TOUGH AS NAILS

I'm no home improvement expert but I know a nail when I see one.

Used to lock things down, a 6-1, 173 pound nail named Norm Van Lier passed away Thursday. He was 61. The former Chicago Bull partnered with Jerry Sloan in the early '70s to form the toughest defensive backcourt in NBA history.

Before kids started growing like beanstalks, the NBA had its share of tough little men in the 7os. Calvin Murphy, Nate "Tiny" Archibald and Gail Goodrich were a handful. While those players exhibited outstanding offensive skills, Van Lier was the hard-nosed defensive specialist that cast a giant shadow. Opposing guards literally hated going up against Van Lier and Sloan. They not only shut down players, they often left a mark and plenty of ill feelings.

Van Lier didn't care what size the challenge was. He'd try to run through a pick set by 6-11 Bob Lanier just as much as he would if it was Jerry West. The most famous graduate from Saint Francis of Loretto University in Pennsylvania was fearless, earning the nickname "Stormin' Norman."

A three-time all-star, Van Lier shot a paltry .414 from the floor, but he wasn't in the lineup to knock down jumpers. For that, Dick Motta's Bulls had Bob "Butterbean" Love and Chet "The Jet" Walker in the frontcourt. Center Tom Boerwinkle was there to provide a presence in the middle and run picks through. Sloan would get an occasional key basket but mostly, he and Van Lier specialized in frustration. That Bulls tandem never achieved the greatness of the Michael Jordan era, their playoff runs seemingly always getting derailed by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Van Lier survived in an period where there was no place for the faint of heart and a little man had to possess the biggest beat of all in order to make it.

Continuing a sad day for the Bulls, Johnny "Red" Kerr also left this world at age 76, after battling prostate cancer. Kerr was the franchise's first head coach and received NBA Coach of the Year honors for leading the Bulls to the playoffs in the inaugural 1966-67 season. Due to his declining health, the Bulls moved up a ceremony in his honor earlier this month, unveiling a statue of Kerr at the United Center. Kerr, a native Chicagoan, was a pivotal fixture in Bulls lore, serving as an avid announcer for numerous years. On hand for his emotional ceremony among others were Jordan an Scottie Pippen.

Jordan called Kerr “an inspiration to me as a basketball player and as a person,” while Pippen added Kerr "makes Chicago Bulls basketball what it is."

The 6-9 Kerr knew his way around a gym, having played 12 seasons (1954-1966) in the NBA for the Syracuse Nationals, Philadelphia 76ers and the Baltimore Bullets. From 1954 to 1965, the three-time NBA All-Star appeared in a then-NBA record 844 consecutive games.

A lot of Chicagoans shed tears of remembrance this week, recognizing two special people who gave their all.

Heaven enjoyed a good draft Thursday, having picked up a tough as nails point guard and a space eating big man.

Even Former Bad Boys Deserve A Chance

Let me start by saying I'm from Chicago.

Only the passage of time has allowed me to discard my ill feelings toward a couple of bullies, gangsters, thugs - Bad Boys!

And even though I know them personally now, there are times when I just want to throw Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn an elbow just to make amends for roughing up my Michael Jordan led Bulls back in the day. I quickly think better of the idea because both Laimbeer and Mahorn, though mellowed, are still behemoths.

After achieving success as members of the Detroit Pistons with two championship rings, Laimbeer and Mahorn have reigned supreme, as head coach and assistant respectively, for three WNBA championships with the Detroit Shock. And yet, I find it shocking that the NBA has not come a calling. In fact, there appears to be this ridiculous notion that coaching women does not translate into coaching men. Another WNBA coach, Michael Cooper of the Los Angeles Sparks, was tough as nails when he hit the floor for the Los Angeles Lakers. Cooper also has a WNBA title under his belt.

I hardly think the X&O's are that much different from the men's game to the women's game. So why is it NBA executives that Laimbeer doesn't get a shot at coaching in a league where he demonstrated his toughness night after night?

Ah, a trip down memory lane... game 3 of the1987 Eastern Conference Finals. Laimbeer and Larry Bird hook up, both ejected. Same series, game 5, Robert Parish punches Laimbeer in the face. Michael Jordan took a swing at Laimbeer in game 3 of the '88 Eastern Conference Semifinals and in 1990, Charles Barkley and Laimbeer tussled during a regular season game. He even frustrated Isiah Thomas so much during a team practice that Thomas took a swing. There was little Laimbeer wouldn't do to put his team in a position to win.

So why won't the NBA give Laimbeer a chance? Owners certainly have a lot of explaining to do especially when you look at the current landscape of coaches parading up and down the sidelines with little or no previous head coaching experience. Lets look at Washington, Chicago, Toronto, Oklahoma City, Sacramento and Detroit. As of this writing their combined record is 112 wins, 224 losses.

The Wizards think so much of Ed Tapscott that they don't even post his bio when you click his name on their website. It's as if he fell out of the sky. And perhaps to make the organization feel better, they list the team's record at 12-33 on his page. It's actually 12-43.

This is what it says on the Sacramento Kings (12-45) website, under Kenny Natt's bio: "Natt, who played for the Kansas City Kings in 1984-85, is re-united with then teammate and current Sacramento King's Head Coach Reggie Theus." Hmmm. Wasn't Theus fired in mid December and replaced by Natt on an interim basis? Someone should tell the Kings who's running the show. In terms of prior head coaching experience, Natt did coach the Cape Breton Breakers in the Canadian-based National Basketball League.

Oklahoma City's (13-43) official website has no info on head coach Scott Brooks. Vinny Del Negro, zero prior head coaching experience, is leading the Chicago Bulls (25-31). To where, only time will tell. For the Pistons (27-26), there are nights when it's obvious this is Michael Curry's first go round of calling the shots.

At least Jay Triano of the Toronto Raptors (22-36) spent six years as head coach of the Canadian men's national team.

None of these fine men mentioned have anywhere near a resume that stacks up against Laimbeer's.

I can only conclude that NBA executives deem unworthy and look down upon the achievements of coaches who happen to exhibit ability while coaching women. It's as if they're grading on a curve.

The next time a head coaching job opens in the NBA, I hope someone has the courage and foresight to give Laimbeer a serious look. Time heals all wounds. He's paid his dues to society for being such a roughneck in the paint when he played.

Having said all these nice things about Laimbeer, excuse this Bulls fan while I go wash my mouth out.