The problem is not the players, it's the system/coaching/discipline

I just want to vent out our current situation. I am sure there are threads where we talked about our problems but my assumption is mostly the players fault and a close second is the coaching. These are the few points I want to address.

1.) If you were to construct a team, you would probably form a team like we have now. I am excited to play it in 2K because it is actually a strong team. But there are many cases before where there are super teams that even lose to "lower" teams like when Detroit won against the Lakers team of Shaq,Kobe,Malone and Payton. You can say that Detroit had a better team chemistry and coaching. The team of Dream,Barkley and Drexler lost to the Jazz team with less stars but better coaching.

2.) For me, we are better "talent wise" against the Warriors but they have better chemistry, better team bonding, better "friendship", less ego.

3.) I think our main problem is control. I mean control of who should be the leader. I feel like Harden is just doing what he wants and finger pointing. He usually blames his team mates and not accepting his fault as a player. It's not his fault if he acts that way because the coach should be the one who disciplines him. He played well and under control under Coach thibs in the olympics and even on OKC (or he was just starting so he was essentially an "obedient" player back then). I don't want to blame only on Harden but there are probably players that are not doing their job as a player or as a team mate but still it should be the leader(coach) who should take control of the team's action.

4.) Yes we can say coaching is a big problem. It is actually just a continuation of Mchale's coaching. It looks like it improved but just as Mchale said on TNT that they were not ready to start the season so 11 games is too short to gauge it. We still see Harden isos and probably even less Howard post ups. And still I see that JB can't control Harden or he did not change the system. This "system" only works if Harden is making his shots.

5.) Howard is not the problem. In fact, he is giving way to Harden. He is ok with what Harden is doing but I assume deep inside he does not like the system or the manner which how they play. Yes, he wants post ups but I believe that he does not want to ask for it or complain about touches for the betterment of the team or he does not have the mentality to do it as what Shaq always say. He is not that good of a post up player but he still he needs to do it to get better and for his confidence. You can't say that 90% Harden iso is better than 10% post ups. Maybe at least 60 to 40. If you compare Shaq and Howard, Shaq has that bully mentality where he just backs down and if possible pass through that player while Howard likes to go around and maneuver around defenders instead of backing down. I feel he gets affected by the physical play while Shaq gets better when he is physically attacked. That's why I think Dream is not the "ultimate" solution because Dream has a different mentality. Dream taught a lot I know but Shaq is a better teacher for his game and skill set. but more importantly, you need a good coach that can maximize his potential and bring out the best in him and encourage him to speak up as a leader on what plays he want.

6.) If you look at great teams, you would presume that there would be better chemistry or they are just talented. We all know that talent can't win championships. If it is an individual sport, it would probably work. I think if there's a good coach and every player listens to him then probably it will work. A coach that can control the players' actions. A perfect example is Rodman. We all know how volatile he is. You can say he is a mini version of Harden in the sense that he gets his way and blames team mates for his failures. Rodman did not thrive in the Spurs team because there was no one to discipline him. Robinson was presumably apathetic to the whole situation but when he played for the Bulls, he was "controlled" by Jordan and Jackson.

7.) What they really need is a "real" team meeting or open forum. A team meeting that does not talk about what they should do on the court but airing out ALL their grievances against each other even to the coach. A players only meeting can work but it is better if coaches are there. The meeting should not hold back and tell each other what they like or don't like. If I were JB or Dwight, I would tell Harden to iso less, blame team mates and give more effort on the defensive end. I would tell him to accept fault and be humble. If I were JB or Harden, I would tell Howard to be a beast and complain less and don't stay timid. If I were any of the players, I would tell JB to make more plays or probably play Thornton more. Anyway, these are just examples I can think of. If you look at their body language, I would assume that there are things that they have not said to each other or just hiding their frustrations. If you look at the Spurs, they don't blame or complain. They accept their weaknesses and listen to very authoritative Popovich. I would assume if Harden plays under him. It's either he plays better or he won't get much playing time.

7.) It's not Morey's fault. yes he want a certain type of system but it can be done as long as there is discipline and good leadership. Trading players would not help for this team (maybe one or two trades specifically for TJ) because I feel talent wise we are already good. Maybe a good coach can bring out the best in ty and howard but if you look at the makeup of the team, it is a good team.

Conclusion: Thanks for reading. sorry if it bored you. The bottomline is they just need a good leader to guide them. I just feel JB can't control this team. He may be shouting instructions but it is going to deaf ears. Trading Dwight may only worsen the situation. If Howard and Harden don't really like each other after intensive meeting between the two then you can consider trading either one of them. It may be an attitude problem but still a good coach can probably fix it. Talking about trade possibilities is a easy way out solution but not a long term solution. If we have a weak team then probably we can consider trades. We don't know why Shaq and Kobe went south but still they won championships before the break up so probably that's a situation that is irreconcilable. What I am saying is not only we need a good coach but coach that control and understand the players at the same time. This should like be a class with no bullies but a happy team that can iron their differences and no egos. If you look at the Warriors, Curry seems humble, Klay looks like a cool guy. I don't ever see them finger point at each other. They like to play with each other. With us, I see complains and blaming after a wrong failed play. All these can be fixed with a good authoritative,understanding coach. The team is ok and set. Sorry again for the long read.