In winning and losing there are no politics -- only numbers

In the book "The Dandy Dons," which comes out this June, former USF star Bill Russell talks about how his attitude changed after he'd been overlooked for player of the year honors in the California Basketball Association (now the WCC).

"It was then and there that I determined, 'If my team wins a championship every year, there's no quarrel anyone can come up with to deny me that. Winning is the only thing I really cared about because I found that when I left the cocoon of my childhood I came into the world and found the individual awards were mostly political.

But winning and losing, there are no politics, only numbers. It's the most democratic thing in the world. You either win or lose, so I decided early in my career that the only really important thing was to try to win every game. The only thing that really mattered was who won -- and there is nothing subjective about that."

Avoiding the trap of tailspin

There's an old saying: "Wins come in bunches." Of course, so do losses.

Which is why after his team's 12-game winning streak ended recently with a loss to ATL, Jerry Sloan "worries about what awaits."

So after the game at Atlanta on Wednesday night, Coach Sloan made it clear to his guys that he "wants to avoid the trap of tailspin."

"I just told them, 'Lots of times, you see a team after they've had a streak, they have one the other way,' "

According to Carlos Boozer, a seven-year NBA vet who played on the U.S. Olympic basketball team last summer, the next few games are a test for the Jazz.

"We'll see what kind of character we've got. I think if we're an elite team, we'll bounce right back. We won't just look at this thing and sulk and lose four or five in a row. We've got to bounce back from it."

The better you get, the more you raise your standards

After NJ Devils coach Brent Sutter "voic[ed] his displeasure after a lopsided (7-3) loss Saturday afternoon to an inferior Islanders squad," a reporter questioned whether it made sense for the coach of "a team that has won 18 of its past 23 games and sits atop the Atlantic Division" to be scolding his team.

He asked, "Doesn't a squad that has lost just five times since Jan. 12 deserve some slack for an occasional stinker?"

Not the Devils. They don't expect it, and maybe that's why they have had a winning record for 17 straight seasons. The mentality is different here.

"The better you get, the more you raise your standards," said Devils center Bobby Holik, a 15-year NHL veteran. "Because if you say, 'Well, it happens,' that's the end of it. You become satisfied. 'So what, we lost?' That's a terrible way to think. That's one of the reasons this team is competitive year after year. We're not satisfied that we've only lost five times in 23 games. We know we're not going to win them all. Nobody will. But we're not happy because we didn't compete in this (last) game."

Wanting to win as long as I can keep doing what I want to do

Saw a clip where former Dallas receiver Terrell Owens said, "I just want to win."

Then I thought about something Doc Rivers said last month:

"I hear so many times guys say they want to win... I want to be a winner, but what they're really saying is they want to win so long as it's comfortable for them. What they're really saying is, 'I want to win it as long as I can keep doing what I do.'"

Owens talks about wanting to win, but his actions say otherwise. He's putting conditions on it. What he's really saying is that he wants to win "as long as I can keep doing what I do."

That's not how it works.

Yes, you might be able to keep doing what you like to do or what you're comfortable doing and the team has a good season. After all, when Owens was with the Cowboys they won lots of regular season games.

But when it comes to winning championships, it often boils down to who is willing to sacrifice the most in order to win.

Who is your "chemistry coach"?

Just getting into Urban Meyer's book "Urban's Way," which was published last year.

About 50 pages in, there's a great quote from Hiram de Fries (pictured here), a former lineman for Colorado State and retired oil executive.

When discussing how "one key ingredient to winning is [a team's] so-called chemistry," Coach Meyer says that, early in his career, "I always wanted to have an older guy as the chemistry coach on my staff to help us all get on the same page. Hiram is my chemistry coach."

But, according to Hiram, there's one thing that, regardless of chemistry, keeps it all together:

"Winning," he says, "prevents anarchy."

A penchant for pressure

As manager of Chelsea FC from 2004-2007, Jose Mourinho won 131 times in 185 games (including just 18 losses). His teams never lost a home match while he was manager.

