Back In The Game -- Westphal Returns To NBA After 2-Plus Years Out Of Action

Paul Westphal was barking instructions to his players during a timeout when his son tapped him on the shoulder. The 7-year-old wanted money to buy a pop.

Watching from the stands, Cindy Westphal couldn't believe her eyes as her son interrupted the team's huddle.

"I was mortified," she said.

But as Paul Westphal addressed his players about the crucial possession late in the game, he coolly dipped into his back pocket and handed a dollar bill to his kid.

The story, which dates back to 1987 when he coached at Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, says a lot about Paul Westphal. Westphal's critics might say it is an example of him being lax. His supporters view the moment as Terminator-like coolness under pressure.

Westphal "is a paradox," his wife, explained yesterday, standing next to Michael, 18.

"He is fiercely competitive and genuinely humble," Cindy Westphal said. "That mixture confuses people, and they don't know how to read him. But I've been married to him for 26 years, and I can tell you that he's both."

There was no confusion for Sonic President Wally Walker when he announced the 47-year-old Westphal as George Karl's replacement as head coach over Paul Silas, Bob Weiss or Bob Hill.

"I wanted to make sure that we got the best-qualified guy," said Walker, who conducted a two-week search, "and I feel very strongly that we did."

So strongly that Walker didn't make a push for Chicago's Phil Jackson, who won his sixth NBA championship Sunday.

Westphal has coached only three full seasons in the NBA, but averaged 59 victories. In his first season (1992-93), he won more games (62) than any rookie coach in NBA history, then guided Phoenix to the NBA Finals. Yet Westphal was fired in early 1996, apparently because of his inability to control Charles Barkley.

Sir Charles alienated teammates, and Westphal was accused of looking the other way. Kevin Johnson and A.C. Green asked for Westphal's firing. After Suns President Jerry Colangelo complied, he said the Suns needed a coach to "instill the team with a competitive edge."

Translation: Westphal was too lax.

The label stuck.

"There is no way Westphal is going to be able to deal with Gary," said a coach who requested anonymity. "Gary is too smart, and he's too street for Westphal. Gary is going to play him like a drum. It's not that he's not going to play for him. He is. But Gary wants the upper hand. The first time Gary barks at Westphal, he's going to turn his head and accept it."

The perception that Westphal can't stand up to superstars may explain why Westphal took a long time to gain another coaching job despite a glossy basketball resume. During Westphal's hiatus, he was interviewed by the Denver Nuggets (who hired Bill Hanzlik), Orlando Magic (Chuck Daly) and Indiana Pacers (Larry Bird). Each time a team asked the Suns why they fired a successful coach, their explanations solidified Westphal's reputation as laid-back.

"I was out for a while," Westphal said. "So people said maybe it's this, maybe it's that."

Westphal has declined to publicly criticize the Suns, and doesn't believe he was blackballed. However, sources close to the situation contend that Westphal was a scapegoat because management soured on Barkley and was unable to trade him. Danny Manning, Johnson and Barkley had been injured when former coach Cotton Fitzsimmons took over for Westphal after a 14-19 start.

"Charles is certainly a unique individual," Westphal said. "And I would never say you could treat him like everybody else. But I don't think that it's a fair characterization at all that he walked all over me. He played some of the best basketball in his life, and the team played some of the best basketball in the NBA. I don't understand why anybody should have to apologize for that."

Walker, a friend of Westphal's since playing together in Seattle during the 1980-81 season, dismisses the perception of Westphal as lax. The Sonic GM experienced Westphal's competitive streak first-hand many times.

During one road trip to San Antonio, Westphal offered to eat a jar of jalapeno peppers if Walker paid for dinner. Before agreeing, Walker dipped his hand into the jar for a taste. "It was the hottest thing I've ever had on my tongue," Walker said.

Westphal ate one, and knew he was in, well, a hot situation. Still, he swallowed all the peppers. His eyes turned red, and sweat dripped down his face. Westphal had to order a pitcher of Margarita.

"For a $6 dinner," Walker said, "it was the best entertainment I ever had."

Westphal's teams played an entertaining brand of basketball. He is extremely creative and innovative on offensive. Coaches around the league describe him as instinctive and flexible, especially late in games. Westphal seemingly has used every style throughout his coaching career.

Westphal showed such instincts as a player during a 12-year career that included five All-Star appearances. He was on the Suns when they faced Boston in Game 5 of the 1976 Finals. Late in the fourth quarter, Westphal purposely called a sixth timeout, although his team had none.

