| 02 June 2009
Picking up where Part 1 left off on Monday, Coach Eric Musselman tells why he feels Orlando's Mickael Pietrus had the goods even as a rookie with the Golden State Warriors, how he is always coaching - even during the Playoffs and Finals, what's next on his coaching journey, and how he got involved contributing to an NFL blog....
Can you take me back to your second year at Golden State. Mickael Pietrus – who is heading to the NBA Finals with the Orlando Magic now – was a rookie then with the Warriors. Did you see something in him that led you to believe he would one day help a contending team?
From day one, he believed he was a starter (Pietrus started 22 games for the Warriors during the 2003-04 season) and I started him at the end of the year. I started him because he earned it – just an unbelievable work ethic. Garry St. Jean (Golden State’s General Manager at the time) came to me with about 25 games left in the season and he said he’d like to get Mickael some more minutes and I said no problem. He deserves it. Actually he (St. Jean) was helping me because as a staff, we felt we needed to start playing him anyhow. And so I told Garry, he not only deserves to play, but I’m going to start him.
He (Pietrus) had one definable NBA skill as a rookie, and I'd have him guard the oppositions point guard full court. He didn’t just do a good job, he did a great job. And to this day, one of my biggest regrets is not playing him more in that role earlier that season. He was absolutely phenomenal as an on-ball defender. Now, he was still learning the offensive end, his three-point shooting was inconsistent, and he’d turn the ball over on dribble-drives. But when I got fired from the Warriors, the e-mail he sent me, you would have thought it came from a 40 or 50 year-old man because of the maturity of the e-mail. He thanked me for what we did as a staff and I was actually stunned that I got that e-mail from him because I sat back and reflected, I thought he would be the one guy that could complain that he didn’t get more minutes. He did a good job with the minutes I gave him at the end of the year. Actually in their (Orlando’s) first round series, he sent me a text asking how I was doing and was wondering if there was anything he could do. When a player has a relationship with a person that long ago, I think it speaks volumes about the kind of character that he has.
I remember during that draft, they (the Warriors front office) hit it on the head. They told me one of the reasons they were drafting him, was that they thought his personality and defense would fit with me. They weren’t kind of right. They were 100% right. That’s a hard thing for a coach because it’s hard to try and win games and play rookies. Obviously veterans know how to win. But when you do have a rookie he deserves it and is good, that’s a fine line.
When you were watching the Playoffs – and now the Finals finally here – I’m assuming you’re breaking down the game with a fine coaching eye?
It’s just not watching for enjoyment. I look at who you will attack offensively or pick different aspects of the game, like how many times a team catches the ball in the post then kicks it out and gets a good look. Even if I’m watching with my sons we’ll look at who gets a clean look at the basket or if they make a basket off two dribbles. Or one night I just might watch only pick and roll coverage and see how teams guard it defensively or how they switch.
So do you find yourself second guessing the coaching decisions going on?
Oh, no question. And a lot of times I’m watching these games with my fiancé and my sons, and I’m doing what my dad with me. Basically training my sons in a way to be a coach – in a fun way – because there really isn’t many things these days were you can spend two hours uninterrupted with your kids. Not nowadays.
You and I talked back in December about you getting back into coaching in the league. You said then that, the fit – college or pros - has to be right for you and the organization you would be working for. Can you tell me where you are at in that process?
It’s so hard to talk about. I definitely want to coach and am looking forward to the next opportunity. And obviously you are a father now so you know where I am coming from – because I love this time with my boys. When you are not working you get to go to training camps, you get to talk to different people, you might have a coaching friend put you on to a project for him. So there are a lot of other doors that get opened. I’ve never had during the regular season had a chance to go to clinics in Brazil or go do something like I did in China.
Let’s switch to your blog real quick. And I’m not even talking about your coaching blog. I was doing some research the other night and came across your work with “The Fifth Down” – the New York Times’ NFL football blog. Can you tell me how this project came about?
It was amazing. Their football guy (Toni Monkovic) somehow started reading my blog and really liked it, so they asked if I wanted to write about NFL coaching and leadership. It was fun. That’s one of the things is, when you are not on the bench, I’m trying to learn and develop as many leadership things as I can. So during the football season it was kind of neat to focus in on NFL coaches. Because I don’t think there is any doubt that NFL coaches are the most organized and have a great work ethic. That’s nothing against the NBA, but they don’t touch NFL coaches. So I liked doing that (the blog). The print paper picked it up – it was fun.
Are you going to do it again when the NFL season rolls around?
I don’t know. As you know, the writing takes time and last year, I did T.V. and a lot of writing. This year, the plan going forward for me is a lot more meetings, a lot more getting out to practices and watching more games. That’s my plan going forward. The first year out I spent a lot of time out watching colleges – going to practices and games. This year, I really want to focus on the NBA.
But did I read somewhere that you were a Oakland Raiders fan then?
You know, when I got let go by the Warriors they actually gave me an office. I would come in and watch NBA tapes and then sit around when they had meetings and listen to football ideas they had going around. Then I’d walk down to practices and watch the organization of game day, the day before a game, all of that stuff.
So you’re not a die-hard then?
I’m a coaching-football fan, not necessarily one particular team.
Thanks again to Coach Musselman for granting this interview with Beyond the Beat. It is greatly appreciated....
pic via: l.a. times.com
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