Bimbo Coles - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Hales233 · 03-24-2001, 09:50 PM

Basically I never really cared for Bimbo Coles, but these last couple years, he has really started to grow on me. He doesn't take sh*t from anyone, and he always has something to say for Kobe and Harp when the Cavs play the Lakers. I really like the fact that he won't back down from anyone...read this article, shows his toughness. I think this guy would look really good in a Mavs Uni next season.

Frustration leads to flare-ups for Coles

Saturday, March 24, 2001

By MARY SCHMITT BOYER
PLAIN DEALER REPORTER

It’s not that Bimbo Coles is a nasty guy.

He doesn’t take candy from babies or trip little old ladies or pull the wings off grasshoppers or anything like that.

But get the Cavaliers’ backup point guard on the court, and his normally pleasant demeanor changes. In the Cavaliers’ past 12 games - nine of them losses - he has been ejected three times. As of yesterday afternoon, there was no word whether Thursday’s spat with Vancouver’s Mike Bibby would result in a suspension for Coles.

"It’s just the way I play," Coles said. "It’s not the first time I’ve been thrown out and it’s definitely not going to be the last time."

At Orlando, in a 120-94 defeat on March 2, Coles was called for a foul on John Amaechi and got two technicals and an ejection for his vociferous complaining late in the game. He stormed out of the arena without comment afterward.

In the Cavs’ lifeless 110-75 loss to New York on Tuesday, Coles picked up three personal fouls in an 11-second span in the fourth quarter, went ballistic and got one technical and an ejection with 6:29 left.

Then, in the Cavs’ 109-95 victory over the Grizzlies on Thursday, he tangled with Bibby early in the fourth quarter and both players were ejected with 9:48 left. Bibby was driving to the basket with Coles guarding him closely. When Coles bumped Bibby, Bibby’s arm swung around and caught Coles, who tackled Bibby on the baseline.

Coach Randy Wittman was not worried about Coles’ recent pattern of ejections.

"New York was frustration," he said after the Vancouver game. "This one was part of playing the game. Those kinds of things happen."

In fact, with his team lifeless so much of the season, Wittman wishes he had a few more players with shorter fuses. Coles admitted that kind of aggression has been missing too often from the Cavs this season.

"We have a lot of guys who don’t show too much emotion," he said. "So you’ve got to have at least a couple of guys on the team that are that way. Unfortunately, it’s me. Sometimes it gets the best of me, but I’m not going to change anything. I’m going to continue to go out and play the way I always play and if something happens, it happens.

"I’m not going out to fight. I don’t want to fight. But I will."

In fact, Coles said, over the course of his 10-year career, he’s been ejected a couple of times every season. This season, with the Cavs struggling to a 25-43 record, has been particularly hard on the competitive Coles. He thinks that has led to his recent outbursts.

"I am a little frustrated the way the season has come down," he said.

But teammate Chris Gatling said Coles really is not a nasty guy.

"He’s aggressive," Gatling said. "He’s a high-intensity player like myself. Sometimes you have to leave a statement out there. If players think they can bulldoze you and take advantage of you they will. You have to stand your ground. Basically he was standing his ground and protecting himself [against Bibby].

"I’m sure every individual who has played the game has had a confrontation like that. ... That gave us a big lift, because then we want to go out and stick it to them."