nice read, lets hope something happens. it's truly up to the players. the defense that we are playing now is ACCEPTABLE at best, but the problem is that the offensive side of the story is nowhere to be found. once we get the offensive down and increase our defensive efficiency a bit, this team will be way above average. for now, its really hard to look at a team with so much depth/talent and see mediocrity.
Well, at least Rick Adelman didnt quit on his team. Coach has different coaching style. Some coach want to biatch slap their players and some prefer to give their players respect and space. IIRC. that's the last season of Rick Adelman with the Kings - basically he was a lame duck coach. I watched lots of the Kings games in that season too and I dont think the players quitted on Rick. It's only because of the poor results in the first 3 months of the Kings and people began to over-analyze. In that last season, Webber was traded away a season ago. Bibby was hurt or in a shooting slump in the beginning of season. Brad Miller, of course, was always injured and in and out of lineup; and so was Peja. Abdur Rajhim even played with a broken jaw. Poor results was expected - a lackluster season to begin with. I still can recall there was a game (forget against which team) the Kings fought until the last second and Bonzi nailed a 3 pointer at the left corner to win the game. That's before the Kings traded for Artest. So, I wouldnt say the Kings quit. They were just in a difficult situation. After the Kings acquired Artest, the Kings went on a run and make the playoff. It's laughable when people only mentioned the Kings made the playoff because of Artest and dont say what a wonderful coaching job Rick Adelman did. btw, can anyone remind me which coach quitted on the New York Knicks in 01/02 season?
That would be too bad, could Yao be a leader? who is a center without the ball, can not make others better, and Tmac who said he is not a leader anymore. Rafer for a leader?
Coach shifting blame onto his players? But seriously, does this mean that if this team fails to succeed, it's the players fault and not the coach this time around?
Not a bad article. Ultimately, this kind of coaching can reap rewards by forcing players to take ownership of the team and motivate one another. It may take a couple bad early season losses (like to the Raps and 76ers) to motivate the players to start regulating one-another, but already we can see some results. Have we ever seen Yao this vocal? Battier shouting at teamates to run on defense? Steve Francis displaying a humble, pass first attitude? Some of the players are begining to get it. It may take time, but hopefully, the collective frustration that the rockets feel right now will lead to players to realize they have to buy in, work hard, and cohere as a unit. They've got to feel responsibility and loyalty not only to the people who pay them and coach them, but to the people they play with. Great teams have this. Always. Adleman's style encourages this. It's a gamble, it's always a gamble, but i think the players have too much to lose not to catch on.
Great find Hayesfan. Scary read too. That's certainly not the first time we've heard this assessment in the GARM.
He's not shifting blame, he's shifting responsibility. Notice he said its his fault too. He realizes, though, that players are grown men with large egos who make millions of dollars, so he's not gonna try to bully them. The coach acting this way doesn't mean the players coach themselves, it means they feel responsibility towards one another and motivate one another. If your boss orders you to do something, and your friend asks you to do the same thing, you might do it in both instances, but with more gusto for your friend. If motivated by your peers, you also won't resent your boss, and wll be more open to his/her suggestons then if s/he was a taskmaster. At least that's the theory. I like this style of coaching, personally. It may be rockier, no, it HAS to be rockier at the start in order to start a fire under the teams a$$ but once a team "gels," it's a beautiful thing. The alternative is JVG style coaching, where players like Franchise and Bonzi and Vspan are run out of town, and rookies aren't given a chance. I would rather this team lose early and develop a sense of personal pride then to be driven before the whips all year. Does our team have the makeup to come together? We'll see.
Thanks prof. It certainly highlighted why I have been so bothered by Adelman so far. I don't know if all players can handle that sort of "leadership", but I do know for a fact it has to be culture shock to go from Van Gundy telling them exactly what to do all the time and giving them the inspiration to do better to Adelman who basically forces you to find it all within yourself. The only thing I still don't get is his rotation decisions. But perhaps that too in time will work itself out.
If all you are is a system guy, isn't that more of an assistant's role? I know Phil Jackson had an assistant that was responsible for developing his triangle offense. A head coach has to set the attitude of the team. In your own job, think about what your supervisor is responsible for. Assessing the performance of employees. Motivating them. Holding them accountable. Van Gundy was a master at this. He never let anyone off the hook, he never let anyone rest on their laurels or feel satisfied. That kind of pressure to perform has to be applied to get the most out of your employees or your players. You can't expect it to happen naturally.
IMHO a coach can not be the team leader, it has to come from the players, someone on the floor. I think Adelman is forcing someone to step up and take charge, our best bet is for that to happen sooner than later, and my money is on Yao. DD
For the moment, it seems like we have a similar situation to what he described with the Kings, including Adelman just letting it slide. Hopefully things change and Adelman develops a rapport with the team before it's too late. DD, you are dead wrong again. Top flight coaches are indeed team leaders. All you have to do is look at Pop and the Spurs, Riles with the Heat. If you throw in LB with the Pistons, the last 5 championships have been won by "hands on", "controlling", "domineering" coaches. I know you hate to admit this because of your dislike of JVG, but facts are facts. The difference is those guys had better players and are better offensive coaches than JVG. Your dream of a hands off approach taking us to a championship (in defiance of the way JVG handled things) is a pipe dream. Coaches that have a good plan and demand players conform with that plan win championships. Coaches that coddle players and let things slide do not win championships.
Great analysis, A_3PO, as usual. You're definitely on to something here. Every example you've mentioned is spot on. I'd have to mention that for every rule there is an exception, in this case Phil Jackson. But then again he arguably had 2 of the best players during their respective runs in the Bulls and Lakers. You can also say that PJ's style doesn't work w/ anything less then the best, evident by the Shaq-less Lakers. I don't think Phil could do much better here either. And I know it's not basketball, but I heard there's this NFL team being run like the Death Star on red alert...
Man, that reminds about JVG's tough attitude on court. He said somthing about you got be tough like you're in a "knife fight". REMEMBER??? DAMN RIGHT. THAT'S THE MENTALITY THIS TEAM NEED TO HAVE...KILL or GET STAB!!!!! THIS TEAM NEED SOMEONE TO GET ON THEIR ARSE TO PERFORM AT FULL POT.
That is a very insightful commet. I never really thought about it that way but it definitely makes sense. Maybe, there is more to Adelman than meets the eye of the casual observer. His dynamic offense requires players to constantly react to defenses and think for themselves. For the players that do figure it out, they will gain ultimate confidence. Good teams have players that can make things happen without the coach dictating their every move. Adelman could be trying to force this ability out of the players by not over-coaching while realizing that it will get ugly in the process of them figuring out.
This is also a very good point. I guess only time will tell if Adelman's "hands-off" approach will bring success.
