Wanted: Player(s) who can change the team's culture

I was reading this piece on Kobe from earlier today and I thought this part is basically referring to our current situation:


How to truly make players better, what that really means,” he said. “It’s not just passing to your guys and getting them shots. It’s not getting this or that many players into double figures. That’s bull[expletive]. That’s not how you win championships. You’ve got to change the culture of your team – that’s how you truly make guys better. In a way, you have to help them to get the same DNA that you have, the same focus you have, maybe even close to the same drive. That’s how you make guys better.

“I’ve never understood this stuff, where a star player sits out and a team goes into the tank. Well, they need him because he makes them better. Well, if he’s making them better, they should be able to survive without him. That’s how you lead your guys. You’ve got to be able to make guys suffice on their own, without you. If you’re there all the time and they take you away, they shouldn’t need a respirator.

Once I understood all that, I looked at things completely different. I took my hands off. I didn’t try to control them. I let them make decisions, make their own [expletive]-ups and I was there to try and help them through it.”



Pretty much sounds like he's describing what we're lacking. I've thought before that Houston needed players who demanded better from others. I want someone to frown at players on the court. Someone to call the team out when necessary. There's definitely ways of doing this without being a bully or disrespecting teammates, and it's something you'll see from guys who led their teams to championships. Even Dream had a way of doing it, in his own gentle way, and more recently Kobe, TD, Manu, and KG. You could argue these were just great teams led by great players, but i think some guys clearly have this quality, while many others dont.

I think our team is built on too many players who are easy-going and friends, which makes them unable to be critical of each other. In the past, guys like Rafer, Ron, and Tmac were seen as cancers, but they had more of this attitude than anyone we currently have. Perhaps Ariza had some of that in him and that's why this team has slowly lost their drive, heart, and ability to regulate themselves when guys are injured. CP3 seems to have it as well and could be why the Hornets came together quickly and could surprise many in the playoffs this year. However, this Rockets team is definitely on a respirator as it waits for their stars to return.

So do we have anyone close to this mentality? I dont think so...the closest may be chuck. He's the guy you've seen in the practice clips talking smack and urging guys to do better. Battier is more likely to give advice, which just isnt the same thing. Brooks, Martin, and Yao have similar personalities and are not likely to go out of their way much to say what should be said. I dont see anyone on the bench who has it. Scola can be seen talking to others, but i dont think he demands better, bet he is the one guy who has the right to do it.

What Kobe says about letting players make their own mistakes is also something this team is really bad at. Rather than letting it happen, we see guys like Scola walking away from their own man on D to help cover a potential defensive mistake by another player. It's what friends do for each other, but it can be taken too far and it hurts them more than it helps. It makes sense to let them mess up and help them correct it in the future, rather than always trying to help cover for them. It's part of why our defensive rotations are all screwed up.

The probability of acquiring a superstar has been discussed recently and i believe it's a low one. Plus, guys we have been after, like Melo and Bosh, don't really have this frame of mind. The team may be better off looking for this quality in semi-stars and that may be enough to get this team on the right track, but who do y'all think are some non-star players with this quality? I think one is Joakim Noah. Although he's not great, he's a very good rebounder/defender and he's definitely the type to inspire, push, and make demands on a team. This is something he said about a season ago about losing:


"It's a disease, and it spreads throughout the whole team," Noah said calmly. "It's just really, really hard right now because regardless what we do, there's no light at the end of the tunnel, especially for this season.

"We're not really playing with a lot of pride and respect for the jersey. It's just hard because you can't point at anybody individually. It's just our togetherness as a team is just bad. You can talk about Florida. But if you're a Bulls fan, I'm not a champion anymore. We're losers. We lose. That's all we do. That's all there is to say.

"There's going to have to be a serious team talk before the end of the year about our approach to every game and things that are going to be tolerated and not tolerated. Not little stupid things. I'm talking about winning and the sacrifices that need to be done to win."


He may be someone to pursue if the team decides to give up on Yao. Who are other players who can help this team on the court and in the process change the culture of this team?

 

That why i loved the Miller signing. I really thought he'd bring some of that attitude, but i haven't seen it. He's done a good job at directing guys offensively, but he's not making much noise on the court other than to complain about calls. He also seems less interested in taking on this role once he's on the bench. We need someone who's got that switch "on" the whole time.

I see it in Kyle Lowry, but the point Kobe was making is it needs to be instilled in others. You can't just have it and show up to play because when you're gone you'll take that attitude with you. We saw last year the effect his injury had on the team when he sat out. We need someone that can influence the team further than what Lowry can.

 

When guys aren't running faster after losing again and again there's definitely some lack of desire. When guys are getting beat for rebounds after it's been a continous problem, then there's lack of heart. I think we're so used to saying these guys have it that we are giving them credit for it as long as they show up to the game and it shouldn't be that way. These guys need to show it and prove they still have it to be given credit for it.

When fans refer to "Kobe's will" it's assumed it's a current action. As in he's willing them to win at that moment, but the point of making it a team culture is to implant that attitude before the playoffs, before the finals, so that they each have a determined will, rather than needing Kobe's to pull them through. Like i mentioned earlier, Ron has some of it and I think Gasol is too good of a player and teammate not to pick up on it, so yes they definitely help a lot. However, i think players, especially younger players, need to fear letting the leaders down in order to perform their best and push beyond being average or doing just enough. We don't have that at all. If these younger players don't perform like they should you're not going to see yao, battier, scola, or chuck really come at them asking for better. If the vets can do it to the younger players, then they sure can't do it to each other. With them you're going to get understanding, sympathy and some advice, which is like keeping these guys on training wheels.

I do agree we're lacking toughness, but that's not something you have to be born with. It's mostly an attitude that even the small and thin guys can have and part of this culture Kobe is refering to. For example, when Nash is brought up as a possible acquisition for brooks, the main complaint is "he's just as soft or more than brooks", but that's not true. Nash may not be good defensively either, but he still mixes it up with other players. Watch him operate and he's a lot more physical than it appears, especially off the ball. There's no reason brooks and Martin can't do similar things to increase their toughness. Nash doesn't do it because he's bigger, stronger, and badder, it's just an attitude.

 

I think it's important to make a distinction between what kobe is saying and simply having tough players or defenders. It's not quite the same thing. The key here is what he says about players being able to survive on their own. It's like a having a big brother. It's great if he's tough, bad and beats up everyone who picks on you. Technically, together you two are "tough", but what happens when he leaves? You won't be able to survive. The difference would be having a big brother who not only has your back, but urges you to have your own incase one day he's not there to help. He's going to be on you all the time, maybe to get stronger, meaner and have a different mindset. When he sees you getting punked by a kid he's going to tell you to deal with it as he watches closely, rather than doing the dirty work for you every time. If you mess up, he's going to help you get it right next time. He'll have influenced your way of thinking so much that eventually that attitude and frame of mind will automatically kick in for you, even when he's not around. At that point you make it your own and that's how you'll be able to survive without him.

 

Sort of....but i think you're still thinking primarily of having "bulldog" type players, and while that certainly can be helpful, i don't think they're always the kind who changes the culture. They can change a team during a game they're playing in, but im not sure guys like Barnes and Blake influence guys to change their habits and way of thinking. Their influence is more direct and on the court.