Big Red A Big Fan Of Amir

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2015/07/celtics_beat_big_red_big_fan_of_amir




Celtics Beat: Big Red big fan of Amir
Coached Johnson with Pistons





Photo by: Christopher Evans
PAST MEETS PRESENT: Celtics great and Basketball Hall of Famer Dave Cowens (left) talks with one of the newest members of the Celtics, forward Amir Johnson, who was introduced at the team’s training facility in Waltham yesterday.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015
By:  Steve Bulpett




WALTHAM — When Amir Johnson walked into the gym at the Celtics practice facility, he was more than a little stunned to see NBA legend and former Pistons assistant coach Dave Cowens.

“I wasn’t expecting to see him there, but it was really nice,” Johnson said later — after the press conference formally introducing him and others.

Cowens, meanwhile, is a tad surprised to see Johnson on the Celtics roster, but, in line with Amir’s reaction, he thinks it’s really nice, as well.

The mellowed Big Redhead was on the Detroit staff when the club drafted Johnson as an 18-year-old out of Westchester High in Los Angeles in 2005.

“I’m glad he’s here,” said Cowens, who was at the facility working his basketball camp. “People are going to like him when they get to see him play regularly. I always did.

“He runs, and he’s a presence. When he’s in there, you’ve got to pay attention to him, because he’ll sneak in and make you look bad. He’s that kind of a guy.”

Cowens and Johnson renewed acquaintances after the press conference, with the latter shaking his head over the fact he’s now been in the NBA for 10 years. It has all gone by so fast, he said.

But Cowens could easily recall his initial impressions.

“You knew the first time you saw him that he was a real player,” he said. “I mean, right away. The guy could just do things.

“Like, I’ve never seen a guy just be able to take the ball and instinctively be able to hit guys who were getting open without even thinking about it — first day. There was nobody telling him what to do. He just kind of had a really good sense about passing the basketball and playing.”

Minutes were scarce for Johnson, what with the Pistons winning the NBA title in 2004 and falling in seven games to San Antonio in the ’05 Finals. But that didn’t change his outlook or work habits.

“He came in when we had a championship-caliber team, and you’ve got Rasheed (Wallace) busting on you in practice every day, talking to you,” Cowens said. “He didn’t say anything. He just played hard and played harder and took coaching.

“But sometimes there are players who can do things that you cannot teach, and he’s one of those guys. You could have someone work on something for 16 hours of drills and still not be able to do it instinctively the way he could right away. I mean, it was pretty neat to see that.”

Cowens believes Johnson will find a way to fit into the Celtics’ crowded frontcourt after leaving the Raptors to sign here as a free agent.

“He plays so hard and he’s such a quick jumper,” Cowens said. “He was our best offensive rebounder, for sure, on a team with some pretty good rebounding guys. But he was right out of high school, so he was a little bit thinner than he is now and he didn’t have the playing chops. But he could do some things.

“And he’s such a good kid, too. I had a lot of fun with him. He’s a nice young fella.”

Cowens worked with all the Detroit big men on their games, and he had some additional lessons for someone in Johnson’s situation.

“I was 18 years old,” Johnson said. “I was a kid, and he was teaching me about the NBA. I’ve used the things he taught me. Hey, I’ve made it this far. But I learned a lot from him.”

The fact Johnson continued to work and learn has not gone unnoticed.

“I watched him play in Toronto,” Cowens said. “He’s shooting the ball a little bit better. He wouldn’t take many shots when he was starting out in Detroit, but he’s not afraid at all now. He worked at it and became a better shooter.

“If you haven’t seen him play much, he’s going to be fun to watch. He’s very entertaining because he plays hard.”

That last sentence is an apt description of Cowens, who entertainingly played hard all the way to the Hall of Fame. Among the honors on his metaphorical drive west on Interstate 90 was the retiring of his No. 18 by the Celtics. Earlier in the day, Johnson had spoken of the difficulty settling on a number here because of all those taken out of service.

But he didn’t have to be told of Cowens’ digits on the original banner from the old Garden that hangs on the wall of the practice court here.

“I knew it was his,” Johnson said of 18. “Absolutely he made sure we knew that when we came in here. And every time we came to Boston, he needed every ticket he could get, so I made sure I gave him my tickets.”

This year, Cowens will get to sit in the stands, relax and watch the kid turned man he got to know 10 years ago. He is very happy about this development and believes those who follow the club will feel similarly.



bob
MY NOTE:  This should take a little steam out of Cowens' disappointment Danny didn't sign a bigger name this summer.  If Big Red likes him, he's probably anything but a slacker or actor.

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