McAdoo deserves shot as head coach

NEW YORK -- In 1973 American agent Richard Kaner hooked up virtual unknown Dan Peterson to work the sidelines for Virtus Bologna, Italy.

Bob McAdoo NBA PHOTO

Over the course of 14 seasons the pint sized despot (I think that's how Mike D'Antoni described him after playing four or five seasons for him; maybe not) he gained recognition as a coaching connoisseur.

Since retirement in 1987, Peterson's time is spent writing about basketball and analyzing games on TV.

Earlier this week he responded by e-mail to a recent list in this space of leading candidates (essentially untested) for upcoming NBA openings.

Peterson finds it unfathomable Heat assistant Bob McAdoo failed to make my cut. His name should be manifestly mentioned, in his former professor's expert opinion.

OK, so why isn't Mac getting his Doo respect?

Is his brief tour as a Knick "savior" being held against him?

How about his controversial Celtic cameo?

Owner John Y. Brown acquired him and Red Auerbach quickly conspired to get rid of both.

The answer is no, on both counts. The reason is this:

It's commonly assumed the next time Pat Riley "retires" from the Heat sidelines he'll anoint assistant Erik Spoelstra to replace him.

If Padre Riles doesn't think McAdoo, a Hall of Famer, league MVP, two-time Laker champion and a Miami benchmark since 1995, is worthy of an in-house promotion over a Lawrence Frank type (bright, worked his way up from the bottom of the organization but conspicuously lacking in credentials), why would opposing executives feel compelled to interview, much less hire him?

"Trust me, Bob McAdoo can coach," Peterson accentuated. "He has a great basketball mind. I cannot begin to tell you how many gems I picked up from him -- regarding our team, individual players, strategy, etc. -- the year I coached him here."

One example especially sticks in Peterson's 71-year-old memory bank. The season was 1986-87, his last year of coaching. The team was Olympia Milan.

"We had this 6-9 (206-cm) Italian guy, Fausto Bargna, a backup for Hall of Fame pivot Dino Meneghin. But I would play subs big minutes. One day, Bob asked me, 'Why doesn't Bargna score five fast break layups a game?'

"I said, 'Well, Bob, I know he's fast but he's not as fast as, say, James Worthy."

Peterson was being (he thought) facetious.

"Dan, he's faster than Worthy," McAdoo replied. "I ran suicides with Worthy and Bargna. Fausto is faster."

Peterson excused himself and went directly to Bargna. "Fausto, why aren't you scoring five layups a game?" As it turned out, providence intervened.

Meneghin went down for the playoffs, yet Peterson's team ("the Boston Celtics of Italy") won the title anyway.

Won everything, in fact; the Italy Cup, Italian Playoff and European League. It's called the "Grand Slam" when accomplished.

Oh, yeah, Bargna scored about 3-4-5 layups per game.

Want to venture a guess what the walk-up sales were for last week's Knicks-Bucks combustion. The released British sailors and marines weren't subjected to such cruel and inhumane torture.

I'm ambivalent about which coach's comments were more dim-witted following the Knicks cheesy OT victory that kept them alive in the playoff wobble.

Asked about Eddy Curry's game-tying trey hoisted with nine-tenths of a second remaining in regulation, Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said, "We probably shouldn't have given them an open shot. Only a three could have tied it (Oh, really!). I guess there was a breakdown. Live and learn."

Probably?

Either Krystkowiak -- who recently replaced Terry Stotts and, despite no NBA head coaching experience, was awarded a two-year guarantee by Senator Herb Kohl -- knows nothing about defending a shot in that situation, or a couple of his players are dumber than stumps.

The Bucks could have adopted one of two simple-minded tactics to ensure victory:

Spread out around the perimeter, positioning themselves (all five) a foot or two beyond the line, and foul the Knick receiver the split second he caught the in-bound pass.

If that directive was too complicated for professional players to follow, then, by all means, make damn sure the receiver isn't fouled in the act of prospecting for a prayer.

So, what did those geniuses do?

Well, Dan Gadzuric sloughed off Curry, well into two-point territory, and couldn't recover quickly enough on his secluded defensive assignment.

Catching the nearby pass undisturbed, Curry calmly buried his first trifecta of the season.

I would never trust Gadzuric with tarmac time in critical circumstances again.

To think the Bucks had a timeout to discuss a diagram for a defensive scheme.

Am I asking too much?

Probably, yes.

After all, Krystkowiak's on-the-job training is only in its infancy.

Now I get it. So that's the game plan!

Combine considerable injuries and vast inexperience and they're likely to convert conveniently into a superior lottery location.

The Bucks, having lost nine of 10, evidently assume Lew Alcindor is eligible for this June's coin flip, er, draft.