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O'Brien, Philly get defensive

Fans of the Philadelphia 76ers will really like their new coach. That’s my prediction after sitting down with Jim O’Brien last week for a one-on-one discussion.

You probably know O’Brien as the man who turned around the Boston Celtics after taking over for Rick Pitino. O’Brien was a little-known assistant who basically got the job because the Celtics had a hard time finding anyone else.

But he convinced everyone from Paul Pierce to Antoine Walker to Ricky Davis to bend their knees, shuffle their feet, and chase down loose balls. When O’Brien became the head coach, the Celtics ranked 27th in team defense. By the end of his first year, they were third.

He plans to implement the same type of intensity in Philadelphia -- and yes, he expects Allen Iverson, and even Glenn Robinson, to buy into it.

O’Brien is polite and direct, and told me, “They either buy into what I’m trying to do, or I’ll get fired. It’s really that simple.’’

He then predicted that if the Sixers follow the game plan, they’ll win a title.

As longtime readers know, I’m a fan of Iverson’s. Yes, he’s had his share of issues and he can shoot too much -- but as I’ve always said, if you’re a Sixers fan, you WANT Iverson to take most of the shots. And despite his flaws, he’s one of the NBA’s most fearless players.

After following Iverson’s career, and then listening to O’Brien, I believe this is a marriage that will last.

A lot of that is based on something O’Brien said about wanting his teams to “control the middle of the court.” That means he prefers that the players work the ball to middle of the free-throw lane for a shot, as opposed to getting to the basket along the baseline.

“Coach Pitino once told me, ‘Inferior players drive baseline; superior players drive to the middle,’” O’Brien said. “That will be part of our strategy.”

O’Brien paused, then smiled.

“Of course, that doesn’t hold true for Allen Iverson,” he said. “He can drive anywhere he wants because he’s quicker than everyone else.”

Sounds like Iverson is in good hands -- and he’ll especially like it that the ball will be in his hands too, as his new coach plans to use him at point guard in an offense that stresses lots of shooting. Actually, that’s something that should please the entire team.

And in the NBA, keeping your stars happy can carry you a long way.

Defense is Key

The Sixers plan to get it done with defense, something O‘Brien emphasized repeatedly. With names such as veteran swingman Aaron McKie, young-and-upcoming center Samuel Dalembert, and always-hustling forward Kenny Thomas on the roster, this is a team with an ability to shut people down.

“I micro-manage on defense,” O’Brien said. “My goal is to be in top five in defensive field-goal percentage, and I manage to that end.”

How does O’Brien do it?

“Well, we do NOT want the basketball to go into the low post -- ever,” he said. “We front the low post on every possession, and I’m talking about an aggressive, full front.”

Then there’s the matter of controlling the middle of the floor.

“We do not want the ball dribbled to the middle,” O’Brien said. “We force everything to the baseline or the sideline. It’s just the opposite of what we try to do on offense.”

But the key stat O’Brien seeks in his defensive scheme is deflections. Namely, he expects his team to have 35 in each game.

“We will challenge everything -- shots, passes, dribbles,” he said. “We want the players to have active hands, so that the opponent cannot make a free pass.”

O’Brien concluded by saying he is a big advocate of the staples of coaching, conditioning and team chemistry.

“I want the guys to think they are the most conditioned team in the league,” he said. “I also believe in character building. That means I want the players to have respect -- for themselves, for their teammates, for their coaches, for their organization.”

Final Sixers Stuff

-- Young players will be interested to know that O’Brien is a coach who refuses to accept weak passes. “Snap your passes,” he said. “I like seeing what I refer to as ‘frozen rope passes.’ It’s exactly how it sounds -- we like passes that are crisp and in a straight line, like the ball is traveling on a frozen rope from one player to the other.”

-- O’Brien also advises guards to “be quick, but don’t rush.” Iverson is a pretty good example of that.

-- O’Brien is a native of Philadelphia and the son-in-law of former NBA coach and current ESPN analyst Jack Ramsey, who won a title with the Bill Walton-led Portland Trail Blazers in 1977.

-- The Sixers most likely will turn to second-year guard Willie Green as a starting replacement for Eric Snow, who was traded to Cleveland in the offseason. I was a big fan of Green’s during his college years at Detroit, and while he’s not the defender or calm influence Snow is, Green is already more explosive offensively.

-- I also like how the Sixers stole undersized power forward Corliss Williamson from Detroit, in a deal that sent Derrick Coleman to the Pistons. As always, Williamson will be an underrated force in Philadelphia.

-- Another undervalued Sixer is third-year swingman John Salmons. He’s 6-foot-7 and can play three positions, including point guard. O’Brien should particularly like Salmons, whose strengths just happen to be passing and defense.

Thanks, Scottie

I don’t see anyone in today’s NBA who plays like Michael Jordan -- but I sure do see a lot of guys like Scottie Pippen.

Long legs. Active arms. An ability to take the ball to the basket and slam it in your face.

Sound like anyone you know? (Hint: One guy’s first name is Kobe, the other goes by the nickname T-Mac).

And for all the grief he took, Pippen was one of the most unselfish superstars ever. Just ask former Chicago shooting guard Steve Kerr, who continuously praised Pippen for his ability to get the ball to his teammates at exactly the right moment. Kerr also liked how Pippen would keep feeding him the ball even when Kerr was missing his shots -- in an effort to let his teammate know he still believed in them. It’s easy to see why Kerr called Pippen his favorite teammate of all time.

Was Pippen one the greatest 50 players ever, something that was bestowed upon him in 1997? Probably. Could Jordan and the Bulls have won six titles in the 1990s if Pippen hadn’t been on the team? Probably not, depending on who his replacement would have been.

Those arguments will go on forever, and no one will ever win them.

But the real bottom line on Scottie Pippen -- who retired Oct. 5 -- is this: He was a player who was good enough to be the focal point of almost any offense, yet unselfish enough to accept being labeled a “sidekick” when the tradeoff was six championship rings.

For that, he deserves our applause.

Training Camp Tidbits

-- If free agent forward Eddie Griffin can overcome himself, he’ll be an excellent pick up for the Minnesota Timberwolves. That’s a big if, as Griffin’s off-court troubles have had a negative impact on his entire career, dating back to the time when he punched a teammate at Seton Hall. But he’s said to have cleaned up his act, and I’m really pulling for the guy. He’s a good shotblocker and can score from the perimeter or in the low post.

-- All three of Golden State’s recent free-agent signees have a shot to make the team, and all three are players I‘ve enjoyed watching during their rather unremarkable pro careers. I’m talking about athletic small forward Ansu Sesay, who has spent time with Seattle, sharpshooting swingman Matt Carroll (Portland, San Antonio), and do-it-all guard Brandon Armstrong (New Jersey).

-- Despite all the signings, I don’t believe the rumors that Jason Richardson is on the trading block. New coach Mike Montgomery at least wants to see what the Warriors’ talented shooting guard can do in his system.

-- Former Duke star and Cleveland guard Trajan Langdon could make the Los Angeles Clippers’ final roster. He can still stroke it from the perimeter, as Langdon averaged 14.2 points last season in Turkey. The Clippers are particularly impressed with how much his defense has improved since his last NBA stint.

-- Apparently, the Clippers have really gotten into signing players from some of America’s most remote states. Langdon is a native of Alaska, and free-agent forward Kaniel Dickens, who was signed Oct. 5, played his college ball at Idaho. If it weren’t for the fact they signed with the Clippers, I’d envy both of them.

-- I really like Atlanta rookie guard Royal Ivey, a second-round pick out of Texas. Ivey is 6-3, but more of a shooting guard than a point. If he’s given time to work on his ballhandling skills, he could become a second-round steal. He’s aggressive and can really shoot. Plus, after trading away 95 percent of their team, the Hawks could really use another point guard (besides Kenny Anderson, who’s 412 years old).

-- Two point guards on Atlanta’s roster at the beginning of last season are now playing for Dallas. Can you name them? Answer in a minute.

-- A couple of Texas-bred free-agent talents are trying to make the final cut with Sacramento, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see swingman Maurice Evans (University of Texas) or forward Alton Ford (University of Houston) land a spot. Neither has produced much in other NBA stops, but both seem ready to find regular work somewhere this season.

-- Former Cavalier and Warrior forward Cedric Henderson is considered a sleeper in Utah’s camp, while free-agent guard Norm Richardson, a longtime favorite of mine out of Hofstra, could very well make Toronto’s final roster. Richardson has spent some time riding the pine in Indiana.

-- I should mention that I just angered reader Craig Rudnick (Tucson, Ariz.), who despises the fact I mention Richardson’s name every October.

-- Trivia answer: Jason Terry and Dan Dickau are the two point guards who began last season with Atlanta and are now on the Mavericks’ roster.

E-Mail of the Week

Reader Jeff Harris (Toronto) took exception to the trade demands of Raptors guard Vince Carter, something I wrote about last time.

Jeff wrote, “The idea of changing teams to find a ‘winning situation’ is disgraceful. The message this sends to fans and the young people who look up to these athletes is pathetic. The true stars make the best of their situation and they make the players around them better. Only one team gets to be champion, so for all the rest of the teams HOW they play the game DOES count. I respect (Toronto general manager) Rob Babcock for taking the stance that he will only make a trade that is good for the team. Hopefully, Vince will have the self-respect to contribute if a trade doesn't happen.”

Excellent e-mail, Jeff. I agree that true stars create a winning environment that’s contagious. Although, it appears that Carter has softened his stance on a trade, and has said publicly that he intends to play as hard as ever.

Newsletter Note

There was no newsletter last week because my computer went kaput. Hopefully, the problem is fixed and the Amico Report can start arriving in your in-box every week, as originally promised (of course, that was before I had a three-month-old son and a desire to get back into shape for my upcoming adult basketball league).

At any rate, the NBA season opens in less than a MONTH, and as usual, I can hardly contain myself. I hope you are enjoying following the game as much as I do -- and mostly, I just wanted to take yet another opportunity to say thanks for reading. It really means a lot.

Talk to you soon!