Kblaze8855
04-03-2023, 10:03 AM
Just a bit of warning and a window into my madness….
I’m gonna be in a car(not driving) for some time the next few days and when I do so…I listen to a lot of music of course. And when I do I’m reminded of other things. Often basketball. And I have to get the thoughts out. I generally put something into a note to flesh out later but…like I said…I’ve got nothing better to do in this car right now. So I’m going to be annoying you a little more than usual. And I will include my motivation as I go…I already have like 5 but this will do for a beginning…..
I won’t bother explaining myself in the other topics to come.
https://youtu.be/fq15HXc6pmw
Relevant part:
How am I supposed to live
When I built my life around you?
Try to put yourself in my shoes
The connection here is clear. We are in a time where analytics has led teams to try to play as efficiently as possible play to play. And that’s fine of course but at leads to decisions being made like those James Harden and Luca forced on the teams. Dantoni explained the team line of thinking pretty well:
“People don’t like it, aesthetically it’s not good. I don’t love it, I’d rather pass the ball around. And if I didn’t have a team that had James Harden, guess what! We’d pass the ball around… You got James Harden, I'm gonna make him the best player he could possibly be.”.
And that was mirrored by some Mavs people I saw do an interview. Basically….when Luka has the ball to score or find someone open the team is far more efficient than when someone else’s does(this was a year or two ago). So Luka needs to have the ball the whole game.
It’s not entirely illogical. If your team scores on a much higher rate on possessions where one guy has near complete control why not give it to them all game every game?
Well the reason of course is teammate buy in, development, and having the ability to play without the star both when he’s out of the game and when he’s injured or leaves the team.
It makes all of these guys look like gods analytically because the teams can’t function when they’re out of the game or when they miss time but…is that how you build a team?
The opposite approach to me is Tim Duncan. In what should’ve been his late prime he took a step back in the offense and let other people not just have the ball more, but have more responsibility. All the way up and down the roster.
The Spurs became a team that played together entirely and not one that needed any individual to do it all.
That said, it’s a lot easier for somebody like pop who has absolute unquestioned job, security forever to do that than for some GM/coach fighting for his job. Pop could afford to play the long game and try to develop confident role players, who don’t let the skills they built up in a lifetime of being a star before the NBA atrophy while they watch some guy dribble.
You may not have that luxury as a first year coach who has a guy like Luka or Harden or even Lebron to ride to more wins than the roster deserves.
You look better for winning 53 with a shit to average roster….than you do winning 41 making role players be all they can be for a future you won’t be there for. Also…with free agency? Are teams even worried how good a second or third guy can become when they’re probably gonna walk anyway?
Teams care more about developing when they know you’re locked in long term don’t they?
Can you blame a coach for trying to win the most games right now even if it makes for a worse total team and future? Should he care how good they will be for the next coach to get the credit?
Is it smarter to win the most right now no matter what?
I’m gonna be in a car(not driving) for some time the next few days and when I do so…I listen to a lot of music of course. And when I do I’m reminded of other things. Often basketball. And I have to get the thoughts out. I generally put something into a note to flesh out later but…like I said…I’ve got nothing better to do in this car right now. So I’m going to be annoying you a little more than usual. And I will include my motivation as I go…I already have like 5 but this will do for a beginning…..
I won’t bother explaining myself in the other topics to come.
https://youtu.be/fq15HXc6pmw
Relevant part:
How am I supposed to live
When I built my life around you?
Try to put yourself in my shoes
The connection here is clear. We are in a time where analytics has led teams to try to play as efficiently as possible play to play. And that’s fine of course but at leads to decisions being made like those James Harden and Luca forced on the teams. Dantoni explained the team line of thinking pretty well:
“People don’t like it, aesthetically it’s not good. I don’t love it, I’d rather pass the ball around. And if I didn’t have a team that had James Harden, guess what! We’d pass the ball around… You got James Harden, I'm gonna make him the best player he could possibly be.”.
And that was mirrored by some Mavs people I saw do an interview. Basically….when Luka has the ball to score or find someone open the team is far more efficient than when someone else’s does(this was a year or two ago). So Luka needs to have the ball the whole game.
It’s not entirely illogical. If your team scores on a much higher rate on possessions where one guy has near complete control why not give it to them all game every game?
Well the reason of course is teammate buy in, development, and having the ability to play without the star both when he’s out of the game and when he’s injured or leaves the team.
It makes all of these guys look like gods analytically because the teams can’t function when they’re out of the game or when they miss time but…is that how you build a team?
The opposite approach to me is Tim Duncan. In what should’ve been his late prime he took a step back in the offense and let other people not just have the ball more, but have more responsibility. All the way up and down the roster.
The Spurs became a team that played together entirely and not one that needed any individual to do it all.
That said, it’s a lot easier for somebody like pop who has absolute unquestioned job, security forever to do that than for some GM/coach fighting for his job. Pop could afford to play the long game and try to develop confident role players, who don’t let the skills they built up in a lifetime of being a star before the NBA atrophy while they watch some guy dribble.
You may not have that luxury as a first year coach who has a guy like Luka or Harden or even Lebron to ride to more wins than the roster deserves.
You look better for winning 53 with a shit to average roster….than you do winning 41 making role players be all they can be for a future you won’t be there for. Also…with free agency? Are teams even worried how good a second or third guy can become when they’re probably gonna walk anyway?
Teams care more about developing when they know you’re locked in long term don’t they?
Can you blame a coach for trying to win the most games right now even if it makes for a worse total team and future? Should he care how good they will be for the next coach to get the credit?
Is it smarter to win the most right now no matter what?