Post by ocelot on Apr 24, 2007 23:27:21 GMT -5
Sam Michell Wins NBA Coach of the Year
TORONTO (CP) - Sam Mitchell received some words of advice long ago that he's carried with him throughout his career. It was 1985 and Mitchell was in the process of getting cut from his first NBA gig with the Houston Rockets.
''I was the last cut, I had tears in my eyes, (Bill Fitch) called me into the room,'' Mitchell recalled Tuesday. ''He told me, `If you want something, you've just got to keep your head down and stay focused, but don't let me or anyone else tell you what you can or can't be.'
''I sat back and really appreciated those words, because maybe without those words I would have given up.''
Obviously it was a lesson well-learned as Mitchell was named the NBA's coach of the year Tuesday, a year after he was voted the worst coach in an unofficial poll of players in Sports Illustrated.
''`Ye of little faith' .. that defines sometimes someone having the fortitude to stick to their gameplan, about their own inner confidence, and I think Sam has that,'' NBA commissioner David Stern said at halftime of the Raptors' playoff game against the New Jersey Nets at the Air Canada Centre.
There were plenty of times over his past three seasons the 43-year-old could have called it quits.
But Mitchell managed to parlay his rocky start with the squad into the Raptors' first division title in club history, their first playoff appearance in five seasons, and a franchise record-tying 47-win season.
He was able to brush aside worries he'd be fired after a 2-8 start this year _ he's in the final year of his contract _ to lead the team to a 20-game turnaround from a bleak 2005-06. It was the biggest about-face in the league this season.
And he managed to fashion all this success despite the arrival of a new GM, and despite a huge player overhaul that brought nine new faces to the team this season.
''It's a little bit embarrassing,'' the third-year coach said. ''It's very humbling considering the things we've been through.
''It's a great honour, it kind of floors you. You're thankful, and words just can't express it.''
Mitchell was presented with the Red Auerbach Trophy before Tuesday's Game 2 of the Raptors' Eastern Conference quarter-final series against the Nets. Mitchell motioned for his players to join him at centre court for the presentation, and he and all-star forward Chris Bosh shared a long embrace.
Mitchell won in a decisive vote over Utah's Jerry Sloan, picking up 49 first-place votes for a total of 394 points in balloting by 128 basketball writers and broadcasters. Sloan had 301 points, followed by Dallas' Avery Johnson with 268. Johnson won the award last year.
''Sam has done a phenomenal job,'' said Nets coach Lawrence Frank. ''To have a 20-win turnaround and also to deal with what he's had to deal with.
''I know the beginning of the year, a lot was made with him going into the last year of his contract. For him to show the type of poise and composure he showed I think it's well deserved.''
Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo applauded Mitchell's ability to get the most out of a team one year removed from finishing 28 games under .500.
''I think Sam has said it best,'' said Colangelo. ''He's said, `I really haven't changed.' But the team has changed and Sam has taken the new faces and blended them together. That's a very difficult task when you're talking about a new group of people coming together.
''Sam's intensity level and focus has picked up and his staff seems to be much more engaged this year .. It just seems there is much more of a focus.''
Mitchell is looking at free agency after the season ends and he's sure to be hotly pursued. Rumours have swirled that he could be headed to Charlotte. The 43-year-old didn't want to talk about his future Tuesday when asked if the award would help him get a new deal.
''No, because it's not about me,'' said the coach. ''It's about the players, the coaches, the organization. . .''
Colangelo said he and Mitchell would address the situation in the off-season.
''We've said sit down at end of the season, the end of the season is when the playoffs are over,'' said Colangelo. ''We certainly wouldn't start that process right now .. I don't think Sam's worried about it right now, I don't think the players are worried about it and I'm certainly not worried about it.
''But it will be a priority as soon as things pass here. Once we have a chance to sit down, we'll size up whether or not we're on the same page. Our intention is to have Sam back as coach."
Mitchell admitted there were times earlier this season when he wondered if he would even be here now. The 2-8 opening to the year led to rampant rumours that Mitchell wasn't long for Toronto.
