In a SportsIllustrated interview with Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill, Ben Reiter asked Hill many questions with the first being why he took less money to play for the Suns:
Hill liked that the Suns hadn’t won the championship. He liked Mike D’Antoni’s style of play, and he likes the idea of playing with Steve Nash. Not once did he mention money. That's because money wasn’t the issue.
The second question was how Hill has changed since he came into the NBA in 1994 and his answer was pretty interesting.
“When I was young, it was all one pace, attacking. I wanted to dunk on everybody - that's the SportsCenter culture we’ve been brought up in. Now, I understand it’s about playing the angles and changing your pace. I’m a lot more efficient now."
8.19.2008
DOC RIVERS
The groundwork for Doc Rivers' finest hour was laid long before the Celtics staged their improbable comeback in Game 4 of the NBA Finals Thursday night. Boston not only obliterated a 24-point second-quarter deficit, they also ripped a gaping hole in the mystical reputation of L.A.'s decorated coach, Phil Jackson, who may have won nine championships but has been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Rivers in this series.
In the midst of Boston's stunning Game 4 turnaround, Rivers calmly instructed his players to ignore the score and recoup their composure one basket -- and one defensive stop -- at a time.
Rivers gambled and won by implementing a small lineup, putting reserves James Posey and Eddie House on the court during crunch time. The Celtics spread the floor, dared the Lakers to double-team them, and correctly discerned when to make the extra pass and when to take it hard to the hole.
Doc's newly anointed status as the resident genius in the series is both amusing and irritating to his players, some of whom witnessed their coach suffer through a horrific season in 2006-07.
His professional life was hanging in the balance. Ownership was restless, and unhappy with his decision to leave his family in Orlando rather than move it to Boston. Rivers was under constant scrutiny from the media.
Doc's father, Grady Rivers, reminded him after each mounting loss of his responsibility to his players.
"He told me, 'Be consistent,''' Rivers said. "If nothing else, they must know what to expect from you.''
As Boston's dream season has unfolded, Doc Rivers has privately struggled to balance the jubilation of his lifelong dream with the devastation of losing the person he aches to share it with the most.
Grady Rivers died after a brief illness in November, in the infancy of Boston's 66-win season.
The Celtics were on the road in Toronto at the time, and Rivers told his team at a morning meeting. He then flew to Chicago to be with his mother, Betty, certain he had successfully concealed his considerable anguish.
"Nah, you could see his pain,'' Pierce said. "I felt for him. I know how much his Dad meant to him.''
It has been a long year for the coach of the Boston Celtics. Rivers has had no time to mourn his father, no time to confront the sadness and grief that seizes him without warning.
If only Grady Rivers could have seen Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, all three potential Hall of Famers, nodding intently as their coach laid out instructions during that unfathomable Game 4 comeback.
It was a marked departure from 2004, when Pierce was so disenchanted with Doc's message he often stood apart from the team huddle, looking anywhere but at his coach.
Rivers vowed to play up-tempo basketball and told Pierce he expected him to commit to that style. On the occasions he didn't, Boston's best player found himself stewing on the bench. Pierce refused to buy into Rivers' motivational tactics and scoffed at the coach's habit of slipping inspirational notes under the hotel doors of his young players.
"Kind of college-y,'' Pierce sniffed at the time.
Yet Pierce couldn't help but notice in the months ahead that his shooting percentage was up and his turnovers were down, just as Doc predicted. He had to admit the notes seemed to motivate the young guys. He didn't always agree with his coach, but over time, he learned to accept his methods.
"I guess you could say we came to an understanding,'' Pierce said.
They are one game away now, in part because of how successfully Rivers has utilized his bench. P.J. Brown, Leon Powe, Posey and most recently House have made critical contributions at key junctures, and veteran Sam Cassell says that's no accident.
He points to an April 12 game in Atlanta, when the Celtics' season was winding down and Boston had already locked up home-court throughout the playoffs. The Celtics' starters looked sluggish and were down by double digits when Rivers motioned for his reserves.
"So we're about to go out there for the fourth quarter and Doc grabs us and says, 'Now let me be clear. I expect you to win this game,''' Cassell said. "You should have seen the young fellas. He won them over, right there. His message was, 'This is important. You are important.'''
It's easy to sell that to a team on the brink of greatness. Yet point guard Rajon Rondo maintains the message has always been the same.
"Doc is the exact same coach now as he was last year when we were losing all those games,'' he said.
In the midst of Boston's stunning Game 4 turnaround, Rivers calmly instructed his players to ignore the score and recoup their composure one basket -- and one defensive stop -- at a time.
Rivers gambled and won by implementing a small lineup, putting reserves James Posey and Eddie House on the court during crunch time. The Celtics spread the floor, dared the Lakers to double-team them, and correctly discerned when to make the extra pass and when to take it hard to the hole.
Doc's newly anointed status as the resident genius in the series is both amusing and irritating to his players, some of whom witnessed their coach suffer through a horrific season in 2006-07.
His professional life was hanging in the balance. Ownership was restless, and unhappy with his decision to leave his family in Orlando rather than move it to Boston. Rivers was under constant scrutiny from the media.
Doc's father, Grady Rivers, reminded him after each mounting loss of his responsibility to his players.
"He told me, 'Be consistent,''' Rivers said. "If nothing else, they must know what to expect from you.''
As Boston's dream season has unfolded, Doc Rivers has privately struggled to balance the jubilation of his lifelong dream with the devastation of losing the person he aches to share it with the most.
Grady Rivers died after a brief illness in November, in the infancy of Boston's 66-win season.
The Celtics were on the road in Toronto at the time, and Rivers told his team at a morning meeting. He then flew to Chicago to be with his mother, Betty, certain he had successfully concealed his considerable anguish.
"Nah, you could see his pain,'' Pierce said. "I felt for him. I know how much his Dad meant to him.''
It has been a long year for the coach of the Boston Celtics. Rivers has had no time to mourn his father, no time to confront the sadness and grief that seizes him without warning.
