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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Another coaching move perhaps?

Rumors are surrounding Phoenix Suns' coach Terry Porter that he might be relieved of his coaching duties. I really don't watch much, hardly any NBA ball. In this article by ESPN's Marc Stein they interviewed Shaquille O'Neal and I thought his take was very interesting on the whole coach-being-fired thing which seems to be an always talked about issue.
"It's kind of unfair for Terry. He came in with his system, and a lot of guys here are not really used to the system. But I like Terry. He's a knowledgeable guy. He played the game. It's always the players' job to go out and get it done."
It always seems that when things start going downhill, (oh, by the way the Suns are 28-23, so I'm not sure how that is grounds for dismissal) the coach is always looked at first as the problem. I think it's odd that two players have already wanted to leave and got traded. Maybe the fault, if there is one, may lay on someone besides the one coaching. Especially in the NBA where players are paid to play, why not just play. It is your job. I mean, I probably wouldn't argue with someone of Shaq's stature.
Anyone have something to add?