OT: Excellent article about Dirk Nowitzki

[Minstrel]

An article about how Nowitzki didn't transform himself to win, but rather won by staying the same and letting things fall into place.

Even before Dirk Nowitzki lifted a championship trophy on Sunday night, he was being held up as a new man. Nowitzki had reinvented himself, we were told. He'd finally "shed" the Euro-soft label plastered to him throughout his career and, to much adulation, morphed into the sort of rugged warrior that wins titles. The tale of an individual transforming himself to wrestle destiny into submission satisfies a special American yearning. In this case, it's obscuring an even more fundamentally American story.

...

Instead of everyone casting about for ways to explain Nowitzki's transformation now that he has a ring, we should celebrate the fact that he hasn't transformed at all. In being exactly who he's always been, he defies the silly notion in American sports that an athlete has to don armor, psychic or otherwise, to win a title. Nowitzki has never been the guy who screams into the upper decks like a maniac after each and-one. He's never tried to be. He's one of the best low post scorers in the NBA, but you'd never know it because he doesn't play with his back to the basket like other seven-footers. Instead of dunking opponents through the rim, he's mastered a step-back shimmy to get off a soft jumper that nobody can defend and that often leads to a free throw that almost always goes in. Softly. Nowitzki doesn't charge into battle. He fades away. And he wins because of it, not despite it.

...

http://deadspin.com/5805082/stay-soft-dirk-nowitzki

 

[PapaG]

An article about how Nowitzki didn't transform himself to win, but rather won by staying the same and letting things fall into place.



http://deadspin.com/5805082/stay-soft-dirk-nowitzki

Tyson Chandler was the 'grit' and 'toughness' that people said Nowitzki needed in his game. Great article, and speaks a lot to putting the right pieces around your franchise player. I'm hoping Greg Oden can be the "Chandler", and LMA can be the "Nowitzki". Even All-NBA players aren't perfect players, and need to have their relative weaknesses made up for by the players around them.

 

[BlazersBlood]

Tyson Chandler was the 'grit' and 'toughness' that people said Nowitzki needed in his game. Great article, and speaks a lot to putting the right pieces around your franchise player. I'm hoping Greg Oden can be the "Chandler", and LMA can be the "Nowitzki". Even All-NBA players aren't perfect players, and need to have their relative weaknesses made up for by the players around them.

And Terry was the swagger for that team. They had all the right pieces in place to make a title run. They all complimented each other very well.

 

[handiman]

I think it's incorrect to say Dirk changed/transformed nothing about his game. He used to be primarily a mid-range and out player, now he's primarily a mid-range and in one. And he's much tougher to guard as a result. That aspect is easily confused with toughness, which is what people are claiming changed. Cause and effect.

LaMarcus made the same change to his game this year, so there's hope...

 

[jlprk]

Cuban changed coaches frequently until he got it right. We stagnate with an 8-year coach.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Cuban changed coaches frequently until he got it right. We stagnate with an 8-year coach.

Wyrd.

 

[jlprk]

Wyrd.

Ya know, a guy could take that two ways...

 

[Tince]

Cuban changed coaches frequently until he got it right. We stagnate with an 8-year coach.

You should go read the Dallas Mavericks message boards back in April. Rick Carlsile was constantly getting blasted just like Nate did around here. I think RC is also a very good and underrated coach in this league, so I won't be knocking him in any way.

I would venture a guess that franchises who "change coaches frequently" are not the ones that win most the championships. And for those who say that our franchise looks like a joke for how Paul Allen has handled the GM situation, wait until you hear the national perception if we fired Nate for being inadequate. In fact, there is video on NBA.com where a national panel is talking about how great of a job Nate did last year, one person even felt he should have been coach of the year. Oh, and if we fire Nate, the goal would be to hire someone better than him, I still haven't heard that name yet....

 

[Ed O]

You should go read the Dallas Mavericks message boards back in April. Rick Carlsile was constantly getting blasted just like Nate did around here. I think RC is also a very good and underrated coach in this league, so I won't be knocking him in any way.

I would venture a guess that franchises who "change coaches frequently" are not the ones that win most the championships. And for those who say that our franchise looks like a joke for how Paul Allen has handled the GM situation, wait until you hear the national perception if we fired Nate for being inadequate. In fact, there is video on NBA.com where a national panel is talking about how great of a job Nate did last year, one person even felt he should have been coach of the year. Oh, and if we fire Nate, the goal would be to hire someone better than him, I still haven't heard that name yet....

What's that definition of insanity and doing the same thing over and over?

