Terry Foster: WNBA: Shock

Mahorn upbeat despite setback

Auburn Hills

Rick Mahorn walked through the deserted hallways of The Palace as a loser. He shrugged and said: "You can't shoot for them. You got to score."

Mahorn hates losing, and his debut as the Shock coach Friday night was a stunner for him. The Shock did not protect their house, and they were drubbed, 66-54, by the Indiana Fever.

Afterward, Mahorn tried to remain upbeat and give praise to the veteran Fever.

"It was with mixed emotions," Mahorn said. "We are going to have to keep competing and try to play Shock basketball. We do have veterans, and we do have the horses to get it done."

Earlier in the day, he walked through The Palace sporting his famous crocodile grin while looking for his next victim.

"You know I am still going to be cussing y'all out every day," he said to workers preparing for the game. "Nothing has changed around here."

Image problem

Workers looked up, smiled and waved Mahorn, 50, on through. They all know Mahorn's bark is worse than his bite. It is something Shock players already know as they adjust to their new mentor.

They certainly have not taken on the image of their new coach. The Shock (1-3) looked worn, tired and unmotivated against the Fever (3-2). A 13-4 third-quarter run doomed them, and 30-percent shooting and 21 turnovers prevented them from coming back.

The Shock dribbled into double teams, tossed errant passes and did not play smart basketball. Mahorn sat in the hot seat for the first time, days after his former teammate Bill Laimbeer stepped down to pursue coaching opportunities in the NBA.

The move ended a long relationship between Bump and Thump, McFilthy and McNasty. They both were hated men in the NBA, the poster boys of the Bad Boys era. They were interior defenders that played a hard-edge, old-school type of game. Laimbeer earned his reputation behind a scowl. Mahorn got on people's nerves with hip checks and a cutting edge-joke.

"It is a different atmosphere around here," Shock guard Deanna Nolan said before the game. "But it does not change the philosophy or the game we play. But it is a different atmosphere."

That already was on display as the Shock prepared for their first game with Mahorn. He joked with players but at the same time got his message through measured tones.

"Hey pick that up," he said. "I want game intensity now."

That game intensity never materialized.

Mahorn always has been an enforcer. He sometimes enforces by being loud and outrageous, but more often he does it by speaking straight from the heart. Laimbeer and Mahorn are similar because neither minces words. Sometimes the words hurt, but they don't have time to beat around the bush.

Mahorn has a tough job now. Laimbeer left him a team that is doubting itself and trying to find its health. Cheryl Ford (knee) was back in the lineup, but Plenette Pierson (right shoulder) and Kara Braxton (suspension) remain out. Ford's return is important, but for a coach like Mahorn, Pierson's absence is just as important.

"She is my pit bull," Mahorn said.

Toughness appreciated

He loves tough players. They make his job easier. Mahorn identifies with people like Pierson because Mahorn was one of those players who was supposed to get a cup of coffee in the NBA and move on. Instead, he played more than 1,100 games and won a title with the Pistons in 1989 because he was big, strong and mentally tough.

Mahorn has coached in the CBA, and he took notes while playing under Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly. Daly was rarely demonstrative but got his point across by teaching. If you did your job, Daly laid back and laid off. If you didn't then Daly became agitated and more aggressive. The Shock can expect a similar style from Mahorn.

Now Mahorn gets to put the pieces together. This is his team, and his dream. The Shock grew stale around Laimbeer, and now they need new words and a fresh approach.

"I was always respectful of the coach as a player," Mahorn said. "I might not have agreed with everything the coach said but I executed their game plan the way it was supposed to because that is what they (coaches) wanted. Hopefully the players can trust me as much as they trusted Bill."

terry.foster@detnews.com

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