Hello Folks,
So, we have seen a significant amount of chatter, back and forth between guys wanting Toronto to completely rebuild, and others wishing to make whats here work now. We are calling one group "Tankers", and one group "anti-Tankers". It's important to understand that on both sides, there are guys and gals here who are astute, intelligent and in some cases experienced Basketball minds.
It's true, there are points on both sides, and the one really important reason, is that there isn't always one true way to build a franchise, it changes, always. but what remains is that the real issue guys need to look at is timing in the process of rebuilding. just where is your team?
I, am a steadfast "Tanker" guy. reason being, I believe the assembled talent has been looked at, I know it's being assessed, and whats here, likely cannot compete as built. This gets misunderstood as feeling that as a "tanker" I feel like Toronto will lose games, get a #1 guy and then win. This couldn't be further from the truth. What I'm advocating is a full on rebuild, from assessment, dismantling, developing, and then finishing touches. "anti tankers" point to Indiana as the model they like, when Indian, in reality, had to "tank" to begin the process they are now seeing great rewards from.
I read the following article on Hoopsworld. Maybe its been here before, maybe not. I hope you guys like it. It isn't super detailed, but what it does focus upon is a great understanding of what teams must do. Understanding that different Markets have different obstacles, and therefore the creativity has to be in place to conquer those. But make no mistake, whether you call it a tank, or an anti-tank, or whatever, when you team is consistently bad, a rebuild is necessary, and to do it right, you have to start at the bottom. Its slow. Its painful, but it will pay off.
So, we have seen a significant amount of chatter, back and forth between guys wanting Toronto to completely rebuild, and others wishing to make whats here work now. We are calling one group "Tankers", and one group "anti-Tankers". It's important to understand that on both sides, there are guys and gals here who are astute, intelligent and in some cases experienced Basketball minds.
It's true, there are points on both sides, and the one really important reason, is that there isn't always one true way to build a franchise, it changes, always. but what remains is that the real issue guys need to look at is timing in the process of rebuilding. just where is your team?
I, am a steadfast "Tanker" guy. reason being, I believe the assembled talent has been looked at, I know it's being assessed, and whats here, likely cannot compete as built. This gets misunderstood as feeling that as a "tanker" I feel like Toronto will lose games, get a #1 guy and then win. This couldn't be further from the truth. What I'm advocating is a full on rebuild, from assessment, dismantling, developing, and then finishing touches. "anti tankers" point to Indiana as the model they like, when Indian, in reality, had to "tank" to begin the process they are now seeing great rewards from.
I read the following article on Hoopsworld. Maybe its been here before, maybe not. I hope you guys like it. It isn't super detailed, but what it does focus upon is a great understanding of what teams must do. Understanding that different Markets have different obstacles, and therefore the creativity has to be in place to conquer those. But make no mistake, whether you call it a tank, or an anti-tank, or whatever, when you team is consistently bad, a rebuild is necessary, and to do it right, you have to start at the bottom. Its slow. Its painful, but it will pay off.
How To Rebuild An NBA Franchise
One of the hardest things to do in professional sports is rebuild a franchise, so much so that fans and teams alike dread the concept altogether. Still, there are 14 NBA teams currently grappling with the prospect of doing just that, to one degree or another. What’s the best approach? The best way to get a grasp on what it means to completely revamp an NBA franchise is to talk to someone who’s done it, someone like former Indiana Pacers general manager David Morway.
“First, before doing anything else, it’s important to do a thorough evaluation of the entire basketball operation including the status of the roster, the coaching staff, the scouting operation, the support staff, the team culture, the basketball operations infrastructure and the team’s cap situation and financial flexibility going forward,” said Morway, who worked with Larry Bird to help the Pacers bridge the Reggie Miller era and the current up-and-coming team. “In addition, I also think it’s important to spend some time understanding both the history of the franchise as well as how the franchise got to it’s current state. After all of that is done, then it’s important to develop a clear, concise game-plan for moving the franchise forward.”
The popular way for teams to talk about rebuilding now is in the mold of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lost a ton of games, landed good draft picks, used them well and developed their talented young players into a championship-caliber team. Of course, they also had the benefit of a franchise move, which ensured rabid fan support during the tough losses, and they also happened to land Kevin Durant, who has turned into an all-world player. It’s fine to talk about doing it the OKC way, but that’s not necessarily something just any team can do.
“I’m not sure that there is one specific way to rebuild a franchise in today’s NBA,” said Morway. “Clearly, drafting well, organically developing your players, establishing cap and financial flexibility and then being opportunistic in using the cap flexibility created in prospective trades and in free agency are key drivers to success. However, how each franchise goes about the specifics of rebuilding is going to be very franchise-specific based on many concerns including timing issues, financial issues, ownership expectations and at some level your fan base tolerance for rebuilding. Just look at Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Miami and the Lakers, for example. Each of them went about rebuilding in different ways using the drivers I mentioned before, yet they each have been very successful over significant periods of time. At the end of the day, the goal is build a franchise that has a clear identity and a sustainable team culture centered around core players who are surrounded by a roster with depth. The one thing you see when you study franchises that have won championships in the past like the Celtics, the Lakers, the Pistons, the Spurs and Miami is a clear and consistent franchise culture that they live by everyday.”
