Allan Ray was scared? Or Kyle or Randy? No way. They don't see pressure. They see an opportunity."
The Tar Heels trailed 33-29 at the half and with Raymond Felton on the bench already fouled out, would have been in deep trouble had the game gone into OT.
Instead Ray was whistled for the travel, Rashad McCants hit one free throw and Lowry's 3-pointer was too little, too late. Final score 67-66.
"It wasn't a moral victory," Wright said. "We thought we could win, but there was something about everything that we overcame I felt like we had something starting. We didn't just hang with Carolina. We could have beaten them."
It is one thing for that attitude to permeate the team the following year, when Foye, Ray, Fraser and Sumpter were seniors.
It is another for a program a full class removed to continue with the same attitude.
But Cunningham, Clark and Dwayne Anderson were like kids sitting at the knees of wily veterans when they got to Villanova.
They watched players who would go on to NBA paychecks trying to win Attitude Club -- where points are awarded for taking charges, diving for loose balls and making other hustle plays.
They bought in and when Foye, Ray, Fraser and Sumpter graduated and Lowry bolted early for the NBA, the next class passed it on like some attitudinal game of whisper down the lane.
"Coach always would say, 'That's the way Randy did it,' or 'This is how Kyle did it,' and of course it gets old hearing it," Reynolds said. "But at the same time, they earned it. They made us reach to be what they were. They set the bar for everything that we wanted to be and how we wanted to play."
It was four years ago when Villanova and North Carolina played. In Villanova circles it’s remembered by, “the call.” In the waning seconds the whistle blew and everyone figured a foul was going to be called. Instead the referee signaled travel, negating the made basket, negating a free throw attempt that might have forced overtime, negating a shot at an epic upset.
Four years later the dust has settle for Villanova and they have got their rematch in the Final Four with North Carolina, but the question has to be asked again:
How did this happen?
How did a team with no evident NBA prospects on its roster get to the Final Four.
The answer is in that 2005 game against North Carolina.
"Carolina had a bunch of pros and nobody knew who we were," said Kyle Lowry. "We weren't a national team or anything like that, so no one gave us a chance. But in that game, we really showed our resiliency. We weren't going to back down from the fight and that's the kind of team we decided to be. That's the kind of program Villanova is now."
Sports teams always talk about developing an identity and passing it down.
Villanova has established a predictable persona. Villanova is going to be tough. Theirs a trait passed down like a treasured family heirloom from generation to generation.
Asked to characterize his team's attitude, Scottie Reynolds said, "No excuses."
Former guard Mike Nardi was reached by phone as he was sitting in his beachfront apartment on the Adriatic Sea in Italy, explained Villanova this way, "No matter what you take care of your business. Guys might be sick, injured, maybe you have homework to do, we don't care. You take care of business."
Senior co-captain Dante Cunningham described it, "It doesn't matter what the refs call or what happens in the game, we just play."
Kyle Lowry, now with the Rockets, said, "We don't back down from a fight, doesn't matter what the odds are."
Shane Clark, another current senior shrugged his shoulders, "Everybody is going to have bumps along the way. You can't worry about it."
Randy Foye, who now plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves described it simply, "We don't quit."
And so the identity was born in 2005.
After two years, one great recruiting class, two NIT berths and probation to show for it, Jay Wright was on the hot seat.
Villanova started the year slowly.
Then the Wildcats won their final seven games of the regular season to earn a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Wright became an instant hero.
But early into the second-round game against Florida, Curtis Sumpter crumbled to the floor. Sumpter averaged 15 points and 7 boards.
The diagnosis was immediate: a torn ACL. He was done.
"We were building a power team, not this little four-guard team," Wright said. "And then, bam! Curt goes down and we changed everything."
The Wildcats dispatched of Florida 76-65 to roll to the Sweet 16 showdown with North Carolina.
Most people figured good enough.
After all, Lowry wasn't exaggerating. That Tar Heels team sent four first-round picks to the NBA that June. Without Sumpter the Wildcats were basically six deep.
"I vividly remember Jay saying to Mike Nardi and Kyle, the two smallest guys on the team, 'if you get switched off on any big guys, you better not get posted up,'" said Pinckney, then an assistant on the Villanova bench and now with the Timberwolves. "They took that to heart."
From the opening tip, Villanova went at Carolina. Foye drained 11 points in the opening 4:30, delivering the message: GAME ON.
"One thing I've learned, players look at games completely different," said Brett Gunning, then the associate head coach at Villanova and now on the Rockets staff. "Fans are thinking, 'No chance.' As coaches we're thinking, 'Oh my God,' but players are just thinking, 'Let's play.' Do you think Allan Ray was scared? Or Kyle or Randy? No way. They don't see pressure. They see an opportunity."
The Tar Heels trailed 33-29 at the half and with Raymond Felton on the bench already fouled out, would have been in deep trouble had the game gone into OT.
Instead Ray was whistled for the travel, Rashad McCants hit one free throw and Lowry's 3-pointer was too little, too late. Final score 67-66.
"It wasn't a moral victory," Wright said. "We thought we could win, but there was something about everything that we overcame I felt like we had something starting. We didn't just hang with Carolina. We could have beaten them."
It is one thing for that attitude to permeate the team the following year, when Foye, Ray, Fraser and Sumpter were seniors.
It is another for a program a full class removed to continue with the same attitude.
But Cunningham, Clark and Dwayne Anderson were like kids sitting at the knees of wily veterans when they got to Villanova.
They watched players who would go on to NBA paychecks trying to win Attitude Club -- where points are awarded for taking charges, diving for loose balls and making other hustle plays.
They bought in and when Foye, Ray, Fraser and Sumpter graduated and Lowry bolted early for the NBA, the next class passed it on like some attitudinal game of whisper down the lane.
"Coach always would say, 'That's the way Randy did it,' or 'This is how Kyle did it,' and of course it gets old hearing it," Reynolds said. "But at the same time, they earned it. They made us reach to be what they were. They set the bar for everything that we wanted to be and how we wanted to play."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)