''In professional sports in general, when you're not winning and you're expected to win, yeah, you start to question that,'' said Mitchell. ''You have to have confidence in your beliefs and that you're doing the right things, you have to believe that it's going to turn around.''
It did, thanks to a massive off-season overhaul during which Colangelo brought in nine new faces.
The result was a multicultural mix that included two Spaniards in Jorge Garbajosa and Jose Calderon, Italian big man Andrea Bargnani, a pair of Slovenians in Rasho Nesterovic and Uros Slokar, and Anthony Parker, who'd been toiling for five seasons with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv.
But from Day 1, Mitchell refused to talk about his squad's diversity, taking a team-first approach, and Parker praised Mitchell on Tuesday for developing such a strong sense of unity.
''From the summer after I signed, (Mitchell's) focus was trying to get us all in and get the chemistry going early because we were behind most teams with so many new players coming to the team,'' said Parker. ''Through the season, we seemed to come together pretty nicely and Sam obviously was a huge part of that.''
Mitchell takes a tough-love approach, but he's learned over his three seasons which players he can push hard and which ones need a softer touch.
Bosh, one of three remaining players from Mitchell's rookie season, has seen him grow as a coach.
''I think just his maturity, how he handles everything,'' Bosh said. ''Last year and the year before last, he tended to get a little emotional and let his emotions get the best of him. Now, he's a little bit more composed and he takes his time and he handles a lot of situations better.''
He's also known for his free-flowing style. He's not a big believer in micromanaging his players, he rarely calls plays. Instead, he provides a framework in which they function and then he hands them the ball.
No individual is bigger than the team.
And so in fitting fashion Tuesday, Mitchell credited his players with his coaching award, saying, ''It's not about any one of us, it's about all of us.''
''Those guys in the locker-room have a lot to do with this. We have 15 great individuals in that room, I love them all. They deserve this as much as I do,'' he said.
''The unfortunate thing is, those guys should be sitting here beside me because without those guys, none of this is possible. They allow me to be tough when I need to be tough and still come out and perform and play.''
TORONTO (CP) - Sam Mitchell received some words of advice long ago that he's carried with him throughout his career. It was 1985 and Mitchell was in the process of getting cut from his first NBA gig with the Houston Rockets.
''I was the last cut, I had tears in my eyes, (Bill Fitch) called me into the room,'' Mitchell recalled Tuesday. ''He told me, `If you want something, you've just got to keep your head down and stay focused, but don't let me or anyone else tell you what you can or can't be.'
''I sat back and really appreciated those words, because maybe without those words I would have given up.''
Obviously it was a lesson well-learned as Mitchell was named the NBA's coach of the year Tuesday, a year after he was voted the worst coach in an unofficial poll of players in Sports Illustrated.
''`Ye of little faith' .. that defines sometimes someone having the fortitude to stick to their gameplan, about their own inner confidence, and I think Sam has that,'' NBA commissioner David Stern said at halftime of the Raptors' playoff game against the New Jersey Nets at the Air Canada Centre.
There were plenty of times over his past three seasons the 43-year-old could have called it quits.
But Mitchell managed to parlay his rocky start with the squad into the Raptors' first division title in club history, their first playoff appearance in five seasons, and a franchise record-tying 47-win season.
He was able to brush aside worries he'd be fired after a 2-8 start this year _ he's in the final year of his contract _ to lead the team to a 20-game turnaround from a bleak 2005-06. It was the biggest about-face in the league this season.
And he managed to fashion all this success despite the arrival of a new GM, and despite a huge player overhaul that brought nine new faces to the team this season.
''It's a little bit embarrassing,'' the third-year coach said. ''It's very humbling considering the things we've been through.
''It's a great honour, it kind of floors you. You're thankful, and words just can't express it.''
Mitchell was presented with the Red Auerbach Trophy before Tuesday's Game 2 of the Raptors' Eastern Conference quarter-final series against the Nets. Mitchell motioned for his players to join him at centre court for the presentation, and he and all-star forward Chris Bosh shared a long embrace.
