Snap out of it: Coach sends message by sitting Bulls point guard
If Skiles happens to be looking for a hand from old pal Sam Vincent, in his first year at the helm of the Charlotte Bobcats, he's looking in the wrong place. The two have been friends and rivals since their days in college, when they competed for time in Jud Heathcote's backcourt for Michigan State in the mid-1980s. They then battled for the starting point guard spot for the Orlando Magic in the team's initial year of existence and are looking forward to their first meeting as head coaches on Friday.
"Scott kind of jabbed at me over the summer during the Magic summer league because their summer league team beat ours. So I walked in the gym and he said, 'Ha ha, I'm up 1-0.' I said, 'No, not really, because you didn't coach the team and neither did I.' So we're definitely keeping track," Vincent said. "Everything between Scott and I since Michigan State has been competitive."
No one would've expected Vincent to have Charlotte in a better position than Skiles' Bulls -- especially since the new Bobcats leader had coached at the NBA level for a single season as an assistant in Dallas -- but he has proven to be a quick study. Truth be told, Vincent feels the coaching seed is planted in guys like him, Skiles and former boss Avery Johnson while they're still lacing them up.
"We understand the game a little bit differently," Vincent said. "The twos and threes are usually scorers. Same with the fours and fives. Everyone is playing a little bit different roles. Point guards usually are understanding so many additional things going on, and he's always got the coach in his ear.. .. I think that's just a natural pass-along as to why point guards become coaches."
Kirilenko regains place in Jazz orchestra
The revival of Andrei Kirilenko in the NBA didn't start off so well. After becoming the toast of Russia by winning the European Championships, he had to come back to Utah, another place that once toasted him, to resume his stint as fourth fiddle.
The Jazz ride on Carlos Boozer's back, piloted by Deron Williams. Mehmet Okur occupies the third spot on the totem pole, even if he hasn't shot it very straight since making the 2007 All-Star team.
Kirilenko missed three point-blank shots and added two more turnovers in the first four minutes of the season opener at Golden State, but he didn't hang his head. More important, coach Jerry Sloan didn't pull him.
He wound up playing 40 minutes, grabbed nine boards, dished out eight assists and blocked six shots. The Soviet stat-stuffer was back.
"He's been terrific," Sloan told New York reporters earlier this week. "His shooting hasn't been as good as I hope it eventually will be, but he has a lot of different things he does.
"We haven't done a very good job, probably, coaching him the last couple years. But I think, with that, he's done a better job this year -- and we've tried to do a better job coaching him. He's put in a lot of work. And I think if you have the ability to work, it gives you the ability to be able to forget about something wrong."
Translation: Kirilenko has stopped hanging his head about not being the man and has bought into the bigger picture, which is that Utah can be exceptional if it gets his unique contributions consistently.
No one on the roster can block shots like Kirilenko does. There are few athletes anywhere with his combination of length and dexterity. He has terrific instincts and sees the floor better than anyone on the squad, with the exception of Williams. Kirilenko can fit a pass between three bodies with a sniper's accuracy and does so while thinking on his feet. The one thing he doesn't do is shoot well, particularly from the perimeter, though it doesn't stop him from trying.
You learn to live with that from him, though, and it's made easier when the other aspects of his game are in full bloom. Who else is going to get you seven rebounds, five assists and nearly two steals and three blocks per night?
"I know that things can happen, and players can get upset with me or get upset with a coach -— and then struggle a little bit," Sloan said. "But you hope they fight back out of it. Give him credit for doing that."
Kirilenko knows his coach well enough to know that's the closest thing he'll get to a compliment. Through the season's opening month, that occasional pat on the back has been enough, helping keep Utah near the top of the loaded Western Conference.
Quote of the week
"This balances the energy. I'm looking for a balance across the board of energy, talent and skills. Whether or not this remains the way it is for a while, we'll just go with it." -- Pat Riley on his removal of Jason Williams and Ricky Davis from the Heat starting lineup in favor of Chris Quinn and Penny Hardaway.
A strengthened bench produced a season-high 66 points in Tuesday's 20-point victory over Charlotte, ensuring that this latest Riley experiment will see the light of day another time.
It's all well and good to find something to draw confidence from, but you can put me, my cat and AmericanAirlines Arena mix-master DJ Irie in the starting lineup next to Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade and, if those two are going right, Miami will have a great chance to win. Well, provided Kitty plays defense.
