West by West by Jerry West & Jonathan Coleman

West by West by Jerry West & Jonathan Coleman

Author:Jerry West & Jonathan Coleman [West, Jerry & Coleman, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-10-19T00:00:00+00:00


That first year of coaching was probably one of the best times of my life. The team had not made the playoffs the previous two seasons, but we did that year (in fact, we not only won the Pacific Division title but also had the best record in the league at fifty-three and twenty-nine). And this despite making only one personnel change: bringing in Don Chaney, a free agent, whose one knee was so bad he could hardly get up and down the floor. But he gave us a stability and a toughness that we needed. He wasn’t the same player he had been with the Celtics, but he was a tremendous addition.

Portland won the 1977 championship, with Bill Walton, but we got the best of them during the regular season. Had it not been for two key injuries—to Kermit Washington and Lucius Allen—it could have been a miracle story for us.

I had tried to persuade Jack Kent Cooke to pursue Julius Erving when the ABA folded, but he wouldn’t hear of it. As far as he was concerned, anyone who played in the ABA had to be inferior. To this day, I can’t believe what an unbelievable opportunity we squandered. With Dr. J. complementing Kareem, maybe we could have won a championship. Or even more.



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