Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema wants his football players to be more like Golden State Warriors MVP Stephen Curry and a little less like Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James.
The Razorbacks head coach said he used the analogy to inspire his players. He said the 2009 first-round pick was passed over multiple times before being selected seventh overall and that he thinks “about it a lot.”
“I used the NBA series a year ago, an off-topic deal, but just the way I think. I told our guys here at Arkansas we need to be a little bit Curry and a little less LeBron,” Bielema told ESPN.com. “We’ve got to be a little bit more about the team and working together and the chemistry.”
That seems like a shot at LeBron more than an inspirational comment. If I’m a football coach I want my players to be more like LeBron, who’s a bulldozer and makes even the weakest teams great. The point Bielema is trying to make is Curry is an MVP, but he relies on his teammates to win. I guess that makes sense.
Bielema said he used the analogy because his players like basketball. He admitted himself that he probably shouldn’t be commenting on the sport considering his lack of knowledge.
“I knew our players were engaged with basketball. I don’t know anything about basketball, so I probably shouldn’t be commenting on it. But I knew the story of Curry. We use outside stuff like that that helps us build our program in the way that you want.”
That’s one way to throw your credibility out the door. You can’t make a point about Curry and LeBron and admit you don’t know anything about the sport. It takes away from the message entirely. It’s good that he’s trying to get his team to play like a cohesive group, but by throwing out analogies he doesn’t understand, Bielema comes across as dimwitted.
[ESPN]
