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No more Rileys around to save Knicks

Shaun Powell

April 29, 2008

They don't make many like him anymore. Well, OK, the well-oiled hair and custom suits remain in vogue. But Pat Riley, as a coach, was more than that. If looking good were enough to turn a team into winners, the Sacramento Kings under Reggie Theus would be staring down Kobe and the Lakers right now in the playoffs.

Only a few coaches in NBA history have actually made a difference. Riley was one. Riley had Magic and Kareem and later Ewing and much later Shaq and D-Wade, but he also knew how to connect with them.

That's the trick he figured out long ago. That's why he's going down as one of the all-time greats. Getting superstars to see the big picture and blend with teammates and deal with enormous expectations is the way to a successful career, and one of those careers ended yesterday, if we're to take Riley at his word.

"I am definitely sure I don't want to do this again," said Riley, who handed the coaching reins over to assistant Erik Spoelstra.

In a sense, his departure from his previous job is still being felt. Yes, the Knicks, 13 years after Riley left in a huff after a 55-27 season, are still looking for another Pat Riley. They're looking for a coach who can actually make a difference, and to that, you say: Good luck searching the haystack.

Since Riley left for South Beach and a piece of the Heat ownership pie, the Knicks have been mostly unlucky with coaches. The only one who stood out was a Riley protégé, Jeff Van Gundy, famous for two wild rides: one to the '99 Finals in a lockout-ravaged season, and another on Alonzo Mourning's leg. That's it. One decent coach in 13 years, and nobody who really left a permanent impression quite like Riley.

Riley's best stretch as a coach came in New York with the Knicks, not in L.A. with the Showtime Lakers or Miami with the Heat. The Knicks were his greatest achievement because he had only one star, Patrick Ewing, and he had to deal with Michael Jordan. Still, the Knicks were good for 50 wins, the division title and at least a round in the playoffs every year (they went 223-105 in the regular season and 35-28 in the playoffs in his four seasons, falling a win short of the 1994 NBA title.

Under Riley, the Knicks played felonious defense and made no apologies for it. He made players out of John Starks and Anthony Mason, a pair of minor-leaguers. Everyone knew their roles. And he did it in New York, the most demanding market and perhaps the proudest, from a basketball standpoint.

Until Riley came aboard, the Knicks hadn't had a great coach since Red Holzman a decade earlier (sincere apologies to Rick Pitino), and their search for the next Riley is now going on 13 years.

Actually, they should count themselves as lucky. The vast majority of NBA coaches, say 95 percent, are very intelligent and devoted and don't really make all that much of a difference. They're totally dependent on their players.

You can find a Flip Saunders almost anywhere. And a Byron Scott, who is expected to be named coach of the year. And a Doc Rivers, who looked rather helpless last season, pre- Kevin Garnett.

Other than Phil Jackson, where are all the truly special coaches? Even if you throw in Gregg Popovich, where are the rest? And who's got next?

Donnie Walsh is surely asking himself those questions as he prepares to fill the Pat Riley void in New York, once and for all. The new Knicks president must find that one person who can communicate and connect. Those are the two most valuable traits for a coach on this level, because dealing with egos, both the healthy and the undernourished, is 80 percent of the job.

It's not about teaching, because the players are adults and their habits, good and bad, are fixed. Plus there's no time to teach. A coach has three years, max, to start winning. Or else.

It's about connecting and late-game strategy and getting the respect of players. That sounds easy for anyone who hasn't had to deal with selfish players and immature players and one-dimensional players, or players who just think they know it all and have heard it all. Then it becomes tricky.

The next Pat Riley must be smart and convincing. He must know how to relate. Mark Jackson is all of the above when he's on the microphone. We'll see when he's on the bench.