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Bernie Bickerstaff Has A Track Record In The NBA - As A Winner And Loser
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What about Bernie Bickerstaff as the Bullets coach. Will he last? Does he want to last? What do his peers think of him? Washington Post sports reporter J.A. Adande set out to find out about Bernie, the coach.
It will be interesting to see what he can do with this current squad of players. Initially, the players seemed to like some of the discipline he brings to the team. The offense has definitely opened up more, the ball is in the point guard's hands in transition, and the defense seems to have improved (some). Best of all, we're actually getting consistent production from Muresan and Cheaney.
CWebb May Be Ready The Bullets have missed CWebb's presence at times, especially against teams like Philly. But he's practicing and probably ready to come back. Bickerstaff is also very quotable. Usually, there's always a Bernie quote in the paper after a game; with Lynam, there wasn't much of that. But Bernie can be blunt in his commentary. As an example, look at what he had to say after the recent Sixers loss:
Say it like you feel it, Bernie. And these were the player's reactions to those comments:
- Bernie Bickerstaff: "It was an expletive performance. That was probably the most selfish basketball game that I've seen since I've been here."
Is Bernie's bluntness wearing thin already? We'll have to see, but it doesn't seem like the purported team leaders always agree with the headmaster. (To be honest, usually they shouldn't be in total agreement all of the time.)
- Juwan Howard: "He's the coach, he's the one that's out there watching the game. I'm not going to go out and try to rebut him. He's the same guy who said we were a team that was out of shape when he came in, after one game watching us."
- Rod Strickland: "He was on the sidelines, I guess he got a good look and saw what was going on. I'm not going to disagree with that. He saw it, he had a great perspective on it. If that's how he feels, we as individuals need to look at that and think about that."
And you know what, Juwan? You guys WERE out of shape when he took over. You guys couldn't consistently run with the ball, play defense, and have legs in the fourth quarter of games. It showed every game, Juwan.
But back to Bernie. Many of us are developing our opinion of him, but the verdict is still out. In the meantime, watch the team dynamics and see if they are working out for the better.
wtf 14 March 1997
Bullets Are Deep Sixered By The Philly Starters | Grizzlies In Hibernation As CWebb Rips Things Up |