Given new reality, Pat Riley longs for the old days

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2016/07/nba_notebook_given_new_reality_pat_riley_longs_for_the_old_days



NBA notebook: Given new reality, Pat Riley longs for the old days



Steve Bulpett


Sunday, July 24, 2016




Credit: Associated Press
IT’S LIKE THIS: Miami Heat president Pat Riley gestures during a news conference last weekend




Pat Riley may be pining for the 1980s even more these days after saying he regrets how he handled the process that led to Dwyane Wade leaving the Heat for Chicago. In a conversation with the Herald earlier this year, the former Lakers, Knicks and Heat coach seemed almost wistful of that earlier time — even though he benefited from the brave new world to acquire LeBron James, Chris Bosh and two championships.

But it’s clear Riley misses the battles with the Celtics and the type of players who populated it.

“It’s still there,” he said of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. “I see some of the Celtics, and I deal with Danny (Ainge) on regular basis, and I deal with Larry (Bird), and there’s still the edge between us. It’s never ever going to be really comfortable. I think you have to continue the respect of being part of a rivalry like that. Those go on forever.

“Unlike today’s players, we’ll always still carry it with us a little bit and never become bosom buddies or best friends. I think we’re all very privileged to have been part of such a great decade and part of a great rivalry that made all of us better — better as coaches, better as players — and gave us a real perspective about what it was that we learned from our parents and our coaches and the impact that others had on us and taught us when we got there.”

Riley then pivoted to the present, adding, “I look at today and to the attitude of a lot of the players and what they bring to the game and how they speak to the game and how they act around the game and what is so much more important to them than the game itself, and I’m really amazed at the kind of discipline that we all had, players especially, and how dedicated we were just to the game, just to winning. I don’t believe it’s that way today. I think all the players are dedicated to winning, but I think they’re going to do it a little bit more on their terms and want to try to achieve both. And I think that some of the great ones are going to get cheated out of it because they don’t really have an understanding about what the dedication is to basketball. But it was simpler for us to do it in the ‘80s, because there were fewer distractions. Coaches were able to handle a lot of that more easily than coaches today.

“It was a different approach, a different mentality. There weren’t any personal trainers. There weren’t any stretching coaches. If you worked out, you worked out with your teammates. You went up to the old gym at UCLA if you were in LA, and I’m sure they had a place they played up in Boston. When players came to training camp, they came in shape. They did not come to training camp out of shape. And guys never got hurt. We had two-a-days for 15 straight days.

“Today it’s just different. I believe that the players have become very soft mentally — not physically, but mentally in how they accept the fact that, if there’s an injury or a pull or if there’s a soreness, they’d better sit out, otherwise it’ll exacerbate itself and get worse. I think we’re in a transition period right now where there’s a lot of that, and I think it’s sort of hurt the game a little bit because players have a tendency to sort of say, ‘Not today, but maybe tomorrow.’ Or, ‘I’ve got an upset stomach and I can’t make it to practice.’ I never heard of that stuff back in the day. We just came and we did it.

“They’re able to compartmentalize in a way that we didn’t. We were all or nothing. When we lost, we were miserable. I’d yell and scream for 15 minutes and somebody else would yell and scream for 15 minutes every game we lost. Then we’d all go out together, stay overnight, get up the next morning, get breakfast and go play.”

Things were easier to handle, as well, because there were fewer people around the teams to deal with. The NBA has grown exponentially since the early 1980s.

“The ’70s and ’80s were a whole different league,” Riley said. “It’s a different (kind of) player now. It’s a different mindset. It’s all different marketing. There are a lot of agents and a lot of other voices involved. There’s a lot of things extraneously that really do get in the way more so than ever.

“When I started coaching in ’82, it was myself and (assistant coach) Bill Bertka and (trainer) Jack Curran. That was it. We were the only ones traveling with the team. We didn’t have equipment managers. It was us and (legendary broadcaster) Chick Hearn and 12 players. That was the traveling party.

“There were no entourages. There were no bodyguards. No cell phones. We had boom boxes on the bus, and guys would be singing along to Marvin Gaye songs. It was a different time. For me, it was a happier time, but I was also a younger man myself and I could relate to the players. But things have changed and everything has gotten a little skewed in a different direction.”


C’S BENTIL HAS MUCH TO PROVE

Ben Bentil never expected to last until the 51st pick in the draft, though his college coach, Ed Cooley, said: “Any time you end up getting drafted by the Boston Celtics, it’s worth the wait. . . . (But) I am surprised. I thought he’d go a little earlier than this, but that’ll fuel his fire, and he’s going to go at it.”

The question is whether Bentil should have been in the draft at all. Many NBA observers believe strongly he should have stayed with the Friars another year to work on his game and improve his stock.