If only Grady Rivers could have seen Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, all three potential Hall of Famers, nodding intently as their coach laid out instructions during that unfathomable Game 4 comeback.
It was a marked departure from 2004, when Pierce was so disenchanted with Doc's message he often stood apart from the team huddle, looking anywhere but at his coach.
Rivers vowed to play up-tempo basketball and told Pierce he expected him to commit to that style. On the occasions he didn't, Boston's best player found himself stewing on the bench. Pierce refused to buy into Rivers' motivational tactics and scoffed at the coach's habit of slipping inspirational notes under the hotel doors of his young players.
"Kind of college-y,'' Pierce sniffed at the time.
Yet Pierce couldn't help but notice in the months ahead that his shooting percentage was up and his turnovers were down, just as Doc predicted. He had to admit the notes seemed to motivate the young guys. He didn't always agree with his coach, but over time, he learned to accept his methods.
"I guess you could say we came to an understanding,'' Pierce said.
They are one game away now, in part because of how successfully Rivers has utilized his bench. P.J. Brown, Leon Powe, Posey and most recently House have made critical contributions at key junctures, and veteran Sam Cassell says that's no accident.
He points to an April 12 game in Atlanta, when the Celtics' season was winding down and Boston had already locked up home-court throughout the playoffs. The Celtics' starters looked sluggish and were down by double digits when Rivers motioned for his reserves.
"So we're about to go out there for the fourth quarter and Doc grabs us and says, 'Now let me be clear. I expect you to win this game,''' Cassell said. "You should have seen the young fellas. He won them over, right there. His message was, 'This is important. You are important.'''
It's easy to sell that to a team on the brink of greatness. Yet point guard Rajon Rondo maintains the message has always been the same.
"Doc is the exact same coach now as he was last year when we were losing all those games,'' he said.
DAVE HOPLA
Dave Hopla, a Washington Wizards assistant, is a 6-foot bundle of energy with graying hair.
He also can put the basketball in the hoop, over and over and over again.
He has two notebooks that he takes everywhere — a green, leatherbound one to chart his workouts and a black-and-white composition book to chart his shooting at speaking engagements.
Hopla can tell you, for example, that he made 99.2 percent of his free throws (11,093 out of 11,183) and 92.5 percent of his college-distance 3-pointers (260 out of 281) while delivering lectures in 2007.
He can tell you he once made 1,234 free throws in a row. His personal record for consecutive N.B.A. 3-pointers is 78.
He tells players it is not enough to try to make every shot. They should try to swish every shot.
He also can put the basketball in the hoop, over and over and over again.
He has two notebooks that he takes everywhere — a green, leatherbound one to chart his workouts and a black-and-white composition book to chart his shooting at speaking engagements.
Hopla can tell you, for example, that he made 99.2 percent of his free throws (11,093 out of 11,183) and 92.5 percent of his college-distance 3-pointers (260 out of 281) while delivering lectures in 2007.
He can tell you he once made 1,234 free throws in a row. His personal record for consecutive N.B.A. 3-pointers is 78.
He tells players it is not enough to try to make every shot. They should try to swish every shot.
BO RYAN
For Univ of Wisconsin's head man, basketball is a simple game based on hard work and religious adherence to the fundamentals. "There’s no secret formula to winning. No complicated defenses, no elaborate mind games of X’s and O’s. I don't have a laminated sheet with his various offensive sets written on it."
TAKING A CHARGE TAKES SACRIFICE
It takes vision and courage.
It requires not good but great basketball instincts.
It is arguably one of the most unnatural acts in sports.
And, really, all it entails is standing absolutely still -- and bracing for a collision.
Taking a charge is taking one for the team.
''It's a way you can play effective interior defense without being a shot blocker,'' Heat center Michael Doleac said.
Taking a charge is no cakewalk. As scorers continue to find ways to avoid getting their shots blocked, taking a charge has become a more effective way of defending against a driving guard, a big man with a head of steam, or even an oncoming fast break.
“The charge has become more prominent now,” Knicks forward David Lee said.
It might seem like an easy concept, standing in front of another player and drawing an offensive foul. But there are several elements that make it fairly complicated.
In most cases, taking a charge involves a help defender anticipating an offensive player's movement, beating him to that spot and establishing a legal defensive position with his feet set before contact is made.
ANTICIPATION
''Being able to take a charge, it's like you see the play a couple of steps or a couple of frames before it actually develops,'' Jazz guard Derek Fisher said.
“Especially now with the athletes we have in the league, if you're a half second late in getting there, you're either going to get dunked on or they're going to call a blocking foul.''
Another key to getting the call is falling backward.
''If you don't go down, you're not going to get the call,'' Doleac said.
Some players have become particularly skilled at drawing charges.
Houston's Shane Battier has built a reputation as a strong defender in large part because of his penchant for drawing the offensive foul.
''If somebody knows I'm going to be there to take a charge, I'm pretty sure they're going to think before they go to the basket,'' Posey said. “Therefore, they're shooting jump shots.''
MAKING A CHANGE
For others such as Antoine Walker, it's an act forced upon them. In his previous 10 seasons in the league, Walker has never been a take-charge guy. Last season, his first with the Heat, he estimates that he took one the entire season. So after a few strong words from Heat coach Pat Riley this season, Walker is near 20 for the season, according to stats the team keeps, and among the team leaders.
''I just never really had to do it in my career,'' Walker said. “When I watched film, there were so many opportunities for me to take charges. Riley told me I should start taking hits. He felt like I was cheating the team by not taking hits because everybody else was willing to do it.”
“It can be a little painful, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.''
For offensive players driving the lane, avoiding the charge has become its own skill. It takes creative footwork, adjusted flight patterns, and a little body contortion. If you make someone worry about you more than making the shot then they probably aren’t going to make the shot.
“I now understand taking charges a lot better because I'm on a team with guys that take a lot of charges. I understand it's part of the game. It's a smart part of the game. As an offensive player, you hate it.''
Taking a charge is also an effective way to get players in foul trouble, especially the ones that slash and like to attack the hoop.
