Sabonis said Dunleavy Should've Been Fired Earlier

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"Sabonis says Dunleavy should've been fired earlier


May 11, 2001 - Arvydas Sabonis had harsh words for his teammates and said coach Mike Dunleavy should have been fired much earlier for failing to control his players.

"There aren't players on the Portland team, just names earning millions," Sabonis said Thursday while visiting his hometown.

Dunleavy was fired Monday after the Blazers were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Suspensions, injuries and internal bickering plagued the team, which lost 17 of its last 25 games despite an NBA-record payroll of $89.7 million. Sabonis said Dunleavy didn't "bring the team's stars down to planet Earth, and should have been fired midseason."

Sabonis' remarks were widely reported in newspapers and replayed on the radio Friday. Five Blazers made at least $11.2 million last season, including Sabonis, who earned $11.25 million in the last year of a three-year contract. The 7-foot-3 center averaged 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds, but missed 16 games because of various injuries.

Sabonis would not speculate about his future with the team. "I've gotten used to being in Portland and would like to stay there, but I don't know how things will turn out," he said.

If Sabonis decides not to return to the Blazers, he certainly would have good reason. During a game against the Lakers in Los Angeles on April 15, teammate Rasheed Wallace threw a towel into his face, angry that Sabonis accidentally smacked Wallace in the face with his hand.

The language barrier also was a persistent problem, and Sabonis struggled to understand what his teammates and Dunleavy wanted from him. In one game, Sabonis shouted to the bench, "I've got five people telling me different things!"

Sabonis didn't exclude the possibility that he might end his career playing for Lithuania's Zalgiris Kaunas, a top team in Europe and one that Sabonis partly owns.

"Someday I might play with them, if they'll take me," he said, joking.

Sabonis, who turns 37 in December, might be the greatest player to ever come out of the former Soviet Union. He was drafted by the Blazers in 1986 but stayed in Europe to play professionally. He helped the Soviet Union win the gold medal in the 1988 Olympics, and led Lithuania to bronze medals in 1992 and 1996.

Although he was past his prime when he made his debut with the Blazers in 1995, Sabonis has played well the past six seasons. He's averaged 13 points and 7.9 rebounds, and is regarded as one of the best-passing big men in the game."

 

I'd like to see Yao used in much the same way as Tim Duncan of the Spurs - down low in the post but occasionally running the high pick-and-roll to a player making cuts to the hoop.

 

What is your point...

Sabonis has been over the hill even when he FINALLY came to the NBA...

I like Sabonis but its not like he was ever their go to guy...

He is still playing the role he came in with... His 20 minutes have gone to about 10 minutes...

If your saying you don't want Dunleavy, fine but I can't really accept your comment about Yao and Sabonis... I do agree they have similar abilities but Yao is 22 and Sabonis was 34 when Dunleavy was there...

What about Divac... Dunleavy coached him, last I remember he's pretty good...

Funny, I believe Dunleavy led them to the Western Conference Finals... Hmmm...

I'll take Dunleavy personally...

Not trying are argue with you just pointing out that Sabonis was never their go to guy or even their # 2 or 3 go to guy... Back then it was Brian Grant, Rasheed Wallace and Isiah Rider... Yeah, he got those 2 guys to play together and well, at least for one year...

 

Keeping the peace: Dunleavy has league's toughest job
MARCH 14, 2001


Sean V Deveney
The Sporting News


Bob Leverone/TSN

Mike Dunleavy - Portland Trailblazers

get this photo

Erase all previously held notions of what a basketball team is. The star player, the solid complement, the scrappy point guard, the hustling sixth man. Gone. The cheerleading doofus who gets the crowd riled at the end of blowouts with his earnest effort? Forget him. He doesn't exist here.

The Trail Blazers are not a basketball team, not as we have come to know basketball teams. This is the Knights of the Round Table in high-tops. This is the hardwood's Death Star, the NBA's Goliath. Top to bottom, this Portland team is a collection of some of the best players of the past decade. One coach says the Blazers' second five could win 35 games on its own. As forward Detlef Schrempf says, "This is the All-Star traveling squad."

So have pity for coach Mike Dunleavy. That's right, pity. See, the reason certain things are expected of basketball teams -- star, scrapper, doofus -- is because those things work. They have been hallmarks of past winners. But for the Blazers, it's difficult to determine star from doofus. It changes from night to night.

