[外電] Tim Floyd至少做對一件事
http://tinyurl.com/3szzosf By David Haugh
Floyd was right about 1 thing
Long-ago Bulls coach brought Forman to organization as scout
All Tim Floyd remembers is that he was 0-for-7 recruiting against Gar Forman
for top players when Floyd was the coach at the University of New Orleans and
Forman an assistant at New Mexico State.
And no way was Floyd going to risk going 0-for-8.
"When I got the job at Iowa State in 1994, rather than trying to beat him
again, I said I'm going to hire this guy because he's good,'' the former
Bulls coach recalled Wednesday on the phone from his office at Texas-El Paso.
"Gar was an adversary. I didn't really know him that well but respected him
from afar. So he was the first guy I put on my staff.''
For four seasons at Iowa State, Forman was the voice in Floyd's ear during
games and the brains behind the Cyclones' recruiting efforts. Forman had two
key roles — assistant coach and recruiting coordinator — and Floyd often
laments, "People don't realize Gar was a great coach who was tremendous on
the floor.''
But Forman confided to Floyd shortly after joining his staff that the
ultimate job he sought involved running an NBA team. That's why no one
reacted with more pride over the Bulls general manager winning the co-NBA
Executive of the Year Award than the former boss who introduced him to
Chicago and the league as a scout in 1998.
"I wanted to put Gar on the floor as an assistant, but the Bulls would not
allow me because they felt it was important to retain the prior staff with
Frank Hamblen, Tex Winter and Bill Cartwright, and I respected that,'' said
Floyd, who coached the Bulls from 1998-2001. "But I also felt it was
important Gar was around someplace in the organization, and I was pleased
(GM) Jerry Krause provided him that opportunity, and (Chairman) Jerry
Reinsdorf as well.''
All Forman needed was a chance. The hard work and humility that impressed
Floyd in Ames, Iowa, served Forman well at the Berto Center as he steadily
worked his way up to trusted talent evaluator to his dream job in May 2009.
"He's a guy who never has tried to stand out and has been able to handle any
role he was given,'' Floyd said. "The greatest thing for Tom Thibodeau is Gar
knows what coaches go through. He also understands patience in terms of
building.''
To Floyd, nothing illustrated that patience more than what he considers
Forman's best move as GM. Just months after taking over, Forman declined to
offer popular guard Ben Gordon a contract. That freed salary-cap space in
2010 that allowed the Bulls to add key depth to a championship-caliber roster.
"From afar, sometimes the greatest thing you can do as a GM is not react to
the immediateness of the job or do what feels good to everybody else,'' Floyd
said. "A lot of GMs fall in love with their player just to prove they made
the right pick. But Gar and John (Paxson) both had an eye on building a
better future.''
Interestingly, Forman used the same rationale in standing pat at February's
trade deadline rather than deal a player such as Omer Asik for a shooting
guard. How apropos that Asik supplied such solid defense playing the entire
fourth quarter Tuesday on a night Forman was honored for his decision-making.
"Sometimes GMs should be measured more by what they don't do,'' Floyd said.
One of the smartest moves Forman did make as GM directly involved selecting
Taj Gibson 26th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. Forman valued Floyd's strong
recommendation of Gibson because, he said, "I've always had great respect not
only for Tim's coaching ability but how good he is with people.''
Having coached Gibson at USC, it doesn't surprise Floyd that the Bulls
trusted him enough to play every minute of the fourth quarter in Game 5 —
when he scored all of his 11 points.
"I had to play him at center at USC knowing that his true talents were power
forward, but never did it get in the way,'' Floyd said. "No ego. A self-made
player I love watching.''
You thought Floyd only was paying attention to the Bulls-Hawks series because
of Jamal Crawford, a rookie on Floyd's 2000-2001 team that opened the season
as the youngest in NBA history.
"He's much stronger now than when he was 19 years old,'' Floyd kidded. "He
has had a tremendous career, and I'm really happy for Jamal.''
Suffice it to say Floyd is happier for one of the guys who helped scout
Crawford in college and, more than a decade later, put together the team
trying to end Crawford's season Thursday night in Atlanta.
"Gar always has been a background guy, so it's good people are finally
recognizing his talent,'' Floyd said. "He's one of my favorite people.''
And a rare remnant from the Floyd era that makes the Bulls proud.
dhaugh@tribune.com
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