''I think on this level and in college, it's a big part of the game,'' David Lee said. “It helps neutralize athletic ability. Anybody can take one. You don’t have to jump 40 inches or be 6’10.”
It requires not good but great basketball instincts.
It is arguably one of the most unnatural acts in sports.
And, really, all it entails is standing absolutely still -- and bracing for a collision.
Taking a charge is taking one for the team.
''It's a way you can play effective interior defense without being a shot blocker,'' Heat center Michael Doleac said.
Taking a charge is no cakewalk. As scorers continue to find ways to avoid getting their shots blocked, taking a charge has become a more effective way of defending against a driving guard, a big man with a head of steam, or even an oncoming fast break.
“The charge has become more prominent now,” Knicks forward David Lee said.
It might seem like an easy concept, standing in front of another player and drawing an offensive foul. But there are several elements that make it fairly complicated.
In most cases, taking a charge involves a help defender anticipating an offensive player's movement, beating him to that spot and establishing a legal defensive position with his feet set before contact is made.
ANTICIPATION
''Being able to take a charge, it's like you see the play a couple of steps or a couple of frames before it actually develops,'' Jazz guard Derek Fisher said.
“Especially now with the athletes we have in the league, if you're a half second late in getting there, you're either going to get dunked on or they're going to call a blocking foul.''
Another key to getting the call is falling backward.
''If you don't go down, you're not going to get the call,'' Doleac said.
Some players have become particularly skilled at drawing charges.
Houston's Shane Battier has built a reputation as a strong defender in large part because of his penchant for drawing the offensive foul.
''If somebody knows I'm going to be there to take a charge, I'm pretty sure they're going to think before they go to the basket,'' Posey said. “Therefore, they're shooting jump shots.''
MAKING A CHANGE
For others such as Antoine Walker, it's an act forced upon them. In his previous 10 seasons in the league, Walker has never been a take-charge guy. Last season, his first with the Heat, he estimates that he took one the entire season. So after a few strong words from Heat coach Pat Riley this season, Walker is near 20 for the season, according to stats the team keeps, and among the team leaders.
''I just never really had to do it in my career,'' Walker said. “When I watched film, there were so many opportunities for me to take charges. Riley told me I should start taking hits. He felt like I was cheating the team by not taking hits because everybody else was willing to do it.”
“It can be a little painful, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.''
For offensive players driving the lane, avoiding the charge has become its own skill. It takes creative footwork, adjusted flight patterns, and a little body contortion. If you make someone worry about you more than making the shot then they probably aren’t going to make the shot.
“I now understand taking charges a lot better because I'm on a team with guys that take a lot of charges. I understand it's part of the game. It's a smart part of the game. As an offensive player, you hate it.''
Taking a charge is also an effective way to get players in foul trouble, especially the ones that slash and like to attack the hoop.
''I think on this level and in college, it's a big part of the game,'' David Lee said. “It helps neutralize athletic ability. Anybody can take one. You don’t have to jump 40 inches or be 6’10.”
GUESS WHO?
This Bo Knows Basketball
In the next 800 words, you're going to meet my new favorite coach. But first you have to guess who he is.
Hint No. 1: Nobody in any division of college basketball won a higher percentage of his games (.908) in the '90s than he did.
Hint No. 2: Now he's got the highest winning percentage (.706) in Big Ten games of any coach in league history -- minimum five years -- and, yep, that includes Bobby Freakin' Knight.
Hint No. 3: If you stood him next to North Carolina's Roy Williams, you'd be looking at the two guys who have the highest winning percentages among coaches with more than 500 wins. Yet people would mob Williams for his autograph -- and ask to borrow this guy's Sharpie.
Who is he? Wisconsin's Bo Ryan.
I swear, you've never met anybody like him. He could talk the freckles off Opie. He once persuaded an engaged woman into calling off her wedding and marrying him instead. Thirty-two years later she's still convinced. And he can flat coach. With his patented Swing offense and his obsession with detail, he could win 20 games a year with five large parking meters. He's the most unheralded winning machine in the country and headmaster of the No. 2-ranked Badgers.
But that's not why he's my new favorite.
He's not a walking haircut, with every word he utters scripted by some VP of Athletic Communications. And he's not some wonder kid groomed under Legend A to replace Legend B and become Legend C. Ryan has socks older than Billy Donovan.
This is a guy who was a stateside Army MP during the Vietnam War, breaking up fights in Augusta, Ga., bars. "It was always the same," says Ryan, 59. "One group was saying 'great taste' and the other 'less filling.'" He also escorted convicted felons to Leavenworth. Before every trip, he'd slap a set of handcuffs on his own wrist and on the inmate's, wrinkle up his face like Christopher Walken and go, "There's a reason they picked me, y'know. I won the platoon pistol-shooting championship." That was true. What he didn't mention was that the .45 in his holster was empty.
Growing up in Chester, Pa., Ryan was so hyper that his mom put him in first grade a year early because he was driving her nuts. At Chester High, he was the only white guy on the basketball team his senior year. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of '60s and '70s R&B. Can name you the song, artist and flip side of any Motown record, usually in five notes or less. You think recruits' moms don't like him?
But that's not why he's my new favorite.
This is a guy who hasn't just paid his dues, he's paid the whole neighborhood's. He didn't get his chance in the big time until he was 53, gold-watch time for a lot of guys. Before Wisconsin hired him in 2001, Ryan spent a year as an assistant at College of Racine (Wis.), eight years as a Badgers assistant, 15 at Division III Wisconsin-Platteville -- where he won four national championships -- and two at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. If there were a Wisconsin-Curdville, he'd have coached there.
The man's been passed by more often than an I-80 rest stop. Wisconsin passed over him for guys like Stu Jackson and Stan Van Gundy -- who went on to win a combined 41% of their Big Ten games. All Ryan has done is win 71%. In the 63 years BB (Before Bo), Wisconsin went to the NCAAs seven times. AB? Five, with number six coming up.
This guy is loyal. In 1974 he coached the baseball team at bankrupt Racine for free because he didn't want to bail on his players. And it wasn't like he could afford it. At Platteville he was once so poor, he just missed qualifying for a free-lunch program for his five kids.
