Golden Nuggets: Weekend at Bernie's 3...
by Andrew Feinstein on Jul 13, 2011 8:03 AM MDT
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Just as the Minnesota Timberwolves (former) head coach Kurt Rambis was about to get the ax by president of basketball operations David "KAAAAAHHHN!!" Kahn, sources leaked that a familiar face to Nuggets fans could become the Wolves next bench leader: Bernie Bickerstaff.
Bernie Bickerstaff could be named the head coach of an NBA team in 2011?
To quote John McEnroe: "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!!"
You mean the same Bernie Bickerstaff who is now 67 years old?
The same Bernie Bickerstaff who has a career coaching record of 415-517?
The same Bernie Bickerstaff who has a career post-season record of 12-31, including four sweeps and just three playoff series won?
The same Bernie Bickerstaff who, as vice president of basketball operations in Denver, traded the Nuggets' 10th overall pick in the 1996 draft along with Jalen Rose and Reggie Williams for the 23rd overall pick, Mark Jackson and an aging Ricky Pierce? Then drafted Efthimious Rentzias (a player Bickerstaff later admitted he never scouted in person) with the 23rd pick? That Bernie Bickerstaff?
The same Bernie Bickerstaff who, soon thereafter, allowed All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo to leave ... for nothing?
The same Bernie Bickerstaff who gave up on Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf by trading him to Sacramento for an aging and injured Sarunas Marciulionis and a second round pick? (I'd love the Nuggets modern day PR machine to spin that trade if it ever happened again.) Then himself left his assistant coaches - including his own mentor, Dick Motta - and the Nuggets organization to twist in the wind while bolting Denver in mid-season for Washington, DC?
The same Bernie Bickerstaff who, while coaching in Washington in 1998, had Chris Webber and Juwan Howard on his roster ... and partook in trading Webber (over Howard) for an aging Mitch Richmond?
The same Bernie Bickerstaff who, while serving as head coach and general manager in Charlotte in 2006, collaborated with Michael Jordan to draft Adam Morrison second overall? How did that pick turn out?
The same Bernie Bickerstaff who was inducted into the Denver Stiffs Hall of Fame in 2010 with the Bernie Bickerstaff Lifetime Achievement Award?
At each stop in his NBA journey, Bernie Bickerstaff has left franchises worse off than how he found them. Amazingly, Bickerstaff has been able to parlay being Motta's assistant coach for the very successful Washington Bullets of the 1970s (believe it or not, Washington was great in the 1970s) and a single spirited run as head coach of the 1986-87 Seattle Supersonics (when his 39-43 Sonics stunned the basketball world by getting to the conference finals) into three decades of gainful - yet destructive - employment.
Marginalized lately as an assistant coach to Vinny Del Negro in Chicago and Nate McMillan in Portland, Bickerstaff appears to be in the running for the now-vacant Timberwolves head coaching position, after David Kahn cruelly jerked Kurt Rambis around for a few months and finally fired him on Tuesday.
Because who better than the 67-year-old Bickerstaff to mentor youngsters Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Derrick Williams, Wesley Johnson and Michael Beasley?
Well, one "better" option might be 71-year-old Don Nelson, now rumored to want the Wolves' coaching job. Unlike Bickerstaff, Nelson has actually won more than a handful of basketball games as an NBA coach. The most ever (1,335), to be exact, and well above .500 for his long career.
But like Bernie, Nellie is a retread, has gotten worse with age and would be an uninspired coaching hire by Kahn. Just like Larry Brown would be. And as long as the Bernie's, Nellie's and Larry's continue to get re-hired - despite burning bridges with organizations, screwing colleagues and friends, and pissing off players everywhere they've ever coached - the coaching position will never progress in the NBA. Say what you want about the Heat's Erik Spoelstra, but I for one was thrilled to see a relatively young guy without a big name get a shot at a head coaching position this past season. Lest we forget that at some point in their careers Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, George Karl, Rick Adelman and Rick Carlisle were young guys without big names who were given head coaching opportunities.
Of course, as the fan of a team that happens to be located in the Wolves' division, no one is rooting harder than me for Kahn to hire Bickerstaff. A Bickerstaff hire would all but guarantee that Love walks and takes less money elsewhere, Rubio never develops and Williams demands out after just one season.
As an NBA city, Minneapolis doesn't have a lot going for it. The last thing it needs Bernie Bickerstaff for a head coach.