Even first-year Vancouver coach Sidney Lowe, whose Grizzlies trailed the 42-21 Blazers by 22 games in the Western Conference standings after beating them twice last week, sympathizes. "I feel for him," Lowe says. "People think it's an easy job because he has got a lot of talent. Really, that makes it one of the tougher jobs there is, having all that talent and trying to keep those guys happy."

Pity Dunleavy because he must manage a team whose first and second units are an average of 31.6 years old, with 8.6 years of NBA experience and 1.9 All-Star games apiece. He is dealing with veterans who have a sense of entitlement when it comes to playing time and scoring opportunities. He must juggle talents on the court and egos off it. His All-Star roster comes with high expectations, but expectations are a long way from wins. Remember, the Knights never found the Holy Grail, the Death Star blew up and Goliath was knocked cold by a kid with a slingshot.

"Yeah we're deep, but that does not guarantee anything," Dunleavy says. "You put the five best players you think you have on the floor, and that's all. You can't play all 12."

Dunleavy says he makes substitutions on basketball principles -- simple things such as matchups, foul trouble and defense. But every substitution Dunleavy makes is also an exercise in psychology. Every minute played by one All-Star is a minute taken away from another. Hoping to preempt vitriol, Dunleavy has been conducting regular one-on-one meetings with his players to talk playing time.

"Certain nights, certain guys are going to get a certain number of minutes in our lineup," Dunleavy says. "There are other guys who are pushing for a role, but I can't put them in. I have to juggle the minutes. It's not going to be consistent, but I try to let them know, you might play 10 to 15 minutes one night, you might not play the next night."

The only uncontested slots in the Blazers' rotation are the ones held by small forward Scottie Pippen and power forward Rasheed Wallace. At each of the other three positions, there is a nearly head-to-head conflict for playing time, plus a fourth conflict for time within the second unit. Though the Blazers stick to the "all-for-one," rhetoric, in some cases tension is obvious.

Take a look at the tensions and the juggling act you would have to master to be head coach of the Blazers. Then sigh. Then say, "Poor Mike Dunleavy."


Conflict No. 1: point guard -- Damon Stoudamire vs. Rod Strickland
Stoudamire is accustomed to the role of Blazer whipping boy. His aggressive style is not compatible with Dunleavy's offense, which accentuates the forwards. Stoudamire is supposed to get the ball across halfcourt, then to the forwards. He is supposed to take jump shots when available.

At 5-10, Stoudamire is not able to play, or defend, in the post. His relationship with Dunleavy has been cold, but he has tried this season to become the kind of point guard his coach wants, and communication between the two has improved. Stoudamire has improved his outside shot and has limited his rushes to the basket. He has had some streaks of shoddy play but is enjoying his best year as a Blazer.

At least he was, until the team acquired Strickland, waived from the Wizards early last week after two months of pouting. Strickland is more conventional than Stoudamire. He is 6-3 and a better passer and better floor general. Strickland still must work into playing shape, but when he does, Stoudamire's minutes will dwindle. Another player who will be in the mix eventually is Greg Anthony, who has been out with a shoulder injury.

Stoudamire admits the addition of Strickland adds pressure. Watch Stoudamire, and you'll notice he often twitches toward the bench when the substitution horn sounds -- he is playing like he is afraid to be benched. In the first three games after Strickland joined the Blazers -- all losses -- Stoudamire shot 41.1 percent (14-for-34) with nine assists and nine turnovers.

"There is always pressure on me," Stoudamire says, "because regardless of anything, I am always the one that everybody comes to ridicule about my play. I am not going to look over my shoulder, but at the same time, (Strickland is) going to be a question that will always linger."


Conflict No. 2: Center -- Dale Davis vs. Arvydas Sabonis
It was Christmas, and the Blazers had just beaten the Lakers on the road. But Davis was fuming. He had played five minutes against the Lakers. Sabonis, feeling stronger as he continued his return from offseason ankle and knee surgeries, had played 33.

So Davis ducked the team flight to Utah. He skipped practice, staging a one-man playing-time protest. Davis knew his minutes would decrease when he was traded to Portland from Indiana in August. But five minutes?

"I knew they had a lot of guys, but it took me a long time to accept the role," Davis says now. "I don't like it. I was frustrated. I don't like sitting on the bench. But everybody knows we have to make sacrifices."