He's honest, too -- never been rung up by the NCAA. He's a guy who can work a hall full of boosters like a Roomba. And twice as cleanly.
In the next 800 words, you're going to meet my new favorite coach. But first you have to guess who he is.
Hint No. 1: Nobody in any division of college basketball won a higher percentage of his games (.908) in the '90s than he did.
Hint No. 2: Now he's got the highest winning percentage (.706) in Big Ten games of any coach in league history -- minimum five years -- and, yep, that includes Bobby Freakin' Knight.
Hint No. 3: If you stood him next to North Carolina's Roy Williams, you'd be looking at the two guys who have the highest winning percentages among coaches with more than 500 wins. Yet people would mob Williams for his autograph -- and ask to borrow this guy's Sharpie.
Who is he? Wisconsin's Bo Ryan.
I swear, you've never met anybody like him. He could talk the freckles off Opie. He once persuaded an engaged woman into calling off her wedding and marrying him instead. Thirty-two years later she's still convinced. And he can flat coach. With his patented Swing offense and his obsession with detail, he could win 20 games a year with five large parking meters. He's the most unheralded winning machine in the country and headmaster of the No. 2-ranked Badgers.
But that's not why he's my new favorite.
He's not a walking haircut, with every word he utters scripted by some VP of Athletic Communications. And he's not some wonder kid groomed under Legend A to replace Legend B and become Legend C. Ryan has socks older than Billy Donovan.
This is a guy who was a stateside Army MP during the Vietnam War, breaking up fights in Augusta, Ga., bars. "It was always the same," says Ryan, 59. "One group was saying 'great taste' and the other 'less filling.'" He also escorted convicted felons to Leavenworth. Before every trip, he'd slap a set of handcuffs on his own wrist and on the inmate's, wrinkle up his face like Christopher Walken and go, "There's a reason they picked me, y'know. I won the platoon pistol-shooting championship." That was true. What he didn't mention was that the .45 in his holster was empty.
Growing up in Chester, Pa., Ryan was so hyper that his mom put him in first grade a year early because he was driving her nuts. At Chester High, he was the only white guy on the basketball team his senior year. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of '60s and '70s R&B. Can name you the song, artist and flip side of any Motown record, usually in five notes or less. You think recruits' moms don't like him?
But that's not why he's my new favorite.
This is a guy who hasn't just paid his dues, he's paid the whole neighborhood's. He didn't get his chance in the big time until he was 53, gold-watch time for a lot of guys. Before Wisconsin hired him in 2001, Ryan spent a year as an assistant at College of Racine (Wis.), eight years as a Badgers assistant, 15 at Division III Wisconsin-Platteville -- where he won four national championships -- and two at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. If there were a Wisconsin-Curdville, he'd have coached there.
The man's been passed by more often than an I-80 rest stop. Wisconsin passed over him for guys like Stu Jackson and Stan Van Gundy -- who went on to win a combined 41% of their Big Ten games. All Ryan has done is win 71%. In the 63 years BB (Before Bo), Wisconsin went to the NCAAs seven times. AB? Five, with number six coming up.
This guy is loyal. In 1974 he coached the baseball team at bankrupt Racine for free because he didn't want to bail on his players. And it wasn't like he could afford it. At Platteville he was once so poor, he just missed qualifying for a free-lunch program for his five kids.
He's honest, too -- never been rung up by the NCAA. He's a guy who can work a hall full of boosters like a Roomba. And twice as cleanly.
NELSON MANDELA’S EIGHT LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES
After each number in CAPITOL letters is my opinion of how I think Nelson Mandela's Eight Leadership Principles relate to basketball and competition.
1. Courage is not the absence of fear — it's inspiring others to move beyond it. Mandela was often afraid during his time underground. "Of course I was afraid!" he would tell me later. It would have been irrational, he suggested, not to be. "I can't pretend that I'm brave and that I can beat the whole world." But as a leader, you cannot let people know. "You must put up a front."
And that's precisely what he learned to do: pretend and, through the act of appearing fearless, inspire others. He knew that he was a model for others, and that gave him the strength to triumph over his own fear.
WHO KNOWS THE SITUATION YOU MIGHT BE IN. MAYBE YOUR PLAYING WITH A NEW TEAM. MAYBE YOUR AT A TRYOUT. WHATEVER IT IS YOU MIGHT BE A LITTLE NERVOUS OR INTIMADATED. ITS OKAY AND THAT’S NORMAL BUT DON’T LET YOUR TEAMMATES OR COMPETITION KNOW. TO THEM YOU HAVE TO BE A LEADER. YOU HAVE TO ACT LIKE YOU BELONG AND THAT YOUR NOT INTIMADATED
I LIKE USING THE DUCK ANALOGY. DUCKS WILL LOOK COOL AND CALM ON THE SURFACE BUT UNDER THE WATER THEY ARE KICKING LIKE CRAZY WHEN THEY ARE IN TROUBLE.
2. Lead from the front — but don't leave your base behind. Prison gave him the ability to take the long view. It had to; there was no other view possible. He was thinking in terms of not days and weeks but decades. "Things will be better in the long run," he sometimes said. He always played for the long run.
DON’T GET CAUGHT UP IN HOW YOU PLAY DAY TO DAY.
ALSO THINK OF THE LONG TERM WITH YOUR SKILL SET. FOUR YEARS FROM NOW YOU HAVE TO BE A BETTER DEFENSIVE PLAYER, BETTER BALL HANDLER, AND A BETTER FINISHER, ETC. MAKE SHORT TERM GOALS BUT ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THE LONG TERM.
3. Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front. When he finally did speak at meetings with his staff, he slowly and methodically summarized everyone's points of view and then unfurled his own thoughts, subtly steering the decision in the direction he wanted without imposing it. The trick of leadership is allowing yourself to be led too. "It is wise," he said, "to persuade people to do things and make them think it was their own idea."
ALWAYS GIVE OTHER PEOPLE CREDIT. MAKE THEM FEEL GOOD. WINNERS DON’T NEED CREDIT. ALL YOU NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IS GETTING THE “W.”