Now in his first season as coach of Inter, one of Italy's top soccer clubs, Mourinho has guided his team to 25 wins in 35 games (with just six losses).

According to the 46-year-old Mourinho, he's never had much patience for rebuilding.

"Some managers use arriving at a new club as an excuse. They say they need time, and if you do that, you are protected. If you don't win the title in the first or second season, you can keep telling everyone you need time.

Sometimes you stay for four or five years, keep not winning, and then keep demanding more time. I could never be like this. I live for the risk. I believe you can do it in the first season and if you do not, you fail. I prefer it like this. I prefer the pressure because that's how I live."

Is team chemistry a "figment of the result"?

Over the last year or so, I've posted about the issue of chemistry more than a few times. Now, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, whose team had what this story describes as a "meltdown" last season, has his say.

According to Jones, chemistry is a "figment of the result." In other words, winning takes care of chemistry. As the author of this article contends:

Jones is right; winning cures most of the ills. Problems get pushed to the side when you win. But what comes first? The chemistry or the winning?

Veteran Eagles safety Brian Dawkins says chemistry is "when you care more about the person next to you." According to Dawkins, you "don't want to let the guys down."

New Seahawks coach Jim Mora says chemistry develops over time.

"I think it's something that grows. It grows in the off-season work when you're together in the off-season program and through the mini-camps and training camp and then sweating together."

Ken Whisenhunt, who guided his Arizona team to the Super Bowl earlier this month, "had bowling days and movie nights for his players as a way to promote chemistry. Whisenhunt believed part of the reason his team rebounded from a bad end to the regular season was the players' belief in each other."

"We all as coaches work to try to create it," Whisenhunt said. "It's been a very important part of my belief that that's how you're successful in the league. I know I came from an organization [Pittsburgh] where chemistry was a big part of the reason why they were successful."

Rayfield Wright, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle who was a member of the Cowboys teams of the '70s, still remembers the chemistry those teams had.

"We all had a special feeling for one another. The sacrifice and the pain, the suffering – whether it was on the field or off the field – it touched the hearts of all of us. To understand that and be a part of that, it makes your heart pound."

You should never lose by default

From coach John Chaney's book "Winning is an Attitude" comes this excerpt:

"You should never lose by default. Too many people in this world lose by default. You know what that means? It means they don't show up. Not physically, but mentally. I'm saying you have to put yourself in the game of life. There are thousands who are losing the game of life. There's no score sheet that tells you if you're winning or losing. The only person who knows is you."

The only important statistic is the final score

Loved this quote from the great Bill Russell, who won 11 NBA titles, including two as a player-coach with the Celtics, and was a five-time NBA MVP:

"I determined early in my career the only important statistic is the final score. And so I dedicated my career to playing, to make sure that, as often as possible, we were always on the positive side of the final score."

At the press conference announcing that the NBA Finals MVP trophy would be named for Russell, he added:

"The only awards I've ever cherished have been team awards. Most of the time when you get an award, you say 'I want to thank my teammates for helping me.' But I want to thank my teammates for letting me help them because my agenda was to win games, nothing else. And my teammates allowed me to let them do their best. So this award is for the affirmation of team play."

What are you willing to do to make sure you don't lose?

Earlier this week, the NHL's Ottawa Senators fired coach Craig Hartsburg and replaced him with 38-year-old Cory Clouston, who was coaching Ottawa's AHL team.

Coach Clouston has made it clear that a change in attitude is necessary in Ottawa, which has won only 17 of its 49 games this season:

"Everyone hates losing, but it's, 'What are you willing to do to make sure you don't lose?' I don't think they've become accustomed to (losing). I just think sometimes they're expecting the worst. Sometimes when something doesn't go right for them, they're looking around the corner for what's next, the 'poor me' syndrome, and that's one of the things that has to change. Nobody is going to do it but themselves.''

