'Communication' most important element

By Greg Anthony
ESPN Insider

There is a lot of discussion about coaching and the relationships that exist among players, coaches and management.

I hear all the time about the game and how it's a players' league and that coaches can't control the players and that there is no discipline.

I say that's a bunch of crap.

First, there always have been issues between players and coaches. At the end of the day, it comes down to the three C's: Credibility, Consistency, and Communication.

·  Credibility: I agree that at times management can undermine a coach's credibility. We see it all the time.

It occurs when management and coach have a different philosophy about how each wants to play and the personnel that they have to execute a particular style. These differences exist for every team: The difference is that management and coaches should never allow the dispute to be made public.

Keep that in-house, because once the differences become public, that starts the downward spiral. Once you're losing credibility, you can never recover.

The really good franchises never allow their players to break the lines of authority. If a player feels that his issues aren't being handled properly, then he should be able to talk to management.

But it has to be made crystal clear that it's the coach's philosophy that will be followed, or else chaos ensues.

·  Consistency: This is also a key to a franchise's success, from how it deals with practice, game strategy and personalities.

A coach does not have to be liked, but he has to be respected. If he can prove himself with his strategy – especially in critical junctures of a game -- then his players will trust him.

When they trust you, they commit to execution. Believe me, there are times when a player leaves the huddle scratching his head, not believing that a particular play or scheme will work. You can definitely place some blame on players for failure to execute. Buta coach has to give his team confidence that what he is asking of them will work.

I don't have a problem with players questioning a particular scenario because often a player has a better feel for what's going on out on the floor. Sometimes an opposing team has a feel for everything you're doing and – more importantly – an ability to take away your intended outcome.

·  Communication: This is the most important "C" because it connects everything. Coaches, players, and management all make mistakes. It's how you deal with those mistakes that determines the long-term success or failure of a coach.

Again, it's not about being a friend. Everyone has to be held accountable for his actions. But when you can get a player to understand that the best interest of the team has to coincide with what his best interest, then that bond between a player and coach can grow.

A coach has to communicate this to a player and a player must feel that his coach has his back, especially when defining roles for your player.

There are times when a player might be asked to do something that he feels is not in his best interest, but the coach feels it will give the team the best chance to be successful.

If the player cannot be convinced of the need to sacrifice, then everybody loses.

An example: It could be that this player is in the final year of a contract. Does he feel like his sacrifices will be appreciated by management? Is that coach going to go to bat for that player when it comes to negotiations? Does the coach have a good enough relationship or influence with management to help with off the court issues ie contracts.

Whether you like it or not, it's about winning and the relationships that these three entities have will inevitably affect victories and losses -- in other words, their jobs.

There is always going to be some give and take. And typically those who do it best are the ones who succeed.

Greg Anthony, an NBA analyst for ESPN and former player.