I don't know if Nate is a good coach, but I don't think that we'd have lost much if we'd replaced him with someone else. We might, though, have made it out of the first round.

Ed O.

 

[barfo]

What's that definition of insanity and doing the same thing over and over?

Well, you can take that too far. Just because doing the same thing doesn't give you different results doesn't mean that doing something else is going to give better results.
The "something else" has to be a sane alternative, not just any alternative. I could try to shorten my 8-minute commute to work by driving straight to work, but my car is not capable of penetrating the buildings in the way. And 8 minutes isn't so bad anyway, it's just about the same time it takes for Nate's offense to get set.

Too many GMs fired and too few coaches fired? Maybe. Too many variables, too much data we aren't privy to to know for sure.

barfo

 

[jlprk]

You should go read the Dallas Mavericks message boards back in April. Rick Carlsile was constantly getting blasted just like Nate did around here. I think RC is also a very good and underrated coach in this league, so I won't be knocking him in any way.

I would venture a guess that franchises who "change coaches frequently" are not the ones that win most the championships. And for those who say that our franchise looks like a joke for how Paul Allen has handled the GM situation, wait until you hear the national perception if we fired Nate for being inadequate. In fact, there is video on NBA.com where a national panel is talking about how great of a job Nate did last year, one person even felt he should have been coach of the year. Oh, and if we fire Nate, the goal would be to hire someone better than him, I still haven't heard that name yet....

You typed "Rick Carlisle" without hearing it?

In 2009 he was available and I was for it. Portland waffled with fear like yours about any changes, and the current champs hired him. I've often posted about getting Kevin McHale, who was finally recently hired by Houston. Your reaction was the same: There is absolutely no one out there better than Nate McMillan.

Were you against our hiring these recent hires by other teams?: Scott Brooks, Mike Brown, Erik Spoelstra, and Tom Thibodeau. Still available are Rick Adelman and Mike Dunleavy. But inertia from fear of change will make us retain the guy who must be the best coach in the league, Nate McMillan.

Do you know how many coaches have lasted 8 years with the same NBA team, in league history? 20.

Nate must be one of the 20 greatest coaches of all time. In the pros, you change coach every 2 years until you find a good one. You might be lenient and give him 3. You don't give him 8 years unless he's one of the 20 greatest coaches in NBA history.

 

[jlprk]

McMillan is 23rd if you include BAA and ABA. He is 20th if just NBA. (Leonard, Kundla, and Gottlieb are the difference of 3.)

The head coaches who lasted longest with one team:

http://sportstwo.com/threads/185540-11-years?p=2601439&viewfull=1#post2601439

At the end of his 8 years, he will be one of the 20 greatest NBA coaches of all time, grading by longevity with the same team.

The point is--he shouldn't be. He's nothing special.

 

[Nikolokolus]

McMillan is 23rd if you include BAA and ABA. He is 20th if just NBA. (Leonard, Kundla, and Gottlieb are the difference of 3.)

The head coaches who lasted longest with one team:

http://sportstwo.com/threads/185540-11-years?p=2601439&viewfull=1#post2601439

At the end of his 8 years, he will be one of the 20 greatest NBA coaches of all time, grading by longevity with the same team.

The point is--he shouldn't be. He's nothing special.

I'm not asking this rhetorically ... where does his winning % amongst that group rank, and where does his playoff winning % rank?

 

[Tince]

What's that definition of insanity and doing the same thing over and over?

I don't know if Nate is a good coach, but I don't think that we'd have lost much if we'd replaced him with someone else. We might, though, have made it out of the first round.

Ed O.

Many thought the same thing when getting rid of Mike Dunleavy. Then in comes Mo Cheeks, the playoff streak ends, the lottery becomes the highlight of every season, and we still haven't recovered.

Do you change your job all the time because there could possibly be a better job out there without something better lined up? Would you be considered insane for not being in constant flux?

 

[handiman]

Many thought the same thing when getting rid of Mike Dunleavy. Then in comes Mo Cheeks, the playoff streak ends, the lottery becomes the highlight of every season, and we still haven't recovered.

Many would also argue that had a lot more to do with management than with coaching.

 

[Tince]

Many would also argue that had a lot more to do with management than with coaching.

I would agree with that assessment, today and 10 years ago.

 

[jlprk]

I'm not asking this rhetorically ... where does his winning % amongst that group rank, and where does his playoff winning % rank?

Sitting here waiting for the very last shuttle docking ever in 2 hours, watching NASA TV, bored, so I had time to look them up...

