The REAL interview with Pat O’Brien.

The REAL interview with Pat O’Brien.

It’s a Monday night, and I am so glad to be threatened with a lawsuit that I am laughing. I had posted this humorous piece the day before. We have a few hundred loyal followers on the website and I was about to learn we added another. Pat O’Brien read the article, and found a few parts as offensive and libelous as they were entertaining. One thing led to another, I quickly cleared the air with a sportscaster I like to call “The Ron Burgundy of the NBA” and Pat was even nice enough to agree to a follow-up interview.  Here is the interview:

KEYS: Do you miss covering basketball?

OBRIEN: Of course I do. But you never look back. I was blessed to have some great years at CBS. 12 years as host of At The Half and the Finals and All Star games… and a half a dozen years as the host of March to Madness and the Final Fours. I really miss the BIG games and the jewel events… but I had the great, great players and great rivalries. But don’t forget, I didn’t leave basketball, it left me when CBS lost the rights to the NBA to NBC.

KEYS: I personally liked the days when college basketball and the pro game were annouced by the same sportscasters… there was such a great fluidity as the great college players became pros.

Do you currently have a favorite basketball announcer?

OBRIEN: Dick Enberg and Brent Musburger are two guys I worked with and are still the best. Marv Albert is the gold standard. Mike Breen is really the best of the newcomers and, of course, Verne Lundquist gets the best games and knows how to build the drama. And of course Charles Barkley is the absolute greatest of all time in the analysis department.

KEYS: I’ve felt that Shaq would be a natural for analysis in the future.

How much has the player/coach dynamic changed in the league since the 80’s?

OBRIEN: Coaches never change. Players? Bob Knight gave me the greatest answer to this ever. I asked him “how have the players changed through the years?” and he said “Pat, players never change. Parents do.” Money has changed the dynamic in the pros. And the one and out system has changed the college game dramatically.

KEYS: Ha! Bob Knight just summed up my teaching and coaching career VERY well. You covered both the college game and the pro game… what do you think of the one-and-done system?

OBRIEN: The one and done system robs college fans, robs the player, and robs the NBA. The problem is that just when we’re saying “hello” to a new player like John Wall at Kentucky, we have to say goodbye. And the players get robbed out of real experience before they move to the next level. Take Shaq, for example. Had he stayed in school even another year, he would have had 30 or so more games under his belt… maybe a hundred practices and another year of structure and learning. 100 practices would have done wonders for his free throw shootings. A player who is one and done ends up going to the worst team in the NBA, the way the lottery is set up. The worst team, the worst coach… and fans who expect him to win a championship like NOW. Too much pressure. The NBA gets robbed because they get basically teenagers playing in a man’s game. There are exceptions… but not many. Why aren’t there many? Because so many of the players who come out so early are soooo forgettable.

KEYS: I don’t know who could possibly like the current system. Can you explain how it can be improved as well?

OBRIEN: You can’t legislate life decisions. It can’t be changed or improved. It’s still a free country no matter what we sports fans say.

KEYS: Do you have impressions on sideline reporters asking coaches questions between quarters or piped-in-noise-and-music during the game or huge intro-productions?

OBRIEN: More is always better as far as information goes, but I have yet to see any sideline reporter add ONE thing to a game. “Coach says they gotta score more.” Really?

KEYS: Is there anything they used to do back-in-the-day that you’d like to see return now?

OBRIEN: Magic Johnson and I always talk about this, because back in the day it was a fraternity. We traveled together, we ate together, we drank together, we hung out after games, and it really was a family. We cared about each other. We talked on the phone at night, etc. Now… it seems the players hate the media and the media is always looking for the negative. The questions always talk about the mistakes. The Jim Gray style thankfully has gone out and now it’s pretty benign. But back in the day it was about passion, not paychecks.

KEYS: Several friends (who also loved your work with CBS) I talked to about this interview asked me to ask you about partying with Magic Johnson… say as much or as little as you want.

OBRIEN: Believe it or not… there wasn’t that much craziness. Usually with Magic and those guys it was the game, dinner and lots of sitting around hotel lobby bars talking hoops and laughing. Back then, it was a fraternity and I am grateful to have been part of it. Even MJ would do the game and then a nice dinner, a few drinks and on to the next city. It was a different time. I sat in many hotel bars with Charles Barkley and while we may have stayed up too late, we always showed up the next day at the game and not in a jail or hospital.

KEYS: This also reminds me of discussions I’ve had with Cavaliers players from the early 80’s… they told me about practices where only a third of the team bothered to show up, times that the game was so out of hand that cans of beer were cracked at halftime.

Do you think the salary cap has helped the NBA or has it taken away from the superstar personna of the few elite teams?

OBRIEN: It’s all changed now. There is a mandatory dedication to the game or get fined. Players and especially players’ wives and girlfriends don’t like missing a pay check.