Anybody can get big numbers when things are bad

Couple good quotes from Scott Skiles and Doc Rivers regarding All-Star game voting.

According to Coach Skiles:

"I think it's great when guys are part of winning environments, but I also know guys can't control that. Sometimes a guy is on a team and you just know as a coach that he's an all-star type player and he's just in a rough circumstance, so I don't think that guy should just be dismissed. But then there are other guys that are having great statistical years but you know they're a reason their team doesn't win. So they shouldn't get in."

Says Coach Rivers:

"I try to vote for (players on) teams that are winning. But Granger is playing terrific. He has made big shots all year and has just played terrific. So I voted for him. And that is unusual because it breaks my (rule). But he's deserving of it. Anybody can get big numbers when things are bad. But not everybody can make big shots at the end of the game. And he's made big shots. I think he's deserving."

Once you start winning, you don't want to go back

In the week leading up to yesterday's Super Bowl, the Phoenix paper had a story about how, in two years, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt took a team with "a legacy of losing perhaps un- rivaled by any team in sports" to the NFL's championship game.

In the simplest terms, Whisenhunt was trying to change the Cardinals from a team that lost more than it should to one that won as much as it could.

In short, he had to re-work the team's culture.

In a business, or on a football team, he said it boils down to one thing: "Getting people who are talented to work together as a team." But talking about it is easy. Actually doing it is difficult.

Says Coach Whisenhunt: "I think a lot of people want to say culture change. It's really about getting people to believe. Raise the expectations. Be prepared to work. It has to be everything. Practices, off-season workouts, preparation, accountability. It's got to be every day."

According to one management expert, "there was another important factor that led the team to change under Whisenhunt's leadership."

In his words, "Don't laugh when I say this. Winning culture depends a lot on winning" because it makes people willing to work even harder.

"A team gets into a rhythm of winning," the expert said. "It shows that effort leads to reward."

Another important note is that all of Arizona's coaches are on the same page.

Special-teams player Sean Morey, a 10-year veteran in the league, says the coaches are always on the players about how to do things. "They are consistent in holding players accountable," Morey said in the locker room. "Watching tape, sometimes you have this voice, you can hear it in your head, when things go wrong, saying: 'It's not OK. It's not OK.' "

Says Arizona offensive lineman Reggie Wells, who has played for three head coaches in his career with the team, "Whisenhunt's vision just sounded a little bit different."

"You can tell they believe it," Wells said. "They are sincere in how they think we should approach the game. It's not just words. Winning is habitual, just like losing. But once you start winning, you don't want to go back."

When you have a losing team, you go to a winner

In his autobiography, "Stuff It," Dick Motta tells the story of how in 1968 Bulls owner/GM Dick Klein introduced the former Weber State coach to the press after hiring him as head coach of the Bulls, who were 29-53 the previous season:

"We've checked him out thoroughly. From the junior high to high school and college levels of basketball his teams have won over 80 percent of their games. When you have a toothache, you go to the dentist. When you're sick, you go to a doctor. When you have a losing team, you go to a winner. We have a losing team. And we have gone to a winner."

Coach Motta won 50 games or more in four of his eight seasons with the Bulls and later won an NBA title as coach of the Washington Bullets.

Very rarely do you get a chance to be a part of something special

Brian Scalabrine's quotes in a post by Peter May on Hoops Hype recently are another indication of why the Celtics won an NBA title last year.

It wasn't so much about what he did on the court for BOS. It was his attitude.

As the author describes, "last year, Scalabrine was almost an afterthought for the Celtics’ juggernaut. He played in only 48 games and his minutes haul (512) was the fewest since his rookie year of 2001-02."

"I felt just as important last year as I do this year,’’ says Scallie, who averaged 19 minutes a game for BOS in 2006-07. “I was ready for the call last year when Kevin (Garnett) got hurt and I started all nine games. We won seven. Sure, on the whole, it feels better to contribute. But as long as we’re winning, that’s what matters the most.

