KC JONES: A QUIET, EFFECTIVE MENTOR

1984 NBA Finals

K.C. Jones is probably never going to get the credit he deserves.

The Celtics have a chance to win flag No. 15 today or Tuesday. One more victory means that Jones will join Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn and Bill Fitch in the elite group of Celtics coaches who have won NBA championships.

If Boston should lose the next two, it won't change the fact that Jones was the man who picked up the shattered pieces of 1983 and returned the Celtics to the finals.

"K.C. doesn't get the credit because he's soft-spoken," said Auerbach.

True. Jones is not a self-promoter or a media manipulator. He is often boring copy. Despite his major role in one of the most exciting NBA finals in memory, Jones has managed to set a record for fewest printed comments from a head coach.

There are those who believe that the Celtics are winning despite K.C. Jones. They think that anyone could coach this talented team.

Wrong.

"I think he's an excellent bench coach, and he has been all year," said Auerbach. "His great forte is that he gets a feeling for a game and makes good moves."

Jones will never be accused of overcoaching the Celtics. He prepares thoroughly, then steps aside and lets the players play. He's big on communication and small on ego.

The Dennis Johnson-on-Magic Johnson case is a perfect example. Early in the series, it was decided that Gerald Henderson would have to guard Magic. The strategy failed, and Jones was big enough to face the facts. He did something most coaches would never do. He left it up to the players.

"Case just left it up to us," said DJ. "Gerald and I talked and agreed that it was too much for him to try and push the ball up all the time, and still guard Magic. Plus, I know Magic as well as I know any player."

Since the switch was made, DJ has held Magic to 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting with nine turnovers in six quarters.

There are NBA coaches that would stick needles in their eyes before admitting a mistake or letting players dictate strategy. Jones is not one, which is one more reason why he is the perfect coach for this team at this hour.

The Celtics are in the market for a full-time scout. Red Auerbach's "retirement" requires that the Celtics have a Del Harris-type who can scout the league and the college circuit. Auerbach will continue to make his presence felt, but doesn't have the desire to beat the bushes at this juncture of his career. Meanwhile, Jan Volk will ascend to the general manager's throne, but makes no attempt to portray himself as a judge of basketball talent.

It's also possible that Boston might be losing its most-experienced scout on the coaching staff. Assistant coach Jimmy Rodgers is being mentioned for the Cleveland opening. Rodgers is remembered fondly for his years as Bill Fitch's assistant in Richfield. Other names on the Cleveland rumor mill: LA assistant Dave Wohl, ex-LA and Chicago coach Paul Westhead and George Karl.