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by: Chris Maynard
([email protected])
([email protected])
While reviewing Game Two between the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls, I got a great kick out of an improbable fourth-quarter interaction that took place, which made me want to write about one of the involved "combatants."
Roughly halfway through the fourth quarter of the Bulls' eventual 91-80 victory against the Knicks, New York set up to inbound the ball in front of the Chicago bench. Positioning to set a back screen, New York center Patrick Ewing suddenly and aggressively stormed his way toward the Bulls' bench, as if he was going to fight someone. Ewing's target wasn't a player, rather, it was Chicago Assistant Coach Jim Cleamons, who rose to his feet with no fear of the 7-footer heading his way.
Fortunately for all involved, Bulls' Center Luc Longley got in the way of the angry Ewing, who along with Cleamons received a technical foul. Prior to the testy exchange, Chicago had been called for three straight defensive fouls on that possession, and Ewing and Cleamons began having words. Apparently, Ewing did not like something Cleamons said and was ready to throw hands with the Chicago assistant.
Whatever was said between Cleamons and Ewing, the moment added fuel to a fired-up United Center as the Bulls were in the midst of blowing out a lead that was just two-points at the end of the third quarter. What had been a back-and-forth contest now had the true feel of a Bulls-Knicks playoff game thanks to this fiery moment between Ewing and Cleamons.
Cleamons' surprising, funny and, quite frankly, badass altercation with Ewing got me thinking about his time on the bench with the Bulls as one of Phil Jackson's trusted assistants, and the strange turn his coaching career took after the 1996 NBA playoffs.
Make the jump to read more about Cleamons' strange career trajectory following his time with the Bulls.
Roughly halfway through the fourth quarter of the Bulls' eventual 91-80 victory against the Knicks, New York set up to inbound the ball in front of the Chicago bench. Positioning to set a back screen, New York center Patrick Ewing suddenly and aggressively stormed his way toward the Bulls' bench, as if he was going to fight someone. Ewing's target wasn't a player, rather, it was Chicago Assistant Coach Jim Cleamons, who rose to his feet with no fear of the 7-footer heading his way.
Fortunately for all involved, Bulls' Center Luc Longley got in the way of the angry Ewing, who along with Cleamons received a technical foul. Prior to the testy exchange, Chicago had been called for three straight defensive fouls on that possession, and Ewing and Cleamons began having words. Apparently, Ewing did not like something Cleamons said and was ready to throw hands with the Chicago assistant.
Whatever was said between Cleamons and Ewing, the moment added fuel to a fired-up United Center as the Bulls were in the midst of blowing out a lead that was just two-points at the end of the third quarter. What had been a back-and-forth contest now had the true feel of a Bulls-Knicks playoff game thanks to this fiery moment between Ewing and Cleamons.
Cleamons' surprising, funny and, quite frankly, badass altercation with Ewing got me thinking about his time on the bench with the Bulls as one of Phil Jackson's trusted assistants, and the strange turn his coaching career took after the 1996 NBA playoffs.
Make the jump to read more about Cleamons' strange career trajectory following his time with the Bulls.
When I decided to do a recap of the Chicago Bulls' march through the 1996 NBA playoffs, I learned that Cleamons was a rookie on the historic 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers team that went 69-13, a record that the Bulls would surpass in 1995-96, going 72-10. Honestly, I was not too familiar with Cleamons the player, knowing him more as a coach.
Cleamons was a member of the Bulls' coaching staff ever since Jackson took over for Doug Collins in the spring of 1989 after Chicago had been eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals.
Along with defensive mastermind Johnny Bach and Triangle-offense founder Tex Winter, Cleamons helped form one of the stronger assistant coaching staffs in the league as Chicago won three straight titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993. To young me, Cleamons was the hip assistant, the youngest-looking of all the Bulls' coaches, the one who probably got along best with the team's players.
By 1996, Cleamons was viewed as a head coaching candidate, which was even mentioned during the Game Two broadcast by either Verne Lundquist or Danny Ainge.
In fact, Cleamons would be hired as Head Coach of the Dallas Mavericks on May 31, 1996, a handful of days before the Bulls began the 1996 NBA Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics. He would continue coaching with the Bulls through the Finals before leaving for Dallas, Texas.
In Dallas, Cleamons would be coaching what looked to be a promising young core of Jason Kidd, Jimmy Jackson and Jamal Mashburn, a group that allegedly had some issues with chemistry and drama. According to legend, Kidd and Jackson had been fighting over singer Toni Braxton, which has been denied years later.
Cleamons would try to run the Triangle in Dallas, but the headstrong Kidd resisted. By the end of December, before the New Year had even rung in, Dallas traded Kidd to the Phoenix Suns. By January of 1997, former Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks' Head Coach Don Nelson was hired to run the Mavs. Nelson traded Mashburn to the Miami Heat and Jackson to the New Jersey Nets shortly thereafter.
The Mavericks would finish 24-58 during the 1996-97 season, suiting up 27 (!) different players. Cleamons would not last long during his second season with the Mavs, getting fired and replaced by Nelson after Dallas lost 12 of its first 16 games.
