Through the years, I have learned that when I hate seeing the Blazers play against a certain player, it's probably a sign that player is pretty darned good.

As someone who grew up watching the Blazers in the 1980s, I learned to hate seeing them play against Kurt Rambis. It may have seemed like he was the brute lucky enough to draw Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, etc. as teammates. But in fact, I'd argue he was an essential ingredient. What team couldn't use a big, strong, agile guy with good hands, a willingness to make a career without the ball, and a rare understanding of the game?

He's in a club with some pretty good players (Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Bill Laimbeer, for instance) who frustrated me to no end in my Blazer mind, but impress me to no end in my basketball mind. If that makes any sense.

Of course, now Rambis is the former head coach and current assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. As part of our ongoing series of discussions with coaches, Rambis agreed to talk basketall -- the triangle, life without Andrew Bynum, and more -- with TrueHoop:

The Lakers have a special challenge whenever they acquire a new player: the triangle. Some guys take years to learn it. Some never seem to get it. It's the reason the Lakers have their own D-League team -- to teach it. Is it really so hard to learn?
I do not believe so, no.

I played in offenses that used the same principles growing up. Moving, getting teammates open, moving the ball -- that's how I grew up. We played more without the ball, then.

Compare that to the Leauge today, where most of these players have grown up as stars in systems where coaches call plays, and they get the ball in their hands to create. Players understand that. But we're asking them to let the ball dictate what their next action is supposed to be, instead of the coach. But in reality, the triangle is really just ball movemen...

Read the full post at True Hoop

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