I must begin by being brutally honest and stating the obvious: I am not a multiple Hall-of-Fame writing inductee. I do not have any awards named after me (that are worth printing here anyway). I was not named to any All-American teams while in college. And the closest I've come to being an Olympian is attending the Atlanta Games in '96. What do these unworthy pronouncements have to do with anything?
A lot, a whole lot. You see, as I pored over an hour or so of my taped conversation with 'Miss Basketball,' I realized that no matter what or how hard I tried I would not be able to show in print the person who is Nancy Lieberman-Cline. It's more than just all the things I named above that I am not. It's those things plus a whole lot more.
It's a hoops hero and living legend with personality, with patience and humility, with sincerity, sensitivity and courage. Yep, hoops fans it's old school for sure. And I fear the all-important essence of Nancy will somehow be filtered by not actually hearing the phrasing of her responses, seeing her interact with fans as GM and coach of Detroit's Shock, or better yet meeting and talking with her yourself.
But, never fear, ye faithful readers, I'm old school too; and with that caveat off my chest, I'm ready to lace 'em up and give it the old college try. What follows are snippets from a wide-ranging conversation held with Lieberman-Cline just after her signing of the option year of a three-year contract and before the WNBA expansion guidelines were announced.
NL-C: I can handle it.
RR: I'm sure you can. Let's talk about the trade, not necessarily the trade itself but all the emotions surrounding that deal from yourself to the traded players to the displeased fans. (For those who don't know, I am sure it was the first time in her life that Lieberman-Cline ever heard boos directed at her.)
NL-C: First off, I said at the time of the trade that this may have been the first (big trade) but it wouldn't be the last -- and just today the WNBA's biggest trade to date (Phoenix's Harrower, Askamp, Aycock for Minnesota's Edwards, Barnes and Fallon) was made. So you're going to see this happening. Trades are just a normal part of running a professional business. When we traded Korie (Hlede) and Cindy Brown, we were looking to strengthen some other areas of our basketball team and Wendy Palmer was really the player we were targeting as we realized we needed a young inside presence. We really picked up ten years as Cindy Brown is 35 and Wendy's 25.
And let's face it, you've got to trade stars for stars. Korie is a young player who has the potential to be a star; but wasn't a star. Hey, if Orlando can trade Penny Hardaway we ought to be able to do what we feel is right for our team. And we know it's a little different for women (athletes/fans). We are emotionally attached. And, our fans, who have been tremendous ...
RR: Did that catch you off guard a little bit (the fans' reaction)?
NL-C: The fan response didn't surprise me because we have such loyal fans. I think the fans were sort of pitted between who was telling the truth -- were Cindy and Korie telling the truth or was Nancy telling the truth. And probably in retrospect I never would have said they wanted to be traded even though that is a fact. I would have said this is the deal, we made a trade for our basketball team and need to focus on Wendy Palmer. You may not know her today but give her time and you will know. The same way before last year you didn't know who Cindy Brown or Korie Hlede were but people's minds and hearts were open.
RR: Obviously you felt at that point that things needed to be shaken up.
NL-C: We needed something. And sometimes that's what you do. You trade people to make things happen, to get chemistry, to gel. You know, every year's not going to be a perfect year. Our first year was storybook, you know -- expansion, a 17-13 record -- hey, the gods were just shining on us.
Year two Cindy, Val, Azzi and Canty were hurt in training camp. We could never get our chemistry together. We only had three weeks of training camp. And with Cindy being the oldest it affected her the most because in a short season if you miss three weeks that's a third of the season. So, we could never get our chemistry right (at the beginning), then after that it was the fight, then losing Rachel Sporn ...
RR: And what's the moral of the story?
NL-C: Everything's new. This was the first trade in our history. How do you know what's right and what's wrong/
The next trade I make I'll have experience to know how to handle it better, but you're doing what you think is right, you're trying to handle it with class and with some dignity. The fans were entitled to their opinion. And let me say this, I'm not angry at our fans. Certainly, I was hurt that I was booed for trying to build our franchise but I understand the loyalty (to the traded players) and even admire it.
