HoopsHype.com Behind the Beat

Marc J. Spears: "Look for KG to be the glue to make sure that nobody slips"
by HoopsHype / September 26, 2007

Are you going to be the first Boston beat writer to actually take Doc Rivers’ flaws into account when discussing the team? As any serious Celtic fan knows, Rivers has been nothing less than awful in his three years at helm. Will you actually write about him when he screws up this year? Celtic Nation is praying you do, don’t leave it up to foolish bloggers like myself.

Marc J. Spears: Man, I guess you don't like Doc. Well, I definitely will be fair in covering Doc and I can't say I've watched enough Celtics games in the past to know his strengths and weaknesses as a coach. But in Doc's defense, I wouldn't say that he has had the best talent or a lot of veteran players to work with in recent years either. One thing I will promise is I look at both sides fairly. I'm not a columnist like Bob Ryan or Jackie MacMullan. It's their job to praise or beat someone down. I just try to give you the facts and let the reader make their own determination.

Would you agree that the Celtics need a true point guard a floor general who can involve their the Big Three?

MJS: I do believe that Rajon Rondo is going to be a lot better than people think. I believe he has a chance to be special and he's been working hard with Ray Allen recently so they can get on the same page. Considering that all the point guard really needs to do for the Celtics is make one pass to Pierce, KG or Allen, I think there really isn't a need for a true point guard in Boston. What the Celtics have to be concerned about is where they go if Rondo gets hurt.

Of the Big Three, which one do you think wants winning the ring the most?

MJS: Well, considering that they are all superstars without one I would say that they all want it the same. Each of these stars are used to being the man and now they all have to make major individual sacrifices in order for the team to win a title. If they aren't all on the same page, it's not going to happen. But from what I'm hearing, they have been talking a lot about putting their egos aside and concentrating on winning. Look for KG to be the glue to make sure that nobody slips.

Do you think Paul Pierce cares about winning as much as the other two guys?

MJS: Pierce definitely showed how much he cared about winning when he called the franchise out about getting him some help in March. Sure he has to give up things individually. But scoring big isn't fun when you're losing all the time. Pierce actually might enjoy the taste of winning more than the other two because of the lean years he has endured recently.

Who do you expect to lead the Celtics in scoring?

MJS: Good question. I see KG deferring to the other two. Being that Pierce is the most used to playing for coach Doc Rivers, I would project that he would be the leader. I don't think Ray will be far off though.

Which NBA star you've covered has been the best to work with?

MJS: There are several NBA stars that have been very good to me, but I'm sure you probably don't want me to list 20 names. The five that probably stand out are Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shaquille O'Neal, Marcus Camby and Dirk Nowitzki.

Since his arrival in Denver, Melo has been extremely good in giving me great insight on him as a player and a person and gave me much needed interviews during very important times or under tight deadline constraints. Don't believe all the negative hype about Melo. He's really a great dude. With me working in Denver for so long, the Denver native Billups and I have been able to get to know each other well and he has always got back to me in a timely fashion when I needed an interview. He is a classy professional and a good person. I first met Shaq 10 years ago when I was working for the Los Angeles Daily News and he has been very cool to me ever since. He's given me one-on-one interviews in a back hallway of the Pepsi Center and also long after a preseason game in Little Rock, Ark. He's the most down to Earth mega superstar you will ever find. Camby was often my go-to guy during the offseason for the Nuggets and was always willing to talk about any subject on the record. Definitely one of the true professionals as far as dealing with the media. Dirk stands out because he was very accommodating to me last year when I went to Oklahoma City to do an interview with him at the end of last season. He was so good in fact that I got everything I needed in Oklahoma and didn't have to go to Dallas to finish. But the thing that amazed me was the NBA's MVP asked the PR person the next day what I needed from him and when I was getting to Dallas.

Have you ever seen a friendship develop between a beat writer and a player that beat writer was covering? Has it happened to you?

