8801260912
DETROIT FREE PRESS
880614
Tuesday, June 14, 1988
METRO FINAL CHASER
1D
MITCH ALBOM
Copyright (c) 1988, Detroit Free Press
DALY ROUTINE TOUGH, BUT HE DOESN'T CRACK
He woke up once an hour, always in a sweat.
"WHO WON GAME 3?"
The voice screamed inside his head. He could not answer. Why couldn't he
answer? Why couldn't he remember? Who won Game 3?
And then Chuck Daly took a breath, in the dark, and suddenly realized
where he was and who he was. And why he couldn't answer. This was Saturday
night; Game 3 hadn't been played yet.
You want to coach? This is what it's like. Chuck Daly, at the age when
most men can take it easy and wait for grandchildren, is having nightmares
before they're even scheduled. He's got no job security. He's got a star
guard who's injured. Every day 12 players bring their mental laundry to work
and dump it on Daly's doorstep.
Nice job, huh?
"I drove to practice today and three times I had to stop for trains
crossing," said Daly, 57, standing alone outside his office Monday as the
Pistons practiced for Game 4 in the NBA final. "Usually that drives me crazy.
But today, it was a blessing. I just sat there for a few minutes, without any
phone calls, without any problems. It was great."
Great? Waiting for a train? Well. Think about it. Isiah Thomas, his best
player, is suddenly injured, and about to become a father for the first time.
Rickey Mahorn, his power forward, is looking at back surgery as soon as this
is over. James Edwards, his only post-up center, doesn't know if he'll have a
job next season.
Any one of those would be a major problem to most of us. Maybe all we'd
talk about. The baby. The job. The surgery. Yet, in the NBA final, each player
must try for the game of his life, while personal problems trail like tin
cans tied to a wedding car.
And the coach?
He runs behind the cars and makes sure none of the cans falls off.
Deserves whatever he wants
So how much is a job like that worth to you? Try doing it for nothing. And
that, technically, is what Daly is doing right now. His contract has expired.
He is driving without a license. If he decided to just stay in bed this
morning, let somebody else coach tonight against the Lakers, well, heck,
there's not much anyone could do about it.
And yet Daly is drawn to the hardwood like Don Quixote was drawn to
windmills. Basketball will kiss him or kill him but it cannot ignore him. Did
you see him ranting and raving and finally being ejected from Game 3 Sunday
afternoon? Did you see him yank on his jacket, or punch the air, did you hear
his voice -- which has now absorbed a full-time rasp -- screaming, croaking,
urging his players on?
This is a guy who is battling every fear, every doubt and every shred
of his personal history -- in front of the entire country. Daly has never
finished first in anything as a head coach. "I'm a second banana," he will
joke. Even during a stupid halftime feature Sunday afternoon on CBS, a
clothing maven voted him second-best dressed coach in the league, behind
Lakers coach Pat Riley.
Now suddenly, he gets within a breath of glory, the NBA final, and on
Sunday, when he's supposed to have it easier, home court, home crowd, his team
deflates. "How can you guys be flat now?" Daly yelled at the Pistons during
the devastating third quarter. It was the same question we all asked.
Sometimes a coach doesn't have any better answers. He just has to stand closer
to the problem.
"You've got a contract to worry about, a future to worry about, a private
life to worry about," someone observed. "How do you keep from dwelling on
that?"
"I compartmentalize my thinking," he said. "When I'm here, I'm focused on
the game alone. But maybe other times, like when I'm driving home, I think
about that stuff. I do a lot of driving, you know. That car is like a
sanctuary."
Let's say this right here: Chuck Daly deserves whatever he wants from a
contract -- if he wants a contract. Not only has he meshed 12 guys who might
not even say hello to each other in another life, but he has done it for a low
price. Other coaches make 60 to 70 percent more, and they are on vacation
now.
He deserves more. He should already have it. But he is rolling the dice.
He opted to pass up one offer -- which was not good enough -- and now his
success in this final will largely determine the nature and price of his
future.
Just one more thing to worry about, right?
Daly, meanwhile, does his best
Pat Riley doesn't go through all this. Pat Riley has a contract. He has
already won a championship. He's been No. 1. Heck. He's got a book out that is
going on the best-sellers list. He is younger than Daly, he lives in a
high-profile city and has the sleek, good looks to garner plenty of
spotlight.
Daly, meanwhile, keeps on plugging. He is like a businessman who never
knows what's inside his briefcase. Will the team be motivated? Will the
important papers be there? And he can't open it until the meeting starts and
everybody is watching.
And under all this, he has personal concerns, his players have personal
concerns, and we all just want to see winning basketball. "I have to be that
way, too," he said, shrugging. "When the game starts, I can only see players
as players and me as coach. Nothing else."
Whatever happens in this final, at least know it is far from a glory
ride every waking minute. Players have problems, fans have criticisms, and
Chuck Daly still doesn't have a contract. It would be great if he won this
thing. A dream come true. In the meantime, he'll eat wrong, he won't sleep,
his dreams will be haunted, and he can only hope that a train stops traffic,
so he can get a few minutes' peace.
COLUMN; CHUCK DALY;COACH;SALARY;CONTRACT;END;NBA FINALS;
DPISTONS;CRITICISM;OFFER;Pistons