Subj : Notes From The Finals To : All From : Ed Grinnell Date : Sat Jun 10 2000 05:36 am * Crossposted in NBA_ECHO * Crossposted in SPORTS I'm so tired of reporters calling for the end of Hack-A-Shaq and changing the rules. Why not go back to the days when one player shot free throws for the entire team....:-^ If Shaq didn't have to worry about free throws, he'd be a lesser player. He HAD to work harder on his free throws and he worked harder on other parts of his game. If he didn't have to do anything other than score, he'd be just another player. When Michael Jordan couldn't jump over his opponents as often as he could when he was younger, he developed his mid-range and long-range shots and became an even greater threat and player. The only person who can end Hack-A-Shaq is O'Neal, himself. If he proves that he is able to shoot free throws with any kind of regularity, opponents will stop going to the strategy. If the reporters don't like the way the game is being played then they should hope that O'Neal gets better as a shooter and shut up about changing the game. **** Ventre's back on the bandwagon. The guy bounces on and off so much that you have to wonder if he's got whiplash. He ripped Phil for the way that he reacted to the team's blowout loss to the Trailblazers. What was Jackson supposed to do and if Ventre's so smart then why isn't he coaching the Lakers? Jackson believes in preparing his team for the game and that when things go bad, you don't panic and call a time out; you let them play through it and only call a timeout when you can sense that they're not going to right the ship. Why do Jackson's charges love him? He treats them like men and doesn't go off the deep end like some other coaches. He lets them know what he's thinking without blowing up and they respect that and they play a lot harder for him than they would for anyone else. **** Do you have NBA.COM TV or CNBC? If you are on the press's side when they jump all over players or coaches for their actions or the way that they treat the press then tune into these stations for the after-game press conferences. If you think that Bobby Knight is a butthead because of the way that he treats the press then you should have to sit through these press conferences to see how stupid these guys are. I used to have a lot of respect for coaches and players because of all the crap they took from questions you saw on the local sports broadcasts but with the advent of cable, I've gotten even more respect for them because of the crap you DON'T hear if you don't have cable. I find myself screaming at the TV because of all the stupid questions and comments and wonder how in the hell these guys have the balls to bitch about the players and coaches. To be honest, if it wasn't for the NBA mandate, none of these guys would show up for these press conferences. **** I can't believe all the flack that Jordan's taken for losing Jarvis. Jarvis hasn't done anything to warrant as high a salary as he wanted and I don't think that he can deal with the Wizards as well as Leonard Hamilton. Leonard has taken over two programs, Oklahoma State and Miami, that were at the bottom and took them to respectibility. Jarvis has had an impressive record, however; I don't think that he's as ready for the adversity that Hamilton is. Leonard will find a way to make the Wizard's a winner and I believe that he will do it with a lot of different players than his predecessors were saddled with. Jordan's moves may not make him friends among the Washington press, especially those that are in love with Jarvis from his GW days, however; he is getting the franchise moving in the right direction. Jarvis has no experience with the pros and yet, he wanted the kind of powers that Riley and Jackson enjoy. For that kind of money and power, you hire a Riley or Jackson, not a Jarvis or Hamilton. Jordan knows the importance of building an ORGANIZATION (One reason why he got Unseld to give up his power with the WNBA team. The Mystics were even more laughable than the Wizards and they needed new management) and while the press has derided his efforts, I think that he's made some good choices. The best thing about putting the power in management's hands and not the coach's is that if the coach leaves, your next coach may not handle personnel as well. Also, you can tweak the front office year after year to get the right combination. With the wrong coach, you're strapped for years with his personnel decisions (or more importantly, stupid signings). I believe that a coach should have maximum input when it comes to the draft and going after free agents but that he shouldn't be involved one bit with signing ANYONE. All too often a coach has to turn off GM mode when dealing with a holdout and HOPE that the player doesn't resent the way that negotiations went. I believe that the Lakers have the best setup because West takes all the flack from the players while Jackson gets the players that he wants. **** Who should get the Pacer's job? I personally think that Scott should. I really hate to kick a guy when he's down but I really lost a lot of respect for Carlisle for tripping Sprewell. I just don't see WHY he would do it and it shows a total lack of maturity on his part. I'm no fan of Sprewell, however; I don't feel that he deserved to be tripped. What really gets me is the total lack of outrage on the press's part. If that had been Bobby Knight, you'd have heard them calling for his suspension. **** Speaking of coaches, I think that it's time for Toronto to part with theirs. Butch Carter is making no friends in the organization and has the respect of NONE of his players. I don't believe that players have to love or even like their coaches, however; they do need to respect them. --- TrekEd 1.00 * Origin: Orlando will be no problem - M.J. (1:170/1701) .