On to the links...
Report: Minnesota Timberwolves to interview Portland Trail Blazers' Bernie Bickerstaff - ESPN
The Minnesota Timberwolves asked the Portland Trail Blazers for permission to interview assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff, according to a report Monday in the Oregonian newspaper.
Sources -- Don Nelson interested in coaching Minnesota Timberwolves - ESPN
Don Nelson -- the winningest coach in league history -- is open to a return to the bench and intrigued by the talent on Minnesota's roster.
Kurt Rambis fired as coach of Minnesota Timberwolves - ESPN
The Minnesota Timberwolves fired Kurt Rambis on Tuesday, ending more than three months of uncertainty and awkwardness surrounding the head coach of the worst team in the NBA last season.
David Kahn finally fires Kurt Rambis - Ball Don't Lie - NBA Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Kelly Dwyer rips Kahn for how he handled the Rambis firing. And with good reason.
Breaking down the Bernie Bickerstaff Administration (Part 1 in a 5-Part Series)... - Denver Stiffs
In case you forgot just how bad Bernie was for the Denver Nuggets.
Bickerstaff's Lessons Go Deep
To show that I'm not a heartless, unbalanced bastard here is a nice article about Bernie Bickerstaff the person and what it was like for Bickerstaff to grow up in the Jim Crow south of the 1950s.
From the Archives...
Nuggets Mess is Bickerstaff's Legacy - Bob Kravitz
While writing for the Rocky Mountain News, Kravitz made sure Bickerstaff didn't leave town without a proper skewering of his record and his classless departure.
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To be fair
Wes Unseld was the Wizards GM for the Webber trade, and it was ordered by the owner. The owner decided that Webber and Howard were bad influences on each other and that one of them had to go after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman at Howard’s house together. Howard was at that point untradeable because he had the largest contract in the league and made more than the league maximum.
Formerly KS and CS
by ThrowItDownBigManThrowItDown on Jul 13, 2011 8:46 AM MDT reply actions
Bernie Bickerstaff isn't a bad coach...
As long as your team isn’t planning on achieving a winning record or going anywhere in the playoffs.
"I really didn't want it, but now that I've won it, it's nice. It's an honor. It's nice to know people don't think you're a total idiot. ... It must have been a poor year for coaches." - Doug Moe...talking about winning 1987-88 Coach of the Year award.
"Sometimes I get this crazy dream, that I could just drive off in my car. But you can travel over ten thousand miles, and still stay where you are" - Harry Chapin
That's cold, LACK
but true and more important, funny
Anytime you might start feeling bad about the Nuggs, about their coach, about their only supposed star forcing a trade (that improved the Nuggs), just think how awful it would be to be a Minny fan
B Bickerstaff? What, Dick Motta is not available?
P.S. I look at Minny’s roster and frankly, I see potential. The problem is the TW "brain"trust
The Wolves main problem is not their selection of coaches
It’s the guy who occupies their position of General Manager.
If the Wolves had good management and coaching, Rubio probably wouldn’t have thought twice about going to Minnesota (even if it’s freezing in the winter there) after, of course, he finished his Barca contract. The decision to draft a similar point guard the pick after Rubio also contributed to his decision; I don’t blame him. Personally, if I was in his position, the only reason I’d go to Minny would be to play with Kevin Love and Derrick Williams.
"I really didn't want it, but now that I've won it, it's nice. It's an honor. It's nice to know people don't think you're a total idiot. ... It must have been a poor year for coaches." - Doug Moe...talking about winning 1987-88 Coach of the Year award.
"Sometimes I get this crazy dream, that I could just drive off in my car. But you can travel over ten thousand miles, and still stay where you are" - Harry Chapin
yep and Rubio
may turn out to be OK, maybe a poor man’s Pete Maravich, or he could turn out to be a total joke, the point guard’s version of Thabeet
But I have to say that with all the obstacles their head coach Rambis had, that record (5 and 155?) and the LACK of competitiveness was just too much. Rambis has to get some of the blame. His coaching tenure was a disaster.
The Bickerstaff years started off ok in Denver with the miracle run
the 93’-94 Nuggets made in the Playoffs. Once Issel quit mid 1995 things went rapidly downhill…(Bickerstaff was hired by Peter Bynoe and Bertram Lee in 1990…aka the guys who couldn’t afford to buy a team)
Remember, it’s important to know that the Nuggets lost Mutumbo in 1996 because Bickerstaff low-balled Deke and then said take it or leave it. I don’t think Deke ever truly wanted to leave Denver and was a bit “insulted” by Bickerstaff’s original offer. Then Bickerstaff compounded his mistake by letting Deke walk for nothing to the Atlanta Hawks. Bickerstaff made numerous other mistakes.
