|
|
Post by chirpchirpcards on Apr 14, 2021 6:12:24 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by sweep on Apr 14, 2021 6:22:18 GMT -6
That really sucks.
|
|
|
|
Post by 00hmh on Apr 14, 2021 8:22:28 GMT -6
I am old enough to remember him coaching the early Pacers, and remember that ticket sales telethon event. The difference between those old ABA days and pro basketball today is stunning. A little like the difference in baseball I suppose.
Class guy. Big personality, but really embodied a lot of "Hoosier" there, and loved his home state, fit so well.
I lived the early history and attended games at the Coliseum, even as a college student could afford a ticket, they were unique in how they bonded with and represented Indianapolis and Indiana.
Slick was old school tough guy, but he was also a sort of a players coach in the way he could connect with players and really built a team. Perfect coach for the "underdog" league. In season 2 He took a collection of talent put together by the team who could not play in the NBA, but had some really good players, and he over a year or two really put them together to become a power. George McGinnis talks about two things in the early days of his career. One is that maybe he should have stayed with Steve Downing and Bob Knight at IU, Steve did so well. But George had been like a man playing with boys much of the time. Didn't see much he needed.
The other was how the Pacers made it easy for him to become a pro, as a big kid comfortable in his home town with that team atmosphere Slick had created.
The ABA was never going to survive but changed pro basketball with its innovations. In return the NBA really screwed those ABA teams that survived and entered the league.
|
|
|
|
Post by williamtsherman on Apr 14, 2021 14:14:00 GMT -6
The morning sports talk show on 1070 I listen to sometimes was having Slick on once a week. I think I might have heard him there just this Monday maybe? He had slipped some but still had a lot of timeless, elemental insights into basketball and team sports in general that were worth listening to. He always sounded like guy you would like to close down a bar with.
|
|
|
|
Post by chirpchirpcards on Apr 14, 2021 20:18:22 GMT -6
The morning sports talk show on 1070 I listen to sometimes was having Slick on once a week. I think I might have heard him there just this Monday maybe? He had slipped some but still had a lot of timeless, elemental insights into basketball and team sports in general that were worth listening to. He always sounded like guy you would like to close down a bar with. The 1070 show this morning had the Pacers head trainer David Craig who was hired by Slick on telling stories. He was actually Slick's roommate while Slick was the head coach, so he got to know the man really well. He said that on the road they would close down the bars in every city, and the trainer had to know where to get food at 3am cause Bobby was never hungry at actual dinner time, it wasn't until the bars were closed that he wanted food. It was really interesting to listen to with some amazing stories of Slick's time with the Pacers both on the bench and behind the mic. www.1075thefan.com/show/morning-show/ Starts at about 30 minutes on the April 14th show |
|
