04-23-2008, 08:01 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 5,786
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Hunt: Skiles style should pay off
Quote:
St. Francis - Scott Skiles was resettling into his unadorned office Tuesday afternoon when he got another text message, this one from his good friend and predecessor Larry Krystkowiak, with whom Skiles was planning to have dinner at the Krystkowiak home.
The menu was changing, Krystkowiak wanted Skiles to know. No lobster. But that was OK. Who wouldn't want to have dinner with Krystkowiak?
The former Milwaukee Bucks coach is a terrific human being. But so are Terry Stotts and Terry Porter. Problem was, none was ready to be an NBA head coach, as much the organization's fault as anything. And in Krystkowiak's case, the front office was surprised that he wasn't tougher on the players in the little more than one season he lasted in the job.
So here comes Skiles, the new sheriff in town, no more Mr. Nice Guy and all that.
He was a tough guy when he led little Plymouth High to an unlikely Indiana state championship. He was a tough guy when he played at Michigan State. He was a tough guy when he played for six professional teams, including the Bucks. And he was a tough guy when he coached the Phoenix Suns and the Chicago Bulls.
That is precisely what the Bucks need at the moment, a tough guy who will restore discipline and accountability in a locker room where there has been virtually none since George Karl dropped the hammer almost daily during the 2000-'01 season. Among the other problems, the inmates have been running that asylum for far too long.
Whether the fifth coach since 2003 will finally turn this mess around remains to be seen, but for now Skiles appears to be the smart choice, the sensible choice, even if new general manager John Hammond immediately put himself on the line by interviewing no one else.
In the meantime, Skiles has a request.
"I want to make sure I'm not getting branded something I'm not," he said.
Maybe those who saw him coach and play perceive Skiles to be some kind of fire-breathing ogre. He's not that, although truth be told, the Bucks could use all the tough love they could get right about now.
"On the other hand, I don't want to be apologetic because I have a philosophy that I like to stick out there," Skiles said. "I want it adhered to, but you have to be flexible. These are talented individuals. You can't put people in a box. That will never work."
It's a terribly fine line NBA coaches walk. Too nice, like the last three in Milwaukee, and players will walk all over you. Too harsh, like Karl in the latter days, and they will quit on you.
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http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=742603
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Hunt: Skiles style should pay off
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