NL-C: It's a very unique situation. We're actually lucky the Olympics are in Australia because the games are in September when usually they're in July and August. To have four expansion teams in an Olympic year is a unique situation for the WNBA and probably not what you'd normally want. It's definitely going to impact the league because the international players in the league are stars, are legit star players. They're impact players. It will probably dramatically hurt us (the Shock). So I think everybody's hustling to figure out what we're going to do individually and collectively.
RR: This rapid expansion of the league, I mean, I have real concerns regarding the caliber of competition and the available talent pool. What are your feelings on this accelerated expansion strategy?
NL-C: I think it's a concern of everybody but we've got to trust in Val (Ackerman). We've got to trust that the league has a plan and they know what they're doing.
RR: That's a good political answer.
NL-C: It sounds politically correct, but that's what it is. It would be easy for me to sit here and say I don't agree with that. But in the big picture she's looking at the future of the league and she knows whether it's feasible to do this or not. Val Ackerman and David Stern wouldn't expand if they thought it was going to put us in the toilet. They wouldn't do that. They want a solid league with strong cities. So, I mean, I'm a team player. Val is my coach and I've got to say OK. I've got to buy in to what these guys are doing because they maybe see the big picture.
RR: OK, what about the shrinking talent pool?
NL-C: I think there's talent there for four teams. There's a lot of incredible ABL players who didn't get in because of the CBA agreement. You know, it said 40 players, but there were probably another 15 or 20 who very well could have played in our league.
NL-C: We need to continue to work hard in the communities and promote the players who we have in the league.
And I think the best thing for us is time. Time is our greatest ally, especially in a city like Detroit where year one it was sort of new and interesting and people kind of came out. Year two I think you kind of weed out the people who really aren't interested but bought the tickets cause it was affordable. Year three you build on your fan base.
Wendy Palmer's in the community. I'm in the community. We'll do hundreds of appearances with the schools, with groups, with whoever wants us. We'll come talk to them because we want you to know we care. So we've got to forge that relationship with the community. We've got to make this a partnership where you come out and support us and we give our best effort in the community and to the people to make them proud.
NL-C: I don't know. I would have thought the teams would have given coaches more than two years or in some cases one. You know, LA's on its fourth coach.
RR: Yeah, that was really a shock.
NL-C: It was a shock with Orlando Woolridge. I thought he did a great job. He was runnerup as coach of the year. But it's hard for me to comment on what other franchises do because I'm just not in the loop of the personalities.
RR: It just seems odd. The turnover has been substantial and sticks out like a sore thumb as I think of the league's first years. And I just wondered had you thought about it at all?
NL-C: Well, no -- I try not to (laughs). I mean if you think about it Chery Miller and I(and Van Chancellor), are the (only) three coaches (who have been with a team from the start).
RR: Could you speak a little bit about the eclectic collection of coaches in the WNBA and how that variance in backgrounds plays out on the court? You've got ex-high school coaches, ex-NBA players, former college coaches and former all-American players as yourself.
NL-C: Well, I think a high school coach or ex-NBA player is going to do it the way they know. If you're me or Cheryl Miller or Larry Bird you're going to do it the way you're comfortable. So I think that's just normal running a business and isn't anything different from what you'd get in an office environment if you were a manager in a corporation. (I disagree with Nancy on this one but decide not to belabor the point. The issue I was attempting to raise, however, was that the great diversity within the coaching and general managing ranks of the WNBA makes for a very interesting and dynamic situation, quite unlike the corporate worlds I've navigated. But hey, I won't hold that lack of experience against her.) We all have our different styles but we have a new league, which precludes you from signing certain coaches. I mean Pat Summitt isn't going to give up seven or eight hundred thousand dollars to coach in the WNBA for $200,000. It would be a lifestyle change for her, Geno and some of these other great college coaches. We're three years into this league and it's going to take some time to build it up (to that level).
