It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.
--Yogi Berra
There's a bit over six minutes left in the the final game of this season, that is, round 1 of the west playoffs, game four. Decimated by injuries as I've never seen a team besieged, I texted my boys John and Greg yesterday:
The Lakes are a wounded animal, writhing in pain. Pop[ovich] has a rifle. He'll end the pain tomorrow.
Now that Popovich's mission is accomplished, there's little sense in feeling sorry for ourselves; it's Kupchak time.
So, in light of the craziest season ever, here are a few thoughts. Stick around for the link to Zeke's interview with Max & Marcellus from a week ago.
1. I'm tired of Dwight. Yes, there are extenuating circumstances, but he's a big ticket item. I'd much rather see that price tag go toward CP3, who's unrestricted.
2. My favorite position after 1 is 4, and the Lakes have never been a powerhouse there. I think good 4's are the rarity of the league; Z-Bo, Noah, Faried, Boozer... and then? I really like Jordan Hill, but will he fulfill the promise we saw? Let's hope so.
3. That defense was the black cloud for the 2013 Lakes needs to be contextualized. During the Heat's run, my first response was they would never be doing that in the west. I think in some ways defense is much tougher to play than offense because it's reactionary, a communal way of thinking that necessitates a high degree of communication. The ball is now in D'Antoni's court, and he's got his homework cut out for him as the west is on fire with talent, great coaching and a year of experience for teams like the Thunder, Warriors and Nugs who present problems for west teams; great guard play specifically bent on mercilessly breaking down defenses. And it's no mistake that two of those teams are coached by former 1's: Mark Jackson and Scott Brooks. The Nugs just have a great coach period in George Karl.
4. The Lakes need an intervention. Badly. Companies and organizations have retreats where they can concentrate on particular issues, bring in outside consultants and solicit from the team their thoughts and suggestions. Like good defense, it's based upon communication, and it has to be 360, not just the typical top down flow. The Lakes need to begin the process now, not later. As athletes know, if you take the day off -- which is highly tempting when you're young, a millionaire and in LA -- you can be sure there's someone out there working at their game.
My boy John S recently told me that recent 6th man of the year JR Smith succeeded because he gave up partying. JR Smith; one of the most notorious head cases in the league, somehow turned it around. Some call that sacrifice, I say it's common sense based upon priorities.
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| Good mourning, Mitch |
Kupchak now has the mother of Lakes assignments, and I don't envy him. However, he's gotta step up, as he's a leader on this team as well. You get the sense from Michael Lewis' Moneyball that BIlly Beane found the golden ticket. He bucked a century old tradition in the process of trying something different, by thinking it out. That, not just personnel fit, is Mitch's assignment.
This problem has a solution, but there are a lot of moving parts and little cohesion that I see faint hope of tackling if we keep going at it in the typical fashion. Baseball found it's DNA building block via Bill James' great discovery: on base percentage. That discovery led to a radical departure in thinking and analyzing baseball. Hoops I believe has a corollary, but I'll leave that for now.
This offseason should be very "on."
This offseason should be very "on."
Here's Zeke on Max & Marcellus:
