John Salley

[up state jacket]

I liked him as a player while at Tech and rooted for him in the Pro's even though he played for Detroit, but today I lost a little respect for the guy. He was on Mike and Mike chiming in on the pay college athletes debate. He was all for it, but that wasn't the what got me. He basically played down the value a Tech education offers anyone who attempts to obtain one. He said the only thing a Tech education did for him was make sure he was always prepared. That sounds good on the surface, but to continue his argument against going to college was he doesn't use algebra every day. In fact he said he hasn't used algebra today or any other day since leaving Tech. Yes algebra is what he used. Lastly, he blamed Mark Price for costing him the #1 draft spot in 86. Yes Mark Price cost him from being selected #1. Reason for that is because "coach Cremins really believed in Mark Price." He made it sound like Cremins liking Mark better or trusting him more is the reason he went 11 and not 1. It wasn't like Yvone being there his first two years didn't help his #'s. It wasn't that Price was hitting bombs on a regular basis and opening up the middle. It wasn't that Bruce was driving and dishing or letting his man get ambushed by Salley on d allowing him to block shots. Nah he just got screwed.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

Did you feel this way when he gave the commencement address? Or was that an all peaches and cream scenario?

 

[up state jacket]

Did you feel this way when he gave the commencement address? Or was that an all peaches and cream scenario?

No I didn't. I watched and listened to him on ESPN. What does that have to do with what he said yesterday? Did he cry like a 7 ft girl and blame Mark Price for being selected 11th instead of 1 during the speech?

 

[Connell62]

If you didn't like those comments, then I am really surprised you didn't hate on him for being an advocate of cannabis!

 

[kg01]

I wish I could've heard the interview to see exactly what he said and how. He's always trying to be cute so I wonder if any of his comments were TIC or played-up to sound good or whatever.

Every time I've heard him interviewed and the subject of GT has come up he's been very complimentary. He's always been complimentary of Cremins especially so the comments you reference seem to be a departure from that.

The comments he's made lately that upset me most was him saying Phil Jackson won because of the triangle and downplayed the impact of guys like MJ, Shaq/Kobe, etc. Crazy talk.

Lastly, if you didn't like Salley's comments re. the value of GT education, better not listen to Bosh speak on the subject.

 

[JacketFromUGA]

John was on 3 different hours of Mike and Mike

I think this one has the part upstate is talking about.

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=15353537

 

[Milwaukee]

Heard the whole thing live, I thought he was funny and pretty spot-on. The guy has done well for himself and the classroom isn't why.

Some people, or athletes, can just breeze through Tech just like any other school.

I wouldn't let him get you upset, he's always trying to being funny and snarky like that.

 

[up state jacket]

Heard the whole thing live, I thought he was funny and pretty spot-on. The guy has done well for himself and the classroom isn't why.

Some people, or athletes, can just breeze through Tech just like any other school.

I wouldn't let him get you upset, he's always trying to being funny and snarky like that.

I agree, but the Mark Price crack just crossed me the wrong way.

 

[Texwood]

I agree, but the Mark Price crack just crossed me the wrong way.

Double parking that butt-ugly Peugeot he owned during his time at Tech crossed me the wrong the way, but I got over it.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

No I didn't. I watched and listened to him on ESPN. What does that have to do with what he said yesterday? Did he cry like a 7 ft girl and blame Mark Price for being selected 11th instead of 1 during the speech?

Some just can not accept the fact that it does not matter to many others where they get a college degree. Some people believe it is their responsibility to succeed, or fail. They could have a degree from GT, ugag, North Dakota state, or Rice. It does not matter. Never once hired a "Tech Man" because he had a degree from GT and thought that was all it took. That elitist crap. And there are still too many of our supporters thinking the value of their freaking degree will be devalued by a successful athletic program.

So I do not know if he cried on the "EverySickPervertsNetwork" or not. I am willing to bet that whatever success he has enjoyed in life is due more to his work than where he got a sheepskin from.

 

[gt02]

I wish I could've heard the interview to see exactly what he said and how. He's always trying to be cute so I wonder if any of his comments were TIC or played-up to sound good or whatever.

Every time I've heard him interviewed and the subject of GT has come up he's been very complimentary. He's always been complimentary of Cremins especially so the comments you reference seem to be a departure from that.

