Coaching ain't no picnic

Avery Johnson has a little advice for players, such as Clippers guard Sam Cassell, who want to get into coaching when their playing days are done.

“There’s no getting to the office at 10 o’clock for an 11 o’clock practice and then showering and going home,” Johnson said. “There’s no real turning it off. I was on vacation in Italy this summer drawing up plays on a napkin and my wife was asking me, ‘What the heck are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m getting ready for training camp.’ You don’t turn it off.”

It takes more than just knowing the game. The vast majority of league coaches are former players.

“Sometimes players that have played the game think it’s easy because they’ve played the game,” Johnson added, “but it’s not that easy because you have to know how to communicate and teach and manage.”