During his brief stint with the Mavs, Cleamons was 28-70, for a 28.5% winning percentage. In contrast, the 1996-97 Bulls would go 69-13 and win its fifth title.
With Cleamons fired by Dallas, I wondered if Jackson would maybe bring him back to the Bulls for the Last Dance, the 1997-98 season. However, this development did not happen, though Cleamons did return to the Windy City.
Surprisingly, Cleamons took the heading coaching position of the Chicago Condors of the American Basketball League, a women's basketball league prior to the WNBA. Amazingly, the ABL would fold just 12 games into Cleamons' first season with the Condors, in December of 1998.
I remember watching a college basketball game at my cousin's house around this time when my Uncle John came up to me and said, "Hey Chris, did you hear that women's basketball league went under?"
"What?" I said. "How?"
"They ran out of money and declared bankrupty," my Uncle said.
I was shocked, especially when thinking about where Cleamons had gone in the past two years, from the greatest team of all time to a quickly defunct women's pro basketball league.
Cleamons would never be a head coach again, though he would wisely reconnect with Jackson, who took the Los Angeles Lakers job after the 1998-99 season. Cleamons would be an NBA assistant for another 15 years following his brief time with the Mavericks and Condors.
For his career, Cleamons won nine titles as an assistant, 4 with the Bulls in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1996, and 5 with the Lakers in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.
As often seen in coaching, not every assistant makes a great head coach, which happened to be the case with Cleamons, though this is not an indictment of his coaching.
Sometimes jobs are the wrong fits for various reasons, and assistants are better being complementary pieces rather than the lead guy.
Whatever the case, Cleamons remains another memorable and important figure of the 1990s Chicago Bulls, with his near fisticuffs with Ewing especially noteworthy. :)
Along with defensive mastermind Johnny Bach and Triangle-offense founder Tex Winter, Cleamons helped form one of the stronger assistant coaching staffs in the league as Chicago won three straight titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993. To young me, Cleamons was the hip assistant, the youngest-looking of all the Bulls' coaches, the one who probably got along best with the team's players.
By 1996, Cleamons was viewed as a head coaching candidate, which was even mentioned during the Game Two broadcast by either Verne Lundquist or Danny Ainge.
In fact, Cleamons would be hired as Head Coach of the Dallas Mavericks on May 31, 1996, a handful of days before the Bulls began the 1996 NBA Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics. He would continue coaching with the Bulls through the Finals before leaving for Dallas, Texas.
In Dallas, Cleamons would be coaching what looked to be a promising young core of Jason Kidd, Jimmy Jackson and Jamal Mashburn, a group that allegedly had some issues with chemistry and drama. According to legend, Kidd and Jackson had been fighting over singer Toni Braxton, which has been denied years later.
Cleamons would try to run the Triangle in Dallas, but the headstrong Kidd resisted. By the end of December, before the New Year had even rung in, Dallas traded Kidd to the Phoenix Suns. By January of 1997, former Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks' Head Coach Don Nelson was hired to run the Mavs. Nelson traded Mashburn to the Miami Heat and Jackson to the New Jersey Nets shortly thereafter.
The Mavericks would finish 24-58 during the 1996-97 season, suiting up 27 (!) different players. Cleamons would not last long during his second season with the Mavs, getting fired and replaced by Nelson after Dallas lost 12 of its first 16 games.
During his brief stint with the Mavs, Cleamons was 28-70, for a 28.5% winning percentage. In contrast, the 1996-97 Bulls would go 69-13 and win its fifth title.
With Cleamons fired by Dallas, I wondered if Jackson would maybe bring him back to the Bulls for the Last Dance, the 1997-98 season. However, this development did not happen, though Cleamons did return to the Windy City.
Surprisingly, Cleamons took the heading coaching position of the Chicago Condors of the American Basketball League, a women's basketball league prior to the WNBA. Amazingly, the ABL would fold just 12 games into Cleamons' first season with the Condors, in December of 1998.
I remember watching a college basketball game at my cousin's house around this time when my Uncle John came up to me and said, "Hey Chris, did you hear that women's basketball league went under?"
"What?" I said. "How?"
"They ran out of money and declared bankrupty," my Uncle said.
I was shocked, especially when thinking about where Cleamons had gone in the past two years, from the greatest team of all time to a quickly defunct women's pro basketball league.
Cleamons would never be a head coach again, though he would wisely reconnect with Jackson, who took the Los Angeles Lakers job after the 1998-99 season. Cleamons would be an NBA assistant for another 15 years following his brief time with the Mavericks and Condors.
For his career, Cleamons won nine titles as an assistant, 4 with the Bulls in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1996, and 5 with the Lakers in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.
As often seen in coaching, not every assistant makes a great head coach, which happened to be the case with Cleamons, though this is not an indictment of his coaching.
Sometimes jobs are the wrong fits for various reasons, and assistants are better being complementary pieces rather than the lead guy.
Whatever the case, Cleamons remains another memorable and important figure of the 1990s Chicago Bulls, with his near fisticuffs with Ewing especially noteworthy. :)
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