It is hard to believe that we are now in March. March is a great time of the year with March Madness upon us. The college season is winding down with all the conference tournaments. Then we have to see who gets into the tournament with Selection Sunday. Once all of that is decided the madness begins with the first tipoff. There will be teams that will be jumping for joy because they were selected and then there will be others that will be disappointed in not being selected. Office pools will be widespread, even the non basketball fan gets excited this time of the year.

   The Final Four will be in the Motor City this year. I will miss being there, as I have missed the last few Final Fours. The Final Four is something that I loved going to. It was always great seeing all of my friends in the coaching fraternity. I miss the time being with friends and talking hoops. Going to the games and then doing my thing at Hoop City. I am looking forward to watching the games. It should be a great tournament with no sure fire number one. Enjoy the tournament.

   March means that teams are positioning themselves for the playoffs in the NBA. Unfortunately for us we will not be in the playoffs this year. We are down to our last seventeen games of the year. We have a game on Friday versus Orlando and then we have Sacramento on Sunday after that we go back on the road for our last west coast trip. We go to Utah and play them on Tuesday, then LA to play the Clippers on a back to back. Then we have another back to back on Friday and Saturday in Denver and Phoenix.

    Hopefully we can finish the season up with everyone being healthy and a few more wins.

    Take care and God Bless. 

    Had a great time in Naples, Florida over all star break. Unfortunately my wife and daughter had the bug and were feeling under the weather most of the time. At least we got some time together and we were with our friends Mike and Annie. The time went by quickly, it seems like I never get enough time with the family. While in Florida I got a couple of workouts in and got some shots up. I also watched a high school basketball game and the referee’s were awful. All that they did was blow the whistle and there was no flow to the game. I felt bad for the kids playing because they really didn’t get a chance to play.

    Got back to DC Sunday night. Practice was on Monday at 5:00pm. Everyone seemed like the break did them good. The practice was a good one with the players all working hard and they were enthusiastic too. It seemed like everyone wanted to be there. Gilbert practiced and so did Andray. It is good to see Gil back doing what he should be doing. Hopefully he will be able to play again and regain his all star form.

    First game back against Minnesota. They are a team that is alot like us. They are struggling and are suffering from injuries as well. They also had a coaching change during the season. Their record is also similar to ours. It will be good to see JB Bickerstaff and Dean Cooper, two guys that I met over the summer doing camps in China and India.

    Had our morning meeting and then shootaround. After shootaround I spent some time with Brendan on the practice court and worked him about a bit. He is shooting the ball better than I expected. His wrist seems to be fairly flexible. We really miss him on the floor. BWood anchored our defense and really talked to his teammates. Get back soon Wood, we need you and miss you. Brendan will go see the doctor on Friday when we are in New Jersey. Hopefully we will have some good news and a date as to when he can participate in practice.

   The game never gets here soon enough. Time seems to drag from shootaround until tip off. The highlight of my day is when Adam or Chase (two of our ballboys) come looking for me and want to challenge me to a shootout. I have to shoot with my left hand. They are great guys and we have alot of fun and laughs. They have gotten better from last season as they have beaten me a few times this season. My left hand has also improved shooting against them. It is funny to see how happy they are when they do win, which isn’t too often I might add. It gets my mind off of the game and keeps me loose. I also make sure that I get my workout in, don’t want to miss any workouts.

    WE WON. We beat Minnesota and I was happy to see my brother and friends at the game. My brother Skip came down from Baltimore with Lee Miles, Joey and Michael Schultz. Maybe they are our good luck charms. It feels good to win.

    Remember to count your blessings, we all have something to be thankful for and tell your loved ones how much you love tham and how much they mean to you.

   Last night we suffered another loss, this time to the Memphis Grizzlies. The final score was 113 to 98. The sad part of this game is that we had a lead in the third quarter, but the end result is what matters. We have had a number of games where we have been ahead in the second half only to let the game slip away. We are now 10 and 38. That is almost as many losses as we had all of last year and we are not even at all star break. Speaking of all star break I am looking forward to going away with the family to Naples, Florida and catch some sun. This year we were shut out with any all stars. When you are losing there are no rewards.

