| | By Paul Newberry
Associated Press
ATLANTA -- Lon Kruger watches keenly while his players run
an offensive drill, weaving in and out of the lane, picking off
defenders until someone pops outside for an open jumper.
Kruger responds with kudos and claps before pulling a sheet of paper from his pocket, glancing down at the next play on the list. The team huddles around him for another impromptu tutoring session.
"It's not any different than college," said Kruger, the new coach of the Atlanta Hawks. "Practice is the same. The guys are working just as hard."
Of course, it's not the same. Just ask Rick Pitino. Or John Calipari. Or P.J. Carlesimo. The landscape is littered with hotshot college coaches who flopped in the NBA.
"Most college coaches take over with very little talent," said Pitino, who's hasn't been able to restore the Boston Celtics to their former glory. "They have young players that need to be taught the fundamentals of the game."
Pitino had a taste of success in the NBA, leading the New York Knicks to their first division title in 18 years during a two-season stint in the late '80s.
He returned to college, taking a probation-ravaged Kentucky program to a national title. The Celtics called, figuring he was just the man to restore the legacy of Cousy, Russell and Bird.
There was only one problem: Pitino didn't have a Cousy on his roster, much less a Russell or Bird. And he couldn't change that situation by turning on the charm for some wide-eyed recruits.
"The pro coaches are way smarter than college coaches," said Pitino, who has hinted this might be his last season with the Celtics after three years of losing. "They wait for the Shaqs and Kobes."
Calipari was a Final Four coach at Massachusetts, but didn't even make through his third year with the New Jersey Nets. His in-your-face coaching style didn't go over well in the pros.
Calipari returned to college this year, hoping to rebuild his reputation at Memphis.
"I'll say this about pro basketball: If you're a good group of guys and you're winning, there is no better gig in the world," he said after his firing. "But if you're losing and you have a few bad seeds, I can't explain to you misery like that."
Carlesimo can relate. He reached the NCAA championship game with Seton Hall, but was handed a pink slip by Portland and Golden State. His defining moment as a pro coach was getting throttled by Latrell Sprewell.
Still, there's always a college coach willing to tackle an NBA
rebuilding job, especially when there's a lucrative, long-term
contract waiting on the other side.
This season, there are two. Kruger is joined by Leonard
Hamilton, the former University of Miami coach who took over the
Washington Wizards, a salary cap-stymied mess of a team.
Pitino tried to talk Hamilton out of taking the Wizards job. A
few days ago, the two friends ran into each other.
"What do you think?"' Pitino asked.
"I'm coaching a lot of adults who act like kids," Hamilton
replied.
Kruger was drafted by the Hawks in 1974 but never played or
worked in the NBA until this season. The oversight is glaring.
"People have brought that up a lot," said Kruger, an unimposing man with neatly combed hair -- no gel for him -- who seems plucked from a 1950s TV show.
Kruger took Kansas State to four straight NCAA tournaments, guided Florida to its first Final Four and led Illinois to an 81-48 record. He believes the tools of success are the same, whether it's college or the pros.
"I listen a lot. I talk a lot," he said. "That's what I did in college."
He doesn't figure to do a lot of winning for the inexperienced,
not-so-talented Hawks, at least this season.
Atlanta won only 28 games last season and, if the first two
games are any indication, it might be hard-pressed to match that.
The Hawks opened with a 24-point loss at home to Charlotte, then
were blown out by 25 points in New York.
Even so, the Hawks have soaked up Kruger's enthusiasm and taken
advantage of his open ear. He's not a screamer like Pitino or
Calipari, though he does put the team through rigorous practices
stretching nearly three hours.
"He's not one of those coaches who thinks he knows
everything," Jim Jackson said. "He listens to the veteran
players. That will help him be successful at this level."
Atlanta general manager Pete Babcock looked at his roster -- seven players with no more than three years of experience -- and decided a college coach was the best fit.
After failing to lure Tom Izzo away from national champion Michigan State, Babcock turned to Kruger with a reported five-year, $10 million offer.
"He understands it's a players' game," Babcock said. "The NBA could learn a lot from the good qualities of college basketball."
Knowing he had a thing or two to learn, Kruger brought in former
Wizards coach Gar Heard as his top assistant.
"Everyone is learning here," Jackson said. "He's learning.
We're learning. We're all in this together."
Kruger's lively, hands-on approach has been a welcome change to
the younger Hawks, who floundered under the laid-back tutelage of
Lenny Wilkens, the winningest coach in NBA history.
"Lenny was a professional. He expected you to be ready,"
forward Roshown McLeod said. "Lon is more of a preparation guy.
He's on you to make sure you're ready."
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