Marv wrote:

Allanfan20 wrote:

Moonangie wrote:

Marv wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:Sucks to be Randolph.

nah. guy's got a great opportunity and a great talent base to rise to it. he's gotta focus, learn, apply, persevere. earn his way. it's life challenges. what sucks about that?

Word. This is called motivational coaching. It's something MDA has not done too often because he has never ben big on the Yoots. But I think in Randolph, he sees it as a worthwhile endeavor. I expect AR will rise to the challenge, but it will take time and experience.

It's a great opportunity for him.

Coaches don't coach to motivate. These are NBA players, not high school students feeling lazy on a rainy day. They all know the rewards and the implications. Motivation isn't and shouldn't be a coaches job. It's up to the players to do that themselves, and if they can't then they shouldn't be on this team.

that's a cliche and i don't think it's true. the great coaches are psychologists out there. look at pops, riley, zenmaster.

So you really really really think Magic, Jabbar, MJ, Ewing, Shaq, Wade, Kobe, Duncan, Parker, Manu et all needed these motivational speeches in order to perform well. NO. It might make them feel lighter on their feet for the first minute or 2 of the game, but it's still all on the players.

Coaches don't have time to motivate.

Moonangie wrote:

Allanfan20 wrote:

Moonangie wrote:

Marv wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:Sucks to be Randolph.

nah. guy's got a great opportunity and a great talent base to rise to it. he's gotta focus, learn, apply, persevere. earn his way. it's life challenges. what sucks about that?

Word. This is called motivational coaching. It's something MDA has not done too often because he has never ben big on the Yoots. But I think in Randolph, he sees it as a worthwhile endeavor. I expect AR will rise to the challenge, but it will take time and experience.

It's a great opportunity for him.

Coaches don't coach to motivate. These are NBA players, not high school students feeling lazy on a rainy day. They all know the rewards and the implications. Motivation isn't and shouldn't be a coaches job. It's up to the players to do that themselves, and if they can't then they shouldn't be on this team.

Coaching doesn't involve motivating men? That's a really "interesting" point-of-view. I have no idea how you can think such a thing. Do you propose that the only impact a coach has on his players involves Xs and Os? Do you think team-building is simply a matter of saying Player X do this, Player Y go here, etc.?

IMO, the prime task for ANY coach is motivational. The Xs and Os are tactically important, but real success comes from building a cohesive team and motivating them to rise above their individual talents.

Check out Pat Riley's "The Winner Within" for a lot more ideas about this thing called "motivation".

I understand what you are saying, but what makes you think it's all on the coach to do that? When it comes to the NBA, these guys have coaches, players, agents, executives, fans, media family and friends all telling them how good they can be. If they are working hard to reach their potential is that really on the coach? If they aren't working hard, is that really on the coach? If a guy is the type of player who never in his life went all out on defense, and suddenly plays for a coach who is expected to get the team to play defense, but that player doesn't, that's on the coach? Come on now, I find that entirely difficult to believe.

In high school and college, it's different. These are players at completely lower levels. However, this is the top of the top, where the money flows like it grows on trees and jobs are at risk as are championships and careers.

Tell me HOW the coach should be motivating these guys. By yelling? We see D'Antoni do that all of the time. By shouting "Play defense!" By checking over these guys shoulders like they are children? By saying "You can be so good if you work this hard!" That's too trivial for me to be honest.Maybe studies would have to be done in order to prove this, but I just find it IMPOSSIBLE to believe that the coaches should be the one to motivate these guys.

Allanfan20 wrote:

Moonangie wrote:

Allanfan20 wrote:

Moonangie wrote:

Marv wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:Sucks to be Randolph.

nah. guy's got a great opportunity and a great talent base to rise to it. he's gotta focus, learn, apply, persevere. earn his way. it's life challenges. what sucks about that?

Word. This is called motivational coaching. It's something MDA has not done too often because he has never ben big on the Yoots. But I think in Randolph, he sees it as a worthwhile endeavor. I expect AR will rise to the challenge, but it will take time and experience.

It's a great opportunity for him.

Coaches don't coach to motivate. These are NBA players, not high school students feeling lazy on a rainy day. They all know the rewards and the implications. Motivation isn't and shouldn't be a coaches job. It's up to the players to do that themselves, and if they can't then they shouldn't be on this team.

Coaching doesn't involve motivating men? That's a really "interesting" point-of-view. I have no idea how you can think such a thing. Do you propose that the only impact a coach has on his players involves Xs and Os? Do you think team-building is simply a matter of saying Player X do this, Player Y go here, etc.?

IMO, the prime task for ANY coach is motivational. The Xs and Os are tactically important, but real success comes from building a cohesive team and motivating them to rise above their individual talents.

Check out Pat Riley's "The Winner Within" for a lot more ideas about this thing called "motivation".

I understand what you are saying, but what makes you think it's all on the coach to do that? When it comes to the NBA, these guys have coaches, players, agents, executives, fans, media family and friends all telling them how good they can be. If they are working hard to reach their potential is that really on the coach? If they aren't working hard, is that really on the coach? If a guy is the type of player who never in his life went all out on defense, and suddenly plays for a coach who is expected to get the team to play defense, but that player doesn't, that's on the coach? Come on now, I find that entirely difficult to believe.

In high school and college, it's different. These are players at completely lower levels. However, this is the top of the top, where the money flows like it grows on trees and jobs are at risk as are championships and careers.

