Tag Archives: Dick Motta

Mitch Kupchak: The Game’s Best Sixth Man, 1979

Because Kupchak is so versatile, he poses monumental problems for opposing teams. “He creates favorable mismatches for us,” says Bullet coach Dick Motta, who likes to compare Kupchak with Jerry Sloan, the hellaciously tough guard Motta coached with the Chicago Bulls some years ago.

Pat Williams: How to Succeed in Chicago Without Even Trying, 1972

Pat Williams is just about ready to put an end to all those wonderful little things that Leo Durocher and Red Auerbach have had us believing since childhood. And he’s going to do it without snarling, cursing, or being evil. 

Nate Thurmond: Welcome to the Machine, 1975

Dick Motta pretends not to count the years he will have Thurmond. He thinks instead of the years he didn’t have Thurmond. “I’ll tell you personally how I feel about it,” said Motta. “I’ve been in this league seven years, and I deserved the right to coach Nate Thurmond.”

Norm Van Lier: Stormy Weather, 1978

Even now, as he prepares to join the select circle of athletes who’ve lasted for a decade at the top, Van Lier treasures that advise. “First of all, I was taught to respect my coach and my opponent,” he says. “If a young player can’t learn to do that, he won’t respect himself.”

Norm Van Lier: The Boos and the Cheers, 1978

Van Lier talks about being in the twilight years, but he really doesn’t believe that. He still talks about playing another four years under his present contract agreement with the Bulls.

It’s Murder Under the Basket, 1976

No officiating changes are going to eliminate rough play from professional basketball. It has become part of the game, every aspect of it. 

Bob Love: The Bodacious Butterbean, 1972

Through it all, Bob Love, the “defensive” forward, remained with Chicago, which was fine with Butterbean. He just wanted to play, knowing that if he ever got the green light, he’d be a star.