NBA Players Who Are Pseudo-Coaches

A coach goes down with the ship, standard tradition. That's why it's difficult to understand the unhappiness about coaches fired this season. 

Some little boys wish to grow up and play basketball for the NBA for obvious reasons: fame and fortune. It might come true quicker, if their dads are famous basketball players like LeBron James, Bronny’s dad or Dwyane Wade, Zaire’s father.

How about coaching? I don’t recall hearing about boys who wish to be basketball coaches. Why? It's because they are shown the door when they don't make it to the Play Offs or get there but are eliminated. Another reason is the headache. Coaches have a multi-disciplinary job, to use a big academic word. They are father, brother, kindergarten teacher, psychologist, preacher, traffic cop, you name it.

However, the biggest headache for any coach is the pseudo-coach or the fake coach. That one player who sees himself as the glue that holds everything together. Sports media is partly to blame because they elevate certain players to that mind set for example: Kyle Lowry when he was with Toronto Raptors.

The coach has a game plan obviously, that is thrashed out before the game. It may also be in those iPads assistant coaches carry around. Coaches’ headache becomes worse when the fake coach whispers something to his team mates during the game. What is he saying? Is he contradicting the game plan?

Coaches grin and bear because they cannot call fake coaches to order in front of television cameras. Some fake coaches go further. They challenge referee decisions, like Kyle Lowry when he was in Toronto. Sometimes it was irritating to fans, who expect the coach to handle such matters. Lowry would even go and try to see what was in electronic devices that monitor the game. The buck stops with the coach when the team loses, while the fake coach remains, ready to give the incoming coach a headache.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.