Phoenix was down one point, so the technical made it two. However, the gambit allowed the Suns to draw an inbound play and receive the ball at halfcourt. Gar Heard's last-second shot sent the game into double overtime before Phoenix lost in triple OT.

"He knew exactly what he was doing," said Lanny Van Eman, a former assistant who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. "It was not the kind of thing that (Chris) Webber did (at Michigan). It was a calculated timeout."

Westphal wasn't in a rush to get back into coaching. He turned down college opportunities, including at Arizona State. Westphal maintained a ranch-style home in Paradise Valley, an affluent Phoenix neighborhood, and was on the Suns' payroll until this season.

Most of all, Westphal was able to spend time with son Michael, who played basketball at Scottsdale's Chaparral High. During Michael's junior season, Westphal was an unpaid varsity assistant. When Michael graduated this month, Westphal was free to leave Phoenix after 21 years.

"I didn't even hire an agent until a few months ago," Westphal said yesterday. "Unless something jumped up that was so great that I had to take it, I was content to stay here."

Westphal watched several hours of basketball each day to keep up with the NBA. Last year, he wrote a still-unpublished book on basketball anecdotes. He also took a week-long trek down Route 66 with John Stewart, the man who wrote "Daydream Believer" for the Monkees. Westphal and Stewart drove to Amarillo, Texas, and back to Phoenix. "It was wild," Westphal said. "It was a great experience."

Westphal also took his family to Israel for about two weeks. "I'd been fascinated by it and I wanted to see it," he said, "and I wasn't disappointed."

But he couldn't shake the basketball bug, doing color commentary of the NBA playoffs for an Israeli television station.

When Westphal retired as a Suns' player in 1984, he coached Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College and won the National Little College Tournament. Then Westphal coached Grand Canyon, where his team won the NAIA championship in 1988. Now, he's shooting for an NBA title.

At yesterday's news conference, Westphal exuded the corporate image Karl shunned, wearing a gray double-breasted suit, matching tie and light blue shirt.

The two coaches are also disparate when it comes to politics. Karl describes himself as "very left of Bill Clinton." Westphal is close friends with archconservative Rush Limbaugh. The political commentator once told a black caller on his radio show to "take that bone out of your nose and call me back," and has made other remarks derogatory to blacks.

Limbaugh was part of a wide-ranging discussion Westphal had with Gary Payton and his agent during their meeting on Monday. Westphal said he has been questioned about Limbaugh before, which he believes is unfair.

"I would stop being friends with him if I thought he was a racist," Westphal said. "I'm friends with so many people with so many different political views, that it's so unusual to have to defend someone that is a good guy. To be defined somehow as a political person who makes his living commentating on politics is just kind of a silly thing, really."

People who know Westphal describe him as an honest, trusting person who is very loyal to his friends.

"He's one of the best people I've come in contact with," said Bull assistant Bill Cartwright, who played with Westphal one season. "Many coaches in this league are all about images. Paul is for real. And he's as competitive as anybody."

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Paul Westphal at a glance:

Age: 47 (born Nov. 30, 1950).

NBA coaching experience: Assistant coach, Phoenix Suns ('88-92); head coach, Suns ('92-96).

College coaching experience: Head coach, Southwestern Bible College ('85-86) and Grand Canyon University ('86-88). Coached Grand Canyon to NAIA championship in 1988.

NBA playing career: No. 1 draft pick by Celtics (No. 10 overall) in 1972 draft; member of 1974 Celtic championship team; traded by Suns to Sonics for Dennis Johnson on June 4, 1980; played in Seattle for one season ('80-81, averaging 16.7 points per game); five-time NBA all-star.

College playing career: Averaged 16.4 points in four seasons at Southern Cal; selected to 1972 Sporting News All-America second team.

Personal: Married; he and wife, Cindy, have two children: Victoria and Michael Paul.

Little-known fact: Westphal was the second-fastest coach to reach 150 victories, doing it in 208 games. Phil Jackson did it in 203 with the Bulls.

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. Paul Westphal's . Career coaching record .

. Regular Season . Year, Team W L Pct. . 1992-93, Phoenix 62 20 .756 . 1993-94, Phoenix 56 26 .683 . 1994-95, Phoenix 59 23 .720 . 1995-96, Phoenix 14 19 .424 . Totals 191 88 .646 .

--- . Playoffs . Year, Team W L Pct. . 1993, Phoenix 13 11 .542 . 1994, Phoenix 6 4 .600 . 1995, Phoenix 6 4 .600 . Totals 25 19 .568 .