Sure, it was difficult not to play. But everyone has a role and I just didn’t fit in at that particular time. Very rarely do you get a chance to do something special or be a part of something special and this was it. Accepting your role is very important in all of that. Sometimes, it takes a while for people to recognize that and understand that. To recognize that it’s bigger than you. You need time to grow up."

Evaluating a coach over several seasons, not several weekends

Ernie Kent and the Oregon Ducks are struggling through a tough season. Heading into today's game at Cal, the Ducks were 0-7 in Pac-10 play and losers of seven straight.

In 12 seasons at Oregon, Coach Kent has had considerable success, guiding his team to seven postseason tournaments and two Elite Eight appearances.

So it's encouraging to see his AD, Pat Kilkenny, stepping up and standing strong for his coach. When asked whether he's thought about replacing Coach Kent, Kilkenny had this to say:

"I can't really think of a scenario where we'd have to even strongly consider that. He's had a great go of it. To me, you shouldn't evaluate anybody over several weekends. Evaluate them over several seasons."

And when Coach Kent was ejected from a recent game -- for the first time in his 19-year coaching career -- "the athletic director spent the next few minutes... in the Ducks’ locker room, watching the game on TV with his basketball coach. Just hanging out, he said, and providing moral support in the midst of the growing frustration."

“When things are going to hell,” Kilkenny said, “things are going to hell.”

Changing a team's culture by changing its core

Enjoyed this story from the Phoenix paper that describes how "changing the Cardinals' losing culture took more than just changing perceptions and attitudes on the team. It meant having to change the team itself, starting with the roster."

Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt and GM Rod Graves (far right with Whisenhunt and owner Bill Bidwill) identified "specific players to provide solid depth, leadership, and create competition on what had been a complacent team for far too long."

"That's what winning coaches understand, that you need to get some guys who are winners, who are good leaders, who you can bring to a team like glue and make it stick together," said Cardinals cornerback Ralph Brown, who signed with the team last season as a free agent.

Says Coach Whisenhunt: "Whenever you come into a team you're going to make changes and you want to get players that you feel are going to help develop the chemistry, especially ones that have the experience and have been there before."

"I've seen guys come and go. I've seen guys get paid and I've seen guys not get paid," said middle linebacker Gerald Hayes. "But this coaching staff came in here and turned things around. The most important thing is they got guys in here that wanted to win."

Does he care about winning, or does he care about playing?

Good quote today in the NY Times from Orlando GM Otis Smith on how he evaluates players:

“The character is huge for me. Does he care about winning, or does he care about playing? Because at the end of the day, the players get paid whether they win or lose the game.”

Putting a priority on winning

Since Chauncey Billups joined DEN in a trade back in November, the Nuggets have won 24 of 33.

According to DEN coach George Karl, the addition of the 12-year veteran, who has played in three NBA Finals, had an immediate impact on how the team approached the season:

"In a strange way, I think Chauncey has defined winning with this team as being the only reason why we play the game. In the past couple of years, it seems like we've won games, but that wasn't the only reason we played. His no-nonsense priority is that we're here to compete, we're here to win, we're here to represent the organization, we're here to represent the city of Denver and do it in a first-class way."

Basketball the Ben Howland way

UCLA players will tell you that coach Ben Howland is "persistent."

According to this story in yesterday's LA Times, "most of what the coach tells his players -- repeatedly -- relates directly to UCLA's trademark style of play. Aggressive on defense. Careful with the ball on offense. Lots of effort."

Asked about the most common daily reminders, players mentioned the same five things, in slightly different order depending on the demands of their positions. This wholly unscientific poll provides a refresher course on basketball the Howland way.

1. Hedging screens: "If you're on defense and your man sets a ball screen, it is your responsibility to jump out on the dribbler until your teammate fights through the screen. Then you scramble back to the man you're guarding."

Says one UCLA player: "That means you keep pressure on the ball. The opponent can't really make a pass because there's that constant pressure."

