Ex-Bulls coach Johnny Bach praised for his energy, enthusiasm
Although he would hate the designation, Johnny Bach was an enabler.
He enabled Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant to form one of the greatest defensive basketball teams in NBA history.
Bach, the former assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls during their first three-peat of championships in the early 1990s, died Monday at 91 from cancer and other ailments.
Hired by the Bulls in 1986, Bach worked first for head coach Doug Collins and stayed with the staff when Collins was replaced by Phil Jackson in the summer of 1989. Bach was the assistant coach assigned to the Bulls' defense and was the architect of what came to be known as The Dobermans, a designation most specifically for Pippen and Grant.
The key transaction that allowed Bach to create The Dobermans was the 1987 NBA draft when the Bulls acquired Pippen from Central Arkansas and drafted Grant out of Clemson.
Long, lean and active, Pippen and Grant accepted direction from Bach. They understood that under Bach's coaching they could defend opposing players with as much enthusiasm as they could muster.
Bach was offended by any open shot inside the 3-point line, but with Pippen and Grant on the job, there weren't many of those against the championship Bulls.
Add to that the intimidating size and elbows of center Bill Cartwright, and Bach had all the tools for the league's most intimidating interior defense. Having those players behind him set Jordan free to attack defensively as well.
Jordan was the NBA steals leader that first season with Pippen and Grant guarding the lane and won his only defensive player of the year award that year as well. He was the NBA steals leader three times with Bach as his defensive coach.
Jordan earned his first of six consecutive all-defensive first-team selections in 1987.
Pippen was named to the NBA all-defensive team eight consecutive seasons, the first time in 1991-92.
For four consecutive seasons under Bach, Grant was named to the league's all-defensive second team, behind future Bulls power forward Dennis Rodman.
"Johnny was a true treasure in the world of basketball," said Bulls vice-president of basketball operations John Paxson, who played during Bach's entire time with the Bulls. "He was the classic old-school coach who came to work each and every day with energy and enthusiasm for the game he loved.
"His zest for life and basketball were unparalleled. He will be greatly missed by everyone in the Bulls family as well as everyone he connected with during his long tenure in both college and professional basketball."
Bach, a proud member of the United States Navy, was the personification of old school. He berated players who did not dress appropriately for games, and stood ramrod straight at military attention during the national anthem.
He left the Bulls after the 1993 season, meaning he did not coach Rodman, which probably extended both of their lives.
Bach's basketball background began at Fordham University, where he played collegiately. After a season with the Boston Celtics in which he played in 24 games, Bach became the head coach at Fordham at 26.
After 18 seasons with the Rams, leading them to two NCAA berths, Bach became an assistant coach at Penn State for 10 years and worked as an assistant coach to the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team that suffered one of the most ignoble and controversial defeats ever to the Russian team in the gold-medal game.
Bach eventually worked his way up to NBA head coach with the Golden State Warriors from 1983-86.
He was hired by the Bulls in 1986 to work with Collins, the former Illinois State basketball star who was the emotional leader of the aforementioned U.S. Olympic team.