One of the big issues facing teams as they ponder rebuilding is the ever-growing focus on immediate gratification. Fans are closer to their teams than ever before thanks to social media, and through those mediums they can apply enormous pressure on ownership and management to move quickly. That makes it even harder for teams that aren’t in the middle of a move to keep the fans interested while doing what’s necessary to develop a team for the future.
“Yeah, I think there is much more pressure when it comes to all those things, and like I mentioned before, every franchise is very different,” Morway said. “Most importantly though, you need to understand your owner’s expectations and tolerance for rebuilding. At some level it’s important to understand your fan base’s expectations, as well, but when you make decisions you’ve got to be able to tune out all the fans, media and all those other things. The key is making smart basketball decisions, regardless of public perception, that are based on a disciplined decision-making model that follows the game plan established at the outset.”
Smaller NBA markets are always going to have to approach things differently from their large-market counterparts, but that doesn’t mean they will have an automatic advantage. This season, for example, teams like the Thunder, Pacers and Spurs have had a great deal more success than the Lakers, who could afford to outspend them all significantly.
“It’s more difficult for a small market, but that’s the challenge,” admitted Morway. “There are several very successful small market franchises today that have been built with discipline, patience, creativity and above all else a culture and expectation of winning. Players see that and want to be a part of it.”
One way that teams can develop their players is to provide extra support beyond the court to help their young men grow as people as well as players. Morway helped implement such a program in Indiana and he believes it is essential for the growth of a healthy team culture.
“Absolutely, that’s no different than any other proactive corporation or business in the U.S. today,” Morway explained. “They invest in their people and their people are going to perform. You have to do the same thing in the NBA, but in an even more comprehensive fashion. We’re drafting young men that are 19 or 20 years old, for the most part, and we expect them to act like seasoned professionals. Unfortunately, that’s typically not the case. Like most 19- and 20-year-olds, they’re still developing both their on- and off-court skill sets. Yet the scrutiny they’re under on a daily basis when it comes to the media and the fan base is something that is atypical not only for them, but for most of us. As a result, at some level, I think it’s the responsibility of the franchise to help expedite their growth by putting resources and programs in place that are designed specifically to help them develop their off-court skill set. The key with programs like this is patience. You have to remember that it takes time.”
Of course, there’s also the advanced statistical side of team building, made famous by the recent movie “Moneyball,” starring Brad Pitt as Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane. Morway sees the stats side of the game as important, but only as part of a more holistic approach.
“The analytics movement in the NBA today is definitely a more integral part of the evaluation process and it’s important,” Morway said. “However, it’s still just one piece of a bigger puzzle which also includes, for example, the scouting side, the medical side, the psychological piece and each player’s background history. The more advanced stats we’re looking at today help to develop a clearer picture of the total player and at the end of the day the more information you have the better more solid decisions you’re going to make when it comes to player evaluation. The key issue here is to make intelligent, carefully thought out decisions that stay true to the vision of the franchise.”
The video game age has a tendency to make it harder for NBA fans to understand just how complicated it is to really rebuild a franchise. Unlike in simulations, where a team with Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol might go 82-0, the real world is much more complex. There are advanced stats, sure, but there is also a significant psychological component, as well as the court work and the training that go into developing players into a strong, cohesive unit.
David Morway was an integral part of the team that undertook the challenge of rebuilding the Indiana Pacers, and small market or not, the Pacers have clearly made the moves and developed their team to the point where they can compete with anyone, including their large market opponents. It is this all-around approach that will most likely prove most successful as the new NBA collective bargaining agreement starts to make things harder for the team who simply look to spend their way into contention.
Read more at http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-how...OLkbs08XSj2.99
One of the hardest things to do in professional sports is rebuild a franchise, so much so that fans and teams alike dread the concept altogether. Still, there are 14 NBA teams currently grappling with the prospect of doing just that, to one degree or another. What’s the best approach? The best way to get a grasp on what it means to completely revamp an NBA franchise is to talk to someone who’s done it, someone like former Indiana Pacers general manager David Morway.
“First, before doing anything else, it’s important to do a thorough evaluation of the entire basketball operation including the status of the roster, the coaching staff, the scouting operation, the support staff, the team culture, the basketball operations infrastructure and the team’s cap situation and financial flexibility going forward,” said Morway, who worked with Larry Bird to help the Pacers bridge the Reggie Miller era and the current up-and-coming team. “In addition, I also think it’s important to spend some time understanding both the history of the franchise as well as how the franchise got to it’s current state. After all of that is done, then it’s important to develop a clear, concise game-plan for moving the franchise forward.”
