<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">New <a href="https://twitter.com/TheVertical">@TheVertical</a> Podcast: JB Bickerstaff on growing up in a basketball family, the end in HOU, new beginnings in MEM <a href="https://t.co/SAIjK1SRlw">https://t.co/SAIjK1SRlw</a></p>— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixYS) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMannixYS/status/752908751103897600">July 12, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Listening now
JB Bickerstaff, first of his name, son of Bernie, assistant coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, has been groomed since conception to be a coach. And yet he flopped when he got a chance to be a head coach. He can serve as a decent assistant but I do not hold out much hope for his ability to rule.
What did you take from Kevin McHale? There's a ton of knowledge that he added. The conversations we would have alone just about his career & his playing time, there's so much to be learned. The game is different but fundamentally the same. He would tell us stories about the way they did things: practices, pick & roll coverage, those types of things. What he does best is he puts players in position to be as successful as possible. That's all he wants. He's not asking you to be someone you're not. He's giving you freedom but with that freedom comes responsibilities to the team. No selfishness, those types of things. I learned watching him handle players & how to get the most out of guys, put them in position to succeed & making guys feel that if you're job is to rebound, be the best rebounder on the planet. Go out and do that job and be proud of that job. Every coach in an assistant position wants to be a head coach. What was your feeling when you got the job in Houston but also the day Kevin lost his job? Terrible day. It was awful. We didn't see it coming. Didn't think it was necessary. We understood where we were. From a personal standpoint, Kevin's done so much for me & my family. I went back & forth on whether is this okay? Is this was the right thing to do? I thought he was done wrong. It was unfair for him to take the heat. It was not deserving. It was difficult for me. I had a responsibility to the 15 guys on the roster & coaching staff to do the best we could do for one another to be as successful as we possibly could. All the lessons you learn from Kevin, my dad and guys I've been around, it's all about being unselfish. My focus going in was on being the best teammate I could be. Whatever feelings I had, I put them on the backburner and did what I thought was right to help that team stabilize itself. When you have conflicted feelings, what pushes you to say yes? It's the opportunity. There's only 30 NBA jobs. It's not like you can go to Europe. This is it. There's only 30. As a child, it's your dream to be a head coach. Kevin & I still talk. He was supportive all year long. He texted me during good & bad stretches. He was always there. Any questions, he was there. He made it easier. The fact he was supportive & behind me made it easier. Before he was let go, had you identified what was going on? You were a conference finalist the year before. It came down to, when we go back and look, we didn't have a very good preseason. We had guys injured in training camp & preseason and didn't get the things done we needed to get done to be the caliber of team we wanted to be. We were constantly playing catch up. That's what made it difficult. We were always trying to chase everyone down. There was a part in time in the year where we got stable, then bumps in the roads where we could never get over to see the horizon enough. Something was always coming and it would knock us back. We had to close out the season winning 3 straight or whatever to make the playoffs then ran into a good team in the playoffs. To stabilize that team & get in the playoffs, everyone a part of it did a good job. Hard enough with a full training camp & preseason, must be more difficult on the fly. How much of your philosophy did you try to install vs. minor tweaks because lack of practice time & ability to change things? We played a certain style. Systematically, it's hard to change that without a training camp & time to practice. It was difficult. We made small changes, minor tweaks offensively & defensively. From a philosophy standpoint, how I wanted them to be treated, how I was gonna treat them, my staff, staff treating each other, that's where sacrificing, giving to your team, those are things I believe in and that's what we were gonna do regardless of the results. We were gonna give and get the most out of that group. Did you feel with the personalities, there were chemistry issues tough to overcome? Yeah, no doubt about that. Guys wanted to do..guys wanted the same result. Guys wanted to win. How we were going to get to that is where we had the biggest problem. That was a bigger issue for us than...we throw around the word chemistry. We were trying to get to the same place. In a group, with characters as strong as we had, sometimes we all weren't on the same page about getting to that same spot. Frustrating not being able to get them on the same page? It was tough because you would be in the right place at times. The hard part was staying there. That's