http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14244608p-15063058c.html
Marty Mac's World: In this crazy season, Carril gives staff credit
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Talk briefly with Kings assistant coach Pete Carril, and it won't be long before he's praising head coach Rick Adelman and assistants Elston Turner and T.R. Dunn.
Carril is not one for tossing idle compliments.
"Rick has had to remake this team four times during the season," Carril said, "so for him to get this team into playoffs has been an accomplishment. When you have to deal with so much change during the course of a season, that's not an easy thing to do."
Carril said Turner and Dunn, who alternate setting up the defensive game plans, do a tremendous job of explaining the players' assignments.
"It's hard for me to even separate them because they both lay things out exactly how the players should handle the defense," the Hall of Fame coach said. "And when they follow the game plan, we're usually successful."
Choosing All-NBA team harder than MVP
There may be more legitimate MVP candidates in the NBA this season than ever. But trying to come up with a first-team All-NBA squad may be even more difficult.
Let's start at center. For nearly the past decade, it's been easy to write in Shaquille O'Neal and move on. However, O'Neal will play fewer than 60 games for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign (except for the 50-game 1999 lockout-shortened season).
O'Neal, 33, is no longer dominant in the middle. Yet he will lead the league in field-goal percentage and rarely receives single coverage from defenses.
When a team prepares for the Miami Heat, O'Neal usually receives the bulk of the attention. And even in this subpar season for O'Neal, given the opportunity to choose a center to open these playoffs, he'd be the one.
Moving to the guards, the decision becomes far more intense. How does anyone choose among Phoenix's Steve Nash, the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Detroit's Chauncey Billups and Miami's Dwyane Wade? If you let someone else take his or her choice and you take the leftovers, you're still cool.
For that matter, you could have all four of those cats and give me Sacramento's Mike Bibby, San Antonio's Tony Parker or Washington's Gilbert Arenas with Golden State's Jason Richardson and Seattle's Ray Allen. The votes here would be Billups and Bryant, though. The only problem may be to choose which one to take a last-second shot. Both are as clutch as they come.
Picking the forwards is almost as difficult. LeBron James is a no-brainer, but there is serious difficulty separating Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki from the L.A. Clippers' Elton Brand. Nowitzki is the more versatile scorer, while Brand is a better all-around player. And don't forget Phoenix's Shawn Marion, who is averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds. James and Nowitzki are the choice Monday afternoon, but by this morning, Brand may have replaced him.
Paul is the man and figures to get better
New Orleans coach Byron Scott says his team is well on its way to success next season. And yes, being able to draft Chris Paul in 2005 with the fourth pick is a major reason.
"I worked that kid out myself, and when we were able to draft him," Scott said, "I knew we were going to be a lot better. Then we went to training camp and we had good chemistry, and that's always a plus. But Chris reminds me a lot of Isiah Thomas. He's got that smile, but he's not backing down from anybody."
About the writer: The Bee's Martin McNeal can be reached at mmcneal@sacbee.com.
Marty Mac's World: In this crazy season, Carril gives staff credit
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Talk briefly with Kings assistant coach Pete Carril, and it won't be long before he's praising head coach Rick Adelman and assistants Elston Turner and T.R. Dunn.
Carril is not one for tossing idle compliments.
"Rick has had to remake this team four times during the season," Carril said, "so for him to get this team into playoffs has been an accomplishment. When you have to deal with so much change during the course of a season, that's not an easy thing to do."
Carril said Turner and Dunn, who alternate setting up the defensive game plans, do a tremendous job of explaining the players' assignments.
"It's hard for me to even separate them because they both lay things out exactly how the players should handle the defense," the Hall of Fame coach said. "And when they follow the game plan, we're usually successful."
Choosing All-NBA team harder than MVP
There may be more legitimate MVP candidates in the NBA this season than ever. But trying to come up with a first-team All-NBA squad may be even more difficult.
Let's start at center. For nearly the past decade, it's been easy to write in Shaquille O'Neal and move on. However, O'Neal will play fewer than 60 games for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign (except for the 50-game 1999 lockout-shortened season).
O'Neal, 33, is no longer dominant in the middle. Yet he will lead the league in field-goal percentage and rarely receives single coverage from defenses.
When a team prepares for the Miami Heat, O'Neal usually receives the bulk of the attention. And even in this subpar season for O'Neal, given the opportunity to choose a center to open these playoffs, he'd be the one.
Moving to the guards, the decision becomes far more intense. How does anyone choose among Phoenix's Steve Nash, the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Detroit's Chauncey Billups and Miami's Dwyane Wade? If you let someone else take his or her choice and you take the leftovers, you're still cool.
For that matter, you could have all four of those cats and give me Sacramento's Mike Bibby, San Antonio's Tony Parker or Washington's Gilbert Arenas with Golden State's Jason Richardson and Seattle's Ray Allen. The votes here would be Billups and Bryant, though. The only problem may be to choose which one to take a last-second shot. Both are as clutch as they come.
Picking the forwards is almost as difficult. LeBron James is a no-brainer, but there is serious difficulty separating Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki from the L.A. Clippers' Elton Brand. Nowitzki is the more versatile scorer, while Brand is a better all-around player. And don't forget Phoenix's Shawn Marion, who is averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds. James and Nowitzki are the choice Monday afternoon, but by this morning, Brand may have replaced him.
Paul is the man and figures to get better
New Orleans coach Byron Scott says his team is well on its way to success next season. And yes, being able to draft Chris Paul in 2005 with the fourth pick is a major reason.
"I worked that kid out myself, and when we were able to draft him," Scott said, "I knew we were going to be a lot better. Then we went to training camp and we had good chemistry, and that's always a plus. But Chris reminds me a lot of Isiah Thomas. He's got that smile, but he's not backing down from anybody."
About the writer: The Bee's Martin McNeal can be reached at mmcneal@sacbee.com.
