Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
forza kings said:Arent you contradicting yourself? I thought you (and probably a few others) also claim that what makes Adelman a very good coach is that he can still keep the team playing competitive even with injuries? But for every play-off failure, the injuries suddenly become his excuse. Is he or is he not good at overcoming the injuries as a coach?
Keeping the team from tailspinning is the sign of a good coach. Having the team win a title with major guys out would be a sign of just about the best coach in history.
PJ lost Malone last year. He lost.
Pop lost Duncan in '00, he flamed out.
Riley lost Magic and Scott in '89. He got swept.
NOBODY wins titles with star players injured and out for the playoffs. That's not hyperbole. That's just fact, frustrating as it may be. There is such a tiny margin for error once you hit the playoffs, that it basically cannot be done. When the elite teams are facing each other, the difference between being the better team or the worse team is EASILY one major player.
Just for one example among many: Not once in all of his 9 championships did PJ not have MJ, Pippen, Shaq or Kobe. He had his number three gun every year for the Bulls teams too (Grant/Rodman). In the last few years as his team was hammered by injuries, they fell apart whenever they were hurt. Last year they lose Malone, and get swept out of the Finals after he's gone. In '95 PJ was confronted with something similar to the Webber situation -- his superstar came back to the team late in the year and was not himself. And you know what? PJ lost.