you people are crazy. Did you forget that he single handledly got the raptors in the playoffs without Vince Carter. Sure he had a terrible last year there but who wouldn't with that Carterless team. It was so bad that he no longer care anymore. The bottomline is he will lead this Knicks Team to the playoffs because his record shows it. And the fact that he did coach Seattle to to their only NBA championship, albeit 25yrs ago, is icing on the cake. Not many guys can say they took their team all the way. Fratello being one of them.

Lenny Wilkens is the absolute worst chose!!! He is old as dirt and doesn't know squat about defense. Yes, he was chased of Toronto. He did a horrible job there. I am very disappointed!!!! He will be just as soft on defense as Chaney (probably even worse).

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Lenny Wilkins, who coached Seattle to the title in 1979, still has the desire to coach. Some say his style doesn't jibe with today's game.



The voice on the other end of the phone sounded distracted, almost lost.

"I'm in my car, somewhere in the South End," Lenny Wilkens said the other day. "But I've got time right now. You wanna talk? Let's talk."

I imagined Wilkens driving aimlessly through Kent and Federal Way neighborhoods. Perhaps he'd venture to Gig Harbor and wander around Fife for a few hours.

It was a terrible thought.

Still, it was the "I've got time" line that produced the image of Wilkens, the man who has won and lost more basketball games than any other NBA coach, sitting in his car, or worse, reclining in a rocking chair with nothing to do.

He says he misses basketball. The yearning isn't so bad now, but he suspects that in a couple of months it will become unbearable.

He wants another chance in the worst way. He says that after three decades, he still has more to give to the game and to the young men who play it.

"When I last talked to him, they were trying to get him out of there (Toronto), and I told him he didn't need this," said Cavs coach Paul Silas, a lifelong friend. "Why? Go on and enjoy your life. You made a lot of money.

"Coaches, just like players, have to know when to say when. But it's so different. As a coach, you don't have to get out there and compete. You have to have the respect of your players and know you can still do the job."

The Raptors wouldn't agree. After the 2002-03 season, they fired Wilkens, who had a year remaining on a contract that was to pay him $5 million this season.

He returned to the Northwest — the place of his greatest NBA triumph — to take a year off and tend to his home in Medina.

He will tour the rubber-chicken circuit and speak at a few engagements. He has spent a few days with the Washington Wizards, assisting new coach Eddie Jordan.

But mostly, Wilkens waits.

He says he doesn't think about retirement, but many say that he should. He also says he is unsure what he will do when he loses the desire to coach.

"I've been a coach for almost all of my adult life, and coaches belong on the sidelines," Wilkens said. "I think I'm still a good coach.

"I never thought about it (retirement), but I think I'm capable of doing a whole lot of things other than basketball. I have some business interest, but right now, I think I can coach."

His detractors — and a few of his friends — aren't convinced. The critics say that the 66-year-old Wilkens is too old and the game has passed him by.

They say he's lost touch with today's young stars, many of whom weren't alive when Wilkens guided the Sonics to an NBA title in 1979.

The recent trend among general managers seeking a coach is to hire former players between the ages of 30 and 40 with strong communicative skills. Nate McMillan, Doc Rivers, Byron Scott, Terry Porter and Maurice Cheeks had limited coaching experience in the NBA before assuming head-coaching positions.

The days of recycling great coaches appears to be coming to an end. Larry Brown will always be able to find work, but how many teams will hire Pat Riley if he ever leaves Miami? The reverence once given to the future Hall of Fame coach began to wane as his antiquated approach didn't produce the same results as it did with the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks.

Still, if the grandfatherly Hubie Brown can somehow lead a dysfunctional Memphis team into the playoffs, well, it will be hip to be old again.

Jerry Sloan, the patriarch of active NBA coaches, is working wonders with a bunch of pups in Utah, and Don Nelson in Dallas has recorded his 250th win with his third NBA team.

Only Wilkens has matched that feat, winning big with Seattle, Cleveland and Atlanta.

But when you coach four teams, as Wilkens said, it only means "that you've probably been fired four times."

He can joke about his past, but he's deadly serious about his future.

Wilkens wants back in.

He knows there are always a handful of coaching vacancies during the offseason, but finding a fifth team that will take a chance on him will be a challenge.

"I think it's killing him inside, but you'll never know," said Dennis Johnson, who played for Wilkens on the championship Sonics team. "That's just the way he is. The face that he'll give you is every bit as confident that next year, he'll be back in it."

Wilkens is asked if he'd consider changing his image, and again he laughed.

