Dumars, Pistons Give Curry the Boot

After one turbulent season at the helm in Detroit, the Michael Curry era has come to an abrupt end. Even after earning a playoff berth.

Say what you will about Joe Dumars, the Pistons President of Basketball Operations, does not hesitate pulling out the axe on coaches. The list of Dumars’ other victims is pretty impressive - Larry Brown, Flip Saunders and Rick Carlisle.
The problems for Curry started when the Pistons traded Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson.

Curry proceeded to send Rip Hamilton to the bench in order to accommodate Iverson’s need for the rock, which led to an irreparable relationship with one of the main ingredients from the Pistons championship squad. From the outside looking in I always felt that Rodney Stuckey should’ve been the bench option just to satisfy two established veterans.

Which leads me to my next talking point …

People criticize coaching icons such as Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, with the tired phrase –“they win because they have the best players.” Nothing irks me more than this statement because nine times out of ten championships are won by the best players.

Leaving that foolishness alone, let me get back to my point.

Where Jackson and Riley earn their money isn’t all about X’s and O’s. They’ve been able to manage the egos of the all time greats. Riley had to convince Kareem, Magic and Worthy to accept their roles. Kareem, at the tail end of an illustrious career, had to accept that Magic was going to get more ink – Worthy more shot attempts.

Jackson had to deal with the unpredictable Dennis Rodman (off the court) during his Chicago Bull years and the always volatile relationship between Shaq & Kobe with Los Angeles.

To me, that’s what coaching is about. Game planning, instilling discipline, relationship building and managing egos. Curry had a full season to make things right with Rip, didn’t, and that frosty locker room ultimately led to his dismissal.

Lang
Lang.Greene-at-gmail.com
http://twitter.com/hoopsvine