Lenny Wilkens, the former Cavaliers standout head coach and player who sadly passed away the other day at 88, and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski had something in common.

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Indeed, Wilkens was a good and decent man, just like Stefanski is. You would want them to be your next-door neighbor.

Wilkens was also gentlemanly on the sidelines, as is Stefanski. No screaming and acting a fool by berating officials and players. What a welcome sight. The other stuff gets so old. They’re not the show — no one has paid to see them coach — but rather it’s the players who are the talent and the coaches get out of the way. That’s the way it should be.

The difference between them was Wilkens’ attention to detail. He knew it’s the little things that count so he made his teams work hard on that. His Cavs lost games, of course, but they were hardly ever sloppy and they were never unprepared. They knew how to win games, close them out in the end.

The Browns under Stefanski, on the other hand, do so many little things wrong then it makes you crazy. They are poorly prepared and have no idea how to secure a victory down the stretch. There is nothing precise or poetic about their style of play.

The Cavs were fun to watch, but not the Browns.

Lenny Wilkens was sorely missed when he left Cleveland. Kevin Stefanski, as a coach, won’t be.

Steve King

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