Technically, Ainge Takes Charge

Everyone knew it was coming. It was merely a matter of time.

So on Sunday, when new Phoenix Sun Coach Danny Ainge picked up his first technical foul in the third quarter against the Lakers, the 19,023 at America West Arena roared their approval.

What better place to have a fiery new coach than in Phoenix?

“I got the first one, it probably won’t be the last,” Ainge said of his technical.

With this team, it probably won’t be the last loss either. His first came against the Lakers, a 102-88 drubbing.

“And I can tell you this: It’s a lot more frustrating being the head coach than being an assistant coach,” said Ainge, who at 37 is the third-youngest coach in the NBA behind Darrell Walker and Jeff Van Gundy.

Ainge, who retired last year after playing for four teams during a 14-year NBA career, learned Friday that he would succeed Cotton Fitzsimmons as the Suns’ coach. However his chances of success this season are about the same as Fitzsimmons’: slim.

Hired before the season to be Fitzsimmons’ successor, Ainge took over faster than either expected. The Suns, hampered by the trade that sent Charles Barkley to Houston and injuries to Kevin Johnson, John Williams and Mark Bryant, were off to an 0-8 start.

Fitzsimmons looked at his next three games--against the Lakers, Chicago and Houston--and presumably said to Ainge, “Here, you take it.”

Actually, Phoenix center Joe Kleine admitted that some players were unclear about who had ultimate control because Fitzsimmons allowed Ainge to participate in many of the coaching decisions. Some players started taking their complaints to Ainge, which created awkward situations.

Despite his friendship with Fitzsimmons, Ainge, who last year coached his son’s junior high team, said he accepted the promotion without hesitation.

“Hesitation? No. . . I didn’t have any choice,” Ainge said. “I don’t look at this as a debut and being 0-0. I perceive that I was with the team all along and we’re 0-8.”

Before the game, Ainge sat in his new office--with his feet up on his desk--watching a game on TV. Smiles were everywhere.

But he is serious to his players.

“You have to have the respect of the players, but they don’t have to like you,” Ainge said. “You can’t expect all 12 to 15 guys to like you, and I have no problem with that. I also have no problem being brutally honest with the players.

“When I was a player, I had coaches who were brutally honest. I may not have agreed with them, but I was glad they were and I respected them for it. I had no respect for coaches who would say one thing to you when something different was really the case.”

Ainge certainly had the respect of Kurt Rambis and Byron Scott, who faced Ainge many times when he was on the powerful Celtic teams of the 1980s.

“Everyone across the country hated little things about Danny [when he was a Celtic],” said Rambis, who is now an assistant coach with the Lakers. “What they hated was his drive to win. He did everything--he was a good offensive player, a good defensive player, a smart player. He’s going to have his team playing hard.”

Said Scott: “Either you loved him or hated him. But it wasn’t so much him as it was the Celtic uniform he was wearing--and the fact that he was a good player--that made him a great rival. I think his facial expressions just made it easier to have something to like or hate.”

Despite the loss, Phoenix fans loved him in his debut.

Expressions and all.