Horrible time to be a Nuggets fan then
Overheard during Nuggets radio broadcasts in the 80's: "....Hanzlik.....HEY HANZLIK...don't ever dribble the ball again or I'll bench your ass!" Doug Moe
DenverStiffs.com
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jmorton78
by Jeffrey Morton on Jul 13, 2011 12:39 PM MDT reply actions
Bickerstaff's incompetence
Dan Issel’s stubborness and Laphonso Ellis’ knees cost Denver basketball a decade.
How long will he who shall not be named’s lust for celebrity stardom cost us I wonder
Why live life on the edge, when you can jump off?
Anthony from bondage will deliver Gallinari
We weren't going anywhere with Melo anyways
So the situation is very different. We also got good value for him in return
"I really didn't want it, but now that I've won it, it's nice. It's an honor. It's nice to know people don't think you're a total idiot. ... It must have been a poor year for coaches." - Doug Moe...talking about winning 1987-88 Coach of the Year award.
"Sometimes I get this crazy dream, that I could just drive off in my car. But you can travel over ten thousand miles, and still stay where you are" - Harry Chapin
Nice article on Yao:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6764541/can-write-check
"All you fuckers who think we won't be good anymore, fuck you" - GK
Afflalo is Boss.
I wouldn't let Bickerstaff coach a 10 year-old basketball team let alone another NBA team...
How is it that this Team wrecker is allowed to head coach yet again. I mean, it’s great for us, seeing as the Timber Pups will completely suck this year with Bickerstaff, but for the NBA, this is BADDDDD….. If I were a Wolves fan I would gather a protest in front of the Target Center with the other 20 fans that care in Minnesota…… How is it that a multi-million dollar sports team can F up sooo bad, so many times….. Oh wait… That used to be the Nuggets…. Never-mind…..
I feel for Wolves fans
Canis Hoopus always has very insightful draft previews and debates, and they use a fair share of statistics in analyzing players and teams (which I enjoy).
On paper, their team should win at least 30 games; however, as the cliche goes, basketball isn’t played on paper, and the Wolves’ lack of coherence really hurts
"I really didn't want it, but now that I've won it, it's nice. It's an honor. It's nice to know people don't think you're a total idiot. ... It must have been a poor year for coaches." - Doug Moe...talking about winning 1987-88 Coach of the Year award.
"Sometimes I get this crazy dream, that I could just drive off in my car. But you can travel over ten thousand miles, and still stay where you are" - Harry Chapin
From Howard Bryant....one point of view
Overheard during Nuggets radio broadcasts in the 80's: "....Hanzlik.....HEY HANZLIK...don't ever dribble the ball again or I'll bench your ass!" Doug Moe
DenverStiffs.com
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jmorton78
I found my old autographed nuggets ball
It was in the guest room closet in the basement, been buried away for some 15 years. It was from the 94-95 season, got all the autographs back when the team used to have training camp at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs (One of the benefits of the nineties and Colorado Springs was if your timing was right it was a great place to snag up some autographs. Both the Nuggets and Avalanche had training camps there, and you could usually snag some Rockies autographs from players on rehab assignment with the Sky Sox…Goose Gossage was always floating around as well for you old time baseball fans). I was looking at it to see if I had snagged Bickerstaff but I couldn’t find him. Got Gene Littles though…
Other names on the ball: Laphonso Ellis, Dikembe Mutombo, Mahmoud Abdul Rauf, Robert Pack, Bryant Stith, Rodney Rogers, Dan Issel, Tom “The Hammer” Hammonds (second favorite player on this team behind the Phonz) and altitude sports very own Mark Randall…is that dude in the stiffs hof? Cause man he should be
Why live life on the edge, when you can jump off?
Anthony from bondage will deliver Gallinari
Ball is still in mint condition too, it was like having christmas in july when I found it
Why live life on the edge, when you can jump off?
Anthony from bondage will deliver Gallinari
That is AWESOME!
Nate_Timmons on Twitter
DenverStiffs.com
by Nate Timmons on Jul 15, 2011 8:42 AM MDT up reply actions
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