I STO
ALCHEMI

Ron Rothstein is part of
the mix that has stirred the
Detroit Pistons' surge this winter

MIKE ROSENBAUM

Special to The Jewish News

utting together a winning Na-
tional Basketball Association team
is not a scientific process, no mat-
ter how much coaches speak of
teams needing good "chemistry."
Good team chemistry — having pl-
ayers who know each other's moves
and who complement each other —
can mean the difference between a
bad season and a good season or
between a good year and a great
one.
Creating that harmony was a
particularly important job for the
Detroit Pistons' coaching staff this
season because of off-season trades.
Adding to coach Chuck Daly's diffi-
culties, number one assistant Dick
Harter took a job with the Indiana
Pacers late last summer. Fortu-
nately for Daly, he was able to
quickly replace Harter with At-
lanta assistant Ron Rothstein.
"There wasn't really any other
choice," said Daly. "I mean, I didn't
even look beyond him. And I was
very grateful for the opportunity to
get him."
Rothstein was an Atlanta
assistant for three seasons. Last
year, he became the team's "road
man," chiefly responsible for scout-

24

Friday, March 13, 1987

Center Bill Laimbeer and assistant coach Ron Rothstein watch a Pistons' workout.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

ing the Hawks' future opponents.
So, despite his longtime friendship
with Atlanta coach Mike Fratello,
Rothstein grabbed Daly's pre-
season offer.
"It's a career move, it really
is," the 44-year-old Rothstein ex-
plained following a recent Silver-
dome practice. "I'm not happy
about the fact that I had to leave
Atlanta. Mike Fratello and I go
back a long way. He and (former
Atlanta coach) Hubie Brown gave
me my first shot in pro basketball
and I will always be indebted to
them, especially Mike, for that. But
I've gotten to know Chuck and
Jack (McCloskey, the Piston's gen-
eral manager) over the last three
years, and I just thought it was an
opportunity to get involved with a
real fine organization. You have to
make that career move when it
presents itself."
Now, the team has developed a
good chemistry. After a slow start,
the Pistons moved into first place
in the NBA's Central Division. As
to how much credit Rothstein de-
serves, consider Daly's explanation
of the role of his number one assis-
tant in game preparation: