Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM | September 29, 2005
Did you know Weiss before interviewing? I didn't know Bob at all. I was referred by several different people, because he was looking for qualified people to fill out his staff. My name came up in those conversations, and he was intrigued enough to give me an opportunity.
What do you bring to the Sonics coaching staff? I enjoy being around players - development and watching players grow as players as well as people. I think it's important that they're developing not just as players but as people. To watch that transformation is nice to see. To know that you possibly had a part in that, but ultimately it's the player accepting their situation and whether they are and being willing to work hard and grow as a player, I think is a great thing. To take that experience from the D League, to bring it to the NBA situation, I think it makes me more of a well-rounded coach. I'm a former player; played in the NBA, played in minor-league situations and played in Europe. I've seen a lot of basketball, and I've coached basketball, so there's not too much I haven't seen or done. It makes you a resource to the players. It brings credibility when they don't understand certain situations or when you're trying to tell them certain things that they're willing to listen, which is important because you have a certain amount of experience that you believe that they can use to help them. You would hope that they would take advantage of that.
What are some of the major differences between the NBA and the NBA Development League? From a coaching perspective - while I haven't coached as an assistant in the NBA since 1997-98 - I would say, one, you're coaching different types of players. In the NBA, the players are a lot more skilled, a lot more talented than the players in the NBA Development League. That's why they're there - because they're developing and trying to learn how to play consistently and improve on their weaknesses. From that perspective, as far as players, you're dealing with a lot more talented players. You have a lot more resources in reference to personnel or when you do scouting and different things like that. Facilities and a lot of stuff in that regard.
Does having head coaching experience make you a better assistant? I think so. Having the opportunity to coach my own team, to put together my own training camp and my own practices and to be involved in game situations and making decisions, things of that nature, it's given me more experience from a coaching perspective. I have an idea what Bob would be going through as a head coach and some of the things that he would be facing. I can give him advice from the different experiences I've had, so that would help him in making decisions, whether it's a game situation or whether it's in practice, just sharing information.
How would you describe your coaching philosophy? I think that my coaching philosophy is play together as a team and to play the right way. What is the right way? The right way is working hard. It's trying to play within yourself, trying to play within the team concept and towards a common goal, and that's to win the game. That's what I believe in and I would hope that my players would believe in that same philosophy.
What coach has had the most impact on your style and that philosophy? I would definitely say Chuck Daly. Being a player for the Pistons and having the opportunity to watch him coach and how he handled our team, which was a veteran team with experienced players - Isiah (Thomas), (Bill) Laimbeer, Joe Dumars and those guys - how he handled everyone, the professionalism, his knowledge of the game and management of the game. It was intriguing to me and something I wanted to emulate.
Are you at all surprised so many of the Pistons from that era - notably yourself, Dumars, Laimbeer and Thomas - have gone into coaching or front offices? I don't think so, because being a part of that organization and being a part of that team at that particular time, you had a lot of guys that were driven, that were successful in their own right and that you knew were going to go on to bigger and better things. Just being a part of all of that rubs off on you.
How will affiliation with the NBA change the D League this year? I'm not really sure. I think that it's a start. I think a minor-league system is needed for the NBA to develop players. I believe in the system. I believe that guys that don't get an opportunity to play at the NBA level have an opportunity to play at the NBA Development League level to develop as a player. I think that's all beneficial. I know it's still in the works, all the intricacies of how direct affiliation is going to work and all those things. Baseball has a lead on us; they've had their minor league for 100 years. We're still in the infancy of our minor-league system with the NBA, but I think it's a start. I think it's something that can be beneficial to the league.