"Why would I do that?" he said. "I've been doing this too long to change. I know how to win games in this league. I'll stand by my record."

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com



Lenny's legacy
A look at Lenny Wilkens' regular-season coaching record:
Year Team W L Pct.
1969 Seattle 36 46 .439
1970 Seattle 38 44 .463
1971 Seattle 47 35 .573
1974 Portland 38 44 .463
1975 Portland 37 45 .451
1977 Seattle 42 18 .700
1978 Seattle 52 30 .634
1979 Seattle 56 26 .683
1980 Seattle 34 48 .415
1981 Seattle 52 30 .634
1982 Seattle 48 34 .585
1983 Seattle 42 40 .512
1984 Seattle 31 51 .378
1986 Cleveland 31 51 .378
1987 Cleveland 42 40 .512
1988 Cleveland 57 25 .695
1989 Cleveland 42 40 .512
1990 Cleveland 33 49 .402
1991 Cleveland 57 25 .695
1992 Cleveland 54 28 .659
1993 Atlanta 57 25 .695
1994 Atlanta 42 40 .512
1995 Atlanta 46 36 .561
1996 Atlanta 56 26 .683
1997 Atlanta 50 32 .610
1998 Atlanta 31 19 .620
1999 Atlanta 28 54 .341
2000 Toronto 47 35 .573
2001 Toronto 42 40 .512
2002 Toronto 24 58 .293
Career totals 1,292 1,114 .537
Source: NBA.com



[Edited by - TheSage on 01/15/2004 08:50:59]

and he's his teams have had 8 50+ win seasons. Fratello had 4 and started coaching ten years later. But the 4 Lenny had before Fratello started coaching is pretty damn good for a decade.

If we eliminate those years when he had teams that Moses could not have led out of the wilderness-his records would have been more like 21-6 which is pretty damn good considering he never had overpowering personnel ala Jackson and Riley.

That being said I can only hope that he will show some of his chip on the shoulder attitude from his Brooklyn roots. I do believe he, in his mind, has something to show and now he has some pieces to work with.

Can piece the puzzle together-using a potentially potent offense and instill a defensive psyche-time will tell

HARDCORE lol.... i see you figured out PLAYA's other personality !!! lol.... The other one is SIGMUD !!! lol... I over reacted to the news at first but now i know this was the right move !!!!!

I admit, I am a bit concerned about the laid back style of Lenny, but this helped and may help some others too.


From Steve Popper on msgnetwork.com


And despite the reputation of soft practices, the players who know him are convinced he will get this veteran roster to play, and that they will play defense like they used to.

“He was definitely a defense-first mentality,” Hardaway said. “Because we added Gary Payton to our team and I was already on the team - and he started Gary Payton over me because he was like, ‘We’re going with the Glove.’ Defensively. I was like, ‘I can play defense, too.’ I said this when I came here: When I played against the Knicks in the early 90’s, you couldn’t get a layup. You’d have to work really hard to get to the basket. That’s what we’re going to get back to.”


These are GOOD things! If this happens, NY will be fine.

Now I am waiting for IT to get someone to play the 4-5 with KT and Deke.

Please get Swift.

Posted by Snowman:

Just leave KVH alone HARDCORE !!!! We need this guy !! Back from injury and he drops 22 pts & 10 rebs !!!! Penny still got 13pts so leave him alone !!! lol..

Aw, damn... Just when I was trying to keep it positive... Grrr...

I will leave ya boy KVH alone long enough for Messiah Thomas to trade him for a real-deal low-post threat. Then Penny can play his spot. We won't miss a beat.

Don't get me wrong... I want Keith to play well and put up solid numbers- I want all of our bargaining chips to shine!!! LOL

Playa - you are right, a lot of us asked for a big time coach and Lenny doesnt fit the bill 100%. But he does bring many intangibles to the table that we didnt have before so lets not trash him before we see what he can do. I think Wilkins knows he has to get W's, he has proven in the past he can do that, Thomas is providing him with the personnel to achieve that goal.

In Atlanta he had scrubs, in Toronto all he had was Vince Carter who whined like a little b*#$h and sat out most of the season. Lets see what he can do with this roster - I give him 20 games, if he proves he can get this team to win then we are cool. This is not something that is going to be fixed overnight, a lot of changes have been made in the last 3 weeks - adjustments will have to be made and people will have to get used to the changes but the Knicks seem to be embracing all of this which will only help them in the long run.

Go NYK!

[Edited by - OasisBU on 01/15/2004 10:39:26]