4. Know your enemy — As far back as the 1960s, Mandela began studying Afrikaans, the language of the white South Africans who created apartheid. This was strategic in two senses: by speaking his opponents' language, he might understand their strengths and weaknesses and formulate tactics accordingly.
WHOEVER IS AT YOUR POSITION ISNT YOUR ENEMY BUT HE IS YOUR COMPETITION. KNOW HIS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES.
5. Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer. Mandela would often invite into his home men he didn't fully trust. He had them to dinner; he called to consult with them; he flattered them and gave them gifts. Mandela is a man of invincible charm — and he has often used that charm to even greater effect on his rivals than on his allies.
Mandela would always include in his brain trust men he neither liked nor relied on. He would pick up the phone and call them on their birthdays. He would go to family funerals. He saw it as an opportunity."
Mandela believed that embracing his rivals was a way of controlling them: they were more dangerous on their own than within his circle of influence. He cherished loyalty, but he was never obsessed by it. After all, he used to say, "people act in their own interest." It was simply a fact of human nature, not a flaw or a defect. The flip side of being an optimist — and he is one — is trusting people too much. But Mandela recognized that the way to deal with those he didn't trust was to neutralize them with charm.
YOU AREN’T GOING TO BE BOYS WITH ALL OF YOUR TEAMMATES BUT TRY TO KEEP THEM ALL IN YOUR CIRCLE.
6. Appearances matter — and remember to smile. We sometimes forget the historical correlation between leadership and physicality. George Washington was the tallest and probably the strongest man in every room he entered. Size and strength have more to do with DNA than with leadership manuals, but Mandela understood how his appearance could advance his cause.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A LEADER YOU GOT TO LOOK LIKE A LEADER. DON’T LOOK SLOPPY. WHEN YOU WALK INTO A GYM DON’T LOOK LIKE YOU JUST ROLLED OUT OF BED. THE BASKETBALL COURT IS YOUR OFFICE. WHEN YOU STEP ONTO THE COURT YOU SHOULD BE READY TO WORK!
7. Nothing is black or white – Life is never either/or. Decisions are complex, and there are always competing factors. To look for simple explanations is the bias of the human brain, but it doesn't correspond to reality. Nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears.
I RELATE THIS TO A COACHES DECISION ON STARTERS AND PLAYING TIME. THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS BLACK AND WHITE. REMEMBER YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL…EFFORT, HEART, HUSTLE, and PLAYING SMART.
1. Courage is not the absence of fear — it's inspiring others to move beyond it. Mandela was often afraid during his time underground. "Of course I was afraid!" he would tell me later. It would have been irrational, he suggested, not to be. "I can't pretend that I'm brave and that I can beat the whole world." But as a leader, you cannot let people know. "You must put up a front."
And that's precisely what he learned to do: pretend and, through the act of appearing fearless, inspire others. He knew that he was a model for others, and that gave him the strength to triumph over his own fear.
WHO KNOWS THE SITUATION YOU MIGHT BE IN. MAYBE YOUR PLAYING WITH A NEW TEAM. MAYBE YOUR AT A TRYOUT. WHATEVER IT IS YOU MIGHT BE A LITTLE NERVOUS OR INTIMADATED. ITS OKAY AND THAT’S NORMAL BUT DON’T LET YOUR TEAMMATES OR COMPETITION KNOW. TO THEM YOU HAVE TO BE A LEADER. YOU HAVE TO ACT LIKE YOU BELONG AND THAT YOUR NOT INTIMADATED
I LIKE USING THE DUCK ANALOGY. DUCKS WILL LOOK COOL AND CALM ON THE SURFACE BUT UNDER THE WATER THEY ARE KICKING LIKE CRAZY WHEN THEY ARE IN TROUBLE.
2. Lead from the front — but don't leave your base behind. Prison gave him the ability to take the long view. It had to; there was no other view possible. He was thinking in terms of not days and weeks but decades. "Things will be better in the long run," he sometimes said. He always played for the long run.
DON’T GET CAUGHT UP IN HOW YOU PLAY DAY TO DAY.
ALSO THINK OF THE LONG TERM WITH YOUR SKILL SET. FOUR YEARS FROM NOW YOU HAVE TO BE A BETTER DEFENSIVE PLAYER, BETTER BALL HANDLER, AND A BETTER FINISHER, ETC. MAKE SHORT TERM GOALS BUT ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THE LONG TERM.
3. Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front. When he finally did speak at meetings with his staff, he slowly and methodically summarized everyone's points of view and then unfurled his own thoughts, subtly steering the decision in the direction he wanted without imposing it. The trick of leadership is allowing yourself to be led too. "It is wise," he said, "to persuade people to do things and make them think it was their own idea."
ALWAYS GIVE OTHER PEOPLE CREDIT. MAKE THEM FEEL GOOD. WINNERS DON’T NEED CREDIT. ALL YOU NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IS GETTING THE “W.”
4. Know your enemy — As far back as the 1960s, Mandela began studying Afrikaans, the language of the white South Africans who created apartheid. This was strategic in two senses: by speaking his opponents' language, he might understand their strengths and weaknesses and formulate tactics accordingly.
WHOEVER IS AT YOUR POSITION ISNT YOUR ENEMY BUT HE IS YOUR COMPETITION. KNOW HIS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES.
5. Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer. Mandela would often invite into his home men he didn't fully trust. He had them to dinner; he called to consult with them; he flattered them and gave them gifts. Mandela is a man of invincible charm — and he has often used that charm to even greater effect on his rivals than on his allies.
Mandela would always include in his brain trust men he neither liked nor relied on. He would pick up the phone and call them on their birthdays. He would go to family funerals. He saw it as an opportunity."
Mandela believed that embracing his rivals was a way of controlling them: they were more dangerous on their own than within his circle of influence. He cherished loyalty, but he was never obsessed by it. After all, he used to say, "people act in their own interest." It was simply a fact of human nature, not a flaw or a defect. The flip side of being an optimist — and he is one — is trusting people too much. But Mandela recognized that the way to deal with those he didn't trust was to neutralize them with charm.