    We have a few more games before all star break. We have New Jersey at home tomorrow night, then the Denver Nuggets come in and I get to see my good friends George Karl, Tim Gruguvich, Jahmal Mosley and John Welch. They are playing well and Chauncey Billups was a great addition to their team. After the Denver game we have another home game against Indiana on Sunday. It will be great to see TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovic, two great guys who were in Toronto when I was up there two years ago. Then we go on the road for two games. First up we have Atlanta on the 10th and then Charlotte on the 11th.

     Atlanta has my friend JT on the bench. That is Jim Todd, a great guy who is responsible for getting me involved in the NBA. He tried to hire me as his assistant when he took over the head coaching job for the Clippers a few years back. Then JT and Sam Mitchell brought me up to training camp in Toronto, when Sam first got the job. Then two years ago JT was instumental along with David and Dana Pump in convincing Bryan Colangelo to hire me. The rest is history. Who knows what the future will hold.

    I do know that I have a blessed life and to be doing something that I love is truly a blessing, especially in these difficult times. Thank the LORD for all of your blessings and don’t forget to tell your loved ones that you love them and how much they mean to you. Take care and God Bless.

   First of all I would like to apologize to my faithful readers for not blogging in quite some time. Unfortunately when you are 7 and 30 there is not too much to write about. I am in NYC at the hotel and figured that it was time to write and wish everyone a healthy, happy, safe and prosperous new year.

   Now that the new year is here I figured I would sit back and reflect on all the good things in my life.There are so many things that I am thankful for. At the top of the list is God, without him there is no telling where I would be now. Then there is my wife and daughter, they are the greatest and if I never got my act together I would’ve never been married and then there would be no child. I cannot imagine my life without God, Carole and McKenna. Then there is my family and friends, I love you all. I am blessed to be doing something that I love and that is coaching basketball and working with some great guys. I have met many people and I have traveled the world because of basketball. I have a truly blessed life for that I thank the GOOD LORD, my wife, daughter, family and friends. Thank you all for making my life special.

    The team is struggling to say the least, we just can’t get a win. We have been in alot of games and have had sizeable leads but just can’t close the game out. You could go on about having three starters out (Gil, BWood and DSteve) having a bunch of young guys on the roster (Nick, Dom, Pech, Andray, Javaris and Javale) new coach (Tap) new players (Mike James and Javaris) etc… But the bottom line is that you have to play the games and you play with the guys that you have. Nobody in the league is feeling sorry for you. All that we can do is continue working to get it right. Hopefully Gil and Brendan can return at some point and give us a much needed lift.

   Our schedule was the most difficult schedule to start the season with but now it was to soften up with games against sub 500 teams. The games against Toronto, Chicago, Charlotte and Milwaukee have produced the same results. A LOSS. The losses seem to come the same way, a scoring drought in the third or fourth quarter and at the same time we don’t get an important rebound, a vital stop, or a questionable call from an official doesn’t go our way. If we continue at the same pace we will set a franchise record for the fewest wins in a year. That is not a record that you want to be associated with.

    I am also blessed to be in the NBA whether we win or lose I am a very fortunate man. May I never lose sight of that.

   Don’t forget to tell your loved ones that you love them. Make sure you count your blessings. I am sure that you will find that you have more blessings than you realized. Take care and God Bless.

   Sorry, I haven’t been writing much this year. There’s not alot to write about when you are struggling. Well today we were informed that Antonio Daniels was traded and we were letting Dee Brown go. I will miss the both of them very much. Antonio will be off to New Orleans and hopefully someone will pick up Dee.

   Antonio is a true gentleman and professional. He will be missed by everyone in the organization. It will be odd tomorrow morning at 9:00am and there isn’t a knock on the door to go shoot before shootaround. AD did this at every home game and then he would be the first one back in the afternoon. There’s a reason why AD has been in the league as long as he has. My friend I wish you all the luck and I look forward to seeing you again in the not to distant future. My wife and daughter will miss you and your family. Take care and God Bless, my friend.

    Dee Brown was brought in to be the third point guard and he ended up starting for us. Now he has been released. Dee did everything that was asked of him and now he is gone. I wish Dee the best of luck as well and I am sure you will be picked up by someone quickly.

    I have enjoyed my time with AD and Dee, they always worked hard and did everything that you asked them to do.

