ARTICLE ABOUT CHARLES FROM PHILLY NEWSPAPER...EXCELLENT READ...

Great Article. Especially the part about being a mentor to steve Francis, but Charles helping younger guys doesn't mean you have criticize everything they do. You dont add to a kid's confidence by noticing every wrong move, or pointing out every mistake. By focusing on the negative all the time you actually make minor faults worse. Charles instead focus on the good things in your young teamates more often, which should be easy, maybe you'll find them not taking it so hard all the time. My point is Charles, If you get on Francis, maybe for turning the ball over during a game, then you need to compliment him twice as much when he doesn't turn the ball over.

Personally, Charles is one of my favorite players, but he seems to always focus on the negative when considering the younger players. Not in this article but in a more recent one, if I recall correctly, he said Francis didn't need to jump around after every basket, but then he'll turn around in say the young players are just playing for a 9 million dollar contracts now. So Charles, is a player like Francis jumping up and down during games and falling down on the court dejectedly after a tough loss, doing it all for 9 million dollar year contracts?

[This message has been edited by ROCKETBOOSTER (edited December 07, 1999).]

[This message has been edited by ROCKETBOOSTER (edited December 07, 1999).]

 

I think that this is the most telling piece of the article:

"That coach Larry Brown is doing most of all.
'I respect his coaching,' Barkley said. 'I think he's good for Allen Iverson. He's not afraid to criticize. You really should do that - I wish our coach would do that more'"

This is exactly what I thought. Rudy T. does not criticize his players when they are playing poorly. He just stands there with that dumb resigned look on his face. Coaches must do more than let the players play.

 

So what Charles wishes is that his coach would criticize players more like himself. That right right there tells how damn pessimistic Charles is toward his younger teamates. I don't believe in constructive criticism, look don't keep pointing out what teamates do wrong, instead show them the right way to do it, or lead by example. If Rudy T. rode Francis like Barkley does the kid's confidence would be shatterd by Christmas. When was the last time Charles Barkley said something really encouraging about his young teamates without a negative comment in the next statment.

 

CB said this is Francis' team, is there any more encouraging comment than this?

 

"He's not afraid to criticize. You really should do that - I wish our coach would do that more"

Gee, I agree with him here. I'd love to hear Rudy jumping down Barkley's throat with things like:

"Hey, you're quicker than the other 7 footer! Go around him! Don't freaking shoot over him!!"

"@$%%^! Barkley!! You can't f#%!ing shoot threes!!"

"There's a reason they call them free-throws you know!!!!!"

 

That's why you gotta love Charles Barkley, he is so honest and thoughtful for his team that he is asking the coach to critize the players including himself.

 

The article is supposed to be part one of two. I hope somebody posts the 2nd part here when it comes out. Good stuff.