Players vote Riley least favorite

[JordansBulls]

Antoine Walker was suspended by coach Pat Riley last year for exceeding a team-mandated body-fat limit. That kind of hard-nosed approach - which in the past also manifested itself in unusually exhausting practices - might be why NBA players questioned recently by Sports Illustrated said Riley was the coach for whom they would least like to play. He was No. 1 in a runaway. Riley received 28 percent of the votes among 242 players interviewed. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, Knicks coach Isiah Thomas and former Bulls coach Scott Skiles were next at 12 percent each. Riley's image could be a factor when he hunts for free agents this summer to help rebuild the Heat, which this season is the NBA's worst team at 11-46.

Source: Palm Beach Post

[HarlemHeat37]

not surprising..this is how athletes are these days..we see it in the NFL all the time..Tom Coughlin who is the coach of the SB champs had to adjust his hard ass attitude coming into this year..the correct way to go these days is to be the players "friend" instead of their "boss"..we live in an era where most athletes are pussies and divas..millions of dollars isn't enough for them, they need to be treated like princesses too..

some coaches do take it overboard, but I can't really hate on Riles though, considering how much he has won..I think he knows a thing or two about winning..

[Albanian Damien]

The players must be little girls. Pat Riley may be a hard ass but he's one for a reason. He knows what it takes to win so he doesn't just scream at people for fun. He does it to get the best out of them and teach them how to win. This might even motivate players to try and do their best so as not to get screamed at. Although coaches can be a friendly figure and succeed. At times it's necessary for a coach to be a little more embracing and kind. If their coaching guys, especially the young ones, that have up and downs in their confidence then they need a supporting figure.

[rayofsunshine]

I've said once and I'll say it again. If I was a millionaire, I wouldn't want anyone bossing me around telling me what to do, making me work like a dog. I got here sucka, back off.

Imagine doing all that work and losing too. I'd be out of there like shaq.

[ab40]

The players must be little girls. Pat Riley may be a hard ass but he's one for a reason. He knows what it takes to win so he doesn't just scream at people for fun. He does it to get the best out of them and teach them how to win. This might even motivate players to try and do their best so as not to get screamed at. Although coaches can be a friendly figure and succeed. At times it's necessary for a coach to be a little more embracing and kind. If their coaching guys, especially the young ones, that have up and downs in their confidence then they need a supporting figure.

That is true but it doesn't work with a bunch of angry old vets who got sweeped so they pride was hurt. They had 2 guys who were in they rotation leave and gotten nothing back. You can see it shawn marion said the other day his teammates weren't motivated. that's crazy Loads of US players in europe would love to play in the nba in a city like miami

[Cevap]

players are spoiled brats who have been pampered all their life due to their ability to throw a ball through the hoop. can't blame them, rather blame all the boosters and coaches they had throughout their life who shielded them from responsibilities and who have taken care of every need that the player had.



(i know it's a fairly broad brush i'm painting)

[Basti]

dunno why but I'd love to play for Riley if I were a NBA player. I just finished reading a magic johnson bio and he said very very good things about Riley. yes he's a tough dog and he will push you to your limits but isn't that supposed to be the approach by every coach? your goal should be to win the ship and unless you have a MAJOR talent advantage you need to go to your limits and maybe beyond. simple as that and I really admire Riley for that

[Flash3]

He's seriously mellowed down from what Zo's described of Riley's practices from his early years....

But, either way as was said here, if you were making millions and millions of $, you wouldn't want someone on your tail 24/7, telling you to be at a certain weight/body fat % when half of the league isn't even close to that, or to be at practice 3 hours earlier than everyone else etc.

[dockingsched]

most of these guys have never even played for these coaches. its one thing to ask players about other players that they see on the court everyday, its another to ask them about coaches they have no 1st hand experience with.

[Rooster]

You guys are forgetting an important factor. I'd hate to play for Riley too... because he's also the team president. Playing for a coach who has the authority to trade you is not cool.

[G35]

It's not just the NBA but the NFL and MLB. It's the kids in high school, elementary. It's all throughout the United States we have kids nowadays that you have to cater to.

I heard a radio commentary from Bobby Knight when he retired that he said we are accepting mediocrity from our kids. I'm paraphrasing but he said the difference is in the parents not the kids. The kids are the same but parents are different. Before when the school called kids parents the parent would come to the school and ask, "What did my kid do?" Now parents go to the school and ask, "What did you do to my kid?"

The previous generations think the current generations are all soft...........

[Ming Kong!]

Sloan 2nd? WTF mate?

[heatwillbeback]

Sloan 2nd? WTF mate?

players are lazy nowadays

they dont like to work in practice.

[Blame Rasho]

Sloan 2nd? WTF mate?

He makes grown men cry... who else can say that in the NBA?

[Nate505]

I've said once and I'll say it again. If I was a millionaire, I wouldn't want anyone bossing me around telling me what to do, making me work like a dog. I got here sucka, back off.

Imagine doing all that work and losing too. I'd be out of there like shaq.

Which is why your game would never progress as an NBA player and you'd become the next Steve Francis...if you were lucky enough to have the talent to begin with.

[Nate505]

Sloan 2nd? WTF mate?

I'm shocked he wasn't first. I like Jerry but he's a very rigid guy. There are some rules like no headbands which just don't make much sense to me. If Brewer wants to wear a headband who cares.

[MartyConlonJr]

If someone asked you what percentage of NBA players were prima donnas or lazy punks I'm sure the percentage is much higher than 28% or whatever don't want Riley as their coach. Fortunately, they are the type of players you don't want on your team anyway. I reckon if you surveyed the Spurs or any consistent group of winners and they'd say Isiah or some other idiot coach.

I can't wait until Miami is restocked with 'marines' rather than these hopeless idiotic no hopers we traded for. Give me some players with balls, some gym rats, that I can cheer for. Ricky Davis and Smush Parker, Antoine Walker, probably Mark Blount, and from the looks of it, J-Will and maybe Dorell Wright are the type of players who hate Riley. Add Shaq in there too. Guys like Wade, Haslem, Alonzo, Daequan, Marion are the guys willing to put in the effort, run themselves into the ground and get in top shape. Look at those two lists, which guys do you want? Shaq still? Maybe Dorell. The rest are numbskulls and account for half a roster.

28% is not surprising.

[rayofsunshine]

-= original quote snipped =-


Which is why your game would never progress as an NBA player and you'd become the next Steve Francis...if you were lucky enough to have the talent to begin with.

Steve Francis is pretty good. I'll take that.

That is a good point about playing for a GM/Coach. Why do you think that sucks?

[Rooster]

^It puts more pressure on the players but not in a good way. Players obviously know that each game can lead to a change in perceived FA or trade value but that's completely magnified when the coach is also the president or GM. Imagine a coach screaming at you, "do those suicides right or your ass is on the wire"? It obviously doesn't happen literally but in a way, it's implied. Think of how Riley's reacted, trading players or letting them go because of what seem like coaching issues.

It also lessens coach accountability, which is the most important thing here. If a coach acts seriously out of line, the GM/president can give him a stern warning or even fire him over it. In Riley's case, in which he's coach, president and even owns a small share of the team, he basically has absolute power.

[rayofsunshine]

^ yeah, that is true. If you choked the coach, you'd be choking the GM and part owner too.