NL-C: Well there's no doubt the greatest thing you can do as an athlete is play. It's the greatest feeling in the whole world because it's you. It depends on you. Probability and outcome is about your performance. As a coach that's the second greatest thing you can ever do, by being a good role model, helping your players grow as people and getting better as basketball players. But the bottom line, and don't let anybody tell you (anything different), is the players. It is absolutely a player's game and I can put in the greatest offense you've ever seen, but if they don't execute it, they forget it, they screw it up, we lose. That's the most important thing that can't be lost on the media or the fans. It's a player's game. You can prepare them ... but at the end of the day Grant Hill's gotta make the shot. You know, I wasn't one for twelve. Val or whoever, Wendy Palmer, they were 27 points, 14 rebounds or two points, two rebounds. It's them.
RR: Well, I agree with you on that, and I'm glad to hear that from you, but the point I'm driving at is the idea somehow that great players don't make great coaches because they can't separate the two (careers) and struggle with their communication (with the players).
NL-C: Larry didn't struggle; Cheryl didn't struggle; I'm not. It's all a myth. I've never looked at my team and said 'You know I would have done it this way' or 'Jen, why didn't you this?' You can't do that. I think it's the person. It's not the label of who you were. It's got to be the person. I'll try to give my experience, my knowledge ... If you're Nancy and a young coach, you try and surround yourself with people you're comfortable with. Steve Smith, I played for him in Phoenix -- he basically coached the team. Greg Williams, he coached me in 1980 with the Dallas Diamonds and coached me again in 1984. He basically taught me how to be a pro. Then, for me, I take an active role. Last year I went to four or five coaching clinics. In two weeks I'll be at Tennessee with Pat Summitt. I'm going to every meeting, practice, watching film with them. I'm going to do the same at Duke, and with John Chaney at Temple. I use the resources that are available to me because I want to learn.
NL-C: Well, technically, they didn't have to sign the extension until ten days after the end of the season. When I met with Tom Wilson before the season we had discussions about an extension. I told my agent if it couldn't be worked out, I didn't want to deal with it during the season. I didn't want to be screwing around with me, my contract, my money. I just didn't want that to be a distraction. And Tom Wilson honored that.
Season ended and they picked up my option. And, I said to Tom I just need some time. OK, I was a little stunned, to be honest, by the criticism; you knew that. I wasn't angry with anybody but I'm a human being and I have feelings. I needed to take some time to myself and re-evaluate and decide if this is really what I want to do. Does this make me happy? I mean, I'm in that office 16 hours a day trying to put a team together our fans are proud of and you get booed for it!
So I had to sit down and look at the pros and cons. In reality, when I put the pros and cons down and kind of cleared my mind and got away from basketball, I realized that I loved being in the WNBA. I loved the fact that I have a chance to share my experience with women. I love our fans. I love working for Tom Wilson and Mr. Davidson (hmmm, funny how nobody in this town calls the Pistons and Shock owner anything less than Mr. D). Our media, really, has been spectacular to us. I didn't have a whole lot of cons, except my feelings were hurt. And it was new for the fans, so I couldn't really get mad at our fans. And as you saw toward the end of the season things started to change. People weren't booing me and they were realizing ...
RR: They started getting into Wendy.
NL-C: Exactly. They were going 'Well, maybe Nancy isn't nuts after all.' Maybe if Wendy plays great from the get-go I get booed for maybe a game. But you know it's OK. It's something I had to learn and live with. It doesn't have to be a perfect world for me, but to be quite honest I had never been booed in my career because of hopefully my contribution to the game. And not just for basketball, but I put myself out there for the kids and the community and for charity and I don't need publicity. That's between me and the people that I do things with. But, down deep it just hurt a little bit. (And, on this account, I can vouch for NL-C. She is an absolute trooper when it comes to dealing with the fans and other obligations of the job -- like this interview. But I digress.)