what it became & was frustrating. We knew what we were capable of. We could play at a certain level, play a certain way and would do it for spurts and for whatever reason, those issues arise again. It was difficult & frustrating at times. Playoff press conference - did you have higher expectations for that series? We could have put ourselves in a better situation. We played them in game four, maybe game three, tie game at half, Steph gets hurt, an opportunity for us at home to come out and play better and win that game. We didn't take full advantage. There was a moment to be seized and we didn't. You said there are only 30 of these in the NBA. You took yourself out of consideration. Did you want that job? With all the things that happened last year, I was not the right person for that job. They needed to come in with something and someone fresh to restart what they were trying to do. They were great to me. Leslie, Daryl, Tad were great. They gave me everything I needed during the year. They included me in conversations. They were wonderful to me. It was something I thought, I wasn't the right guy for the job. Why? Voice not being heard? Something else? From where we were at the beginning of the year with expectations to where we finished & what we went through, that place, it needed a fresh voice, fresh face. There were things that happened during the year that tested relationships. It was the right thing to do. How do you feel you did in Houston? I thought I did a good job. Showed up every day, went to work, accepted all challenges that came my way. I wasn't doubting myself. There was no guarantee I get that job and probably wasn't going to get that job. I understood that. For me, it was about moving on to what was next. They went through a process interviewing a lot of people. For me, looking as the chances were slim, you're looking for what's next. I was fortunate that I know enough people and good relationships that I would get an opportunity. It was a matter of where. Focused on assistant job? You don't get to look. They ask. I wasn't asked. I got an opportunity to talk in Orlando. Our conversations went well. You take your shot when open. If no shot, you move on. I was fortunate to have some options at the end and picked what was right for me & my family. Why Memphis? First, my relationship with Coach Fizdale. I've known him since I was 17. We have a great relationship. He was in my wedding. No one I trust more in this business than him. That was the biggest part. We talked about it beforehand. It was whoever got the job first, the other one was coming with him. There's no one more I want to push for, support more, fight more than him. Organization is good. Talented players who are about the right things. We just need to get healthy. Proven guys, win now & not rebuilding. Great fit & easy for me being able to work with Fiz. Coaching philosophies in sync? Your coaching philosophies follows a lot of who you are as a person. We won't agree on everything. He comes from that HEAT culture. That's different from Houston and the way we did things. We're not always on the same page and he didn't hire me to be his yes man. We'll have discussions on things. Again, because we've known each other so long, it's never personal. It's about what's best for our team & staff. We can argue & move on. How do you deal with Goliath (Golden State)? It's a culture. That's the only thing that matters. You approach as if you're trying to win a championship. You don't think about them. We don't care about GS, SA...what are we doing in Memphis to help position us to win a championship? Fiz has done a good job bringing that in. He has a clear vision. He teaches us that and we preach his vision. He's on the right path at creating that. Once all the guys show up, then it starts. They walk into something instead of trying to figure it out. More assistants getting opportunities. Do you think your next opportunity, whenever that may be, how different will you be? What do you take away from Houston that will make you better? The experience. Leading a team to the playoffs. Prepping for playoffs. Coaching a team everyday for 100-120 days. That is where you learn. What decision do you make with 2 minutes to go? What guy do you put in this position? How do you deal with this guy having a bad night & he's your best player? All those things. I've made those decisions before. As an assistant, you make suggestions. As a head coach, you make decisions. Having made those, you're better for it & more confident.
I don't get the "TL; DR" response. If you don't have the time to read, why do you have the time to bother typing a reply?
Meh I hoped he would turn out decent. At first he changed a couple of things but later it became obvious dude is a lousy head coach
His lowlight as rockets headcoach was using KJ McDaniels to foul Drummond in the pistons game. Glad he's gone
It's an attempt to devalue the post and the person who did it. It's like: "You spent all that time on this post and I just want you to know that I couldn't care enough to even try to read it." It's a form of trollery.
I agree. It usually just helps run the poster's own BBS cred downward. I guess there is the occasional TL;DR post that can be pretty funny. It's all about timing, and perhaps a self-mocking tone.