NBA bench bosses prioritizing health to help cope with grind
Hectic travel, lack of sleep and social media stress cited as major hurdles for coaches
OAKLAND, California — Luke Walton began a wellness program for his Lakers coaching staff.
Steve Kerr reached out to Steve Clifford after each spent significant time away from the sideline because of debilitating headaches and other symptoms.
Coaches around the NBA are taking preventive measures to help deal with the grind and stresses of a long season.
That wasn’t always the case, but now the NBA Coaches Association provides guidance to its members on everything from diet and exercise to sleep and mental health.
“Well, we’re trying. We all are trying, we all are conscious of it,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.
“I don’t think we’re very good at it, honestly. I know I’ve tried. It’s still very hard to accomplish. The game consumes us. It consumes me at least, and it should, if you love it. It’s just hard to turn off, but it’s important. We have to do it. We should have been doing it all along.”
After a late arrival in the Bay Area last month, it was after 10 pm when Rivers had the team tissue therapist work on his body, including knees and an ankle — “and my brain”. He has consulted a sleep doctor, too.
In LA, Walton is being proactive by encouraging every member of his staff to stay physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. Recharge when necessary, according to individual needs.
“It’s a priority,” Lakers assistant Mark Madsen said. “It’s important because think about all the late nights. We’ll get into cities at 4 in the morning sometimes. You have to stay on top of it.”
As a youngster, JB Bickerstaff knew there were a couple of hours in the afternoon on game days his father needed for himself. Bernie Bickerstaff took a power nap that allowed him to be fresh for a long night on the NBA bench.
JB now does it the same exact way as coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.
The coaches association is providing support and guidance like never before, and many coaches are making a point to openly discuss wellness strategies and share ideas.
There’s also a close-knit support system within this crop of coaches that Dallas’ Rick Carlisle, the association’s president, considers special.
“We also have a unique group of head coaches right now, guys that are extremely competitive but have great respect for one another and provide a high level of support for each other,” Carlisle said.
“Guys are going through tough times with health and even things like losing streaks. We’ve got a very high character group.”
For example, Clifford so appreciated a call he got last season from Kerr, each having gone through his own challenging health ordeal that kept him from the bench for an extensive stretch.
Clifford, then coaching the Charlotte Hornets, missed more than five weeks dealing with agonizing headaches that after a battery of tests were deemed to be caused by sleep deprivation.
Kerr has endured some of the most high-profile absences.
He missed the initial 43 games of the 2015-16 season — including a record 24-0 start — dealing with painful and confounding symptoms following a pair of back surgeries.
He was sidelined again for 11 games during the Warriors’ 16-1 postseason in 2017 before returning to the bench for Game 2 of the NBA Finals as the Warriors wound up winning in five games against LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kerr had undergone a procedure to repair a spinal fluid leak on May 5, 2017, but was not well enough to return until June 4.
“My advice to coaches who are coming into the league: Don’t get back surgery,” Kerr quipped.
“That’s my main advice. Sorry, bad joke. Luke Walton, when he took the Lakers job, we talked a lot about that.
“He told me his whole staff is really on a conditioning program and a health-wellness program. I think it’s really smart, something that every staff should try to do is just make sure you’ve got people looking after you and looking after each other.”
Kerr practices regular yoga and can often be seen on the elliptical machine after practice, getting loose on a foam roller or stretching with the assistance of an athletic trainer.
Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts appreciates the points of emphasis and information provided by the coaches association “whether it’s diet or things to alleviate stress”.
Stotts watches what he eats and exercises whenever he can.
“A lot of it is just common sense that everybody has to deal with to take care of yourself,” Stotts said.
“It’s not just coaches, obviously, it’s everybody, a lot of middle-aged men need to be doing the same, and some like me, beyond middle age.
“The fact that our lifestyle, if you give in to it, it can be a detriment, and everybody needs to be aware.”
Clifford is in Orlando now, and he understands better than ever the importance of taking care of himself and monitoring his own health in a business where keeping your job depends largely on winning.
He took significant steps to improve his sleep patterns and overall health after a previous heart scare.
The 57-year-old Clifford deeply appreciated Kerr’s call.
“It was great,” he said. “Steve was one of the guys who reached out and obviously we had the health issue in common. It was a terrific gesture.”
Last season, former Cavs coach Tyronn Lue dealt with anxiety and needed a mental and physical break.
“Wellness isn’t just physical. It’s mental as well,” Portland guard Damian Lillard said.
“With athletes and coaches in the social media age, it’s a little more difficult. That takes it to a much higher level from physical and mental ... when you’ve got people talking about you all the time, bashing you on Twitter. People just have so much more access to you.
“It has become a more stressful job.”
Coaches are also realizing they can’t always do it alone, relying on experts to stay healthy.
Golden State hired Rick Celebrini this past offseason as director of sports medicine and performance.
“If you can find some help, somebody to give you a little guidance, like we have here with Rick and Drew Yoder, I think it’s a big help,” said Kerr.