My preface is this, a team takes on its coaches personality and then the culture changes. This isn’t a statement on Carlise’s coaching ability, I think he may be one of the most knowledgeable guys in the game, listen to him on TV, he’s excellent. Look at Phil Jackson, I’m not sure he’s an Xs and Os coach or at least that’s not what he is best at, he’s best at the culture or convincing people to buy into what he wants from them and smart enough to empathize or get into players heads. While Carlise is thinking of awesome inbound plays, Jackson thinks of books to give his players to make them understand the greater good of the team. Now, Obie is a different type coach, I think its all about aggression and attacking. Athletes easily buy into to aggression that’s why they are able to compete at the level they are at. It’s about bunker mentality, but in a manageable way.
I guess what I’m saying is my overall hope is that just by having Obie on board this team takes on his no BS, aggressive persona, or at least that is my opinion of him so far.
Now with all this said I waiver literally moment to moment thinking this team is the bottom 5 worst teams and a team that could make it to the ECF (I know ridiculous). Here’s why (in a Bill Benneresque fashion):
Optimist: The East is wide open, I truly believe lace Detroitlace is on the down side of their pinnacle, all of those heavy minute years start to add up. Cleveland can’t afford to put anyone around Lebron. The Bulls are missing a set offense go to guy that’s not launching a 3… I guess I’m saying all these teams have gaping holes.
Pessimist: The Pacers weren’t a playoff team last year and almost every team around them has improved, Knicks,Boston , Orlando .
Optimist: D Granger, Ike, and Shawne Williams have high ceilings and even though its not a last couple of days acquisition they all could show big time improvement this year.
Pessimist: They won’t improve unless given more of a chance/responsibility and as long as this is a team focused around a non franchise guy in JO, then they won’t.
Optimist: JO is one of literally a handful 20/10 guys and is no doubt the Pacers best player, maybe you don’t look at it as building around him, as you would have with a heyday Shaq, but you build with him.
Pessimist: JO does not understand what to do to make others around him better or how to lead.
Optimist: Its all about managing expectations, your best player doesn’t have to be your leader, Reggie wasn’t the leader, actively, on the successful 90s Pacers teams.
Pessimist: The Pacers don’t have a leader.
Optimist: The Pacers do have a coach, who understands the psychology of it.
Pessimist: The Pacers have a coach who wants to jack up a 3 after getting the ball past half court.
Optimist: The culture will be to be aggressive and not always being a counter puncher and reacting to mismatches.
Pessimist: The entire line up is a mismatch. Dunleavy is a 2/3, Marquis Daniels is a 2/1 who can’t shoot, Ike is an undersized 4, Murphy is a defensive liability, Tinsley can’t keep a guy in front of him, JO doesn’t want to be Center.
Optimist: Dunleavy is multidimensional at 6’9” who understands basketball, Daniels is and athletic shot creator who can play the point at 6’6”, Ike will be a 3rd year player who stats project out to nearly a double/double. Murphy is a 6’11” guy who can make a teams PF or C guard him 23 feet away from the basket, Tinsley can get anywhere on the court whenever he wants to, JO will play where ever you put him and has regardless of what he has said.
Pessimist: Every team they play has exploited the weaknesses of those players.
Optimist: If the team takes on Obies aggressive persona, they wont’ be able to like they did when Carlise was fumbling for his clip board, they will be grabbing the ball out of the basket after a Kareem Rush 3.
Pessimist: Kareem Rush is a guy who was kicked off a bad team.
Optimist: Kareem Rush is a shooter on a team that lacks shooters, playing for a coach who wants you to shoot.
Pessimist: Kareem Rush was a weak move in an off season where every other teams are improving by leaps and bounds.
Optimist: The Pacers could have a fire sale, make a knee jerk move and solidify being a bad team for years, what if Bynum is only average?
Pessimist: Or he could be he is a star. Better than the injury prone group of back up players on the roster now.
Optimist: The injuries could be part of why they struggled last year and that other players had off years.
Pessimist: They have injuries every year, why would it change.
Optimist: That is why its good to have the depth they have.
Anyway, I could go on and on and on. Feel free to post any “both sides of the coin” type additions. It’s really a struggle with the Pacers because I want the Optimism to be true because I want them to be good, but it’s easy to fall into what could be the reality of things with the opposite.
I guess what I’m saying is my overall hope is that just by having Obie on board this team takes on his no BS, aggressive persona, or at least that is my opinion of him so far.
Now with all this said I waiver literally moment to moment thinking this team is the bottom 5 worst teams and a team that could make it to the ECF (I know ridiculous). Here’s why (in a Bill Benneresque fashion):
Optimist: The East is wide open, I truly believe
Pessimist: The Pacers weren’t a playoff team last year and almost every team around them has improved, Knicks,
Optimist: D Granger, Ike, and Shawne Williams have high ceilings and even though its not a last couple of days acquisition they all could show big time improvement this year.
Optimist: JO is one of literally a handful 20/10 guys and is no doubt the Pacers best player, maybe you don’t look at it as building around him, as you would have with a heyday Shaq, but you build with him.
Pessimist: JO does not understand what to do to make others around him better or how to lead.
Optimist: Its all about managing expectations, your best player doesn’t have to be your leader, Reggie wasn’t the leader, actively, on the successful 90s Pacers teams.
Pessimist: The Pacers don’t have a leader.
Optimist: The Pacers do have a coach, who understands the psychology of it.
Pessimist: The Pacers have a coach who wants to jack up a 3 after getting the ball past half court.
Optimist: The culture will be to be aggressive and not always being a counter puncher and reacting to mismatches.
Pessimist: The entire line up is a mismatch. Dunleavy is a 2/3, Marquis Daniels is a 2/1 who can’t shoot, Ike is an undersized 4, Murphy is a defensive liability, Tinsley can’t keep a guy in front of him, JO doesn’t want to be Center.
Optimist: Dunleavy is multidimensional at 6’9” who understands basketball, Daniels is and athletic shot creator who can play the point at 6’6”, Ike will be a 3rd year player who stats project out to nearly a double/double. Murphy is a 6’11” guy who can make a teams PF or C guard him 23 feet away from the basket, Tinsley can get anywhere on the court whenever he wants to, JO will play where ever you put him and has regardless of what he has said.
Pessimist: Every team they play has exploited the weaknesses of those players.
Optimist: If the team takes on Obies aggressive persona, they wont’ be able to like they did when Carlise was fumbling for his clip board, they will be grabbing the ball out of the basket after a Kareem Rush 3.
Pessimist: Kareem Rush is a guy who was kicked off a bad team.
Optimist: Kareem Rush is a shooter on a team that lacks shooters, playing for a coach who wants you to shoot.
Pessimist: Kareem Rush was a weak move in an off season where every other teams are improving by leaps and bounds.
Optimist: The Pacers could have a fire sale, make a knee jerk move and solidify being a bad team for years, what if Bynum is only average?
Pessimist: Or he could be he is a star. Better than the injury prone group of back up players on the roster now.
Optimist: The injuries could be part of why they struggled last year and that other players had off years.
Pessimist: They have injuries every year, why would it change.
Optimist: That is why its good to have the depth they have.
Anyway, I could go on and on and on. Feel free to post any “both sides of the coin” type additions. It’s really a struggle with the Pacers because I want the Optimism to be true because I want them to be good, but it’s easy to fall into what could be the reality of things with the opposite.
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