%...rank...seasons...coach...with team

.603 01 22 Jerry Sloan... Utah
.685 02 16 Red Auerbach... Boston
.675 03 15 Gregg Popovich... San Antonio
.518 04 14 Al Attles ... Golden State
.535 05 14 Red Holzman... New York
.518 06 14 John MacLeod... Phoenix
.518 07 12 Slick Leonard... Indiana... (7.8 years ABA + 4 NBA)
.733 08 11 John Kundla ...Minneapolis... (1st year BAA)
.559 09 11 Rudy Tomjanovich... Houston
.557 10 11 Don Nelson.Milwauk.(also 7.6 yrs Dallas, 50-game Dallas season)
.543 11 10 Doug Moe ... Denver
.525 12 10 Jack Ramsay... PORTLAND
.589 13 09 Larry Costello... Milwaukee
.593 14 09 Chuck Daly... Detroit
.460 15 09 Bill Fitch ... Cleveland
.536 16 09 Edward Gottlieb ...Philadelphia... (1st 3 years BAA)
.704 17 09 Phil Jackson... Chicago
.537 18 09 Joe Lapchick... New York... (1st 2 years BAA)
.636 19 09 Pat Riley..Los Angeles..(also 8 yrs Miami, 50-game Miami season)
.554 20 09 Flip Saunders... Minneapolis
.619 21 08.4 Tom Heinsohn... Boston
.479 22 08 Dick Motta ...Chicago
.516 23 08 NATE MCMILLAN... PORTLAND
.605 24 08 Rick Adelman ...Sacramento... (50-game season)
.698 25 07.9 Billy Cunningham... Philadelphia
.536 26 07.7 Lenny Wilkens... Seattle
.529 27 07.6 Richie Guerin... St. Louis/Atlanta

 

[Tince]

Sitting here waiting for the very last shuttle docking ever in 2 hours, watching NASA TV, bored, so I had time to look them up...

%...rank...seasons...coach...with team

.603 01 22 Jerry Sloan... Utah
.685 02 16 Red Auerbach... Boston
.675 03 15 Gregg Popovich... San Antonio
.518 04 14 Al Attles ... Golden State
.535 05 14 Red Holzman... New York
.518 06 14 John MacLeod... Phoenix
.518 07 12 Slick Leonard... Indiana... (7.8 years ABA + 4 NBA)
.733 08 11 John Kundla ...Minneapolis... (1st year BAA)
.559 09 11 Rudy Tomjanovich... Houston
.557 10 11 Don Nelson.Milwauk.(also 7.6 yrs Dallas, 50-game Dallas season)
.543 11 10 Doug Moe ... Denver
.525 12 10 Jack Ramsay... PORTLAND
.589 13 09 Larry Costello... Milwaukee
.593 14 09 Chuck Daly... Detroit
.460 15 09 Bill Fitch ... Cleveland
.536 16 09 Edward Gottlieb ...Philadelphia... (1st 3 years BAA)
.704 17 09 Phil Jackson... Chicago
.537 18 09 Joe Lapchick... New York... (1st 2 years BAA)
.636 19 09 Pat Riley..Los Angeles..(also 8 yrs Miami, 50-game Miami season)
.554 20 09 Flip Saunders... Minneapolis
.619 21 08.4 Tom Heinsohn... Boston
.479 22 08 Dick Motta ...Chicago
.516 23 08 NATE MCMILLAN... PORTLAND
.605 24 08 Rick Adelman ...Sacramento... (50-game season)
.698 25 07.9 Billy Cunningham... Philadelphia
.536 26 07.7 Lenny Wilkens... Seattle
.529 27 07.6 Richie Guerin... St. Louis/Atlanta

Very nice work on the stats and thanks for taking the time.

Looking at the ranking of this list tells you the correlation doesn't mean much. Phil Jackson and Pat Riley are way too low.

 

[jlprk]

You see middling career percentages because each coach had some great years and most had some down years. (Apparently the 5 coaches over .650 had no down years.)

McMillan ranks 23rd all-time if you include BAA and ABA years, and 20th if you don't.

My point was that if McMillan continues the same for the next 2 years, I hope we try someone else. In this league an average coach gets 2 years, an above-average one like McMillan gets 4, and beyond that they usually have more oomph than he does. He's skating on thin ice getting 8 years.

 

[jlprk]

Since this thread is about an interesting article about a non-Blazer, I'll throw in this article I read today about Travis Outlaw, dated 4 days ago.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...law-s-dad-the-Nets-don-t-want-?urn=nba-wp6091