    It is tough when someone gets traded or fired because you are like an extended family. Think about it, all of the time that you spend together, the goals that you share, meals that you eat together, film that you watch and all the talking and listening that you do. I just can’t get used to it. When I was in Toronto and Freddie Jones was traded I was sad to see Freddie go, although he was happy to go home (Portland). Then when I left Toronto I felt so bad because we had such a good group of guys. I still miss each and everyone of them and everyone in the organization. Now I miss my friends Eddie, Mike, AD and Dee. I know it is all a business but that doesn’t make it any easier. I am just thankful that I have had an opportunity to have worked for Eddie and worked with Mike as well as having coached AD and Dee.

     I want to take this time to wish everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS. Take the time to tell someone that you love them and how much they mean to you.

    Yesterday started off just like any other day, up at six, a quick shower a kiss for my wife and daughter while they are still asleep. Out the door and off to the Verizon Center. In the office by seven. Mike, Randy and Eddie are already there. Review some tape and get ready for Golden State. Today it never got to that as we were informed that Eddie Jordan and Mike O’Koren are being let go. Never liked the word “fired.” Needless to say all of the coaches were shocked and are still surprised by this. I ‘ve been told more than once it is the nature of the business. The day seemed surreal.

I want to thank everyone that called to see how I am doing.

I woke up today thinking that it was all a dream. It wasn’t. Coach Jordan was the second coach to be let go in the NBA this season. I am sure others will follow.

The reason that this is so difficult is because Eddie and Mike are GREAT guys.  As good as they are as coaches, they are even better human beings. I am blessed to have spent a season with them. It seems like I was with them longer as we did so much as a staff. I learned so much from them, they are true professionals. It won’t be long until somebody else hires them.

Today it seemed odd to say the least, coming into the office and not having Mike at his desk, Coach not being in his office and Randy out due to surgery that he is having today. Good luck Randy, you are in my thoughts and prayers. I wish you a speedy recovery. You will be missed too, luckily you are coming back after you mend. I don’t know when I will see Eddie and Mike, but you guys are my friends and I want you to know that I will miss you guys and I am looking forward to seeing you again. Maybe in Maine. Surely before that.

Good things happen to good people and the both of you are GREAT people. Take care and GOD BLESS.

Ed Tapscott is now the head coach. He is one of the smartest men that I know. He always tells me that I must not know many people. The coaches meeting this morning seemed strange with only Tap, Hub, Wes and myself being there. Finished the coaches meeting and had our shoot around. Now it’s up to us to play Golden State..

     It’s been awhile since my last blog. There hasn’t been much to write about. We started the season at 0 and 5 once again, the same as last season. Finally got a win against Utah at home. That made us 1 and 5. After that win we went to Miami to play against D-Wade and they beat us by 20. Miami went on a 20 to 1 run in the third to put the game away. We play Miami at home tomorrow night. Hopefully the result will be much different.

     Not to make excuses but we have been hit by the injury bug once again. Antonio is out with a sore knee, BWood is out four to six months and Gil is out till at least the new year. How do you replace them? You don’t and you can’t. So we just coach the guys we have and put our minds together to come up with a game plan each and everyday. We have some new guys that are trying to pick up our defensive philosophy in Juan Dixon, Dee Brown, Javale McGee and Etan Thomas. Etan was out last year with a heart operation, so this stuff is new to him as well. It took the guys awhile to learn the system last year as well. Offensively we are struggling as well. We are missing shots from the field, three point line as well as the free throw line. All in all we have to get better and we will as the season progresses.

    Our schedule has been fractured as well. We have played the least amount of games at this point, seven. Some other teams Phoenix and Sacramento have already played twelve ad the majority of teams have played nine or ten. That will soon change as we will have four games in five nights starting tomorrow.

    The one GREAT thing about having some time off in between games is that I get to spend time with my wife and daughter. Went to the movies the other day with Mckenna and saw Madagascar Two. Had a blast with her. Everyone tells me to enjoy every moment with her as life is too short, I am trying to do that. Remember that and tell your loved ones that you love them. Take care and God Bless.

  Sorry it has been awhile since my last blog.  I’ve just been super busy getting ready for the season and recuperating from our on the road, all over the country and world pre-season tour. To be honest with you the pre-season seemed like a season. We were on the road so long that my wife and daughter forgot who I was when I returned home. It has been great getting home and seeing the both of them.

