The NBA … it's fantastic. Well, maybe not. But at playoff time it does get pretty exciting. The Indiana Pacers are once again making a push for the coveted title. The Pacers are not being led by the deadly sharp shooting of Reggie Miller this season, but the powerful play of two younger players — Ron Artest and Jermaine O’Neal. Reggie's days are ending, and he is passing the torch to his teammates. He knows he cannot carry the load like in years past. It is time for the younger, more youthful players on his team to step up, take on the responsibility, and lead their team to a championship. Reggie no doubt will do his job, but his best days are behind him now. 

In our culture, patience is becoming less and less common. We’re an instant gratification society, so when things don’t go according to our timetable or plans, we get frustrated and sometimes angry. How many times have coaches lost their tempers when athletes failed to make the right plays or the right decisions?

We coach human beings, not robots. Each player has needs and hurts that must be met and healed. When players know we care about them as people rather than simply players who perform for us, they will respond positively.

Head coaches, though, sometimes find it difficult to get close to players. We must be “the heavy” in many situations, and not every player will like our decisions, even when we are confident our choice is the best thing. One way to smooth over this type of pressure is to encourage assistants to be involved as well; athletes need to know there is someone they can go to when the head coach is not their first choice. It’s our job as coaches to care for our players, regardless of how they’ve performed.

Less than six months after he was hired to take over the University of Alabama football program, coach Mike Price was fired because his behavior failed to coincide with university policies. While Price admitted to “making mistakes and at times inappropriate behavior,” he did not agree with the firing, saying, “I don’t think the punishment fits the crime.” When we make poor choices in life we (and sometimes those around us) will have to pay the price for our actions. It may not always be as big as losing our job, but rest assured there is a price to pay. So how can we honor God with our behavior?