| 29 April 2009
Two nights ago when I recapped the Nuggets dominating the Hornets in a way that you usually have to pay extra for at a bordello, I mentioned briefly that the Hornets have appeared to given up on their coach, Byron Scott. And Kelly Dwyer wrote on Ball Don't Lie a really great piece (as he always does) that maybe this team had given up on their coach but they in fact just aren't a very good team, the way they're constructed. And he's completely correct in saying so. This is a team that plays Sean Marks and Devin Brown pretty much by choice. This is a team who lost Hilton Armstrong to injury and that ended up being kind of a bad thing. This IS a really bad team. But why were they so good last year? Not only did they have better chemistry (seemingly) and better role players (see: Jannero Pargo, Bonzi Wells) but they also had the vaunted leadership of a young point guard who was taking over the league with his opportunistic defense, unmatchable penetrating ability, and great vision that allowed him to rack up assists to teammates he clearly trusted. He was forceful and wouldn't hesitate to get in the faces of his teammates to show them that they had to be held accountable for their mistakes in games. We all praised such a talented young man for taking initiative and becoming the leader of his franchise with such limited NBA experience.
But fast forward one year to the present and everything doesn't seem so promising. Chris Paul is still the same if not better but the team is considerably worse. A lot of that falls on the owner, George Shinn, and GM Jeff Bower. And a lot of that falls on Byron Scott who appears to not have the ear of his team at all times like we saw last season when he won Coach of the Year. But does any of it fall on the leadership methods of Chris Paul? Chris Paul has that unique fire of the truly great ones. He's not afraid to get in teammates faces and call them out in front of the world. For him, image doesn't mean anything if the team is losing a game. If his teammates are making mistakes and costing the team anything that could be valuable towards achieving that sought-after win then CP is going to voice his opinion, whether it's harsh or not, and make sure that his teammate corrects the problem.
But at what point does it become too cumbersome and starts to be detrimental to the psyche of the team? Michael Jordan was notorious for being a complete asshole in practice and often called out guys on the court for missing an assignment, allowing a three-point play instead of fouling hard enough to stop the shot, or not playing with enough passion and aggression to win ball games. He famously hated guys like Horace Grant in the early years because they weren't tough and didn't have the fire and desire of someone like Charles Oakley. He started fights in practice and had a fouler mouth than the lovely ladies on Rock of Love. In the world of hating guys like Bobby Knight for being too hard on his players, that kind of intense leadership can become grating and alienating.
And that may be what will happen with Chris Paul. He's probably going to alienate more teammates than win over in his career. He's fiery and intense. He's hard and unwilling to accept failure. But in today's world of sensitive athletes who want the world given to them on a silver platter that might not fly with everybody. I could be simply reading for too much into this and perhaps the Hornets were just primed for a beating against the Nuggets. There was a play when Chris Paul was planted mid-court and none of his teammates moved towards him to help him up. Perhaps, it was because they're tired of his criticism. Perhaps, it's because of a gesture he made with his arms that they know to mean don't help me up. But it seemed odd to me.
Personally, I think Chris Paul is a hell of a leader. I love his in your face style because mistakes shouldn't necessarily be glossed over. I'm an uber-competitive person that hates to lose. I understand that mentality completely. I'd love to play alongside Jordan and Paul. I'd send my kid to play for Bobby Knight. And I've been known to be an aggressive leader at times on the basketball court. If that kind of intensity is too much for Chris Paul's teammates to take then maybe the front office should surround him with better players with thicker skin.
It seems like they need a change, anyway.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