   Last week was a tough week for me as I lost two of my dear friends. George Mitchell from Union Beach, NJ was 42 years old and leaves behind his wife and two kids. We played alot of ball together and shared many laughs and memorable times. I’ve been praying for George’s family. He is going to be missed by many. Then I lost another friend of mine from Baltimore, Craig Noppinger. It has been a few years since I last saw him. We spoke a few times about him coming to a Wizards game, it never happened and now it never will. I pray for the Noppinger family as they were like my family when I was living in Baltimore. I will never forget the times we shared together, Nick (Craig’s father) and I would play Craig and Dave (Craig’s brother) two on two. The result was always the same Dave and Craig would be fighting with one another and Nick and I would be laughing. Afterwards we would go back to their house and Peg would have cool drinks for us and food as well. I always told the guys to enjoy their time with their dad, because my dad left when I was a young boy.

     Unfortunately I could not make both funerals. We were on the road, like we could be anywhere else during the pre-season. In San Antonio and then Columbus, Ohio. I got back to DC early Saturday morning around 2:30 am. Slept for awhile and then Carole, McKenna and I  went up to Baltimore for Craig’s prayer and memeorial service. It was not the best of times to see the Noppinger’s. I pray that they find comfort in our Lord as does the Mitchell family.

   Everyone enjoy your family and friends because life doesn’t last forever. Enjoy everyday and thank the Lord for it. Make the most of it and most of all help someone and make someone smile. It’s not all about me. Don’t forget to let everyone know that you love them. Take care and God Bless.

    Left for Berlin on Saturday late afternoon. Carole and McKenna took me to the airport, as always it is tough leaving them. It does not get any easier leaving your loved ones. Once settled in on the plane I watched tape of our last couple of pre season games. Watched tape with Pech for awhile. Did some reading as well. Unfortunately I did not sleep at all on the flight.

    We arrived in Berlin safe and sound. Stayed at the Ritz Carlton which is right around the corner from the hotel that I stayed in on my last trip to Berlin two years ago before joining the Raptors. Berlin is a beautiful city and the weather was perfect, not too cold. Great for walking around the city and seeing the sites and sitting at the sidewalk cafes. Mostly everyone speaks English which makes it easier for everyone of us that cannot speak other languages. Had a bite to eat once we arrived at the hotel and afterwards we checked in and went to our rooms. Luggage was already in our rooms, the Germans are very organized and take pride in their work. Later that day we had practice.  The guys were a little sloppy which was to be expected. Everyone was tired as well as jet lagged.

    After practice we ate at the hotel and then Mike O’Koren and I went and did a little site seeing. I fought hard not to sleep at all throughout the day. Then I hit the bed and was asleep immediately. Had a wake up call and went to the coaches meeting.  Practice at the O2 Arena. The arena is brand new and is a thing of beauty, it has all of the modern technology and then some. Once practice was over with there was a clinic for the Special Olympics. Andray, Dom, Dee, Etan, Dermarr, Juan, Javale and Pech coached the kids. I am not sure who had more fun the players or the kids. I know that I had a blast coaching them and it was an experience that I will never forget. Once that clinic was over Darius asked me to help him out with a clinic for four Lithuanian kids. I stayed with him for his clinic and then went back to the hotel for dinner and some sleep.

     Game day. Coaches meeting, shootaround. Relaxed at the hotel, went for a walk and packed up for our flight out after the game to Barcelona. Took the first bus over to the arena. It felt odd taking the bus as I always cab it to the games during the regular season with some of the players to get some work done before everyone else arrives. The Hornets stung us good, they stung us early and often. We were horrible. We are going to miss BWood in the middle, he had a great year for us last season and he was really looking forward to building on it. Antawn did not play due to his knee contusion from the Dallas game. Antonio did not suit up because of swelling in his knee. Juan is out with a slight muscle tear in his calf and Nick Young is back in DC working on getting his knee right. Nick has a “floating particle” in it. That does not sound good to me. I am not a doctor but it seems as if it would need to get scoped to remove the particle. Gil did not make the trip either as he is re-habbing his knee still. If we could get everyone healthy at the same time we could be very good.

    It seems as if the injury bug has bitten us again. Linton Johnson has a broken toe (tripped on some luggage). How crazy is that.

    We left for Barcelona after the game. Had to go to the airport and through security. Got on the plane with a bunch of the NBA people as well as the referees. The flight to Barcelona was a little over two hours. Once we landed we hopped on buses to the terminal and then went through the terminal and got on some other bus to the hotel. We got into Barcelona after three. To the hotel around four thirty and the bags did not get to our rooms until after six. Needless to say everyone is very zombie like. The funny thing is that we had a police escort from the airport to the hotel and the police didn’t go over 30 kilometers an hour. I mean at four in the morning there is nobody on the road. Our police escorts to the arena and back are no quicker either.

     Had a breakfast meeting and practice. Went across the street to a shopping mall and bought a couple of items. I bought four items by credit card and they had to ring up each item on a seperate receipt. Imagine that. I tried to explain to them that there must be an easier way ( like one receipt) with my broken Spainish. No luck. I have not found too many English speaking people here, especially at the hotel. Met for dinner and then I went up to my room to get online and watch TV. Needless to say I had to have a technician come up and take care of my problems. The cable for the internet was broken off at the end and the TV got one station. To my surprise these problems were rectified in a matter of minutes.

   Woke up this morning more tired than I have been in some time. This schedule is something else and the season hasn’t even started yet. It is going to take some time to get back on track. Had a good practice, the guys were very competitive and worked hard. Came back for lunch and some rest. I have not napped at all on this trip but today I took a two hour nap, couldn’t go any longer without some rest. Tonight we have our team dinner, tomorrow night is the game with a nine o’clock pm tip. After the game we will fly back to DC. Should get in around nine on Saturday morning. We will have the rest of the day off and report ready to go on Sunday. Practice again on Monday and Tuesday before going on the road again to San Antonio. After San Antonio we will go to Columbus, Ohio to play our last pre season game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That is a trip that Randy Ayers should be looking forward to, as he coached at Ohio State and more importantly he will get to see his mom. It is always a GREAT day when you can be with loved ones.

    Take care have a blessed day and don’t forget to let your loved ones how much you love them and how much they mean to you.

     Camp has just broken and we are on the bus heading back to Washington, DC. I have  my head phones listening to “THE BOSS” can hardly wait to see Carole and McKenna. The coaches have been in Richmond since last Wednesday. That was ten days ago but it seems much longer. Every one is anxious to get the season under way.

   The players all worked hard throughout the week that they were there. Tonight it was capped off with a scrimmage. The gaame was open to the public. The fans were great as was everyone at VCU. Everyone at VCU went above and beyond their duties in making us feel at home. We had both of our floors down there. The facility is top notch with plenty of room for training camp.

    BWood was our lone casualty as he hurt his wrist yesterday in practice. At this time we don’t know the extent of his injury. Let’s hope that Wood is back quickly and better than ever. It is amazing to see Etan out there after all that he has been through. Dee Brown has great speed and quickness, he can pressure the ball fullcourt and push it on offense. It is good to see Pech out there. The poor kid loves the game and wants to play but unfortunately he has had problems with both ankles. Nick and Dom should be much better with a year of experience under their belts. Andray had a great camp and he needs to continue to improve and sustain it. Antawn, Caron and Antonio are our captains and you couldn’t ask for better pro’s or people to be your team leaders. The young guys don’t know how lucky they are to have them in the locker room. Javale is our first round pick and he really is something, he just needs to get bigger and stronger. JaVale does some amazing things however with his speed, quickness, agility and reach. Darius is Darius solid and steady doing whatever it takes for us to win. His back is getting better. D Steve is rounding into game shape and is ready to be our stopper once again this season.

   Also in camp are Juan Dixon, DerMArr Johnson, Linton Johnson, and Taj McCullough. They all are working hard and have brought alot of energy to camp. Looking forward to seeing them in pre season.

   While at camp Gilbert had the guys coming over and starting the day off with 300 makes. Gil was also getting the young guys to go thru the offense. Can’t wait to get him back healthy.

   Could everyone out there please pray for our equipment manager and his family. Jerry Walters is a great guy but his mom isn’t doing well. JW as he is affectionately known had to leave camp to be with her. He is in my thoughts and prayers. Hurry back.

  Keep reading and I’ll keep blogging.

 Peace.