YOU AREN’T GOING TO BE BOYS WITH ALL OF YOUR TEAMMATES BUT TRY TO KEEP THEM ALL IN YOUR CIRCLE.
6. Appearances matter — and remember to smile. We sometimes forget the historical correlation between leadership and physicality. George Washington was the tallest and probably the strongest man in every room he entered. Size and strength have more to do with DNA than with leadership manuals, but Mandela understood how his appearance could advance his cause.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A LEADER YOU GOT TO LOOK LIKE A LEADER. DON’T LOOK SLOPPY. WHEN YOU WALK INTO A GYM DON’T LOOK LIKE YOU JUST ROLLED OUT OF BED. THE BASKETBALL COURT IS YOUR OFFICE. WHEN YOU STEP ONTO THE COURT YOU SHOULD BE READY TO WORK!
7. Nothing is black or white – Life is never either/or. Decisions are complex, and there are always competing factors. To look for simple explanations is the bias of the human brain, but it doesn't correspond to reality. Nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears.
I RELATE THIS TO A COACHES DECISION ON STARTERS AND PLAYING TIME. THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS BLACK AND WHITE. REMEMBER YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL…EFFORT, HEART, HUSTLE, and PLAYING SMART.
BARBOSA - LEARNING FROM STEVE
The Phoenix Suns Leandro Barbosa models himself after Steve Nash to the point where he regularly takes home DVDs of his teammate. "I watch the DVD of the game and then I watch it again. I want to learn and pick up as much stuff as I can from Steve," says Barbosa.
Barbosa goes against Steve Nash everyday in practice and plays alongside him in games, but yet that isn't enough. He goes home and studies game film of his backcourt partner. I think we can learn a lot from Barbosa. There are two main things that stand out to me.
#1 Barbosa who is a five year NBA veteran is humble enough to admit he doesnt know it all and wants to learn as much as he can from Nash.
#2 Barbosa goes home and studies game film to make himself better. There is a big difference between sitting down and watching a basketball game and sitting down and studying game film. Unfortunately not enough basketball players do this.
Barbosa goes against Steve Nash everyday in practice and plays alongside him in games, but yet that isn't enough. He goes home and studies game film of his backcourt partner. I think we can learn a lot from Barbosa. There are two main things that stand out to me.
#1 Barbosa who is a five year NBA veteran is humble enough to admit he doesnt know it all and wants to learn as much as he can from Nash.
#2 Barbosa goes home and studies game film to make himself better. There is a big difference between sitting down and watching a basketball game and sitting down and studying game film. Unfortunately not enough basketball players do this.
STEVE BLAKE
Blake knows his place on the Blazers is not to be the star, but rather the player who does the little things while Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Oden share the spotlight .
With that understanding, however, also comes the realization that he is merely a pawn in general manager Kevin Pritchard's scheme to construct a championship contender.
Roy, Aldridge and Oden? Franchise cornerstones.
Blake, Martell Webster and Outlaw? It's wait and see.
As a result, there is a decided edge to Blake this summer. Always a tireless worker in the offseason, Blake is pushing himself like never before, perhaps too much, he admits. He says it has little to do with his contract status -- after this season, the Blazers can either release him or pick up an option for one more season -- and nothing to do with the team drafting Jerryd Bayless, a hotshot guard who is coming off a Most Valuable Player performance in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Instead, Blake is motivated by something he rarely lets get to him: People doubting his game, and questioning his long-term value to the team. He has set out to prove them wrong.
"I want to prove I can be a starter for a long time, not just for one year," Blake says. "And I want to prove that I can be the starting point guard on a championship team."
Coming off the best season of his five-year NBA career, when he averaged career highs in points (8.5) and assists (5.1), Blake has been endorsed this summer as the starting point guard by coach Nate McMillan and Roy, the team's star.
Still, Blake's mind races.
He is constantly planning his next workout, whether it be at a high-tech sports complex to work on his vertical leap, or in a blue-collar Southeast Portland gym where he practices Jujitsu with Nate Quarry, an Ultimate Fighting Championship brawler.
Blake says the Jujitsu workouts and the UFC-style training -- which sometimes includes strapping on boxing gloves -- are a way to make himself "tougher," and it complements his edgy, yet hidden personality.
To those who have played with Blake, he is known as a scrapper, once going as far as to engage in fisticuffs with Nene, a 6-foot-11, 260-pound teammate, during a practice when both played for Denver. And in Portland, Blake has kicked so many benches, thrown so many chairs, and tipped over so many baskets of balls, that assistant coach Monty Williams forecasts the storm of Blake by announcing "Lieutenant Dan" is arriving, playing off the pugnacious character in the movie "Forrest Gump".
Now, Blake has dug his heels in for another fight. He is a winner, he says proudly, and he plans to prove it here in Portland.
He won championships in two states in high school. And he won an NCAA Championship at Maryland. All as the starting point guard.
If he performs well enough this season to persuade the Blazers to keep him, he feels this collection of youth and talent is well on its way to vying for an NBA title.
"If I get a championship at every level," Blake says, smiling at the notion. "Nobody can say anything to me any more."
In a league that has become increasingly about "me," Blake has remained a team-first player, who views the success of Blazers stars like Roy and Aldridge as a reflection of how well he is doing his job.
So even though this is a contract year for him, Blake says he won't force the issue by shooting more or trying to pad his statistics. His success, he says, is determined by whether his team wins.
"It's a team game," Blake says. "If you have five guys on the court who are all about themselves, it's not going to be very successful, as we have seen in the past. And that's the job of the point guard, at least the way I was taught growing up: Get the scorers the ball at the right spots and the right time, stop the other guy on defense and spot up and hit some shots. It has worked for me, so I don't know why I would ever change it."
In fact, outside of winning an NBA championship and having more long-term security with the Blazers, there's not much Blake would change in his life.