The popular way for teams to talk about rebuilding now is in the mold of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lost a ton of games, landed good draft picks, used them well and developed their talented young players into a championship-caliber team. Of course, they also had the benefit of a franchise move, which ensured rabid fan support during the tough losses, and they also happened to land Kevin Durant, who has turned into an all-world player. It’s fine to talk about doing it the OKC way, but that’s not necessarily something just any team can do.
“I’m not sure that there is one specific way to rebuild a franchise in today’s NBA,” said Morway. “Clearly, drafting well, organically developing your players, establishing cap and financial flexibility and then being opportunistic in using the cap flexibility created in prospective trades and in free agency are key drivers to success. However, how each franchise goes about the specifics of rebuilding is going to be very franchise-specific based on many concerns including timing issues, financial issues, ownership expectations and at some level your fan base tolerance for rebuilding. Just look at Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Miami and the Lakers, for example. Each of them went about rebuilding in different ways using the drivers I mentioned before, yet they each have been very successful over significant periods of time. At the end of the day, the goal is build a franchise that has a clear identity and a sustainable team culture centered around core players who are surrounded by a roster with depth. The one thing you see when you study franchises that have won championships in the past like the Celtics, the Lakers, the Pistons, the Spurs and Miami is a clear and consistent franchise culture that they live by everyday.”
One of the big issues facing teams as they ponder rebuilding is the ever-growing focus on immediate gratification. Fans are closer to their teams than ever before thanks to social media, and through those mediums they can apply enormous pressure on ownership and management to move quickly. That makes it even harder for teams that aren’t in the middle of a move to keep the fans interested while doing what’s necessary to develop a team for the future.
“Yeah, I think there is much more pressure when it comes to all those things, and like I mentioned before, every franchise is very different,” Morway said. “Most importantly though, you need to understand your owner’s expectations and tolerance for rebuilding. At some level it’s important to understand your fan base’s expectations, as well, but when you make decisions you’ve got to be able to tune out all the fans, media and all those other things. The key is making smart basketball decisions, regardless of public perception, that are based on a disciplined decision-making model that follows the game plan established at the outset.”
Smaller NBA markets are always going to have to approach things differently from their large-market counterparts, but that doesn’t mean they will have an automatic advantage. This season, for example, teams like the Thunder, Pacers and Spurs have had a great deal more success than the Lakers, who could afford to outspend them all significantly.
“It’s more difficult for a small market, but that’s the challenge,” admitted Morway. “There are several very successful small market franchises today that have been built with discipline, patience, creativity and above all else a culture and expectation of winning. Players see that and want to be a part of it.”
One way that teams can develop their players is to provide extra support beyond the court to help their young men grow as people as well as players. Morway helped implement such a program in Indiana and he believes it is essential for the growth of a healthy team culture.
“Absolutely, that’s no different than any other proactive corporation or business in the U.S. today,” Morway explained. “They invest in their people and their people are going to perform. You have to do the same thing in the NBA, but in an even more comprehensive fashion. We’re drafting young men that are 19 or 20 years old, for the most part, and we expect them to act like seasoned professionals. Unfortunately, that’s typically not the case. Like most 19- and 20-year-olds, they’re still developing both their on- and off-court skill sets. Yet the scrutiny they’re under on a daily basis when it comes to the media and the fan base is something that is atypical not only for them, but for most of us. As a result, at some level, I think it’s the responsibility of the franchise to help expedite their growth by putting resources and programs in place that are designed specifically to help them develop their off-court skill set. The key with programs like this is patience. You have to remember that it takes time.”
Of course, there’s also the advanced statistical side of team building, made famous by the recent movie “Moneyball,” starring Brad Pitt as Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane. Morway sees the stats side of the game as important, but only as part of a more holistic approach.
“The analytics movement in the NBA today is definitely a more integral part of the evaluation process and it’s important,” Morway said. “However, it’s still just one piece of a bigger puzzle which also includes, for example, the scouting side, the medical side, the psychological piece and each player’s background history. The more advanced stats we’re looking at today help to develop a clearer picture of the total player and at the end of the day the more information you have the better more solid decisions you’re going to make when it comes to player evaluation. The key issue here is to make intelligent, carefully thought out decisions that stay true to the vision of the franchise.”
The video game age has a tendency to make it harder for NBA fans to understand just how complicated it is to really rebuild a franchise. Unlike in simulations, where a team with Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol might go 82-0, the real world is much more complex. There are advanced stats, sure, but there is also a significant psychological component, as well as the court work and the training that go into developing players into a strong, cohesive unit.
David Morway was an integral part of the team that undertook the challenge of rebuilding the Indiana Pacers, and small market or not, the Pacers have clearly made the moves and developed their team to the point where they can compete with anyone, including their large market opponents. It is this all-around approach that will most likely prove most successful as the new NBA collective bargaining agreement starts to make things harder for the team who simply look to spend their way into contention.
Read more at http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-how...OLkbs08XSj2.99
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