“I think it was a difficult call because he had such a great year,” said Cooley. “He had a really good year, and I thought he had an opportunity, but somebody had to like him, you know what I mean? And I’m appreciative of the Celtics giving him an opportunity to show what he can do.

“Getting a roster spot there is going to be very difficult, but I think, given the opportunity, he’s tough, he can score and he’s really physical. And hopefully some physicality and some scoring from a frontcourt person is something that Danny (Ainge) and Coach (Brad) Stevens can use. He’s all of 6-81⁄2 flat-foot. He’s got a good wingspan and a great motor — a really, really good motor. I think he can add something to a team, and as he learns what the NBA game is about, I think he can improve.”


SULLINGER SAW IT COMING

Back on the night of April 28 — after the Celtics had lost Game 6 and been eliminated by Atlanta — forward Jared Sullinger was looking ahead to a summer he believed would allow him to land a deal a lot more profitable than the one-year, $5.6 million deal he signed with the Raptors — after the Celtics rescinded their qualifying offer and let him become an unrestricted free agent.

On that evening, however, he seemed to sense a change of address could be coming. Speaking of potential alterations to the roster, he said, “It’s definitely a hard part when you walk into this locker room and you see the same people every day. These guys are great. This is one of the best teams I’ve been a part of as far as just the community of the guys. We do a lot of things together.

“I really can’t speak on the future, but if I leave, it’s going to be tough walking away from great guys like we have in this locker room.”



bob


.

A master of his own destiny. Sad. when he first came to the Celtics, I thought they had a steal. He just could not open his eyes to see what would be ahead if he did not take care of his body and get into shape. His Dad could see what was coming I am sure, but Sully? Maybe he thought it would never happen. Good luck to him in Toronto. Maybe we will see him in much better shape after the money he lost.

bobheckler wrote:http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2016/07/nba_notebook_given_new_reality_pat_riley_longs_for_the_old_days



NBA notebook: Given new reality, Pat Riley longs for the old days



Steve Bulpett


Sunday, July 24, 2016




Credit: Associated Press
IT’S LIKE THIS: Miami Heat president Pat Riley gestures during a news conference last weekend




Pat Riley may be pining for the 1980s even more these days after saying he regrets how he handled the process that led to Dwyane Wade leaving the Heat for Chicago. In a conversation with the Herald earlier this year, the former Lakers, Knicks and Heat coach seemed almost wistful of that earlier time — even though he benefited from the brave new world to acquire LeBron James, Chris Bosh and two championships.

But it’s clear Riley misses the battles with the Celtics and the type of players who populated it.

“It’s still there,” he said of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. “I see some of the Celtics, and I deal with Danny (Ainge) on regular basis, and I deal with Larry (Bird), and there’s still the edge between us. It’s never ever going to be really comfortable. I think you have to continue the respect of being part of a rivalry like that. Those go on forever.

“Unlike today’s players, we’ll always still carry it with us a little bit and never become bosom buddies or best friends. I think we’re all very privileged to have been part of such a great decade and part of a great rivalry that made all of us better — better as coaches, better as players — and gave us a real perspective about what it was that we learned from our parents and our coaches and the impact that others had on us and taught us when we got there.”

Riley then pivoted to the present, adding, “I look at today and to the attitude of a lot of the players and what they bring to the game and how they speak to the game and how they act around the game and what is so much more important to them than the game itself, and I’m really amazed at the kind of discipline that we all had, players especially, and how dedicated we were just to the game, just to winning. I don’t believe it’s that way today. I think all the players are dedicated to winning, but I think they’re going to do it a little bit more on their terms and want to try to achieve both. And I think that some of the great ones are going to get cheated out of it because they don’t really have an understanding about what the dedication is to basketball. But it was simpler for us to do it in the ‘80s, because there were fewer distractions. Coaches were able to handle a lot of that more easily than coaches today.

“It was a different approach, a different mentality. There weren’t any personal trainers. There weren’t any stretching coaches. If you worked out, you worked out with your teammates. You went up to the old gym at UCLA if you were in LA, and I’m sure they had a place they played up in Boston. When players came to training camp, they came in shape. They did not come to training camp out of shape. And guys never got hurt. We had two-a-days for 15 straight days.

“Today it’s just different. I believe that the players have become very soft mentally — not physically, but mentally in how they accept the fact that, if there’s an injury or a pull or if there’s a soreness, they’d better sit out, otherwise it’ll exacerbate itself and get worse. I think we’re in a transition period right now where there’s a lot of that, and I think it’s sort of hurt the game a little bit because players have a tendency to sort of say, ‘Not today, but maybe tomorrow.’ Or, ‘I’ve got an upset stomach and I can’t make it to practice.’ I never heard of that stuff back in the day. We just came and we did it.

