P.J. Carlesimo Is a Prick

I'd never justify Latrell Sprewell's decision to throttle P.J. Carlesimo, but after watching the Sonics this year, I'm starting to get a pretty good idea of what drove him to it.

Exhibit A, from last week's game against the Raptors. See if you can read lips as Carlesimo instructs Wally Szczerbiak.


Now, Wally Szczerbiak is in his 10th NBA season. He's played in 530 NBA games. He's 30 years old. If anything, Szczerbiak is a competent NBA player. If you'd been at a job ten years, what would your reaction be if your boss screamed "What the fuck are you thinking about!!!" at you, in front of all your co-workers. I realize that a basketball court isn't quite like an office, but still. Isn't the place for criticism like that after the game?

Exhibit B, from before the Christmas Day game against the Blazers.


What does Carlesimo think he's coaching, a JV girls volleyball team? I'm pretty sure if you'd panned back from that shot, you wouldn't have seen Luke Ridnour munching on a turkey leg, Kevin Durant tucking into Yorkshire pudding, and Chris Wilcox kissing Delonte West under the mistletoe. These are professional athletes, I rather doubt they need to be reminded that it "isn't Christmas" during the game.

I had no reason to dislike Carlesimo when he came to the Sonics--in fact, I was rather predisposed to root for him, since he coached Seton Hall to the NCAA finals and won me $12 in my first ever NCAA tournament pool, when I was 12. (Which remains the only NCAA tournament pool I've ever won). But watching him interact with his players--he treats them like children, he's a blustering, comical, control freak. Is this really "The San Antonio Way?"