Post by John on Jan 26, 2007 18:52:06 GMT -4
From the Rocky Mountain News...
It might be where Phil Jackson got his start as a coach and where George Karl resurrected his career, but it's still the minor leagues.
Want minor league stories?
Micheal Ray Richardson, in his second season as coach of the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Association, has got them.
"Last year, when we had a playoff game in Yakima, we left at 7 o'clock in the morning and we arrived at 2 a.m.," Richardson said of the 22-hour trip from Albany, N.Y., to Yakima, Wash. "We flew to Newark, then to Cleveland, then to Minneapolis, then to Seattle. Then we took a 3 1/2-hour bus ride. All to get the cheapest tickets."
As one might figure, the weary Patroons lost.
Even shorter journeys can bring surprises. Earlier this season, the Patroons showed up at a high school gym in Fort Wayne, Ind., to face the Indiana Alley Cats.
"There was no pro three-point line, so they put this tape down on the floor and it was way off," Richardson said. "It was farther away in certain areas. We didn't shoot that many three-pointers."
Richardson has learned to laugh off inconveniences in the CBA. They're nothing compared with some of his life's land mines.
The graduate of Denver's Manual High School was a four-time NBA All-Star guard. But he was banned for life from the league in 1986 because of drugs use.
Richardson then played 1 1/2 decades in Europe. He returned to the NBA with the Nuggets, serving from 2003 to 2005 as a community ambassador.
Now, Richardson, 51, wants to return as a coach. He doesn't see his former problems as a roadblock.
"John Lucas has had problems and he got coaching jobs," Richardson said of Lucas, who faced NBA suspensions for drugs as a player and later coached San Antonio, Philadelphia and Cleveland. "What's done is done. Life goes on. They can't punish me for something I did 20 years ago."
Richardson has picked a good place to hone his coaching skills. Before moving on to NBA fame, Jackson got his start in Albany, going 117-90 from 1982 to 1987.
The late Bill Musselman wanted to get another NBA coaching job, so he headed to Albany in 1987. It worked. Minnesota hired him after he went 48-6 in one season.
Karl became the next reclamation project. Trying to get back in as an NBA coach, Karl led the Patroons for two seasons, bettering Musselman's mark with a 50-6 run in 1990-91.
That helped get him to Seattle, and he's now working on his possible Hall of Fame résumé with the Nuggets.
"Hopefully," Karl said of Richardson being the next to rise from Albany. "He's served his time."
He has served it well this season. Richardson was December's CBA Coach of the Month, and the Patroons are 14-7.
Richardson's mantra? It's defense, as one might expect from a three-time NBA steals leader.
"I'm a screamer," Richardson said. "I believe in playing defense at all times."
The Patroons went 20-28 last season with a young team. But Richardson said a key for this season's improvement has been the addition of several veterans, including former NBA players Felipe Lopez and Sean Higgins.
As for Higgins, now that's a veteran. Higgins, 38, played with six NBA teams in six seasons between 1990 and 1998. With his NBA dreams long over, one would figure the CBA would be no place for Higgins. But he always has admired Richardson.
"When I was growing up, my favorite players were George Gervin, Magic Johnson and Micheal Ray," Higgins said. "I played for George with the Detroit Dogs (when Gervin coached in the minor league ABA in 2000), I played with Magic on a European tour, and now I've got Micheal Ray."
Higgins has played for legends Larry Brown and Don Nelson. He believes Richardson has what it takes to get to the next level.
"He's got an old-school pedigree with his approach to the game," Higgins said. "But he knows how to relate to the new breed of player, even though he's a non-nonsense guy."
Well, Richardson does put up with some nonsense. After all, it is the CBA, where a 22-hour trip doesn't even get you out of the country.
It might be where Phil Jackson got his start as a coach and where George Karl resurrected his career, but it's still the minor leagues.
Want minor league stories?
Micheal Ray Richardson, in his second season as coach of the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Association, has got them.
"Last year, when we had a playoff game in Yakima, we left at 7 o'clock in the morning and we arrived at 2 a.m.," Richardson said of the 22-hour trip from Albany, N.Y., to Yakima, Wash. "We flew to Newark, then to Cleveland, then to Minneapolis, then to Seattle. Then we took a 3 1/2-hour bus ride. All to get the cheapest tickets."
As one might figure, the weary Patroons lost.
Even shorter journeys can bring surprises. Earlier this season, the Patroons showed up at a high school gym in Fort Wayne, Ind., to face the Indiana Alley Cats.
"There was no pro three-point line, so they put this tape down on the floor and it was way off," Richardson said. "It was farther away in certain areas. We didn't shoot that many three-pointers."
Richardson has learned to laugh off inconveniences in the CBA. They're nothing compared with some of his life's land mines.
The graduate of Denver's Manual High School was a four-time NBA All-Star guard. But he was banned for life from the league in 1986 because of drugs use.
Richardson then played 1 1/2 decades in Europe. He returned to the NBA with the Nuggets, serving from 2003 to 2005 as a community ambassador.
Now, Richardson, 51, wants to return as a coach. He doesn't see his former problems as a roadblock.
"John Lucas has had problems and he got coaching jobs," Richardson said of Lucas, who faced NBA suspensions for drugs as a player and later coached San Antonio, Philadelphia and Cleveland. "What's done is done. Life goes on. They can't punish me for something I did 20 years ago."
Richardson has picked a good place to hone his coaching skills. Before moving on to NBA fame, Jackson got his start in Albany, going 117-90 from 1982 to 1987.
The late Bill Musselman wanted to get another NBA coaching job, so he headed to Albany in 1987. It worked. Minnesota hired him after he went 48-6 in one season.
Karl became the next reclamation project. Trying to get back in as an NBA coach, Karl led the Patroons for two seasons, bettering Musselman's mark with a 50-6 run in 1990-91.
That helped get him to Seattle, and he's now working on his possible Hall of Fame résumé with the Nuggets.
"Hopefully," Karl said of Richardson being the next to rise from Albany. "He's served his time."
He has served it well this season. Richardson was December's CBA Coach of the Month, and the Patroons are 14-7.
Richardson's mantra? It's defense, as one might expect from a three-time NBA steals leader.
"I'm a screamer," Richardson said. "I believe in playing defense at all times."
The Patroons went 20-28 last season with a young team. But Richardson said a key for this season's improvement has been the addition of several veterans, including former NBA players Felipe Lopez and Sean Higgins.
As for Higgins, now that's a veteran. Higgins, 38, played with six NBA teams in six seasons between 1990 and 1998. With his NBA dreams long over, one would figure the CBA would be no place for Higgins. But he always has admired Richardson.
"When I was growing up, my favorite players were George Gervin, Magic Johnson and Micheal Ray," Higgins said. "I played for George with the Detroit Dogs (when Gervin coached in the minor league ABA in 2000), I played with Magic on a European tour, and now I've got Micheal Ray."
Higgins has played for legends Larry Brown and Don Nelson. He believes Richardson has what it takes to get to the next level.
"He's got an old-school pedigree with his approach to the game," Higgins said. "But he knows how to relate to the new breed of player, even though he's a non-nonsense guy."
Well, Richardson does put up with some nonsense. After all, it is the CBA, where a 22-hour trip doesn't even get you out of the country.