Players: Riley's tactics alienate
By CHRIS PERKINS
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
MIAMI - Lamar Odom was neither shocked nor offended the first time the Heat medical staff gently pinched the flesh above his hipbone with a pair of calipers to measure his body fat.
"It was cool because I was in shape," said Odom, a Heat forward in 2003-04 who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.
It wasn't cool for Antoine Walker, who was suspended by coach Pat Riley last year for exceeding a team-mandated body-fat limit.
Walker, a forward who was traded in October to the Minnesota Timberwolves, said the Heat checked his body fat weekly.
"Every Monday," he said. "It gets nitpicky at times."
That kind of hard-nosed approach - which in the past also manifested itself in unusually exhausting practices - might be why NBA players questioned recently by Sports Illustrated said Riley was the coach for whom they would least like to play.
He was No. 1 in a runaway. Riley received 28 percent of the votes among 242 players interviewed. Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas and former Chicago Bulls coach Scott Skiles were next at 12 percent each.
Riley, who has won five NBA titles as a head coach, said he isn't bothered by the unscientific poll.
"Two years ago I was the most favored guy to play for," he said, referring to the Heat's championship season of 2005-06.
His image could be a factor when he hunts for free agents this summer to help rebuild the Heat, which this season is the NBA's worst team at 11-46.
Again, Riley, who also is president of the team, said he isn't concerned.
"I'll find the guys who like me. Don't worry," he said.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who was fifth in the poll at 4 percent, said there's no doubt that Riley runs "a tight ship."
"He's going to make you work," Jackson said. "A lot of players I've coached, Lamar, for example, thought (Riley) dramatically improved their game."
But asked if he would have wanted to play for Riley, Jackson - a Knicks and Nets forward for 12 seasons - smiled and responded with an emphatic "no."
Walker likely would say the same thing given the chance to play again for Riley, 62.
"He's a great coach. Don't get me wrong," Walker said. "I think the league has kind of passed him by.
"You have to be able to relate with players, the modern-day players. Guys are younger. Guys make a lot of money now."
While the Heat still conducts regular body-fat checks, lengthy practices are a thing of the past. Riley concedes he has softened his approach since returning to the bench in December 2005 after a two-year hiatus. He has said his lack of toughness contributed to the team's first-round playoff exit last year and dismal performance this year.
Still, his reputation as a taskmaster survives. Players remember that the legend who built his reputation as coach of the Lakers and Knicks used to put trash cans on the practice court to accommodate players who had to vomit.
"You hear stories about guys throwing up in the summertime and those crazy workouts and that kind of scares a lot of guys," Odom said. "I was 24, 23 (years old) when I got there and that was exactly what I needed.
"Made me into a man quick."
Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest, who can opt out of his contract and become a free agent at season's end, has heard the same stories. He said they don't scare him.
"He's got a couple of rings, so he did what he had to do," Artest said. "I'm not thinking about playing for him, but I wouldn't have a problem playing for a guy who pushes his players."
Former NBA coach Mike Fratello, now a TV analyst, said there is a breed that would relish playing for Riley.
"They're the Marines," Fratello said. "You can go to the Army, you can go to the Navy, you can go to the Air Force, or you can be a Marine. There's that group of players who want to be Marines."