The comments he's made lately that upset me most was him saying Phil Jackson won because of the triangle and downplayed the impact of guys like MJ, Shaq/Kobe, etc. Crazy talk.

Lastly, if you didn't like Salley's comments re. the value of GT education, better not listen to Bosh speak on the subject.

What's Bosh's take?

 

[kg01]

What's Bosh's take?

In fairness, the times I heard him talk about it were years ago. Early in his Heat tenure. He made comments to the effect of wishing he'd gone straight from high school. Didn't really place a lot of value on his GT year.

In the interest of fairness, I'll try to dig the interview(s) up so you can make your own conclusions.

 

[gtfan088]

In fairness, the times I heard him talk about it were years ago. Early in his Heat tenure. He made comments to the effect of wishing he'd gone straight from high school. Didn't really place a lot of value on his GT year.

In the interest of fairness, I'll try to dig the interview(s) up so you can make your own conclusions.

And honestly, why would he? We were a one-year stop on the way to the NBA. It's not as if he was going to be an engineer.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

I wish I could've heard the interview to see exactly what he said and how. He's always trying to be cute so I wonder if any of his comments were TIC or played-up to sound good or whatever.

Every time I've heard him interviewed and the subject of GT has come up he's been very complimentary. He's always been complimentary of Cremins especially so the comments you reference seem to be a departure from that.

The comments he's made lately that upset me most was him saying Phil Jackson won because of the triangle and downplayed the impact of guys like MJ, Shaq/Kobe, etc. Crazy talk.

Lastly, if you didn't like Salley's comments re. the value of GT education, better not listen to Bosh speak on the subject.

I like Salley but I often disagree with his take on things. He has in fact not been overly effusive in praise of Cremins. Has in fact referred to Cremins as an "ok" coach. Cremins may have had faults as a coach but he was pretty demonstrably better than "ok".

 

[LibertyTurns]

I like Salley but I often disagree with his take on things. He has in fact not been overly effusive in praise of Cremins. Has in fact referred to Cremins as an "ok" coach. Cremins may have had faults as a coach but he was pretty demonstrably better than "ok".

Compared to Chuck Daley or Pat Riley?

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Cremins may have had faults as a coach but he was pretty demonstrably better than "ok".

Perhaps he was referring to his ability as an Xs and Os coach compared to some other coaches. I loved Cremins but I was always nervous about his coaching ability. He had a way of getting overly excited in close games and failing to communicate clearly with his players. What saved him was that he was at the top of the heap in ability to recruit and he often had very smart leaders on his teams. And he was just so dared likeable.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

I think Cremins gets a bit short changed on his ability regarding XsOs. I'm not gonna say he was elite there, but I can recall a lot of good examples from set plays called, in bound plays drawn up at crunch time, subs made at the right time, etc., that panned out pretty well against the Dean Smiths, Coach Ks, Valvanos, and Denny Crums of the day. He might not have been better than those guys but he wasn't handicapped in comparison either.

But @Northeast Stinger makes valid points too as I recall several instances of those examples also

 

[Bule]

I loved Cremins immensely but... I feel his best calls in pressure situations were give the ball to Kenny and let him figure it out, give the ball to Travis and let him figure it out, give the ball to Stephon and let him figure it out, pass the ball to Dennis and let him stroke a 3, or give the the ball to Mark and let him figure it out.

 

[AE 87]

I loved Cremins immensely but... I feel his best calls in pressure situations were give the ball to Kenny and let him figure it out, give the ball to Travis and let him figure it out, give the ball to Stephon and let him figure it out, pass the ball to Dennis and let him stroke a 3, or give the the ball to Mark and let him figure it out.

I don't know how much cbb you watch, but I suspect you give any coach our teams, and it would look like that, jmo.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I loved Cremins immensely but... I feel his best calls in pressure situations were give the ball to Kenny and let him figure it out, give the ball to Travis and let him figure it out, give the ball to Stephon and let him figure it out, pass the ball to Dennis and let him stroke a 3, or give the the ball to Mark and let him figure it out.

The problem was in years when we did not have some of those players and Tech began to have problems in bounding the ball on half court plays with a few seconds left on the clock and the game in the balance.