Quick: Nate McMillan Adds Three Assistants
Jason Quick of The Oregonian writes...
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Trail Blazers legend Buck Williams will be one of three assistants to join coach Nate McMillan's staff for the 2010-11 season, McMillan said Wednesday.
Williams will join Bernie Bickerstaff and Bob Ociepka as new additions, with an official announcement coming as soon as Thursday, depending on the agreement of contracts.
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Bickerstaff and Ociepka had been considered close to locks dating back to last week (and much earlier in Bickerstaff's case). There were scattered whispers about Williams earlier this week too.
Thoughts?
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
PS Thanks to BlazerFanSince1970 in the FanShots.
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Kick....ass.....!
Welcome back, Buck!
Porter, Drexler, Kersey, Williams, Duckworth. The greatest starting 5 ever.
by Bib Fortuna on Jul 21, 2010 6:05 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
only if the goggles won't fog up
Jeff Pendergraph:
FGM - 3
FGA - 111
Min - 30
Reb - 10
by Tofu Anonymous on Jul 21, 2010 6:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Buck William
Yesssssssssssssssssssss now thats what im talking about
by Blazingatrail24 on Jul 21, 2010 9:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Are Kersey and Porter still working with the team?
Now they just need to bring Clyde back. I don’t want him making basketball decisions, but he would be a great fan/media relations figure head.
"...it was like he brought his own personal cross-wind to the arena." - Dave
Then we need to dig up Kevin Duckworth
Now playing, Tim Burton’s Corpse Coach!
Porter, Drexler, Kersey, Williams, Duckworth. The greatest starting 5 ever.
Buck Williams
Buck’s got his work cut out instilling some toughness in Lamarcus. I heard Wheels today say Buck is in good shape but he might not be able to handle Oden down low… haha nice one Wheels. Buck was the missing piece to the puzzle when he became a Trail Blazer, let’s hope he has the same effect this time, taking them team to the next level. WOoot WOoot!!
"The great charm of cats is their rampant egotism, their devil-may-care attitude toward responsibility, their disinclination to earn an honest dollar." - Robertson Davies
Hope Buck pushes LMA around a little bit, challenges him how Monty worked with Nic.
Being a lottery pick, LMA may have gotten a softy treatment from coaches. He’s damn good, but if Buck could bang him around, make him want each possession of each game, battle for each rebound, that would e the bee’s knees
facebook.com/year5000
by Y5k on Jul 21, 2010 6:41 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I hope that before training camp...
someone teaches LMA a little basketball history. Maurice Lucas was a very physical power forward, the Blazers’ enforcer. He gets replaced by Buck Williams, another very physical tough-minded power forward. LMA needs to realize that there is probably a reason that the Blazers brought Buck in — and it isn’t just to appease us fans.
Aldridge is a very talented player and a lot of great attributes. But he needs to be more aggressive to let those attributes really shine. He has all-star abilities, but I’m not sure he has an all-star game. Buck can help him get that.
I thought I was the only one who remembered "Rip City Big Buck"
I’m glad to see I was wrong.
Welcome back, Buck!!!
Very intriguing.
I can definitely see Bickerstaff, not knowledgeable on Ociepka, but Buck coming in & helping our bigs get tougher and badder? I’m with it. Should be interesting, for sure.
Go Blazers!!
'Mar-cus Cam-by' (clap-clap, clap clap clap). - Rose Garden
'That was the only game I could go to this season, and it freakin' ruled.' - P.Roy
\m/
Ociepka is a defensive guy
But he really did a nice job getting that Bulls team to play good solid defense without having to resort to zones all the time.
Good hire.
somebody shared an article a week ago about Ociekpa
Bob’s specialty is PnR defense
this is good news, at least Nate didn’t hire Klopenberg (sp?) as AK predicted
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Nate says in the JQ article that Ociepka will 'lead the defensive attack' or something like that
Which might mean…NO MORE SWITCHING ON EVERY PICK. YES.
Now if Ociepka can convince them to incorporate the ‘roll’ into the offense…I shouldn’t get my hopes up.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
Go ahead, get your hopes up
Bob’s defensive/PnR strategy has to be an improvement over Dean Demo’s
Greg and Joel will be back to set some mean picks on offense
Buck Williams will put some old school vinegar into LMA’s game
These geezer patrol assistants could be a much better upgrade than expected
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
So Demopolous was the one with the great PNR defense coaching????
I KNEW I didn’t like him. Actually didn’t like him since he subbed for McMillan last season. Every time he talked his lips stuck to his teeth…The sound drove me nuts.