Davis has been making fewer sacrifices lately. He has been a starter in 17 of the past 21 games and is forming a versatile combination with Sabonis. Davis is limited offensively but is a fierce rebounder and defender. In contrast, Sabonis is a sharpshooter and the league's best passing center.

In addition to his two offseason surgeries, Sabonis, 36, has missed time with a sprained knee, back spasms and a toothache. His health is a delicate matter. Having him back up Davis allows Dunleavy to keep Sabonis rested for the playoffs.


Conflict No. 3: Shooting guard -- Bonzi Wells vs. Steve Smith
For the first two months of the season, folks in Portland waited for Smith to snap out of it. Coming off his Olympic stint, Smith hit a slump in mid-November. He shot 38.2 percent in a 22-game stretch. On December 29, Smith took a game off with a viral infection, and he was snapped right out of the starting lineup.

Wells replaced Smith as a starter, and the Blazers have benefited. Wells is better at initiating and finishing the fast break, and the Blazers run more when he is on the floor. Though he is three inches shorter than the 6-8 Smith, Wells is thicker and stronger and is better at working in the post. His accuracy is astounding for a shooting guard -- he shoots 53.8 percent.

For Smith, a lifelong starter, the move to the bench has come without complaint. It hardly can be called a demotion -- Smith plays 30.3 minutes per game off the bench, compared with 33.2 as a starter. He shot 41.7 percent as a starter but shoots 47.5 percent as a reserve.


Conflict No. 4: Reserve forward -- Shawn Kemp vs. Detlef Schrempf
Kemp, predictably, has been late or a no-show for meetings, practices and even an exhibition game. But when he missed practice on December 19, it was classic Kemp. After waking up early, the excuse went, Kemp fell back asleep, right through practice. It got better, though, when the portly Kemp explained why he was so sleepy. He said he was feeling woozy thanks to a new diet and weight loss. So of course, he had to sleep through practice.

Give Kemp credit, though. The quality of his play is catching up to the quality of his excuses. Where he had been lazily firing jumpers, he is becoming more aggressive, working inside and rebounding. He is playing just 16.6 minutes per game, after averaging more than 30 for his career.

Complicating matters is the unretirement of Schrempf, 38, who retired last year but was persuaded to stay on Portland's injured list for $2.2 million for this season. The Blazers made one stipulation: Schrempf had to stay in shape, and if the team had an emergency, he would come out of retirement. When Pippen needed elbow surgery at the end of January, Schrempf was called into duty. Pippen has returned, but Schrempf will finish the season with the team and frequently has logged more minutes than Kemp.

"It's frustrating sitting there watching," Kemp says. "It's a challenge. I knew it would be before I got here, but I did not expect it to be this much of a challenge."

Making Dunleavy's job even tougher is the omnipresence of team owner Paul Allen and general manager Bob Whitsitt, who watch each home game a few yards from the Blazers bench, in floor seats. In foisting this group on Dunleavy, Blazers management has made a mockery of the league's salary cap. The team's roster runs almost $90 million, by far the NBA's highest. In any sport, only the Yankees' $92.5 million payroll was higher for 2000.

"If the criticism is that we have too many good players, well, then, I love that criticism," Whitsitt says. "I am proud Portland has that many good players, like I am sure the Yankees are proud of their players."

Little wonder Dunleavy often wears the harried look of a coach who is closer to last place than first. The Blazers, for all their players, are locked in a five-team struggle for the West's top seed but too often play as though they were headed for the lottery.

"Some nights our defense is absolutely awful," Dunleavy says. "We don't play with energy. We don't make our reads and rotations. We give up too many easy baskets -- layups, dunks, wide-open jumpers. I don't know the answer to it."

"They are deep as hell," Golden State's Marc Jackson says. "They're the best team in the league by far. I guess that can make it tough, because you're expected to be the best team all the time."

Ah yes, pity from the Warriors, whose record is worse than Vancouver's. Poor Mike Dunleavy, indeed.

Sean Deveney is a staff writer for The Sporting News.

 

So the Sabonis's reasoning was that the stars weren't brought down to earth. Has anybody been able to have an impact on the ego's of Sheed, Rider and Pippen? Even the might 'Zen Master' couldn't control Pippen's ego.

 

Don't know the source.... just found it on google. Kinda a scary article..although this is the Blazers we're talking about

Sabonis says Dunleavy should've been fired earlier


May 11, 2001 - Arvydas Sabonis had harsh words for his teammates and said coach Mike Dunleavy should have been fired much earlier for failing to control his players.