Mitchell won in a decisive vote over Utah's Jerry Sloan, picking up 49 first-place votes for a total of 394 points in balloting by 128 basketball writers and broadcasters. Sloan had 301 points, followed by Dallas' Avery Johnson with 268. Johnson won the award last year.
''Sam has done a phenomenal job,'' said Nets coach Lawrence Frank. ''To have a 20-win turnaround and also to deal with what he's had to deal with.
''I know the beginning of the year, a lot was made with him going into the last year of his contract. For him to show the type of poise and composure he showed I think it's well deserved.''
Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo applauded Mitchell's ability to get the most out of a team one year removed from finishing 28 games under .500.
''I think Sam has said it best,'' said Colangelo. ''He's said, `I really haven't changed.' But the team has changed and Sam has taken the new faces and blended them together. That's a very difficult task when you're talking about a new group of people coming together.
''Sam's intensity level and focus has picked up and his staff seems to be much more engaged this year .. It just seems there is much more of a focus.''
Mitchell is looking at free agency after the season ends and he's sure to be hotly pursued. Rumours have swirled that he could be headed to Charlotte. The 43-year-old didn't want to talk about his future Tuesday when asked if the award would help him get a new deal.
''No, because it's not about me,'' said the coach. ''It's about the players, the coaches, the organization. . .''
Colangelo said he and Mitchell would address the situation in the off-season.
''We've said sit down at end of the season, the end of the season is when the playoffs are over,'' said Colangelo. ''We certainly wouldn't start that process right now .. I don't think Sam's worried about it right now, I don't think the players are worried about it and I'm certainly not worried about it.
''But it will be a priority as soon as things pass here. Once we have a chance to sit down, we'll size up whether or not we're on the same page. Our intention is to have Sam back as coach."
Mitchell admitted there were times earlier this season when he wondered if he would even be here now. The 2-8 opening to the year led to rampant rumours that Mitchell wasn't long for Toronto.
''In professional sports in general, when you're not winning and you're expected to win, yeah, you start to question that,'' said Mitchell. ''You have to have confidence in your beliefs and that you're doing the right things, you have to believe that it's going to turn around.''
It did, thanks to a massive off-season overhaul during which Colangelo brought in nine new faces.
The result was a multicultural mix that included two Spaniards in Jorge Garbajosa and Jose Calderon, Italian big man Andrea Bargnani, a pair of Slovenians in Rasho Nesterovic and Uros Slokar, and Anthony Parker, who'd been toiling for five seasons with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv.
But from Day 1, Mitchell refused to talk about his squad's diversity, taking a team-first approach, and Parker praised Mitchell on Tuesday for developing such a strong sense of unity.
''From the summer after I signed, (Mitchell's) focus was trying to get us all in and get the chemistry going early because we were behind most teams with so many new players coming to the team,'' said Parker. ''Through the season, we seemed to come together pretty nicely and Sam obviously was a huge part of that.''
Mitchell takes a tough-love approach, but he's learned over his three seasons which players he can push hard and which ones need a softer touch.
Bosh, one of three remaining players from Mitchell's rookie season, has seen him grow as a coach.
''I think just his maturity, how he handles everything,'' Bosh said. ''Last year and the year before last, he tended to get a little emotional and let his emotions get the best of him. Now, he's a little bit more composed and he takes his time and he handles a lot of situations better.''
He's also known for his free-flowing style. He's not a big believer in micromanaging his players, he rarely calls plays. Instead, he provides a framework in which they function and then he hands them the ball.
No individual is bigger than the team.
And so in fitting fashion Tuesday, Mitchell credited his players with his coaching award, saying, ''It's not about any one of us, it's about all of us.''
''Those guys in the locker-room have a lot to do with this. We have 15 great individuals in that room, I love them all. They deserve this as much as I do,'' he said.
''The unfortunate thing is, those guys should be sitting here beside me because without those guys, none of this is possible. They allow me to be tough when I need to be tough and still come out and perform and play.''