2018-19 NBA Thread

Is there any responsibility for the greatest player in the game to attempt to get along with the coach? James made little effort to with Blatt except to disrespect and ignore him. He hasn’t given Walton a chance even though he’s missed 25% of the season so far with an injury. Walton did a nice job filing in with the Warriors, but that team lacked a player or players that had accomplished much

 

David Blatt and the unwinding of his Cleveland tenure

I get the feeling that Blatt is not a bad coach but rather a bad communicator. He is of the mold that the coach is The Boss. That approach can work in the college ranks and overseas but rarely in the NBA, and especially not with a transcendent superstar. Guys like Popovich, who are demanding, meticulous and also open to self-reflection and change are fucking unicorns.

By and large, an NBA coach has to know his role. Coaching in the NBA isn't unimportant, but it isn't as vital is it is in football. Steve Kerr unlocked the Warriors but he is not confused about his importance in the enterprise.

LeBron is no different than many of us in that he doesn't necessarily want to be the boss but does want the boss to do everything the way he would like. LeBron is different than many of us in that he has the power to make that happen. It also doesn't happen without the approval of the GM and owner. Players can only be coach-killers if the front office and ownership allow it.

I think I recently heard on The Hoop Collective podcast that LeBron, Wade and Bosh went to Pat Riley back in Spoelstra's early days (also when there was strong speculation that Riley was going to step in and coach once the team got its shit together) and more or less said they didn't like him and what he was doing. Riley, to his credit, told them to get used to Spoelstra because he is their coach. Maybe only someone with Riley's cachet (coupled with a hands-off owner) could have done this, but he did it.

Just as one can argue that LeBron is a coach-killer, I think one can also argue that he's a kingmaker. If Ty Lue coaches Boston, Toronto or Washington, do any of those teams make the '16-'18 finals, let alone win a title? Swap Lue with Popovich, Brooks/Donovan or D'Anonti. Do the Spurs, Thunder or Rockets get over on Golden State? It doesn't matter if you think Lue is a good coach or a bad coach but it's undeniable that he's a championship coach, and that's in large part due to LeBron James.

 

No, not really. Life is unfair.

 

A good coach must be a good communicator, just as any good manager must be a good communicator. It really does not matter how many brilliant plays you draw up if you can not communicate them effectively.

 

Oh, no minimizing that at all. Just saying that it's overstepping to say that Blatt was a bad coach. He is a guy that can take a young team to a contending level but then must be let go before he gets the Douglas C. Neidermeyer treatment.

 

Could a better coach have gotten LeBron to 6-3 in the finals? Could a LeBron willing to be coached by a better coach have gotten to 6-3? Or did LeBron take marginal playoff teams to an 3-6 finals record?

 

LeBron went to the finals with teams that would have been in the lottery without him.

 

Nobody who remembers Magic Johnson winning championships with the Lakers is under 40 years old.

 

I remember. And I’m not 40.

 

I don't think LeBron has enough time to craft another team around himself and win another ring. Sure, the Lakers could dump Walton and install "LeBron's guy" whoever that is, then move players in and move players out - but there just isn't enough time, the team isn't that good and the conference is too tough. The Lakers would have to pick off Durant and Thompson to get past the Warriors.

 

Durant AND Thompson? Ehhh. I think if they got Durant, they'd probably be co-favorites with the Warriors at that point, but I'd also add that I don't think Durant is going to stop being Curry's running buddy to instead be LeBron's - if he leaves Golden State, I think its because he wants to be The Guy on a squad. Thompson strikes me as a more credible target for the Lakers, given his father's importance in that organization, but I think GS also offers him the most they can the second he hits FA.

re: The coaching discussion, I'm kind of the mindset that there are only 4 or 5 guys who really make a positive difference, and the vast majority are in the middle. Walton would fall into that middle right now for me. Popovich would be #1, given his ability over the years to make all sorts of different lineup configurations work. (I also agree somewhat with Jalen Rose, who's argued for years that most NBA stars aren't serious when they claim to be only concerned with winning, because if so then San Antonio would be the premier FA destination.)

 

'07 - That team was trash and they weren't ready to compete with the Spurs. No matter what you think of Mike Brown, no other coach, no extra LeBron effort would have mattered.

'11 - This is the really bad loss of the bunch. Losing to Dallas like that was just...odd. A complete collective failure from all parties involved. The one time it may be fair to say LeBron turtled. Maybe the group that was self-ordained to win not one, not two, not three simply caved under the pressure of expectations and adversity. Had to be tough for Spoelstra, too, being a young coach thrown into that situation. A learning experience for everyone.

'14 - The basketball the Spurs unleashed in that series after the '13 loss was incredible. Blueprint for the Warriors and the rest of the league going forward. The Heat weren't ready. I don't think anyone would have been.

'15, '17-'18 - The Warriors are a buzzsaw. I can't see a coach making a meaningful difference in a series against them. They pulled off the miracle in '16 and got one against the 73-9 team that burnt itself out going full-bore all year, and that was with Kyrie going Super Saiyan and Kevin Love playing defense that hasn't been seen since. When the Dubs are humming along, there's nothing an opposing coach can do other than light a novena candle during timeouts.