Welcome, Bob Knight, It's Nice to Have You Back

I am writing this on the day Bob Knight accepted the head coaching job at Texas Tech. So, months from now, those of you who save this issue can write to me and tell me how big a fool I am if I turn out to be wrong.

I will make one thing clear from the outset. I am not happy to see Bob Knight back in the coaching ranks at a so-called "institution of higher learning." But I am happy to see him back in action, because he is a formful coach from a handicapping perspective! And this is good for sports bettors. More on that later.

As far as Bob Knight being back on a college campus after his long list of widely chronicled misdeeds, I think Texas Tech is sending the wrong message. Yes, Knight is a friend of Texas Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers (once a former assistant under Knight). And, yes, the Red Raiders have a big, new 15,000-seat athletic arena that has thousands of empty seats during basketball season. But cronyism is not a good enough reason to allow Knight back into an influential position controlling (and I use that word advisedly) the lives of young men – and neither is financial concern a good enough reason.

If Knight wasn't given enough leeway during his days at Indiana for his continuing misbehavior, as Howard Cosell would say, you've got a scoop. Knight demands respect, yet very rarely gives any. He demands loyalty, yet is quick to turn on anyone who, in his strange perspective, has been disloyal to him, even though the rest of the world (except his son Patrick) sees things otherwise. Knight teaches discipline and seeks perfect execution from his players, yet he has very little discipline over his own behavior, and has repeatedly failed to turn his attention toward his own flaws. He demands respect for his authority (sometimes physically), yet he disrespects or even accosts those in authority over him at his whim. His view is always correct; others are always wrong. By his own standards, it is easy to paint him as a hypocrite.

And Knight is in virtual total denial regarding any of his boorish behavior of the past – head-butting players, kicking players (his own son), grabbing players by the throat, and intimidating referees, reporters, and lower-echelon university staff personnel.

Suffice it to say that I am not a Bob Knight fan. There are those who excuse his behavior as being a beneficial, tough-minded approach to the sport. Of course, I disagree. Mike Krzyzewski of Duke both played for Knight at Army and served as a Knight assistant. Coach "K" is as tough-minded and as competitively hard-nosed as they come. Yet, he also demonstrates sportsmanship, compassion, and respect for others, and has developed marvelous rapport with his players. Krzyzewski has taken the best of what Knight offered, left the worst, and has developed a program at Duke that soared past Knight's Hoosiers and is a model for every basketball-playing school in the country. Compare Duke to the last several years of the Knight era at Indiana – enough said. Vince Lombardi was arguably as tough and as demanding as any coach of modern times, yet he abused few and was revered and respected by virtually all whom he touched.

Now, on to the reason I'm glad to see Knight back on the sidelines. He's a formful coach! There are many in the media who continue to give Knight the respect as "one of the greatest coaches in the game." Not I. Used to be one of the greatest coaches is more like it. In fact, in many respects, the game has "passed him by," much as it did Louisville's Denny Crum, who taught the same style in 2001 as he did 30 years ago.

Here are the numbers. In his last six seasons at Indiana, Knight's teams were 123-67 straight up and a very ordinary 91-89-1 vs. the spread (not every game was on the line). As a double-digit favorite, Knight's teams were an impressive 36-26 (58.1 percent) vs. the spread. As an underdog, however, his teams were a weak 18-26 (40.1 percent) vs. the spread. Straight up as an underdog, his teams were a passive 9-35 (that's not exactly what I call outcoaching the other guy). And in the NCAA tournament, his teams were a very unimpressive 2-6 straight up and against the spread.

Those are the reasons why I like Bob Knight. As George C. Scott said in the movie Patton during Patton's battle against Erwin Rommel in North Africa, "I read your book!" And so have all of Knight's smarter rivals. Knight's very predictable. Thus, they know that Knight's coming with his passing game and constant screens on offense, and his aggressive help-and-recover man defense on the other end of the floor. They know that they virtually don't have to worry about any mystifying zone defenses or presses (except perhaps late in the game).

Moreover, many insiders say that most top recruits shy away from Knight's style these days, which is among the reasons why his Indiana teams late in his stay in Bloomington lacked quickness and depth – thus, his recent problems in the NCAA tourney.

We have often said that by and by in basketball, teams begin to reflect their coach, and Knight's record over the last six years reflects that. He's a good "bully" as a big favorite (as he is personally), taking few prisoners and usually stomping the weakest teams he plays. And he's a very poor underdog, as his predictable style plays right into the hands of superior teams, and the stubborn Knight rarely adjusts as the deficit grows (and the opposing coach relishes every moment). And he's a go-against in the NCAA tourney vs. virtually any team with a little quickness and shooting.

Even with his intimidation, insubordination, insolence, abuse, defiance, and denial, it's good to have him back.

For more insights, angles, stats, updates, and the inside word on this season's NBA playoffs, look for The Gold Sheet at your local newsstand or give us a call at (800) 798-GOLD (4653). You can also purchase a copy and get more info by visiting our website at http://www.goldsheet.com. And be sure to look for our expanded Football Preview issue in the coming weeks.