KEYS: What is your most interesting locker room story from the 80s?

OBRIEN: I had tremendous access to the locker rooms because we were the only real broadcast outlet. I’ll never forget the days when Larry Bird would bum a cigarette from me every now and then… and my favorite was when Michael finally dumped the number 45 we were walking out of Chicago Stadium Bulls locker room and there in a corner was a BIG pile of number 45 jerseys and sweats, etc. I paused and looked at them and MJ said to me “if you pick one of those up I’ll never talk to you again.” I missed a good opportunity to have a great MJ jersey but he was paying for dinner that night so I passed.

KEYS: Again, several people encouraged me to ask… what was Michael like as a young man, before he was “the greatest?” What do you feel made him become “the greatest?”

OBRIEN: I started covering Michael at the Pan Am games in 1983. He had a perspective on the game and on who he became. He worked tirelessly on HIS game and improving himself and adapting to the changes in his body. He had the gift of competitive madness. Plus he has the greatest mom.

KEYS: Any player you are surprised never became a coach?

OBRIEN: Not really. The great players don’t make great coaches.

KEYS: On your Lakers…

You had a close relationship with the Buss family and of course Chick Hearn… what can you tell me about working with them?

OBRIEN: Every fan should have owners like the Buss family. They care about the game and their fans. They fill in holes in their teams and build winners with whatever it takes… sometimes money but more often than not good scouting and luck. Magic was taken over Sydney Moncreif on a coin toss because they couldn’t decide. And Chick was a dear, dear friend. The day his daughter died, I called him to offer sympathy and after about a half an hour he said “Patty, i got a game tonight, got to go.” It wasn’t disrespect to his daughter, it was his loyalty to his fans and to the game. We sat together on many a plane ride and there was not a nicer guy. He was the last of the announcers who knew more about the game than the players.

KEYS: That story is amazing. Cleveland loves the voice of the Cavaliers, Joe Tait, and rumors circulate that this is his last year behind the mike. Any thoughts on Joe?

OBRIEN: He’s a pro. Not going anywhere if everybody is smart.

KEYS: Magic. Kobe. Best Laker legend?

OBRIEN: No question, Magic. Talent, style, changed the game (a 6′10″ guard? Really?), impact and winning. He always found a way to win.

KEYS: LeBron. Kobe. Who is the best in the league?

OBRIEN: Until LeBron gets a ring we can’t even begin that conversation. LBJ is a beast and has jaw dropping skills… but “best” in sports is framed by championships. King James’ time will come, but he has a lot of catching up to do. Kobe is certainly the best in the league now and it may stay that way until he retires. I go to every game and I’ve seen them all… this guy is amazing.

KEYS: In my honest opinion, I was surprised that Kobe didn’t seem to build as much on his talents like LeBron has. Kobe came into the league very worldly, educated, the son of a pro. I haven’t seen too much growth in his game or his abilities as a leader since he was 22. LeBron, on the other hand, caused me a little bit of concern with his general immaturity when he entered the league. He has proven there is nothing to worry about ever since, building his strength, fundamentals, shooting, and leadership skills along the way.

I believe LeBron has already passed Kobe, but what do you think LeBron has to do to overtake Kobe?

OBRIEN: Let’s be realistic and LeBron will agree. You can’t pass anybody until you win a championship. Period. He is really really great… but when he gets that ring we’ll BEGIN the conversation. Not until then.

KEYS: From your guess on Kobe’s perspective, what does Shaq add to the rivalry with LeBron? If LeBron wins with old Shaq, is that more impressive than Kobe’s rings with young Shaq?

OBRIEN: Of course it would be. When Shaq signed with Cleveland I asked him what he was going to do and he said “stay out of his way.” I hope they do win a championship. It would be good for the game and for Cleveland. I love those guys.

KEYS: Do you think LeBron signing with the Knicks would retroactively win Ewing a ring?

OBRIEN: Ha. LeBron ain’t going nowhere. He knows it. I mean where’s he gonna go? He’s not going to single handedly win for the Knicks… Phoenix isn’t a team for him. The only place that would be a great move would be the Lakers but that would be so unfair to everybody. I think he stays in Cleveland and witnesses the results of all his hard work.

KEYS: Other thoughts on this season?

OBRIEN: Call me after the all star break. In the meantime I think the West is pretty easy to figure out… the Lakers have the players and the ethic to get back to the Finals. The East is so up and down but I think it will be the Cavs. To me it’s all about home court advantage so that means the good teams come to play EVERY night… because that one win may mean the difference between game 7 at home or on the road.

KEYS: Yes, I agree we should follow up this question after the trade deadline but before the playoffs… I’d love to save this topic and do a follow-up! Thanks again for the opportunity and terrific insight.

The REAL interview with Pat O’Brien.

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