"There aren't players on the Portland team, just names earning millions," Sabonis said Thursday while visiting his hometown.

Dunleavy was fired Monday after the Blazers were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Suspensions, injuries and internal bickering plagued the team, which lost 17 of its last 25 games despite an NBA-record payroll of $89.7 million. Sabonis said Dunleavy didn't "bring the team's stars down to planet Earth, and should have been fired midseason."

Sabonis' remarks were widely reported in newspapers and replayed on the radio Friday. Five Blazers made at least $11.2 million last season, including Sabonis, who earned $11.25 million in the last year of a three-year contract. The 7-foot-3 center averaged 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds, but missed 16 games because of various injuries.

Sabonis would not speculate about his future with the team. "I've gotten used to being in Portland and would like to stay there, but I don't know how things will turn out," he said.

If Sabonis decides not to return to the Blazers, he certainly would have good reason. During a game against the Lakers in Los Angeles on April 15, teammate Rasheed Wallace threw a towel into his face, angry that Sabonis accidentally smacked Wallace in the face with his hand.

The language barrier also was a persistent problem, and Sabonis struggled to understand what his teammates and Dunleavy wanted from him. In one game, Sabonis shouted to the bench, "I've got five people telling me different things!"

Sabonis didn't exclude the possibility that he might end his career playing for Lithuania's Zalgiris Kaunas, a top team in Europe and one that Sabonis partly owns.

"Someday I might play with them, if they'll take me," he said, joking.

Sabonis, who turns 37 in December, might be the greatest player to ever come out of the former Soviet Union. He was drafted by the Blazers in 1986 but stayed in Europe to play professionally. He helped the Soviet Union win the gold medal in the 1988 Olympics, and led Lithuania to bronze medals in 1992 and 1996.

Although he was past his prime when he made his debut with the Blazers in 1995, Sabonis has played well the past six seasons. He's averaged 13 points and 7.9 rebounds, and is regarded as one of the best-passing big men in the game.

 

The legendary Portland TrailBlazers center & ESPN Analyst Bill Walton agreed with Sabonis on the firing of Mike Dunleavy. Here is a Q&A Session from June 2001 that Walton did on the Sporting News website, and his response was just as harsh as Arvydas comments...

http://www.sportingnews.com/voices/bill_walton/mailbag/20010601.html

I find it interesting that everyone was so down on the Blazers after they were swept by the Lakers in the first round. In retrospect, with the sweeps of Kings and the Spurs, they've had as much success against a team that appears unstoppable, and capable of going through the playoffs with the best record ever. Perhaps firing coach Mike Dunleavy was a bit premature?

Thanks from Chuck
Las Vegas, Nev.

Bill Walton:

No, I disagree. If anything, Mike Dunleavy's firing came too late.

Based on your question, it appears you're linking Dunleavy's ouster with the way Portland bombed out of the playoffs. But a lot more went into the decision. There was a cumulative dimension to Dunleavy's dismissal. He didn't get fired because his team was swept in the first round. He got fired for not getting the Blazers to fulfill their fantastic potential over the last couple of seasons.

For a team stocked with so much talent, they played poorly down the stretch, both this season and last. On March 3, Portland had the best record in the Western Conference at 42-18. But the Blazers lost 14 of their final 22 games, and then three more to the Lakers in the playoffs to seal their terrible fate.

Go back a year and the Blazers turned in a similar late-season nosedive. On March 14, 2000, Portland was sailing along with a 49-15 record, boasting a winning percentage of .766. But the Blazers played their final stretch at just over a .500 clip, lackadaisically finishing with a 10-8 mark.

Those two late-season swoons should not be masked by the fact that the Blazers got to the seventh game of last year's Western Conference finals, a series in which they trailed 3-1. And when you're talking about their inability to finish strong down the stretch, consider that in Game 7 they blew a 13-point lead entering the fourth quarter, helping the Lakers advance to the NBA Finals.

Comments made by Arvydas Sabonis revealed what was really going on with the Blazers this season. After this recent playoff debacle, the veteran center said Dunleavy lost the team around Christmas, and with the overall lack of discipline it was a foregone conclusion that it stood no chance of doing anything in the postseason. When there are players out of control, selfishly doing whatever they want for their own personal reasons, a change in leadership is essential.

