'Coach' Dantley shares moves

DENVER — Adrian Dantley's impeccable footwork and well-proportioned backside helped him get shots off against much bigger opponents, leading to two scoring titles and more than 23,000 points in the NBA.

Now the master of the post move is sharing his knowledge.

Moving from behind the scenes to in front of the bench, Dantley has plenty to teach the talented but inexperienced Denver Nuggets.

"It's just a matter of practicing, knowing your opponents and shooting the basketball," Dantley said. "You've got to shoot the basketball and you've got to be able to dribble the ball a little to be successful. That's what I'm trying to teach them."

That Dantley is teaching at all may come as a surprise to some.

In his 15 seasons with seven teams, Dantley developed a reputation as being a selfish player and somewhat aloof, someone more concerned with his numbers than helping his team win. A bitter holdout in 1984-85 didn't help his image, nor did clashes with Utah coach and general manager Frank Layden; Dantley's still waiting to have his number retired by the Jazz.

But there was no doubting his talent.

Dantley led the league in scoring in 1980-81 and 1983-84, and averaged more than 30 points in four straight seasons. He was a six-time All-Star and shot a remarkable 54 percent for his career. When he retired in 1991, Dantley was the NBA's ninth-leading scorer with 23,177 points.

Not bad for a 6-foot-5 post player who routinely went against players six and seven inches taller.

"From 15 feet in, for his size, he was the best scorer ever," Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. "He didn't do it with jumping ability or anything like that, it was just basically skill and knowledge of the game."

And now Dantley is passing it on.

When he first arrived in Denver last season, most of his work came in side sessions with the Nuggets' younger players. This year, Dantley has moved to the bench as an assistant to coach Jeff Bzdelik.

Though his role has changed, Dantley's main task remains the same: making Denver's post players more effective. He's done it by teaching the techniques he all but perfected.