MJS: It's inevitable that you can become cool with a player, but usually you become closer with them after their playing days are done. Such was the case with ex-Nuggets Robert Pack, Avery Johnson, Popeye Jones and Scott Williams. Pack and Johnson both have New Orleans ties and familiar friend connections with me. I went to San Jose State with ex-Nugget Tariq Abdul-Wahad, but I haven't been able to locate him recently. Popeye and I had an NBA radio show together in Denver. Of all the current players in the league, I probably am the most cool with Chauncey Billups. With him being from Denver and us having mutual friends, we have been able to get to know each other very well. There are definitely a lot of players I am very cool with, but I do my best to respect their space. Outside of maybe an occasional dinner, I probably don't see much of any players off the court.

What was the main reason why you left the Nuggets beat for the chance to cover the Celtics for the Boston Globe? And how did you get the news on the offer?

MJS: After being in Denver for eight years I felt it was time for me to go to a bigger market and a bigger paper. There are also television and radio opportunities in Boston that aren't available in Denver. My timing was also good because I will be covering the most high profile team in the league. I first was contacted by The Boston Globe in July. About two weeks before I interviewed they landed Garnett, which made an already attractive job much more intriguing. The Boston Globe has treated me extremely well since I've taken the job and I'm very honored to work for one of the best paper's in the world. I also appreciate The Denver Post for helping me grow as a reporter.

What will you miss the most from Denver and your work there?

MJS: I miss my friends and the Nuggets organization the most. From top to bottom, I met a lot of great people with the Nuggets. Eric Sebastian is one of the best media relations directors in the NBA and the Nuggets are lucky to still have him. Keep an eye on his assistant Tim Gelt. Athletic trainer Jim Gillen, strength and conditioning coach Steve Hess, equipment manager Sparky Gonzalez, security director Bobby Simmons and secretaries Lisa Johnson and Carol Williams were always very accommodating to me. I got to know assistant coach Adrian Dantley very well and he deserves a chance to be an NBA head coach and to be in the Hall of Fame. Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke and his right hand man Bret Bearup always looked out of me. I just recently got to know Nuggets GMs Rex Chapman and Mark Warkentien, but they were always helpful as was the coaching staff led by George Karl. I'm definitely going to miss covering Melo, AI, Camby, Nenê, Eduardo Najera, Kenyon Martin, Chucky Atkins, Yakhouba Diawara, Linas Kleiza, Anthony Carter and JR Smith. They were a great group of guys to cover, opened up to me and were always entertaining. I wish whoever the next Nuggets writer is the best of luck and he will definitely be aided by the Post's Chris Dempsey. Post columnist Mark Kiszla, the most underrated sports columnist in the US, was also a very valuable mentor for me and a great friend. I also have countless friends I will miss there as well and I apologize to anyone I forgot. I'm sure the HoopsHype readers had enough of reading this gushy stuff.

Do you know Jason Whitlock? And what's your opinion on his work?

MJS: I'm curious as to who asked this question and why? I definitely know who Jason Whitlock is, but he probably wouldn't remember how we met. I learned a valuable lesson from him. About 10 years ago I was covering the University of Arkansas' football and basketball team for the Tulsa World and I interviewed for a job covering Michigan basketball for the Ann Arbor News. I was really excited about the opportunity, but was confused on what the paper was going to do. So during one bye week for the Hogs, I covered for an Oklahoma football game at Kansas State. Whitlock, who previously worked at Ann Arbor, was at the game in the press box. I was in my mid-20s at the time and trying to figure the whole sports writing thing out still. Curious about what was going on in Ann Arbor, I approached Whitlock to see if he knew what was going on with the Michigan basketball job search. He initially blew me off because he said he was too busy about 90 minutes before a day game. He later came up to me and said I had only two minutes to talk to him about whatever I wanted to talk to him about. I was taken aback by that, but continued on to ask about what he might have heard about the Michigan opening. He rudely responded by saying that none of the people that interviewed, which obviously included myself, weren't good enough for the job. I just said thank you and moved on. As a young black writer at the time, I definitely could have used some mentoring from a guy like Whitlock. I vowed that if I ever moved up the ladder I would do my best to be a mentor and answer questions to any aspiring journalists. I currently am the Vice-President of Print for the National Association of Black Journalists Sports Task Force and I've played a role in helping print young and veteran black sports writers land jobs. I also have also given advice and met with numerous aspiring journalists of all races. So I thank Whitlock for inspiring me to be a mentor to young sports journalists.

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