“The Speed Game:” A memoir by NBA Championship Coach Paul Westhead
Paul Westhead recalls coaching the Lakers, the Bulls, the Denver Nuggets, Loyola Marymount and nearly two dozen other basketball teams in “Speed Game: My Fast Times in Basketball. Photo by David Fairchild (DavidFairchildStudio.com) by Paul Teetor When Paul Westhead was interviewing for an assistant coaching job with the Orlando Magic back in 2003, head coach Johnny Davis asked him a tough question: “I hear from some people you’re a genius, and I hear from others you’re crazy. Which one is true?” Westhead paused, realizing the wrong answer could kill his chances. He looked Davis in the eye and answered: “I’m a crazy genius.” Davis pondered the answer for a moment, smiled at him and posed a not-nearly-as-tough question: “Can you start tomorrow?” It was just another day at the office for a guy who has been hired for 20 coaching jobs in college and pro basketball – and has been fired from 14 of them. Most of the time, he was hired and fired for the same reason: his unique style of basketball, which he calls “The System.” Boiled down to its basics, he teaches his players to fast-break every time they get the ball and shoot it at the first opportunity. On defense, he instructs them to…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com