Well I was thinking…how can anyone listen to that for any length of time. I’d have my fingers in my ears. Coaches should have voices one wants to listen to!!!
Dean brought the Temple zone to the equation
the PnR defense was probably more about Nate, but at least he’s hiring a defensive-minded assistant, which is what I was hoping for re: Thibodeau for the past couple of years
Now it remains to be seen if McMillian will actually listen to Bob and how well the players will actually implement the changes (fingers crossed)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Yeah, I expected that Bob Kloppenburg's son, Gary, would be the defensive assistant hired here.
That’s ‘cause Kloppenburg is the man behind the SOS pressure defense — which is the crap that Nate McMillan runs in Portland — with all of the flippin’ switchin’ off of picks. On the contrary, though, post players should stay at home and perimeter players ought to fight through screens, so as to play staunch man-to-man defense.
Yeah, I expected that Bob Kloppenburg's son, Gary, would be the defensive assistant hired here.
That’s ‘cause Kloppenburg is the man behind the SOS pressure defense — which is the crap that Nate McMillan runs in Portland — with all of the flippin’ switchin’ off of picks. On the contrary, though, post players should stay at home and perimeter players ought to fight through screens, so as to play staunch man-to-man defense.
Double post all the way!!
I'm a Greg Oden honk, yeah.
Even when I was still a Sonic fan, I liked Oden more than Kevin Durant.
by AK1984 on Jun 12, 2010 12:20 AM PDT
by Tyler Durrden on Jul 22, 2010 7:04 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Hopefully Nate will let Ociepka change the PnR scheme and the players will buy into it
Like I said a few weeks ago, if Bob can tighten up the team’s defense his hiring could be as significant as a free agent signing
less fouls on Oden (because he’s switched out on a PG) would be huge
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Glad they got someone like Williams to offset the loss of Lucas
but I’m skeptical of players as coaches, in general.
Yeah,,,
Look at all those sucky coaches who were once players… Lenny Wilkens, Pat Riley, Rick Adelman, Phil Jackson, Nate McMillen, to name a few. Those guys suck as coaches.
Portland Trail Blazers, Future World Champions 2011-2021.
Larry Brown & George Karl are a pair of former ABA stars who made fine coaches
But blacknoise isn’t entirely off-base. There have been many former players—especially former stars—who’ve stunk it up as coaches.
I’m wondering if Buck has coaching/teaching experience?
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
You too, Przy: everyone knows you're the heart & soul of the Blazers.
the WaW boys were saying today
young Buck cut his teeth learning post play from old vet Maurice Lucas, back in the early ‘80s. So it’s a natural progression for Williams to teach the Blazer big men what Mo taught to him, and I suspect Lucas will consult with Buck as much as possible and much of Lucas’ terminology will be continued in Portland with Williams doing the hands on
This should result in a better hire than expected, at first blush. Who knew that Buck and Mo had a prior “connection” back east?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
many ex-players succeed as coaches
However, my skepticism is predicated on the ability to teach skills. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you can teach the nuts and bolts of how and why you do it. The best strategic coaches (x’s and o’s types) typically didn’t play at a high level in the NBA; same for those responsible for teaching skills.
Jackson didn’t invent the triangle offense – but has a reputation as a motivator. McMillan stresses personal accountability, performance under pressure, limited turnovers, playing under control, etc. – but has had issues fitting style to players vs. trying to fit players to style.
But the basic premise to the post is that having done it doesn’t mean you can coach it (while it obviously doesn’t mean you can’t coach it)….
by blacknoiseNW on Jul 21, 2010 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions
McMillan has had issues fitting style to players vs. trying to fit players to style.
Here’s hoping the new GM finds players that will fit with Nate’s style, rather than acquiring BPAs and leaving it up to Nate to make all the tempo-schizophrenic pieces fit
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I think Sloan is a pretty good coach also...and he was a player. He coaches like he played I've heard!!!
Apparently he was a somewhat physical player.
Jerry and Norm Van Lier
formed one of the dirtiest, scrappiest backcourt tandems in NBA history with the Bulls back in the mid-70s. The ’77 Blazers almost lost to Chicago in the first round, thanks to some brutal calls by the scab refs. Fortunately, Portland had home court advantage and took the 3 game series and were soon on their way to glory
I remember the Bulls finished the ’77 regular season on a 17-3 run. (Just another piece of worthless trivia rattling around up in my gray matter…)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Assistant coach is the best place for ex players though.
With head coach and GM, I prefer brains, but it’s good to have an assistant or two who can relate to the players.
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
Er, players by definition don't have brains?
