It's obvious that Manu Ginobli is a tough guy. He not only scores, but also does dirty work like diving for loose balls and closing out furiously on his man (which is a great way to gauge "want to" in a player!). In a recent USA Today article, it was pointed out that when Ginobli first came to the Spurs he and Gregg Popovich frequently clashed. Manu's creativity and risk taking did not sit well with the more conservative Popovich. They eventually worked it out. Popovich was able to convince him that on a diving-for-loose-balls scale of 1 to 10 he didn't "need as many 10's." But he also realized that he needed to let Ginobli take more chances than he would normally be comfortable with.
I used to love this kind of "good high maintenance" player. A coach should want to work with players who are stubborn, aggressive, and highly competitive. If you demonstrate how much you love these qualities, you will eventually sell them on the benefits of channeling their energies for optimum performance. This process can result in some very tense moments. But conflict is absolutely required to build a strong coach:player relationship. I preferred working with players who put pressure on me. Players who always wanted to please made me nervous!
The "coach pleaser" usually evolves into a "bad high maintenance" player. Instead of first looking inward when something goes wrong they immediately search for someone else to blame. They are uninspired, energy suckers. There is no conflict just a lot of handholding......and it's exhausting! If they are not constantly affirmed, they fall apart.
The ideal player:coach relationship begins with the PLAYER inspiring the coach. If the coach is expected to be the primary source of motivation, underachievement is inevitable. Give me good high maintenance any day!
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