Capel should consider Kareem Jabbar as Assistant

[seniorsooner]

Does Kareem need money or something?

 

[Sawyer]

Interesting comeback. It all depends on how much the target wants to buy in. My take is everyone, Warren included, were all intrigued by Blake's success but were each convinced they were NBA bound, team or no-team. If you want to lay all that on Capel, power to you.

In Kareem's case, he may also be a lost cause. It depends on how desperate he is to be a head coach. People can mellow. I'm not sure and I will research it further but I think Kareem may be a fan of Wayman's music. I do know he mentions Wayman in this jazz article:

Jazz-and-Basketball

So you honestly believe Capel would be the guy to change Kareem after all these years? Really?

It's absurd how seriously you seem to be taking this idea.

As for the problems with me-first players last year... no, I wouldn't lay all that on Capel (although he is the one who put all those personalities together...). But I wouldn't say he could be the change KAJ needs in his life, either..

 

[SilliSooner]

So you honestly believe Capel would be the guy to change Kareem after all these years? Really?

It's absurd how seriously you seem to be taking this idea.

As for the problems with me-first players last year... no, I wouldn't lay all that on Capel (although he is the one who put all those personalities together...). But I wouldn't say he could be the change KAJ needs in his life, either..

Of course it's a rather absurd idea. That's why I'm playing out the ramifications. The story is getting a little play in the Los Angeles branch of USA Today on line.

Kareem benefited from the best coaches available: John Wooden, Bill Sharman, Jerry West, Pat Riley. You know what all those guys had in common? They were all very good playing guards in college and they each had the benefit of being under superb coaches. That's a little how I see Capel: as a good college guard tutoring under the best coach of our era.

Will it translate into Capel and Jabbar being able to work together? Maybe, maybe not. Would Abdi Ahmed benefit from Kareem's experience? Would a young muslim, jazz loving center welcome the chance? Your guess is as good as mine.

 

[Sawyer]

You see Capel as a John Wooden/Bill Sharman/Jerry West/Pat Riley type.
:ez-roll:

You know who else was a good college guard under the best coach of our era? Quin Snyder.

 

[DenverSooner]

Does Kareem need money or something?

I seriously doubt he needs money. He played until 1989. Guys were making pretty good money in the 1980s (not like today but it was still a lot of money). He also had some endorsements, appeared in movies and has written books. Wikipedia refers to him as a best selling author.

Magic made a ton of money off the court. If Kareem participated with him (I have no idea if he did), he probably did well too.

 

[seniorsooner]

Then why the heck does he want to sit on the end of the bench as some scrub assistant? Better yet, what the hail was he doing coaching some semi-pro scrub team in ENID?? Surely he could get a nice cushy TV gig like Magic.

 

[Edmond_Sooner]

Then why the heck does he want to sit on the end of the bench as some scrub assistant? Better yet, what the hail was he doing coaching some semi-pro scrub team in ENID?? Surely he could get a nice cushy TV gig like Magic.

The owner of the club in Enid was an agent and had some dealings with Kareem so it was a pretty good match...

Kareem actually brought some nice insight to practices and even though the assistant did most of the vocal coaching, Kareem was very instrumental in the teams success...

 

[Tony]

I remember when he coached that team in Enid. Gottlieb hated him and ended up either quitting the team or getting released, IIRC. I think they did end up winning the championship that year, though, right?

 

[DenverSooner]

Then why the heck does he want to sit on the end of the bench as some scrub assistant? Better yet, what the hail was he doing coaching some semi-pro scrub team in ENID?? Surely he could get a nice cushy TV gig like Magic.

Maybe he loves basketball and wants to coach. When you don't need money sometimes a job doesn't feel like a job and is something you want to do rather than have to do.

 

[Tony]

Here is a fun fact: Oliver Miller -- that Oliver Miller -- plays for Lawton's professional basketball team.

 

[Edmond_Sooner]

I remember when he coached that team in Enid. Gottlieb hated him and ended up either quitting the team or getting released, IIRC. I think they did end up winning the championship that year, though, right?

yes they won...and Gottlieb probably hated him because he wouldnt sit there and talk to him all night...along with him not getting as much playing time, his previous coach on the Storm disliked Gottlieb because he couldnt keep his mouth shut and thought he knew everything...not very coachable...although, who is at that level...

 

[SilliSooner]

Kareem does want to coach, thinks he has something to offer. He coached highschool at an Arizona Indian reservation school for free. Got a book out of it. He went up for the head coaching job at Columbia in 2002-3 right after the USBL gig but didn't get the job.

He then became a scout for the Knicks and in 2005 became a position coach for the Lakers. Still holds that job, working with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.

If he went to a college as a coach it'd be as a head coach (probably not a big time program) or as an assistant at a big time school where he'd be allowed principal responsibilities.

It'd take these elements: 1) a coach he liked 2) a program he liked 3) a radio show 4) a radio jazz show 5) A chance to provide input at a big June jazz festival 6) a nearby cancer center working on the control and eradication of a certain type of cancer and 7) a martial arts wholesaler and event organizer nearby with ties to Chuck Norris.

I'm sure he could probably find a situation with these elements, if he wished to.