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
You too, Przy: everyone knows you're the heart & soul of the Blazers.
players by definition
are the brawn.
by TheThinWhiteDuke on Jul 21, 2010 7:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Players probably have slightly above average intelligence.
It helps, but it’s not the most important thing. If one in a million people are great basketball players, and one in a million people are super smart, chances are that zero people are both.
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
yeah, I was noting that watching great player LeBron in action this off season...
"You be realistic," Oden said. "I’m going to stay happy. All right?"
Batum is in the top 1/1,000,000 in every category imaginable
Disclaimer: everything I know about basketball I learned on Blazersedge.
before Rich Cho made his presentation to Larry and Paul
he ran it by Nic first, to work out all the kinks
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
any minute now...
somebody’s gonna compare Nic to Chuck Norris
it's been done
when Batum and Norris are walking down the same sidewalk, Chuck genuflects and crosses over to the other side
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Does anyone have a resume for Buck Williams' coaching experience?
Or are they relying on his experience as a player, and limited coaching experience?
He could be a great fit, and I really like Buck as a player, but I don’t know what he brings to the table, for example, when it comes to helping Greg.
He was president of the players association, and he owned a construction company
That seems to have been the biggest things he did aside from being a successful player.
In terms of coaching, I only found something about him coaching an AAU team, the Maryland Madness, for a few years and reaching national final rounds.
another shocker
"The great charm of cats is their rampant egotism, their devil-may-care attitude toward responsibility, their disinclination to earn an honest dollar." - Robertson Davies
by bow4meow on Jul 21, 2010 6:22 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Ideally, a lead assistant more along the lines of Lawrence Frank and big man coach who has actually spent the last few years coaching elite level big men.
Well, Ideally a different head coach, but that’s another argument.
I guess they don't have to be unemployed
You can overpay for coaches, and it’s usually fair game to request an interview with an assistant coach. No reason to at least see if some of the recent big man coaches (Like Hakeem) would be interested in a high profile job.
the really good big man coaches run camps and specialty gyms rather than ply their craft with a specific team
once the season starts – most progress is a function of playing time (system; approach; confidence; repetition). Skill development slows down considerably. During the off-season – a lot of resources are available to promote skill development.
by blacknoiseNW on Jul 21, 2010 8:20 PM PDT up reply actions
then I'll give you one...Clifford Ray
From what I’ve heard, he worked with Dwight Howard and more recently was coaching with Rivers and Tibs in Boston
Buck Williams is a Maurice Lucas disciple. The beat goes on…and hopefully the beat downs will increase
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I think that's about right
the Blazers kept it on the down low for quite awhile, to protect his privacy
Buck and Luke’s relationship dates back at least to ’81
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Some Ociepka bio at NBA.com
sounds knowledgeable. coached under Vinny the Black….sounds like he has a superior background in coaching young guys…
actually
its vinny of the black (in spanish)
Michael Jordan is the Nicolas Batum of America
marty>babbitt
by thomasikehara on Jul 21, 2010 6:47 PM PDT up reply actions
it does
Vinny the Black sounds better in English, tho
by blacknoiseNW on Jul 21, 2010 8:23 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm not sure if he's officially retired, but indeed he's no longer coaching the Blazers
He has other things to focus on at the moment.
Hopefully he can beat his cancer
Luke doesn’t deserve to die young (not that most people do).
"My shoulder is OK. And away we go." -- Nic Batum
"wang-dang diddly wubba SPROING wow-wow" -- Dave
Reportedly, Luke schooled Buck in post play when Williams was a rookie in NJ
I wouldn’t be surprised if Mo is an (off-court) consultant and Buck continues what Lucas started with the Blazer’s big men
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Give 'em "the look," Buck
He’s second only to Maurice with a look that can stop a truck. If LMA or Greg or anyone else needs any “encouragement” in the toughness department – the look such suffice!
For this special occasion
Can somebody please photoshop the famous early 90’s Nike “Uh oh” poster ….
You know the one with Buck, Terry and Jerome running a fast break right at the camera with looks that mean business?
This version can have Buck, Bickerstaff and Oceipka.
Or Buck, Nate and … Bill Bayno?
by HowlinJoeWolf on Jul 21, 2010 7:27 PM PDT up reply actions
OR
The current Blazers medical and training staff rushing the court.
Still too soon? I kid, I kid….
Buck’s “look” was definitely awesome, though.
by HowlinJoeWolf on Jul 21, 2010 7:31 PM PDT up reply actions
As a kid
I had that up on my wall in my bedroom. Got me pumped up then, still does to this day. I would love to have that kinda of toughness on the team we have this season.
by JusChilln345 on Jul 21, 2010 8:15 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Maybe Buck should give LMA a pair of his goggles?