“They’re able to compartmentalize in a way that we didn’t. We were all or nothing. When we lost, we were miserable. I’d yell and scream for 15 minutes and somebody else would yell and scream for 15 minutes every game we lost. Then we’d all go out together, stay overnight, get up the next morning, get breakfast and go play.”

Things were easier to handle, as well, because there were fewer people around the teams to deal with. The NBA has grown exponentially since the early 1980s.

“The ’70s and ’80s were a whole different league,” Riley said. “It’s a different (kind of) player now. It’s a different mindset. It’s all different marketing. There are a lot of agents and a lot of other voices involved. There’s a lot of things extraneously that really do get in the way more so than ever.

“When I started coaching in ’82, it was myself and (assistant coach) Bill Bertka and (trainer) Jack Curran. That was it. We were the only ones traveling with the team. We didn’t have equipment managers. It was us and (legendary broadcaster) Chick Hearn and 12 players. That was the traveling party.

“There were no entourages. There were no bodyguards. No cell phones. We had boom boxes on the bus, and guys would be singing along to Marvin Gaye songs. It was a different time. For me, it was a happier time, but I was also a younger man myself and I could relate to the players. But things have changed and everything has gotten a little skewed in a different direction.”


C’S BENTIL HAS MUCH TO PROVE

Ben Bentil never expected to last until the 51st pick in the draft, though his college coach, Ed Cooley, said: “Any time you end up getting drafted by the Boston Celtics, it’s worth the wait. . . . (But) I am surprised. I thought he’d go a little earlier than this, but that’ll fuel his fire, and he’s going to go at it.”

The question is whether Bentil should have been in the draft at all. Many NBA observers believe strongly he should have stayed with the Friars another year to work on his game and improve his stock.

“I think it was a difficult call because he had such a great year,” said Cooley. “He had a really good year, and I thought he had an opportunity, but somebody had to like him, you know what I mean? And I’m appreciative of the Celtics giving him an opportunity to show what he can do.

“Getting a roster spot there is going to be very difficult, but I think, given the opportunity, he’s tough, he can score and he’s really physical. And hopefully some physicality and some scoring from a frontcourt person is something that Danny (Ainge) and Coach (Brad) Stevens can use. He’s all of 6-81⁄2 flat-foot. He’s got a good wingspan and a great motor — a really, really good motor. I think he can add something to a team, and as he learns what the NBA game is about, I think he can improve.”


SULLINGER SAW IT COMING

Back on the night of April 28 — after the Celtics had lost Game 6 and been eliminated by Atlanta — forward Jared Sullinger was looking ahead to a summer he believed would allow him to land a deal a lot more profitable than the one-year, $5.6 million deal he signed with the Raptors — after the Celtics rescinded their qualifying offer and let him become an unrestricted free agent.

On that evening, however, he seemed to sense a change of address could be coming. Speaking of potential alterations to the roster, he said, “It’s definitely a hard part when you walk into this locker room and you see the same people every day. These guys are great. This is one of the best teams I’ve been a part of as far as just the community of the guys. We do a lot of things together.

“I really can’t speak on the future, but if I leave, it’s going to be tough walking away from great guys like we have in this locker room.”



bob


.

A lot of generalities and self-absorption from  Pat Riley. It depends on the individual player. There have always been guys who lacked self-discipline; Shawn Kemp, Oliver Miller etc. Plenty ofplayers today are just as disciplined and team - oriented as they were in the 80s. Look at Crowder , Bradley and Smart.

bobheckler wrote:http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics/2016/07/nba_notebook_given_new_reality_pat_riley_longs_for_the_old_days



NBA notebook: Given new reality, Pat Riley longs for the old days



Steve Bulpett


Sunday, July 24, 2016




Credit: Associated Press
IT’S LIKE THIS: Miami Heat president Pat Riley gestures during a news conference last weekend




Pat Riley may be pining for the 1980s even more these days after saying he regrets how he handled the process that led to Dwyane Wade leaving the Heat for Chicago. In a conversation with the Herald earlier this year, the former Lakers, Knicks and Heat coach seemed almost wistful of that earlier time — even though he benefited from the brave new world to acquire LeBron James, Chris Bosh and two championships.

But it’s clear Riley misses the battles with the Celtics and the type of players who populated it.

“It’s still there,” he said of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. “I see some of the Celtics, and I deal with Danny (Ainge) on regular basis, and I deal with Larry (Bird), and there’s still the edge between us. It’s never ever going to be really comfortable. I think you have to continue the respect of being part of a rivalry like that. Those go on forever.

“Unlike today’s players, we’ll always still carry it with us a little bit and never become bosom buddies or best friends. I think we’re all very privileged to have been part of such a great decade and part of a great rivalry that made all of us better — better as coaches, better as players — and gave us a real perspective about what it was that we learned from our parents and our coaches and the impact that others had on us and taught us when we got there.”