2. Stay in front of your man: "No gimmicky zones or junk defenses for Howland. His team plays man to man, working to pressure the ball, stop penetration off the dribble and contest every shot."

"Just to compete," guard Jrue Holiday said. "Just to play hard."

3. The jump-stop: "Howland wants his dribblers to come to a stop with their feet planted. He believes that too many players come down the court, leave the ground, and then look to pass, which can lead to turnovers."

4. Rebound: "The coach believes that hitting the boards is crucial to his team's chances this season. This message extends beyond the big men. Josh Shipp, a 6-foot-5 senior who plays on the wing, ranks among the Bruins' top defensive rebounders, and Holiday is averaging 4.2 rebounds."

5. Transition defense: "The guards have to get back and the big men hustle after them, looking to deny easy baskets."

"If you're not doing it right, then he will make sure you're doing it right," [Drew] Gordon said. "He doesn't just kind of blow it off and move on to the next thing. He doesn't care if it takes up all practice, as long as you get it right."

As the author writes, "Given that college players can be adept at tuning out their coaches, Howland gets his message across for one simple reason. As Collison explained: 'We've been to the Final Four three consecutive times.'"

The virus of higher personal expectations

Loved this excerpt from the late David Halberstam in his book "The Education of a Coach," about Bill Belichick (whose 11-5 team, despite winning its fourth straight today, including three on the road, failed to make the playoffs).

Here's the passage (pp. 247-249):

In 2004, after the Patriots won their second Super Bowl in three seasons, NE coach Bill Belichick "went to Florida to visit with Jimmy Johnson, who he thought was the one coach out there who knew the most about what would happen once a team had shown itself able to play at so lofty a level, Johnson's Cowboys having won the Super Bowl after the 1992 and 1993 seasons.

The two men were friends in the delicate sense of friendship that football coaches are allowed -- in the we-may-be-on-opposite-sides-of-the-field-but-we-have-similar-problems-and-similar-enemies-and-we-may-need-each-other-yet-you-coaching-for-me-or-you-coaching-for-you kind of friendship.

[Over the years], they had stayed in touch. They had talked about getting together, and after the [Super Bowl], Belichick took Johnson up on his invitation to come down to Miami and talk, and they spent a day and a half going over the problems that accrue to the victorious.

Johnson was the perfect person to visit with, Belichick thought -- he was very smart, as smart as anyone in the game, and more than anyone else he had been through what Belichick was now just beginning to go through, the ordeal that came with success.

Some of the issues were technical. The Patriots had a lot of draft choices in the coming draft, ten picks, and yet he already had a good team. Belichick wanted to know what to do -- use them all, trade some away for futures, or what.

Johnson told him to make a list of players he genuinely wanted, and draft them, but not to spedn the picks just to use them, that it would be easy to trade picks now for higher picks next year.

"Stay with your list," Johnson said, "and don't be tempted to pick up players outside of it just because you can." But if there were a player that Belichick thought could help them right then, go for him.

Belichick ended up using eight of the picks.

The most difficult thing, Johnson said, would be the pressure that would come with winning. When you win, everyone wants more, he said. Everything would be different. Every player and every player's agent would perceive the player as being better. The pressure to renegotiate would be immense, even for players with three years left on their contracts.

Wait until the final year of the contract if at all possible, Johnson advised.

A few days after their meeting, one of the players began talking publicly about his need for a bigger contract, and the fact this his contract reflected an essential disrespect for him as a player, and it brought home Johnson's lesson.

The virus of higher personal expectations, Belichick called it.

The final thing Johson mentioned was the danger of going back and trying to do the same things in the same way as before with your players. They would, Johnson warned, tune out. Football practice was built on repetition, and there was a strength and a danger in that.

You've got to keep doing what you're doing, but you've go to find different ways of doing it, and you've got to find ways of making it fun.

That, Belichick decided, would be easier said than done.