Tigers#1
01-17-2006, 03:40 PM
Best coach stresses effort and defense
Three coaching giants -- Larry Brown, Phil Jackson and Pat Riley -- have dominated the headlines. But if there were any justice, the little guy in Memphis would be getting all that publicity.
Nobody has done a better job this season than Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello, but he is toiling under the radar. Fratello has his team jockeying for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, remarkably impressive after an offseason in which team president Jerry West jettisoned a load of talent (Jason Williams, James Posey, Bonzi Wells, Stromile Swift and Earl Watson).
The Grizzlies are doing it the way Fratello's teams always have done it: with defense. Memphis entered the week holding opponents to a league-low average of 86.7 points and stood fourth in field-goal percentage defense. The Grizzlies' strength is their ability to keep opponents out of the lane, and that keeps Pau Gasol and Lorenzen Wright from being exposed inside.
On offense, Fratello has a defined pecking order that starts with Gasol. It's a concept embraced in earnest now that Williams and Wells have been shown the door.
Fratello's critics call him arrogant and controlling, but there is no denying that when it comes to the effort meter, Memphis tilts far to the right.
Despite entering the season with more than 600 career wins, Fratello seldom is mentioned as one of the game's elite coaches. But if he has a few more seasons such as this one, the diminutive Fratello should start to get the large helping of credit he deserves.
Grading the rest
A's
Mike D'Antoni, Suns: A. He has the perfect temperament for an NBA coach.
Flip Saunders, Pistons: A. If Saunders has a flaw as a coach, it's a secret.
B's
Rick Carlisle, Pacers: B+. He absolutely, positively refuses to allow nonbasketball issues to affect his coaching style or his team's play.
Gregg Popovich, Spurs: B+. Popovich presides over the most functional locker room in the NBA.
Jerry Sloan, Jazz: B+. The mystery remains unsolved: How does Sloan continue to get his teams to play harder than most others?
Mike Dunleavy, Clippers: B. So far, Dunleavy has done a commendable job of distributing shots and minutes.
Phil Jackson, Lakers: B. It's not easy to coach Kobe Bryant, but all things considered, Jackson does it pretty well.
Byron Scott, Hornets: B. Most had the Hornets as Western Conference cellar dwellers. Instead, they're thinking playoffs.
Terry Stotts, Bucks: B. See? He wasn't nearly as bad as he looked with Atlanta.
Lawrence Frank, Nets: B-. The team leads the Atlantic Division, which is right where it should be.
C's
Larry Brown, Knicks: C+. After breaking the Knicks down in November and December, Brown has begun rebuilding.
Mike Brown, Cavaliers: C+. The Cavs have been somewhat stagnant after their 9-2 start.
Dwane Casey, Timberwolves: C+. Something is missing in Minnesota, and we're not talking about Sam Cassell or Latrell Sprewell.
Avery Johnson, Mavericks: C+. Johnson gets docked one full grade for his part in lobbying to acquire center Erick Dampier.
Maurice Cheeks, 76ers: C. He had a distinguished career as a player, but his coaching career? Somewhat indistinguishable.
George Karl, Nuggets: C. There always seem to be issues just under the surface with Denver, and sometimes Karl is one of them.
Sam Mitchell, Raptors: C. He's doing as much as he can with the roster he has.
Mike Montgomery, Warriors: C. Montgomery's strength as an NBA coach is yet to be determined.
Scott Skiles, Bulls: C. Squeezing 47 wins out of last season's far-from-perfect team increased expectations this season.
Jeff Van Gundy, Rockets: C. Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Bob Sura and Derek Anderson have been hurt. What's Van Gundy supposed to do?
Bernie Bickerstaff, Bobcats: C-. Injuries have hurt the Bobcats, but the team hasn't been able to build on early optimism.
Brian Hill, Magic: C-. You had to know Hill's walk-it-up style wasn't going to suit Steve Francis.
Eddie Jordan, Wizards: C-. Like Skiles, Jordan has been a victim of his team's overachieving ways last season.
Nate McMillan, Trail Blazers: C-. Any way you slice it, his team started the week with the worst record in the Western Conference.
D's
Rick Adelman, Kings: D+. He hasn't had a season this bad since he coached the Warriors in the mid-1990s.
Doc Rivers, Celtics: D. His best coaching job remains guiding a woefully thin Magic team to a 41-41 record in 1999-2000.
Mike Woodson, Hawks: D. He's probably not as bad as he looks with Atlanta.
Incompletes
Bob Hill, SuperSonics: Early returns indicate no discernible difference in the team's play since Hill took over for Bob Weiss.