So even after all his shooting sessions at the gym, the UFC workouts with Quarry, and the foot-burning, Jujitsu exercises, Blake often retreats downstairs in his home. Here, the carpet runs into a small room with a hardwood floor -- perfect for bouncing a basketball. It is here that Blake works on his ball handling, including one drill that impressed Pritchard -- also an NCAA title winner as a starting point guard.
After Blake warms up with a series of dribbles between the legs, behind the back, left to right, right to left, he does the same staccato bounces with his eyes closed, much like an accomplished pianist plays by feel rather than by sight. Pritchard said he has heard of point guards practicing their stationary dribbling, but never with their eyes closed.
"If I can dribble with my eyes closed, then I can see my teammates better," Blake says. "I can see the instant they become open."
Pritchard said he can practically make next year's decision on Blake with his eyes closed.
"I think it won't be much of a decision; I think with him at that number ($4.0 million), and with us having a successful season, it won't be that difficult of a decision."
Pritchard said Blake will be judged on three criteria: Did he improve? Did he play team basketball? And did the team succeed?
"He has to be a starting point guard on a team that can get to 46, 48, 50 wins, and be consistent night in and night out," Pritchard said. "That's what starting point guards do. That doesn't mean being consistent with his shot or anything else; it means playing winning basketball, and identifying that Brandon is hot, or LaMarcus is hot and being that quarterback of the team."
If one thing is certain this summer, it's that Blake is intent on making that improvement to help the team win. And if that is good enough to extend his stay in Portland by at least one year, then Blake feels he will be one step closer to an NBA title.
"And that's important to me, because I have done it on every level so far," Blake says. "And I have never been the best player on my team when I won those championships. So what I would like to prove is that the point guard doesn't have to be the best player on the team to win a championship. And I feel the way I play can help us achieve a championship."
With that understanding, however, also comes the realization that he is merely a pawn in general manager Kevin Pritchard's scheme to construct a championship contender.
Roy, Aldridge and Oden? Franchise cornerstones.
Blake, Martell Webster and Outlaw? It's wait and see.
As a result, there is a decided edge to Blake this summer. Always a tireless worker in the offseason, Blake is pushing himself like never before, perhaps too much, he admits. He says it has little to do with his contract status -- after this season, the Blazers can either release him or pick up an option for one more season -- and nothing to do with the team drafting Jerryd Bayless, a hotshot guard who is coming off a Most Valuable Player performance in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Instead, Blake is motivated by something he rarely lets get to him: People doubting his game, and questioning his long-term value to the team. He has set out to prove them wrong.
"I want to prove I can be a starter for a long time, not just for one year," Blake says. "And I want to prove that I can be the starting point guard on a championship team."
Coming off the best season of his five-year NBA career, when he averaged career highs in points (8.5) and assists (5.1), Blake has been endorsed this summer as the starting point guard by coach Nate McMillan and Roy, the team's star.
Still, Blake's mind races.
He is constantly planning his next workout, whether it be at a high-tech sports complex to work on his vertical leap, or in a blue-collar Southeast Portland gym where he practices Jujitsu with Nate Quarry, an Ultimate Fighting Championship brawler.
Blake says the Jujitsu workouts and the UFC-style training -- which sometimes includes strapping on boxing gloves -- are a way to make himself "tougher," and it complements his edgy, yet hidden personality.
To those who have played with Blake, he is known as a scrapper, once going as far as to engage in fisticuffs with Nene, a 6-foot-11, 260-pound teammate, during a practice when both played for Denver. And in Portland, Blake has kicked so many benches, thrown so many chairs, and tipped over so many baskets of balls, that assistant coach Monty Williams forecasts the storm of Blake by announcing "Lieutenant Dan" is arriving, playing off the pugnacious character in the movie "Forrest Gump".
Now, Blake has dug his heels in for another fight. He is a winner, he says proudly, and he plans to prove it here in Portland.
He won championships in two states in high school. And he won an NCAA Championship at Maryland. All as the starting point guard.
If he performs well enough this season to persuade the Blazers to keep him, he feels this collection of youth and talent is well on its way to vying for an NBA title.
"If I get a championship at every level," Blake says, smiling at the notion. "Nobody can say anything to me any more."
In a league that has become increasingly about "me," Blake has remained a team-first player, who views the success of Blazers stars like Roy and Aldridge as a reflection of how well he is doing his job.
So even though this is a contract year for him, Blake says he won't force the issue by shooting more or trying to pad his statistics. His success, he says, is determined by whether his team wins.
"It's a team game," Blake says. "If you have five guys on the court who are all about themselves, it's not going to be very successful, as we have seen in the past. And that's the job of the point guard, at least the way I was taught growing up: Get the scorers the ball at the right spots and the right time, stop the other guy on defense and spot up and hit some shots. It has worked for me, so I don't know why I would ever change it."
In fact, outside of winning an NBA championship and having more long-term security with the Blazers, there's not much Blake would change in his life.
So even after all his shooting sessions at the gym, the UFC workouts with Quarry, and the foot-burning, Jujitsu exercises, Blake often retreats downstairs in his home. Here, the carpet runs into a small room with a hardwood floor -- perfect for bouncing a basketball. It is here that Blake works on his ball handling, including one drill that impressed Pritchard -- also an NCAA title winner as a starting point guard.
After Blake warms up with a series of dribbles between the legs, behind the back, left to right, right to left, he does the same staccato bounces with his eyes closed, much like an accomplished pianist plays by feel rather than by sight. Pritchard said he has heard of point guards practicing their stationary dribbling, but never with their eyes closed.
"If I can dribble with my eyes closed, then I can see my teammates better," Blake says. "I can see the instant they become open."
Pritchard said he can practically make next year's decision on Blake with his eyes closed.
"I think it won't be much of a decision; I think with him at that number ($4.0 million), and with us having a successful season, it won't be that difficult of a decision."
Pritchard said Blake will be judged on three criteria: Did he improve? Did he play team basketball? And did the team succeed?
"He has to be a starting point guard on a team that can get to 46, 48, 50 wins, and be consistent night in and night out," Pritchard said. "That's what starting point guards do. That doesn't mean being consistent with his shot or anything else; it means playing winning basketball, and identifying that Brandon is hot, or LaMarcus is hot and being that quarterback of the team."