Tell him they’re ‘Magic Glasses’ that’ll make LMA invincible in the post…
"My shoulder is OK. And away we go." -- Nic Batum
"wang-dang diddly wubba SPROING wow-wow" -- Dave
by DonkeyShins on Jul 22, 2010 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
i think nate and payton were just catching up
they were teammates for a number of years
Michael Jordan is the Nicolas Batum of America
marty>babbitt
by thomasikehara on Jul 21, 2010 7:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Nate wasn't too fond of Gary, at first
as we learned earlier this year, the rookie PG was handed the job without a training camp competition with McMillian
I thought I heard that the Glove was going to be helping out down in Corvallis?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
.... Ugh
I think Gary and Nate are oil and water. Nate th studious hard, working, blue collar type; Gary the gum chomping, devil may care, Fararri driver.
It could work, but it has huge potential to backfire.
Not sure GP is the headcoach type. More attitude than chalkboad.
facebook.com/year5000
by Y5k on Jul 21, 2010 7:32 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Doc Rivers?
In Bayless I trust.
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Congrats Buck
its been too long seeing you around here. I hope them bigs take your teaching to heart. You where one of my favorites on the team during your time here. Love this hiring!!!
Luke Babbit. Rookie, MVP, Best Hair, 6th man 2010-2011!!!!
Don't hate on me. I just want CP3
I posted this FanShot on Ociepka on July 10th...interesting links too.
by parkinglotj on Jul 21, 2010 7:55 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
thanks
that’s the one I remember, Bob’s quote from the interview
I think we always want to opportunity break. I think we always want to look to play inside-out as best we can. We’ve been really efficient on pick and rolls. And, I think what this team has done recently is come off pick and rolls and making the extra pass. We have to continue to do that and change sides on the floor against all teams.
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Pooh Jeter and Cunningham did just as well the summer before
Dante already had nice fundamentals and footwork coming out of ’Nova
Dwight Jaynes and others have made a big deal about how poor the Blazers PnR defense has been, for the last 5 years. If Ociepka can bring a fresh approach with him to the staff, the team’s defense will be greatly improved—and that could lead to less foul trouble (and more smashies) for Gregory Wayne Oden
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
did Bob get a restraining order?
It sounds like you were stalking him
He’s not Thibodeau, but he’s got to be an upgrade vs Demo
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Well, then you're the perfect person to ask
How the heck is his name pronounced? And how many times will Mike Rice mangle it?
Cho, Matthews, now Buck Williams(???)
This is becoming way too much of a Blazer love fest in what is supposed to be the summer of mourning over BE’s savior + Vulcan hatred.
Please start another thread featuring that ridiculous picture of Larry Miller so that Blazersedge can return back to “normal”. Thank you.
"Parting ways is not the end of the world. Ultimately, it may not be a bad thing at all, but right now I know the emotions are pretty raw. But it doesn't serve anyone to bash the Trail Blazers or Paul. It is after all a business of tough decisions. So, for the sake of the players, coaches and everyone who believes in Trail Blazers basketball, let's turn the page, move on and keep our eye on the prize." -KP
by The Cactus Leaguer on Jul 21, 2010 10:55 PM PDT reply actions
Important question.
Can any of the new assistants teach the Blazers how to set a screen and subsequently roll to the hoop? Emphasis on the SET and ROLL.
"I'm at the thingamajig talking the yakety-yak" - Kenny Smith
Ociepka
according to past interviews, the PnR is what he’s good at
Oden and Przy are better at setting picks and diving towards the basket than either LMA or Dante. Their hard screens were missing for most of last year
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Come on Buck!
My all time favorite Blazer. I dream of Buck’s heart & desire in LMA’s body. Maybe he can do a little rubbing off on him.
My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.
I'm suprised,
Gary Payton didn’t make the assistant coach roster. When I saw him sitting with Nate, Mike Born, and all those guys, I thought for sure something was going to be announced shortly after. It just made sense to me.
Maybe not now that I think about the history of things.
Finally...
THE BUCK HAS COME BACK TO THE TRAILBLAZERS!
THANK YOU KEVIN PRITCHARD
Blazers fan since '91
"We are the black void. We are the red steel. We are the white sword. With ball in hand shall we reap the sins of this NBA and cleanse it in the fires of destruction. We are the Trail Blazers. The end has come!"
by rise_stand_resist on Jul 23, 2010 9:40 PM PDT reply actions
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