Pat Riley, Heat: Riley will be judged by whether the Heat is playing in June.
Three coaching giants -- Larry Brown, Phil Jackson and Pat Riley -- have dominated the headlines. But if there were any justice, the little guy in Memphis would be getting all that publicity.
Nobody has done a better job this season than Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello, but he is toiling under the radar. Fratello has his team jockeying for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, remarkably impressive after an offseason in which team president Jerry West jettisoned a load of talent (Jason Williams, James Posey, Bonzi Wells, Stromile Swift and Earl Watson).
The Grizzlies are doing it the way Fratello's teams always have done it: with defense. Memphis entered the week holding opponents to a league-low average of 86.7 points and stood fourth in field-goal percentage defense. The Grizzlies' strength is their ability to keep opponents out of the lane, and that keeps Pau Gasol and Lorenzen Wright from being exposed inside.
On offense, Fratello has a defined pecking order that starts with Gasol. It's a concept embraced in earnest now that Williams and Wells have been shown the door.
Fratello's critics call him arrogant and controlling, but there is no denying that when it comes to the effort meter, Memphis tilts far to the right.
Despite entering the season with more than 600 career wins, Fratello seldom is mentioned as one of the game's elite coaches. But if he has a few more seasons such as this one, the diminutive Fratello should start to get the large helping of credit he deserves.
Grading the rest
A's
Mike D'Antoni, Suns: A. He has the perfect temperament for an NBA coach.
Flip Saunders, Pistons: A. If Saunders has a flaw as a coach, it's a secret.
B's
Rick Carlisle, Pacers: B+. He absolutely, positively refuses to allow nonbasketball issues to affect his coaching style or his team's play.
Gregg Popovich, Spurs: B+. Popovich presides over the most functional locker room in the NBA.
Jerry Sloan, Jazz: B+. The mystery remains unsolved: How does Sloan continue to get his teams to play harder than most others?
Mike Dunleavy, Clippers: B. So far, Dunleavy has done a commendable job of distributing shots and minutes.
Phil Jackson, Lakers: B. It's not easy to coach Kobe Bryant, but all things considered, Jackson does it pretty well.
Byron Scott, Hornets: B. Most had the Hornets as Western Conference cellar dwellers. Instead, they're thinking playoffs.
Terry Stotts, Bucks: B. See? He wasn't nearly as bad as he looked with Atlanta.
Lawrence Frank, Nets: B-. The team leads the Atlantic Division, which is right where it should be.
C's
Larry Brown, Knicks: C+. After breaking the Knicks down in November and December, Brown has begun rebuilding.
Mike Brown, Cavaliers: C+. The Cavs have been somewhat stagnant after their 9-2 start.
Dwane Casey, Timberwolves: C+. Something is missing in Minnesota, and we're not talking about Sam Cassell or Latrell Sprewell.
Avery Johnson, Mavericks: C+. Johnson gets docked one full grade for his part in lobbying to acquire center Erick Dampier.
Maurice Cheeks, 76ers: C. He had a distinguished career as a player, but his coaching career? Somewhat indistinguishable.
George Karl, Nuggets: C. There always seem to be issues just under the surface with Denver, and sometimes Karl is one of them.
Sam Mitchell, Raptors: C. He's doing as much as he can with the roster he has.
Mike Montgomery, Warriors: C. Montgomery's strength as an NBA coach is yet to be determined.
Scott Skiles, Bulls: C. Squeezing 47 wins out of last season's far-from-perfect team increased expectations this season.
Jeff Van Gundy, Rockets: C. Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Bob Sura and Derek Anderson have been hurt. What's Van Gundy supposed to do?
Bernie Bickerstaff, Bobcats: C-. Injuries have hurt the Bobcats, but the team hasn't been able to build on early optimism.
Brian Hill, Magic: C-. You had to know Hill's walk-it-up style wasn't going to suit Steve Francis.
Eddie Jordan, Wizards: C-. Like Skiles, Jordan has been a victim of his team's overachieving ways last season.
Nate McMillan, Trail Blazers: C-. Any way you slice it, his team started the week with the worst record in the Western Conference.
D's
Rick Adelman, Kings: D+. He hasn't had a season this bad since he coached the Warriors in the mid-1990s.
Doc Rivers, Celtics: D. His best coaching job remains guiding a woefully thin Magic team to a 41-41 record in 1999-2000.
Mike Woodson, Hawks: D. He's probably not as bad as he looks with Atlanta.
Incompletes
Bob Hill, SuperSonics: Early returns indicate no discernible difference in the team's play since Hill took over for Bob Weiss.
Pat Riley, Heat: Riley will be judged by whether the Heat is playing in June.