Tell me HOW the coach should be motivating these guys. By yelling? We see D'Antoni do that all of the time. By shouting "Play defense!" By checking over these guys shoulders like they are children? By saying "You can be so good if you work this hard!" That's too trivial for me to be honest.Maybe studies would have to be done in order to prove this, but I just find it IMPOSSIBLE to believe that the coaches should be the one to motivate these guys.

I think the main job a coach has in

a) constructing a defensive scheme that works (duh)
b) somehow getting all the players to buy in (team leaders have to help out of course)

coaches get paid millions to do this.

obviously if a player just doesn't want to play defense he won't but i'd like to think there aren't that many NBA players who will just straight up refuse to play defense.

I think having veterans/stars/leaders step up and hold the young bucs accountable really helps. if your highest paid player has an attitude and doesn't want to put effort into learning the team D , that hurts a ton obviously.

in a dream scenario Tom Thibodeau and MDA are co-coaches, Amare and all the other vets step up and keep everyone in line and our defense looks like the celts D looked.

Amare has a rep for kind of not caring about/being lost on D. Hopefully he is working on that or it was just overblown by the media. I have already observed him kind of floating on defense. not boxing out, etc. but hopefully that was just due to being extra tired from traveling to Italy?

And for the record under d'antoni what young guy has not improved? Where is this notion that he can't develop players come from?

martin wrote:

Marv wrote:

Allanfan20 wrote:

Moonangie wrote:

Marv wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:Sucks to be Randolph.

nah. guy's got a great opportunity and a great talent base to rise to it. he's gotta focus, learn, apply, persevere. earn his way. it's life challenges. what sucks about that?

Word. This is called motivational coaching. It's something MDA has not done too often because he has never ben big on the Yoots. But I think in Randolph, he sees it as a worthwhile endeavor. I expect AR will rise to the challenge, but it will take time and experience.

It's a great opportunity for him.

Coaches don't coach to motivate. These are NBA players, not high school students feeling lazy on a rainy day. They all know the rewards and the implications. Motivation isn't and shouldn't be a coaches job. It's up to the players to do that themselves, and if they can't then they shouldn't be on this team.

that's a cliche and i don't think it's true. the great coaches are psychologists out there. look at pops, riley, zenmaster.

But you would submit there is a big difference between outright motivating your guys to give effort versus motivating your guys in a way to get over to the championship level. Clearly 2 different things.

yup they’re different things, but i think they both occur. coaches can and do motivate effort imo.

One way is through behavior modification, or good old-fashioned reward and punishment. you do x to get y. x can be training, #'s of hustle plays, #'s of contested shots, box outs, whatever behavior you’re trying to increase that the guy hasn't demonstrated motivation for. y can be minutes, # of shots or plays called for him, etc.

As for the coach. There are some VERY successful quiet man coaches. It's not really absolutely necessary that the coach be a big time motivator. It can help but when I think of the real rah rah coaches, I don't include Phil Jackson or a Rick Adelman. Some guys are more slick in how they get thru to their players. The enthusiasm that MDA teams of the past played with came from having success and trusting in what he asked them to do. Eventually kids like AR will start to pick up their understanding of the game and will figure out where they fit. Then we'll see some really good BB. Mike has to get a chance to see a lot of his new players to figure out what they can and can't do. To figure out how to use these guys and give them roles that they will excel at. He did this with Diaw, Barbosa, Jared, Lee etc. I fully expect that he'll find ways to use the wealth of talent we have now. It just may not be right away. AR is a long term project and I believe he's worth waiting on.

that he is a 6'11 gazelle

who can put the ball on the floor

running nearly at full speed.

unpacking his bags

getting comfortable in the big city,

a long way from Little Rock Arkansas

Looking forward to the reaction he will receive

the first time he pins a running jumper on the glass

at the world's most famous arena

they way he will look up and flash his shy smile

towards adoring fans in the bright lights

after he dunks in traffic

his over the calf socks

fresh as a pair of new silk thick-and-thins (that's old school, ask Clyde)

embrace your inner Anthony Randolph

close your eyes

and remember what it felt when you turned 21

Bippity10 wrote:Fishmike unfortunately for randolph d'antoni is being judged by team performance and not developing anyone in particular. In that situation dantoni is going to have less patience becausd in the end he will be fired for x amount of losses, not how far randolph has gone

CrushAlot wrote:My biggest fear is that Randolph is turning into a player D'Antoni doesn't want to deal with despite his talent. Yesterday Isola compared Randolph's potential to Nate's and today Berman wrote an article saying that Randolph may not be in the rotation. I know I am a D'Antoni pessimist but I have seen D'Antoni sit guys that were young and talented for no logical reason. I love Randolph's potential but if D'Antoni is unwilling or unable to work with him Walsh should package him in a trade to get Paul or Melo or some other star that doesn't need to be coached.

(cough)

crzymdups wrote:AR needs to stop trying to be a superstar and just focus on being a solid rotation player. He's trying to get to point A without first hitting points D, C and B. Patience is required all around. This is already starting to remind me of Marcus Camby's first season with the Knicks. Patience. He's going to be good and I hope it happens here.

Randolph thinks he is better than he actually is. This reminds me of when Josh Smith though he was a shooter. Some guys should just stick to what they do well and Randolph currently is one of those guys.

I dont mind patience but Amare's knees cant wait for Randolph to develop.