When you consider the sweeps suffered by Sacramento and San Antonio this spring, you could say that the Lakers, pumped and primed and in an incredible zone, simply destroyed both opponents. But when you look at Portland, you can easily say that they beat themselves, with LA just happening to be the opposition at the time.

In short, considering the way both Blazers' teams performed down the stretch in the last two seasons, Dunleavy's time had definitely come.

 

It sounds like to me that Sabonis may have been out of control himself. Im not sure it is fair to judge MD based on Portland alone, but it would be horrible if he couldnt control our team, man, I cant wait till all this is over.

 

Becoming an up-tempo team does not mean u dont execute well on half court. The Blazers were quite good in half court set while running well at the same time. The Rockets championship teams, especially in 95 were good running teams. The Spurs and the Nets are both above average running teams. The fact is, if u just pound the ball, over and over, the players get stagnant, other players dont get involved, and your offense will eventually collapse. A good example would be the Rockets team of Hakeem, Barkley and drexler. We had the post up, but w/ Clyde, Elie and Barkley not pushing the break like they did when they were young, we couldnt win the championship.

u need the balance.

 

Well...Maurice Cheeks isn't really controlling the Blazers either! They are still the Jail Blazers and fight and do everything that's bad! So...maybe it isn't his fault.

But I still want Jeff Van Gundy.

ALSO ON A SIDE NOTE...

The Mavericks have Shawn Bradley and they are still uptempo! Heh...

Well Spurs...their guards run while big men USUALLY stay back...but their half court offense is great as well...patient..breaks defenses down...or just give it to Timmy. TIMMY!!! Sometimes Timmy runs the break! Point center forward!

 

I think his point is clear enough that when Dunleavy coach Jailblazers, the team was totally out of his control and it is worried the same thing happens to Rox if Dunleavy is to be the head coach of our team.

By the way, Sabonis is one of the best centers of all time. I doubt there are many people understand the bball game as well as him, including most coaches in today's NBA.

 

Hmm...by the way....VLADE DIVAC GOOD?!? ROFLMAO!!! Queen of Flops! He sucks so bad... Vlade Divac for Kobe Byrant.

 

That article concerns me a little although this could simply be a player venting over playing time to the media. However, I'm more willing to listen to the point of view of a European player that had to learn strict discipline in order to play in Europe and eventually play himself out of Europe and into the NBA as opposed to the opinions of the typical spoiled brat American born players. Personally, I'm not sure anyone really could have done much to control those Portland teams though.

 

Dunleavy's first job is to talk to SF and Cat that they have to feed the ball inside. But the tricky part is that Yao has not established as the dominant center yet, so how can you convince SF and Cat to give the ball to a sophomore?

So Dunleavy won't talk to SF and Cat about giving the ball to Yao, instead, he will talk about ball movement

The other important job is to help Yao develop a consistent post-up game. He needs to bring in a big-man coach for sure.

The 3rd job is to help SF with his PG skills.

There will be fight in the team between SF, Cat and the coach among their roles. The problem is that Yao is not ready to step up, and Yao's personality is accomodating, not aggressive, just like Duncan and Robinson. So it is going to be tough for a coach to handle that.

 

Somebody needs to ask Sabonic is Cheeks is controlling that team. Last I checked, talented and relatively young teams who are undercontrol don't cause their GM to be fired and their coach to want to bail.

 

All very good and valid points. We, myself included, often talk about Yao as if he is all ready playing at an all star level and he certainly is not. I see huge potential in Yao, but think he needs to be more demonstrative (demand the ball as opposed to waiting for it) and aggressive (he doesn't seem to go after rebounds. I often saw the ball hit the floor before he would get a hand on it and that should never happen at the NBA level). Yao also comes off as very immature, still very baby-like. That probably has something to do with him being an only child that doesn't speak very good English all of a sudden becoming the new American (and worldwide for that matter) poster boy. Yao needs to develop some more attitude and aggressiveness and that will be the job of any coach that comes to Houston. Part of making Francis pass the ball to Yao more will be on Yao showing that you can consistently go to him and get results.

However, I think Steve is also going to have to help out in this matter. How is Yao going to improve if we don't get him touches. The Rockets should have been taking advatage of a rebuilding year like last year to school Yao in game by giving him the ball more. We can only speculate why Francis and the guards did not give the ball to Yao more last year, but that is something that the new coach can not stand for.