Riley then pivoted to the present, adding, “I look at today and to the attitude of a lot of the players and what they bring to the game and how they speak to the game and how they act around the game and what is so much more important to them than the game itself, and I’m really amazed at the kind of discipline that we all had, players especially, and how dedicated we were just to the game, just to winning. I don’t believe it’s that way today. I think all the players are dedicated to winning, but I think they’re going to do it a little bit more on their terms and want to try to achieve both. And I think that some of the great ones are going to get cheated out of it because they don’t really have an understanding about what the dedication is to basketball. But it was simpler for us to do it in the ‘80s, because there were fewer distractions. Coaches were able to handle a lot of that more easily than coaches today.

“It was a different approach, a different mentality. There weren’t any personal trainers. There weren’t any stretching coaches. If you worked out, you worked out with your teammates. You went up to the old gym at UCLA if you were in LA, and I’m sure they had a place they played up in Boston. When players came to training camp, they came in shape. They did not come to training camp out of shape. And guys never got hurt. We had two-a-days for 15 straight days.

“Today it’s just different. I believe that the players have become very soft mentally — not physically, but mentally in how they accept the fact that, if there’s an injury or a pull or if there’s a soreness, they’d better sit out, otherwise it’ll exacerbate itself and get worse. I think we’re in a transition period right now where there’s a lot of that, and I think it’s sort of hurt the game a little bit because players have a tendency to sort of say, ‘Not today, but maybe tomorrow.’ Or, ‘I’ve got an upset stomach and I can’t make it to practice.’ I never heard of that stuff back in the day. We just came and we did it.

“They’re able to compartmentalize in a way that we didn’t. We were all or nothing. When we lost, we were miserable. I’d yell and scream for 15 minutes and somebody else would yell and scream for 15 minutes every game we lost. Then we’d all go out together, stay overnight, get up the next morning, get breakfast and go play.”

Things were easier to handle, as well, because there were fewer people around the teams to deal with. The NBA has grown exponentially since the early 1980s.

“The ’70s and ’80s were a whole different league,” Riley said. “It’s a different (kind of) player now. It’s a different mindset. It’s all different marketing. There are a lot of agents and a lot of other voices involved. There’s a lot of things extraneously that really do get in the way more so than ever.

“When I started coaching in ’82, it was myself and (assistant coach) Bill Bertka and (trainer) Jack Curran. That was it. We were the only ones traveling with the team. We didn’t have equipment managers. It was us and (legendary broadcaster) Chick Hearn and 12 players. That was the traveling party.

“There were no entourages. There were no bodyguards. No cell phones. We had boom boxes on the bus, and guys would be singing along to Marvin Gaye songs. It was a different time. For me, it was a happier time, but I was also a younger man myself and I could relate to the players. But things have changed and everything has gotten a little skewed in a different direction.”


C’S BENTIL HAS MUCH TO PROVE

Ben Bentil never expected to last until the 51st pick in the draft, though his college coach, Ed Cooley, said: “Any time you end up getting drafted by the Boston Celtics, it’s worth the wait. . . . (But) I am surprised. I thought he’d go a little earlier than this, but that’ll fuel his fire, and he’s going to go at it.”

The question is whether Bentil should have been in the draft at all. Many NBA observers believe strongly he should have stayed with the Friars another year to work on his game and improve his stock.

“I think it was a difficult call because he had such a great year,” said Cooley. “He had a really good year, and I thought he had an opportunity, but somebody had to like him, you know what I mean? And I’m appreciative of the Celtics giving him an opportunity to show what he can do.

“Getting a roster spot there is going to be very difficult, but I think, given the opportunity, he’s tough, he can score and he’s really physical. And hopefully some physicality and some scoring from a frontcourt person is something that Danny (Ainge) and Coach (Brad) Stevens can use. He’s all of 6-81⁄2 flat-foot. He’s got a good wingspan and a great motor — a really, really good motor. I think he can add something to a team, and as he learns what the NBA game is about, I think he can improve.”


SULLINGER SAW IT COMING

Back on the night of April 28 — after the Celtics had lost Game 6 and been eliminated by Atlanta — forward Jared Sullinger was looking ahead to a summer he believed would allow him to land a deal a lot more profitable than the one-year, $5.6 million deal he signed with the Raptors — after the Celtics rescinded their qualifying offer and let him become an unrestricted free agent.

On that evening, however, he seemed to sense a change of address could be coming. Speaking of potential alterations to the roster, he said, “It’s definitely a hard part when you walk into this locker room and you see the same people every day. These guys are great. This is one of the best teams I’ve been a part of as far as just the community of the guys. We do a lot of things together.

“I really can’t speak on the future, but if I leave, it’s going to be tough walking away from great guys like we have in this locker room.”



bob


.

Typical rant by an old timer about the good old days.


swish