Don Chaney: Synonymous With Success

“I am closer to a so-called ‘player’s coach’, I think, because I’m a former player,” says the new Knicks headmaster.

“Now, what does that mean? I haven’t really figured it out yet,” he adds with a laugh.

But seriously, folks. . .

“Most of the guys who did play have been labeled as a player’s coach. Really, I think it gives me an advantage in relating to them and communication, so when things go well or (they get) a little down, or their game is not necessarily where it should be, I know exactly what they’re going through. I guess maybe empathy would be the word.”

A three-decade NBA veteran as both player and coach, Chaney was thrust into one of the game’s most glaring spotlights when he was officially named the 19th head coach in Knicks history on December 10, two days after the stunning resignation of Jeff Van Gundy.

It marked the latest chapter in an illustrious career marked by the highest of highs, including two World Championships as a player, more than 260 career wins as a head coach, and recognition as the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 1991.

A five-time NBA All-Defensive selection, Chaney averaged 8.4 ppg in a 12-year pro career that followed his collegiate days at the University of Houston. He spent 10 years with the Boston Celtics, earning championship rings in 1969 and 1974, and had shorter stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and the ABA's legendary and ill-fated Spirits of St. Louis. His backcourt defensive tenacity made him a key contributor to the Celtics’ success, and his perennial Playoff duels in the early ‘70s with the Knicks’ Walt Frazier are the stuff of legend.

Don’s coaching career began almost immediately afterward, as an assistant with the Detroit Pistons in 1980. Eventually, Chaney would turn in nine seasons as a head coach with the Los Angeles Clippers (1984-85 through 1986-87), Houston Rockets (1988-89 through 1991-92) and Pistons (1993-94 through 1994-95), earning NBA Coach of the Year honors by leading the 1990-91 Rockets to a 52-30 mark.

He had seen and done it all, it seemed.

But a little more than a month into his 22nd season as an NBA coach, Chaney was anything but prepared for the Friday night phone call that would change his life.

“I received a call (from Jeff) the night before Jeff made his announcement,” says Chaney, 55. “I should have known something was going on because Jeff usually goes to bed really early, and this time he was calling me at 10:30.

“I was totally shocked, totally shocked. I must have held the phone there for five or six seconds I was so stunned. But I think he had gotten to the point that his family meant more to him and he had to take a step back. I was totally surprised. I was not that surprised that I was asked to take over, but I was shocked that Jeff had decided to leave.”

That feeling of shock had barely hours to subside before the Don Chaney Knicks played, and won, their first game, defeating the Indiana Pacers at the Garden on December 8.

"Most of the guys who did play have been labeled as a player’s coach. Really, I think it gives me an advantage in relating to them and communication, so when things go well or (they get) a little down, or their game is not necessarily where it should be, I know exactly what they’re going through." -- Don Chaney

“Every coach has his own style, and Jeff’s style was very effective,” said Chaney that night. “I think if you are sound fundamentally and have sound principles, it doesn’t matter what style you have as long as the players respond. That’s what it’s all about. You want your players to respond, you want them to compete and be consistent. I think these guys will do whatever’s asked.”

Chaney is currently in his seventh season on the Knicks’ staff, joining as an assistant under then-head coach Don Nelson in the summer of 1995. Assistant coaches, no matter how famous or well-traveled they are, traditionally operate under the radar screen of fan and media scrutiny. It’s the head man who gets the heat, who sits on the edge of the pressure cooker. And even though this is his first head coaching post since his two-year stint in Detroit ended in April ’95, Chaney knows the drill.

“I’ve been around it a long time and I’ve been a head coach before, so I don’t have a problem at all with that part of the game,” says Chaney. “The tough part of it in this city is that there is such a huge media group and they come you at different angles and you have to be very careful in your statements because they’ll feed off it.”

Chaney’s reputation as one of the game’s most respected figures is probably best illustrated in the words of his predecessor.

“I think Don Chaney is the singular most remarkable man I’ve met since I’ve been in the NBA,” said Van Gundy on the day of his departure.

“Here’s a guy who was a great player, who has the humbleness of a guy who had the kind of career that I had at Nazareth, he was Coach of the Year, he’s the most loyal guy you could ever find. He has a demeanor that is even keel and at the same time he’s intense. So I just think that he, really, to me, embodies everything good about people who I’ve been associated with in the NBA. And I’ve been associated with great people. I’ve been very, very fortunate. But that man is special.”

“He has a great knowledge of our players and the successful system that is already in place, and that experience is invaluable at this critical part of the season,” added Knicks president and general manager Scott Layden.

Chaney, who with his wife Jackie is the father of three and grandfather of two, is a product of perhaps the most prolific head coaching factory in NBA history. . .otherwise known as the Boston Celtics.

Look over the rosters of the two World Champions that Chaney played with as a Celtic – 1969 and 1974 – and you’ll find that Don is one of seven players from those teams to become an NBA head coach. And that’s not counting guys who came before (like Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman and Tommy Heinsohn), or after (like Larry Bird, Danny Ainge and Rick Carlisle).

It’s not coincidence, or luck. It’s a system that, for a half-century, has produced championship banners and head coaches with equal regularity.

"He has a great knowledge of our players and the successful system that is already in place, and that experience is invaluable at this critical part of the season" -- Knicks President and GM Scott Layden, on Don Chaney

“I think it started years ago with Red Auerbach and his selection of players and the process the Celtics went through in training and conditioning,” says Chaney of the Celtic influence. “In my rookie year (1969), they really made sure that you gained knowledge of the game, you didn’t just sit there on the bench. Often, they placed you with a veteran player who would tell you what you were doing wrong. You learned and absorbed a lot about the game.

“The other thing was that you had player contributions while the game was going on, guys making suggestions along the way, so you had to have a feel for the game while it was going on.”

Don’s long professional career has taken him to three teams as a player and five as a coach. During that time he’s gleaned a little from every team he’s been with, but some influences stand out more than others.

“I’d been with Jeff longer than anyone, so I think the influence he had on me was the greatest of all,” he says. “I played under Bill Fitch, who was very knowledgeable, and I gained a lot of knowledge working in Atlanta under Mike Fratello. I also greatly respect Tommy Heinsohn, who I played under at Boston and who’s been a great source, just talking basketball with him over the years.”

When Don Chaney became a head coach for the first time, it was in 1985 with the Los Angeles Clippers. That was nearly two decades ago. . .and almost another world ago in terms of what the NBA and the pro game have become since then. The job of head coach has changed greatly, as well. More visibility, more responsibility, more money, more notoriety.

And more pressure. Lots more pressure.

“I think I’m a better coach now,” says a reflective Chaney. “Back then, I was a little fiery in terms of over-reacting to situations. I’ve learned to relax and think about the game itself instead of over-reacting. I’ve learned how to deal with players who weren’t getting big minutes. One thing that I know I do now that I didn’t do then is that you have to find out the strength of your team early. I had a hard time doing that in earlier years. Over the years I’ve learned a great deal about that, and with just dealing with players in general.”