All records are made to be broken.
I've turned down a lot of trades where I might have gotten a better player, but I wasn't totally sure of the chemistry of that new player coming in. Even though he might possess golden ability, his personality and the way he gets along with teammates might be things you just don't want to cope with.
Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up.
You've got to avoid overcoaching. You've got to avoid talking too much. You've got to avoid showing players that you're the boss every time. You don't have to do that. They know you're in charge.
You can't win without the ball.
I can't stand a ballplayer who plays in fear.
If you're keeping score, win!
And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start a team today, the greatest player and the one guy I would take would be Larry Bird.
Any coach needs talent. You start with talent. Without talent, we're all in the soup.
I never had a set of rules. Every situation is different.
You handle animals. You deal with people.
The coach should be the absolute boss, but he still should maintain an open mind.
I have two college degrees, but the only way I could make a living was by showing kids how to put a ball in a hole.
Everything can happen in the playoffs.
I never took a position we were going to be a good ball club. I took the position we were going to be a winning ball club.
He has the players too happy.
If I'm going to coach the players, I want some say on who they're going to be.
When players are used to winning, they put out a little more. Basketball 3rd winningest coach (regular season and playoffs) in NBA history; won 1,037 times in 20 years.
Wilt Chamberlain had a great deal to do with the success of the NBA. His dominance, power, demeanor and the rivalry with Bill Russell says it all. He will be sorely missed by myself and everyone in the basketball community. Wilt was a great performer and a great athlete.
