George Karl Asserts 'Reverse Discrimination' in NBA coaching hires

[MavKikiNYC]

George Karl asserts 'Reverse Discrimination'

Once Again, Karl Creates Waves

By MIKE WISE

eorge Karl has berated future Hall of Famers. He has accused officials of treating superstars much better than role players, not to mention their own families. He has always said what he felt and has been willing to pay the price for it. But the Milwaukee coach's recent thinly veiled charges of reverse discrimination in the National Basketball Association coaching fraternity are already reverberating.

While discussing comments he made about Doc Rivers's limited coaching résumé during last year's first-round playoff series between the Bucks and the Orlando Magic, Karl spoke openly in a coming issue of a national magazine about what he believes Rivers's hiring means.

"Doc's anointed," Karl said in the April issue of Esquire magazine. "Doc's been anointed. And that's O.K. I understand that that happens, but it's not necessarily right.

"Doc does a great job — and now there's gonna be four or five more anointments of the young Afro-American coach."

Karl said that that was fine, but added that he thought many of them had been treated badly.

"I have a great assistant that can't even get an interview," he said.

Karl was referring to Terry Stotts, the 12- year, loyal assistant who began coaching with Karl in the Continental Basketball Association. Stotts is white.

When Rivers was told of Karl's comments, he did not hold back.

"I never get into the racial part of anything, but let me just say that George didn't complain when Larry Bird came in without any coaching experience and got a job," Rivers said, referring to Bird's three-year stint in Indiana.

"He only complained when I came along and did well. I guess Larry Bird paid some kind of dues I don't know about as a coach."

"I try not to take what he says too seriously," Rivers added. "We call George `Naismith.' Until Naismith actually wins something, I'm going to listen to Pat Riley, Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich — guys who actually won a title."

Rivers further qualified his comments by adding that Karl often tries to rattle his opponents, and that the Orlando coach usually enjoys the back-and-forth verbal sparring.

"But anything that sounds like reverse discrimination bothers me," Rivers said. "When he starts in with someone being black as a reason people are getting coaching jobs, please, give us a break.

"Hey George, I don't mind you being upset for Terry. I'm upset over Johnny Davis," he said of the former 76ers coach, who is black. "He didn't get a good shake in Philly, and he should be a head coach somewhere."

He added: "George wasn't that upset when I got the job. It wasn't until after I got coach of the year that he started making noise.

"Then Isiah Thomas and Byron Scott got jobs," he said of the former players who parlayed their careers into coaching jobs. "That teed him off."

Fifteen of the league's 29 head coaches are white. Of the nine coaching changes made since last summer, six franchises have hired black coaches to lead their team.

The Esquire article, written by Scott Raab, actually portrays Karl — whose $7 million annual salary makes him the highest-paid coach in sports — as the off-beat, edgy, blue- collar original he is. In one of the better anecdotes, Karl reveals he has not worn underwear since college.

Provocative to a fault sometimes, he also continues his biting criticism of Ray Allen, only the most important player on his current roster. Allen has said he understands his coach's penchant for using brutal honesty as a motivating tool.

"I think he's pretty — that worries me sometimes," Karl said of the All- Star shooting guard. "He's a great human being, but he's gotta become tougher. Ray can become the best player in the N.B.A. if he learns a mean competitive spirit. The best player I ever coached was Gary Payton.

"He's not like Ray. Gary is dirty. He's vicious. He's gonna take you to the point where you might have to fight him, cheat with him, because he is gonna do anything possible to win. I want Ray to be more playground and less Michelangelo."

Meanwhile, Rivers's frustration is understood on many levels. It was one of those weeks for him and his team. He heard of Karl's comments the day after the Magic had just returned from an 11-day road trip — a trip in which Orlando went 2-5 and in which Rivers was fined $7,500 for storming on the court and making detrimental remarks about the officiating after a loss to Indiana.

Moreover, an Orlando team that is often dubbed as "all about heart and hustle" gave up 130 points in a blowout loss to Boston on Wednesday.

"George gets old," Rivers said. "He has problems with players. We also call him `Player hater.' He forgets he played in the N.B.A. sometimes.

"This whole banter is fun actually, but he should really just worry about coaching."

[Drbio]

I guarantee you this will start more crap than just a little bit!

[MFFL]

Here's Karl's attempt to spin the story

Karl talks up a storm about hiring
Comments on coaches draw national attention
By MICHAEL HUNT
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: March 11, 2002

For years, Milwaukee Bucks coach George Karl has expressed frustration that his lead assistant, Terry Stotts, could not get his own National Basketball Association team to lead while other less-qualified candidates were hired out of television studios.

He's also had a running verbal feud for the last season or so with Orlando coach Doc Rivers.

Nothing new there.

But when Karl was quoted about Rivers in the April issue of Esquire magazine, some in the national media assigned a racial spin onto Karl's comments because he said: "Doc's been anointed. And that's O.K. I understand that that happens, but it's not necessarily right. Doc does a great job - and now there's gonna be four or five more anointments of the young Afro-American coach."

On Sunday, Karl clarified his comments.

"Philosophically, what I was complaining about, was coaches getting jobs skipping the process of serving their time," he said. "There are four guys who come to mind: Danny Ainge, Isiah (Thomas), Larry Bird and Doc Rivers. They never really coached before they got a head job. That bothers me, and will always bother me.

"I like guys who serve their time. I like (Portland coach) Mo Cheeks, who coached in the CBA and was at Philadelphia. He's done a great job. I'm happy for him.

"I have assistant coaches that I want to get jobs. It bothers me when guys skip the process of serving your time."

Karl said he wasn't talking about reverse discrimination in the hiring of NBA coaches. Rivers, Thomas and Cheeks are African-American. Ainge and Bird are both white.

"I think we should have more black coaches, to be honest with you," Karl said. "But I want the system to be fair, too. I think we should have women referees, but I feel bad for guys who referee 25 years and are being skipped by.

"I don't know the true politically correct answer for this. But I think it would be fantastic to have equal membership of black coaches and white coaches. That's where we should go. This game has been dominated by the black athlete and it's been a fantastic game because of the black athlete."

In a New York Times article Sunday, Rivers shot back at Karl.

"I never get into the racial part of anything, but let me just say that George didn't complain when Larry Bird came in without any coaching experience and got a job," Rivers said. "He only complained when I came along and did well. I guess Larry Bird paid some kind of dues I don't know about as a coach.

"I try not to take what he (Karl) says too seriously. We call George 'Naismith.' Until Naismith actually wins something, I'm going to listen to Pat Riley, Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich - guys who actually won a title."

The Bucks and Magic play on March 19 in Orlando.

[Drbio]

In another interview, Karl stated that he doesn't wear underwear when he coaches.

Does this mean that the Bucks will see an increase in loose ball fouls?

Just wondering.

[MFFL]

<< In another interview, Karl stated that he doesn't wear underwear when he coaches.

Does this mean that the Bucks will see an increase in loose ball fouls?

Just wondering. >>



Ouch!

[Drbio]

I couldn't resist.

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

[grbh]

A man that big with no underwear, that has got to creat chaffing issues.

[Drbio]

LOL