Daly
leaves cozy Philly for chaos in Cleveland
NBA Central by Bill Nichols
CLEVELAND- Chuck Daly was enjoying the good life in Philadelphia. He had the security of being with a winner as Coach Billy Cunninghams’ alter ego and assistant coach. Then, Cleveland Cavaliers tempestuous Owner Ted Stepien rocked Daly’s boat. He hired him.
Daly is the Cavaliers’ sixth coach and fifth since Stepien took ownership 18 months ago. Daly’s job is to lead the Cavs to the promised land, the playoffs or to a .500 season, whichever comes first.
Daly was Stepien’s second choice, but now that he is aboard in Cleveland, the owner is happy the No. 1 choice, Hubie Brown, said, “Thanks but no thanks.”
Daly said after accepting a three-year agreement calling for $500,000: “This was the toughest decision I’ve ever made. I feel very strongly about the 76ers’ organization. I had input on their decisions and input on the bench. But, I may never get the opportunity to become a coach again.”
Daly had been in the running for coaching jobs in the past at Chicago, Detroit, Dallas and San Antonio, but no such offers had been forthcoming in quite a while.
Brown, fired by Atlanta last spring, has two years left on
his contract. Brown currently is an analyst on USA cable television,
and is earning in excess of $200,000 a year for not coaching.
Brown gave no explanation for turning down Stepien’s $1.2
million, four-year offer.
“I’m not getting into any particulars,” Brown
said, “I was pleased the way everything was handled on
Cleveland’s part. Everything was done in a very professional
way.”
The 51-year-old Daly was with the Sixers a little over four seasons. Prior to that, he had coaching stints at Boston College and the University of Pennsylvania.
He will now rely on all his resources to make the Cavaliers, a laughingstock for nearly two years, into a respectable franchise.
Daly takes over for Don Delaney, shoved into the hot seat before the players turned the switch.
A former small college coach in the Cleveland area, Delaney was the Cavs’ general manager before replacing Bill Musselman as coach with 11 games to go last season.
Stepien gave Delaney the job of guiding millionaire free agents and others who wished they were free agents. It didn’t work. Delaney was 4-14, and chaos reigned in Cleveland.
Daly arrived on a Sunday, He told the assembled media, “As far as I’m concerned, everything that has transpired before I got here is history. I want us to gain credibility and get headed in the right direction.”
Immediately, Daly ran two closed door practices. He let it be known who was boss. The players, many of whom did not know who Daly was two days earlier, praised the new-coach.
“When you lose so many games, you get in a rut,” said forward Kenny Carr. “Mike Mitchell was putting out tremendously at today’s practice. Everybody was. There is a new spark and it’s contagious.”
“He. (Daly) knows what he’s talking about,” said center ‘James Edwards, “But, there is less talk and more work. This is the first practice where I got tired.”
When Daly arrived, he found that free agent forward Scott Wedman has a broken foot and is out indefinitely and that Bobby Wilkerson, another free agent, suffered a concussion.
Wilkerson left the club, but attended funerals in both Michigan and Texas, and club officials were having trouble tracking him down.
Nobody told Daly it would be easy in Cleveland.
* * *
Patience and persistence have paid off for Marques Johnson, once again a key member of Milwaukee. The forward agreed to a new contract with the Suds City five for eight years believed to be around eight million dollars, guaranteed.
Johnson saw some action In the December 9 game against Houston but Said he was eight to 10 days away from being ready to go full blast. All this is good news for the Bucks and bad news for the rest of the division. Forward Scott May, signed by the Bucks early in the season, now appears secure in his job as Coach Don Nelson put guard Kevin Stacom on waivers to make room for Johnson.
Atlanta guard Wes Matthews, out with a broken foot, will rejoin the Hawks before Christmas. Matthews’ pending return has guards Charlie Criss, Mike Glenn and Rory Sparrow nervously going about their work. . . . Guard Eddie Johnson appears to be all the way back from his mental problems. Rookie forward Rudy Macklin is in a shooting slump because defenses are keeping him out of his shooting zones.
Over an eight-game stretch, Detroit rookie Kelly Tripucka averaged 21.3 points and shot better than 50 percent from the floor. . . . Guard John Long played just two minutes in three Pistons’ games because of back spasms. After signing a new contract, center Kent Benson averaged 11 rebounds over a 14-game stretch. . . . Forward Terry Tyler recently played in his 271st straight game, establishing a Pistons record.
Rookie Isiah Thomas is the Eastern Conference votes leader in early returns of All-Star Game balloting. . . . Dr. Bruce Ogilvie, a California-based psychotherapist, recently made a house call to Market Square Center to treat the Indiana team, and that night they went out and clobbered New York. The power of positive thinking. “My job is to enhance human performance,” said the Good Doctor.
This article by Bill Nichols
appeared in The Sporting News December 26, 1981
Reproduced with permission of the author.