NL-C: I'd like to come back. If the Shock offer me a new contract, I'd be privileged to go a second time around with them. I think we're building something special. Hopefully, we've done it the right way with some class and integrity. And really, I think I'm the one to lead this organization, to be quite honest.
And indeed, I do believe the oft-recognized and highly celebrated Hall-of-Famer, Olympian, Wade Trophy winner and former pro who is still getting college awards named after her is the right person. And not just for the Detroit Shock, but for the WNBA and women's basketball in general. And not because of all the accolades, which she is quick to brush off, but for what she views as her contribution beyond the game.
Watching Nancy work a crowd is truly an amazing spectacle. And I don't mean like a slick, New York politician (forgive me, Nance) -- but rather like a sincere and dedicated ambassador of the sport. Here's a hoops' legend who realizes her greatest gift is not what she did on the court but instead how she can use that fame to touch others. That's why I called Lieberman-Cline Miss Basketball, because her love of the game extends beyond the court and way after the final horn blows.
Not only does Lieberman-Cline love the game that she helped take to a new level as a player, Nancy loves all who love the game.
Sure, Lieberman-Cline heard some boos for the first time in her long and amazing career. And yes, as she admitted, it did hurt (surely more than the little bit she admitted to). But she also said that she realized she didn't need a perfect world -- even though that'sexactly where Lieberman-Cline had taken up permanent residence throughout her illustrious playing days and even afterwards as a living legend.
Where as my dose of reality (and yours) may come from being party to the corporate world, Lieberman-Cline's dose comes as a result of making that tough transition from being the One on the court to being The One. No, not the one who gets the credit, or the gushing fans or even the cheers anymore. As much as she may stress that 'it's up to the players...'; when things don't go right NL-C will be The Ultimate One who'll get the blame and yes, maybe even the boos.
If indeed Lieberman-Cline has learned from the experiences of last year and is willing to put up with being under a microscope in this non-perfect world on the other side of the court, in the world where agonizing and sometimes unpopular decisions are made, in the world where even when it's the players' fault you get the blame, in the world where although it's not solely up to her she will still be responsible for it all, it will work out. If Lieberman-Cline is willing to take the punches and not shudder at the thought of being booed, disliked or judged unfairly, then maybe, just maybe, she can find yet another level to take women's basketball. And in the process experience again, if only for awhile, that alternate universe where the cheers are deafening.Impact of Expansion and the 2000 Olympics
RR: Now a new dilemma loom, but not necessarily one specific to the Shock. I'm talking about the WNBA's rapid expansion, next year's Olympics and the potential impact of these things on the league. First, talk about the 2000 Olympics and the potential devastation it'll cause to a league full of international players.Attracting Fans to the Game
RR: Hmmm. OK, I'll move on -- what does the league need to do in general and Detroit specifically to maintain and grow its fan base?The Most Curious WNBA Coaching Carousel
RR: What are your feelings regarding what I view as the league's harsh treatment of the coaches? Talk about intolerance and lack of patience. What does a coach have to do to keep a job in the WNBA? I understand being results-oriented, but these are basically all expansion teams so there should be some understanding of that. And if franchise owners can't get to that -- there ought to at least be some slack shown toward coaches who've had successful campaigns.The Transition from Floor General to the Sidelines and Office
RR: You mentioned Cheryl, Larry and yourself. Could you speak on the transition from all-star player to coach? Is it tougher coaching? And is it satisfying being a coach or if you had your way would you still be lacing 'em up?The Delay in the Signing of the Final Year of the Contract
RR: Gotta get this one in: the delay in signing for this year. There was a rumor that you may have been the holdup in that. Could you clear that whole issue up on why there was such a long delay?What the Future Holds
RR: You only signed the option for the third year. Are you going to wait to the end of next season to decide what next? Do you have visions of continuing to coach in the WNBA, and in Detroit?
March 1999 & June 1999 November 1998 May 1999 May 1999
