Gentry Has His Work Cut Out for Him

It’s Alvin Gentry’s first practice as head coach of the Clippers and time for the team to finish with your basic run-until-you-drop conditioning drill.

Nothing new. The same old exhausting drill that requires players to touch one line after another. Cheating isn’t cheating as long as you keep moving. Right?

Wrong. This is when Gentry makes his first mark on his new team, making it his team instead of Chris Ford’s or Jim Todd’s or Bill Fitch’s or anybody else’s.

One player struggling is Tyrone Nesby. But, instead of grumbling like he would have in the past, he bites his tongue and touches the line. In the past, he never touched the line.

“No shortcuts this season,” Gentry tells the NBA’s youngest collection of players. And he keeps true to his word. Every time a player falls short of touching a line, the whole team runs again.

Time and again this happens. Sprint after sprint. It doesn’t matter if the guilty party is a franchise player such as Lamar Odom or Darius Miles or a free-agent point guard such as Ryan Lorthridge. If one falls short, everyone runs together as a team.

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After taking over two NBA teams on the interim basis and subsequently getting fired, Gentry has decided to concentrate on coaching and not worry about things he can’t control.

“I learned from my Detroit experience that rather than do things to appease people, I have to do what I believe in and be my own man,” said Gentry, who coached the Pistons for one full season and parts of two others, compiling a 73-72 record.

“I feel that I somewhat compromised myself. I told myself then that I would never ever coach in a way I didn’t think was the right way.”

In Detroit, Gentry was on the hot seat immediately after taking over for Doug Collins on Feb. 2, 1998. Not only did he have to turn things around for the dismal Pistons but also help convince franchise player Grant Hill to make a long-term commitment to the team.

When that didn’t happen right away, Gentry’s future with the Pistons became shaky despite leading Detroit to a 29-21 record and a playoff berth in the lockout-shortened 1999 season. He was fired last season with the Pistons at 28-30.

“It’s tough being an interim coach and I’ve been one twice,” said Gentry, who got his first interim position with Miami when he replaced Kevin Loughery on Feb. 15, 1995, for 36 games, finishing with a 15-21 record.

“Obviously, you’re there as an assistant and then you take over as a head coach. . . . They’re never firing a coach because he’s doing great. So you’re taking over a team that has struggled and you’re trying to turn things around in the middle of the year.”

He has been waiting for this opportunity ever since he began coaching 22 years ago. After a “solid but not great” college career as a point guard under Bobby Cremins at Appalachian State, Gentry decided to trade in his sneakers for a whistle.

“He always seemed to know what he wanted to do,” G.H. Gentry said about his son. “He always had an attitude that there’s good in everything that he does.”

Gentry wanted to become a coach because he loved teaching and being part of something from scratch. For years, he worked as an assistant under respected coaches such as Larry Brown and Loughery at the college and pro levels.

It’s their disciplined coaching style Gentry has adopted for the Clippers, who he feels are on the right track in turning things around.

“There’s a bright future here,” said Gentry, who signed a four-year deal with the Clippers in August.

“The one thing that has been tough for this franchise over the years has been consistency. They always seemed to have a guy dealing with some type of contract situation. They don’t have that now. They have guys who know they are going to be here and I think that becomes important.”

Big men Michael Olowokandi and Brian Skinner continue to show promise and recently had the options on their deals picked up by the team, making them Clippers until at least after the 2002-2003 season.

Odom is coming off a first-team all-rookie season and he, along with Corey Maggette, are expected to be locked into Clipper contracts until 2003-2004.

Throw in rookies Keyon Dooling, Quentin Richardson and Miles, who each could be committed to be Clippers until 2004-2005, and there’s reason for optimism.

That’s why Gentry does not have any problem being tough on his team.

“I believe players want discipline,” he said.

He has definitely drawn his players’ attention.

“Alvin is about doing it the right way and that includes everything from sprints to inbounding the ball to set plays,” Skinner said. “But the cool part is that he still gives us the freedom to play basketball as long as we do it within the scheme of things.”

With five players on the roster who will be under 21 when the Clippers open regular-season play at Utah on Tuesday, Gentry knows that he’ll need patience.

An important training camp goal was to get his players to understand that it’s going to be a process turning the Clippers into winners. After one month and seven exhibition games, Gentry seems to be winning his players over.

“He’s a coach who is really calm and can relate to players,” veteran forward Derek Strong said. “That’s how you get through. Guys today respond to that instead of someone irate and out of control. He’s more subdued, more calm. He is more of a teacher and the guys have been bonding under him. The guys are ready to play because they are not nervous. They are relaxed and that’s more important than anything.”

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Gentry, who has an 88-93 overall coaching record and was working as an assistant with San Antonio when he was hired by the Clippers, understands he was not the franchise’s first choice.

“I talked to Elgin [Baylor] and I knew about the Mike Fratello situation and I knew about Bobby Huggins,” Gentry said.

“I laugh when people ask me how does it feel to be the third choice, but there’s been a lot of guys in this league who have done great and they weren’t the first choice of the teams they coached.”

But the Clippers? Coaching them is not considered one of the best jobs for a resume. Once owner Donald Sterling hires and fires you, other NBA head coaching offers don’t immediately follow. Just ask Mike Schuler, Mack Calvin, Bob Weiss, Fitch and Ford.

“I don’t know if I am different, but I feel like I am,” Gentry said in comparison to past Clipper coaches who have tried and failed to revive the franchise.

“I think that I approach things differently. I am a real optimistic guy. I look at things as half full instead of half empty. In order to be an NBA coach you have to compartmentalize anyway. I’m not interested in what has happened in the past here. I’m only interested in what we can do here and what mark we can leave on the franchise.”

“If this is going to change, we’re going to have to demand that everyone be a true professional. That’s not hard. An honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”

Working with people is something Gentry considers a personal strength. It’s one of the reasons the Clippers picked him to be the man to lead their youth movement.

So far, it has been a model relationship. The young players have responded to Gentry’s discipline because he still gives them freedom to create.

“You know how a lot of coaches do not like alley-oops and plays like that?” Miles said. “He’s not like that. He’ll put in plays to let you do your thing. He does a lot of things to help you.”

Although the exhibition season doesn’t determine much, the Clippers won more than they’ve lost and played with passion under Gentry. Not too may people expect the Clippers to challenge for the playoffs, but at least teams around the league know they will have to work hard to beat them.

For Gentry, it’s all about attitude.

“This is not something that is going to happen overnight,” Gentry said. “We have so far to go. We’re in this for the long haul. It is important for our guys to know that every time we take the court, we expect to win and the only way we’re going to do that is with hard work.”

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Gentry’s Mark

Alvin Gentry’s NBA coaching record with year and finish:

1994-95 Miami

15-21 (.417)

4th place

1997-98 Detroit

16-21 (.432)

6th place

1999 Detroit

29-21 (.580)

3rd place

1999-2000 Detroit

28-30 (.483)

Fired