No More Tears for Mr. Clutch

At a press conference last fall announcing his appointment as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry West wept tears of joy over returning to basketball. "Wait until he sees the Lakers," somebody snickered. Others suggested that West could best help his old team by finding the fountain of youth and coming back as himself, the matchless Mr. Clutch who as a high-scoring guard led the Lakers into the N.B.A. playoffs 14 times in 14 years. The post-West Lakers had been a crying shame, winding up the 1976 season next to last in the Pacific Division with a dismal record of 40 wins and 42 losses.

One Look. But that was last season. Now, with West back again, this time as Mr. Coach, the Lakers are leading their division and it is their opponents who are lachrymose. The turnaround is all the more remarkable for having been accomplished primarily with last year's goats, not this year's free agents. The Laker starting lineup, with the exception of former Celtic Don Chaney, is drawn from last season's roster. But 33 wins, including 20 straight home-court victories, v. 16 losses are evidence of the turn-around West has wrought.

At 38, West has thrown himself into coaching with the same verve that marked his playing days. After the first Laker workout this fall, an exhausted West came down with the flu and was unable to make the second day of practice. Explains Center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, only half jokingly: "He took one look at us and we made him sick."

West quickly got down to the business of healing the Lakers. He patiently taught the tricks of his trade, and waited for a few wins to reinforce his message. Says West: "This team does not match up with the best I've ever seen. There's no reason we should be doing as well as this now. But a good chemistry has developed among the players after winning a few games." The players credit West's intensity and contagious enthusiasm. Says Forward Tom Abernethy: "One big reason we're winning is that Coach West has us believing we can."

If anyone can be believed about basketball, it is Jerry West. Few have mastered the game as thoroughly as this open-faced country boy from West Virginia. In his 14 seasons as a player, West scored 25,192 points--a record that has been topped only by Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson. Along the way, West shoveled off 6,238 assists--meaning he gave away more points than all but a few superstars score in an entire career. Says Laker Forward Don Ford: "I watched him play on TV when I was growing up. As far as I'm concerned, everything he says is gospel."

Still, the transition from team member to coach can be tough, and West's prospects seemed particularly slim. After all, he was an inexperienced perfectionist with a collection of castoffs that boasted but one real star, Abdul-Jabbar. Faced with this situation, West made a key decision that would have been difficult for someone with less self-confidence: instead of the usual single aide, he hired two experienced assistant coaches. Jack McCloskey, former Portland Trail Blazer coach, directs the Lakers' defensive training; Stan Albeck, who once coached with Wilt Chamberlain and who helped develop Artis Gilmore into the A.B.A.'s best big man, devised a 44-page playbook to exploit Abdul-Jabbar's peerless gifts.

No Chalk. Freed by his assistants from chalking diagrams on a blackboard, West has concentrated on overall strategy and getting the best possible play from his charges. But it is in inspiring somewhat lackluster talents that he has excelled. With the coach leading the cheers, the Los Angeles bench resembles a rah-rah college crew more than a collection of blase professionals. West passes the hours on planes and in the team bus building the Lakers' confidence and, seemingly, willing them into winners. A genuine camaraderie has developed among the Lakers, and West has led the off-court high jinks where such cohesiveness begins.

The results have proved beneficial to coach as well as players. West had grown bored with retirement, just playing golf and tending his investments. Says Assistant Coach Albeck: "What Jerry missed when he quit was not just the game, it was the bus." Jerry West is back on the bus and the Lakers are back on the winning road.

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