Three years ago my grade school alma mater reached out to me regarding coaching basketball. I was intrigued. I had coached during high school and loved it. I decided to jump in and give it a shot. To say we were not good would be an understatement. The average experience of the kids on my team was 2 years of competitive basketball. Practices were spent doing drills just so we could actually get the ball up the court and pretend to run an offense.
Despite our unwinned season there were various bright spots. Whether it was the diabetic player that competed the whole season and finished with a huge smile on his face…a well-deserved smile or the short point guard that could steal the ball from anyone the bright spots could be found every game. The real bright spot was Jerry. The lacrosse star was giving basketball a shot for the first time ever. He was not as polished, not as skilled and not as ready as any of the other players, BUT he had one thing that the others did not. A drive to succeed. He picked up defensive principles and rebounding instantly. He also understood something kids his age don’t understand easily. Passing the ball helps us. Lacrosse principles translated very easily for Jerry and he was easy to keep on the court.
The NBA is in a resurgence. A resurgence led by amazing stars, strong teams and passing. A resurgence that has left the days of Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury and ball-stopping isolation players in the dust. The reasons for this resurgence are varied and unproven, but the reasons matter less than results. The NBA is becoming the 2nd most popular in America and more fun to watch now than in a long time. I think there are a few reasons for this.
Xerox method
The phrase is a popular one in sports. “Imitation is the best form of flattery.” We see it all the time in sports. The wildcat, four corners, isolation offense, catcher hitting last and the read option are all fads in sports that have come and gone and come back again. Some things change and stick. Ball movement in the NBA is one of those things. I think the San Antonio Spurs are one of the reasons for its renaissance. Greg Popovich and RJ Buford built their team around three players (Duncan, Robinson, Elliott then Duncan Parker, Ginobli now Parker, Aldridge, Leonard) and a cast of characters with specific roles and one particular skill set…to pass the ball to the open man.
The league didn’t really heed the change in the championship trend until the Spurs won their second title in 2003. When the Spurs beat the New Jersey Nets in 6 and did it with some international players (Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli), defensive specialists (Bruce Bowen and David Robinson) and one superstar (Tim Duncan) people started changing their philosophies. Those second round picks that you include in trades to get players or 1st round picks now have value. You can draft international players, let them develop in their home leagues and then bring them over when they are ready. Most importantly it changed how a team functions on offense. When Duncan and Robinson are passing to Manu and Parker and trusting them to make the right decision rather than isolating and allowing the defense to focus in on one offensive component people took notice.
2005 was the big turning point. The Pistons and Spurs matched up in the Finals this year. The team that put team ball on the map (the Pistons beat the star-studded Lakers the year before) would lose in 7 to a team that did what they do, just better. This is when the tide started turning.
Stars Demanding Help
Lebron James is the catalyst of the next step of our metamorphosis. A star…THE star of the NBA took a TERRIBLE cast of characters (Sasha Pavlovic, Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Daniel Gibson, Eric Snow, etc) to the NBA finals, lost and then lost in the Eastern Conference finals the next year. A team at the top of the Eastern Conference running an isolation offense through the best player in the game.
Then, the Decision changed everything. He left Cleveland, he left a town hating him, he left the big fish in a little pond, he left the hometown and left the isolation style of basketball. He joined a Heat team with all the hype, all the talent and an offense focused on ball movement. When the highest profile player leaves a team running one style to another focused on a different style the league takes notice and starts reacting. Although the Big 3 did not win the title every year they did show unselfish play and team ball could win you two titles and get you to the final dance perenially.
Teams Rebuilding Differently
It’s great when you can attract players like the Big 3 to your team, but how do other teams build for the future? The league is responding by gathering two types of players…shooters and athletes that pass. There seems to be an epidemic of building teams that are good but waiting to either develop or sign stars to get to the next level. The Pistons, Jazz, Celtics, Suns, Hornets, Magic, Nuggets and Timberwolves are on the fringe of tanking AND making the playoffs. They also all push spacing, shooting and BALL MOVEMENT.
The draft, second round draft picks, fringe free agents and depth are now at a premium while huge free agent acquisitions, building around one player and isolation offenses are on the way out…for now.
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