Pat Riley, traveling secretary?
Adrian Dantley and Pat Riley combined to tell the most amusing story I heard while attending the recent Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductions in Springfield, Mass.
Dantley told reporters during his press conference that, at one time, he used to have "heated" discussions with Riley when both were employed by the Lakers.
Dantley, of course, played for L.A. while Riley was the team's "secretary."
"Adrian is right about that," Riley confirmed. "For awhile, I was the traveling secretary."
Who knew?
According to Dantley, his arguments with Riley arose from the fact that he always gave A.D. the seat on the airplane next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"I said, 'I don't want to sit next to Kareem because he won't talk,' " Dantley said. "Pat would say, 'You're the only guy on the team who's not afraid of him.' "
Asked about Riley's explanation, Dantley smiled and said, "I played with the Lakers for three years. Kareem was an idol of mine when I was a young guy [and] I had a good time with him. If I had something to say to him -- wanted to talk to him -- I'd just say it. It wasn't a big thing to me. I had a great time with Kareem. A very smart man."
For those who have watched Riley over the years -- always a commanding presence with his expensive suits and slicked-back hair -- it's difficult to picture him as a traveling secretary.
"I would book the rooms on the road and go to the airport about 5 a.m. to get all the boarding passes," Riley said. "When the players arrived, it was a three-ring circus. ... But I always gave Adrian the seat next to Kareem."
---
Riley told a funny story about Patrick Ewing, another member of the Class of 2008 who he coached when both were with the Knicks.
Riley arrived in New York with a reputation for running long, demanding practices. Ewing, obviously, expected the worst.
At the end of the first practice at training camp, which lasted "about three hours," Riley gathered the players together, spoke to them briefly and dismissed them.
As the Knicks started to leave the court, Ewing asked Riley, "Is that all you have?"
Recalling the incident, Riley laughed and said, "The next day, he paid the price."
---
Former Immaculata coach and Hall of Fame inductee Cathy Rush told of taking her team to the 1972 national tournament in Normal, Ill.
But things were not normal, at least by today's standards.
The Mighty Macs flew standby from Philadelphia to Chicago before the coaches rented cars and drove the 130 miles to Illinois State University, which hosted the 16-team tournament.
Worse than the travel, Rush said, was the money-saving edict that allowed each team to take only eight players to the national tournament.
Rush had 11 players on her team.
"There wasn't enough money," she said, "so I had to tell three players they couldn't go. ... Four games in 48 hours with eight players. Amazing."
The good news?
Two of the three players Rush left behind attended her Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
"I guess they still like me," she said.
-- Steve Luhm
Dantley told reporters during his press conference that, at one time, he used to have "heated" discussions with Riley when both were employed by the Lakers.
Dantley, of course, played for L.A. while Riley was the team's "secretary."
"Adrian is right about that," Riley confirmed. "For awhile, I was the traveling secretary."
Who knew?
According to Dantley, his arguments with Riley arose from the fact that he always gave A.D. the seat on the airplane next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"I said, 'I don't want to sit next to Kareem because he won't talk,' " Dantley said. "Pat would say, 'You're the only guy on the team who's not afraid of him.' "
Asked about Riley's explanation, Dantley smiled and said, "I played with the Lakers for three years. Kareem was an idol of mine when I was a young guy [and] I had a good time with him. If I had something to say to him -- wanted to talk to him -- I'd just say it. It wasn't a big thing to me. I had a great time with Kareem. A very smart man."
For those who have watched Riley over the years -- always a commanding presence with his expensive suits and slicked-back hair -- it's difficult to picture him as a traveling secretary.
"I would book the rooms on the road and go to the airport about 5 a.m. to get all the boarding passes," Riley said. "When the players arrived, it was a three-ring circus. ... But I always gave Adrian the seat next to Kareem."
---
Riley told a funny story about Patrick Ewing, another member of the Class of 2008 who he coached when both were with the Knicks.
Riley arrived in New York with a reputation for running long, demanding practices. Ewing, obviously, expected the worst.
At the end of the first practice at training camp, which lasted "about three hours," Riley gathered the players together, spoke to them briefly and dismissed them.
As the Knicks started to leave the court, Ewing asked Riley, "Is that all you have?"
Recalling the incident, Riley laughed and said, "The next day, he paid the price."
---
Former Immaculata coach and Hall of Fame inductee Cathy Rush told of taking her team to the 1972 national tournament in Normal, Ill.
But things were not normal, at least by today's standards.
The Mighty Macs flew standby from Philadelphia to Chicago before the coaches rented cars and drove the 130 miles to Illinois State University, which hosted the 16-team tournament.
Worse than the travel, Rush said, was the money-saving edict that allowed each team to take only eight players to the national tournament.
Rush had 11 players on her team.
"There wasn't enough money," she said, "so I had to tell three players they couldn't go. ... Four games in 48 hours with eight players. Amazing."
The good news?
Two of the three players Rush left behind attended her Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
"I guess they still like me," she said.
-- Steve Luhm
5:02 PM
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