If one thing is certain this summer, it's that Blake is intent on making that improvement to help the team win. And if that is good enough to extend his stay in Portland by at least one year, then Blake feels he will be one step closer to an NBA title.
"And that's important to me, because I have done it on every level so far," Blake says. "And I have never been the best player on my team when I won those championships. So what I would like to prove is that the point guard doesn't have to be the best player on the team to win a championship. And I feel the way I play can help us achieve a championship."
MONTA ELLIS
Monta Ellis is a walking contradiction, an oxymoron in the flesh.
His game is explosive and captivating, yet his demeanor is tranquil and reserved. His build is slight and fragile looking. Yet he's proved tough and durable.
But there is something more curious yet about Ellis, who faces his biggest challenge this coming season in replacing Baron Davis as the Warriors' starting point guard. He has natural abilities most basketball players dream about, but he also has an incredible work ethic few can relate to.
"Monta is quietly confident, and it comes from getting his work done and not talking about it," said Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Chris Mullin, who drafted Ellis No. 40 overall in 2005.
"He shows up in the best shape every year. You don't keep improving as he has just because. He works at it."
There are plenty of athletes who overcame a lack of talent by working harder than everyone else. But not many combine special talent with a persistent grind to get better, as does Ellis. As a result, his three-year career has already produced a spectacular ascension from high-school hopeful and second round draft pick to franchise figure. That's why he was given a six-year, $66 million contract and the reins to the Warriors franchise.
Members of the organization are showing no concern about putting so much responsibility on Ellis' 22-year-old shoulders. Instead of spending the summer swimming in his newly acquired wealth, Ellis is already preparing to meet expectations. He is doggedly working on his ball handling this offseason and has plans to improve his endurance and strength by working out with trainer Virgil Hunter, boxing coach of undefeated super middleweight Andre Ward of Oakland.
“The scary part about him is he's going to get better. When hard work and talent come together, great things happen,” said Virgil Hunter.
He has a natural feel for the game you can't teach — he knows how and when to change gears and how to anticipate the help defense.
Still, it's his work ethic that has set Ellis apart. His hard work helped him improve his strength. "When he came to us, he was 160-165 pounds soaking wet," Warriors director of athletic development Mark Grabow said. "Now he's about 185 pounds and still about 5 or 6 percent body fat. He was able to put the right kind of weight on and increase his strength."
Credit Ellis' work ethic for his ability to dribble left and nail a midrange jumper with consistency. During his second and third seasons, he worked on both daily, with the results showing last season, when he averaged 20.2 points on 53 percent shooting.
"The way Monta practices," assistant coach Keith Smart said, "Monta goes at guys like he's playing for the world championships."
Of course, his new contract and increased responsibility certainly ups the expectations. Doubts persist about his ability to be as prolific a scorer as he was playing alongside point guard Baron Davis. There are worries about his ability to defend, especially against the pick-and-roll and bigger point guards.
But Mullin doesn't blink when confronted with these concerns.
"Anytime he's faced with any type of adversity or someone questioning his ability, he uses that as a motivating factor and turns it into a positive," Mullin said. "From where he was drafted to not playing much his rookie year, he's been faced with things already and has taken them head on. He's one of those motivated, mentally tough kind of guys. I have a lot of confidence in him."
His game is explosive and captivating, yet his demeanor is tranquil and reserved. His build is slight and fragile looking. Yet he's proved tough and durable.
But there is something more curious yet about Ellis, who faces his biggest challenge this coming season in replacing Baron Davis as the Warriors' starting point guard. He has natural abilities most basketball players dream about, but he also has an incredible work ethic few can relate to.
"Monta is quietly confident, and it comes from getting his work done and not talking about it," said Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Chris Mullin, who drafted Ellis No. 40 overall in 2005.
"He shows up in the best shape every year. You don't keep improving as he has just because. He works at it."
There are plenty of athletes who overcame a lack of talent by working harder than everyone else. But not many combine special talent with a persistent grind to get better, as does Ellis. As a result, his three-year career has already produced a spectacular ascension from high-school hopeful and second round draft pick to franchise figure. That's why he was given a six-year, $66 million contract and the reins to the Warriors franchise.
Members of the organization are showing no concern about putting so much responsibility on Ellis' 22-year-old shoulders. Instead of spending the summer swimming in his newly acquired wealth, Ellis is already preparing to meet expectations. He is doggedly working on his ball handling this offseason and has plans to improve his endurance and strength by working out with trainer Virgil Hunter, boxing coach of undefeated super middleweight Andre Ward of Oakland.
“The scary part about him is he's going to get better. When hard work and talent come together, great things happen,” said Virgil Hunter.
He has a natural feel for the game you can't teach — he knows how and when to change gears and how to anticipate the help defense.
Still, it's his work ethic that has set Ellis apart. His hard work helped him improve his strength. "When he came to us, he was 160-165 pounds soaking wet," Warriors director of athletic development Mark Grabow said. "Now he's about 185 pounds and still about 5 or 6 percent body fat. He was able to put the right kind of weight on and increase his strength."
Credit Ellis' work ethic for his ability to dribble left and nail a midrange jumper with consistency. During his second and third seasons, he worked on both daily, with the results showing last season, when he averaged 20.2 points on 53 percent shooting.
"The way Monta practices," assistant coach Keith Smart said, "Monta goes at guys like he's playing for the world championships."
Of course, his new contract and increased responsibility certainly ups the expectations. Doubts persist about his ability to be as prolific a scorer as he was playing alongside point guard Baron Davis. There are worries about his ability to defend, especially against the pick-and-roll and bigger point guards.
But Mullin doesn't blink when confronted with these concerns.
"Anytime he's faced with any type of adversity or someone questioning his ability, he uses that as a motivating factor and turns it into a positive," Mullin said. "From where he was drafted to not playing much his rookie year, he's been faced with things already and has taken them head on. He's one of those motivated, mentally tough kind of guys. I have a lot of confidence in him."
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