khandor’s sports blog

When yours truly sees this type of observation being made repeatedly in on-line articles and commentary by traditional media sources, bloggers, and members of the Raptors’ fanbase …

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Reasons for concern in Raptorville
The defenceless point guard

In his first year as starting point guard, Jose Calderon has kept up his efficient offensive ways, with a league-leading 4.18 assists for every turnover.

But on the other end of the floor, opposing point guards routinely light up Calderon. Tony Parker had 24 points and 10 assists against him. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook had 19 points and eight assists. Devin Harris has torched Calderon in two decisive fourth quarters.

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it indicates that there is still a significant level of basketball sophistication that has yet to be reached by many of the followers of this team.

The average Raptors fan has seen Jose Calderon play each and every game of his NBA career to-date; but this does NOT mean that said fan has a sound/accurate understanding of the game, in general, and how it should be played properly, concerning a player like the Raptors’ starting PG.

In reality … while Jose Calderon will never be confused for a top notch defensive player … he is far from being an atrocious defender at the PG position in the NBA.

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Specific Defensive Responsibilities of a PG for a team in the NBA

Situation #1. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him. Pressure/contain the opposition’s PG, 1-on-1.

Situation #2. In a half-court situation when there is a Pick being set on him. Direct the opposition’s PG toward the Picker – in conjunction with the Picker’s defender – and then recover [by going either under or over, depending on the specific defensive tactic being used] to defend the PG on the dribble.

Situation #3. In a transition situation when there is no Pick being set on him. To contain the opposition’s PG on the dribble, 1-on-1.

Situation #4. In a transition situation when there is a Pick being set on him. To contain the opposition’s PG on the dribble, in conjunction with the Picker’s defender.

Situation #5. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him. To switch defensive responsibilities with a teammate who has the task of defending against an opposition player who plays a different position and is, therefore, usually a bigger player. 

Situation #6. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him. To initiate defensive double-teams and traps against opponent players who are very skilful at scoring either in the Low Post or on drives from the perimeter into the lane.

Situation #7. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him.  To rotate appropriately in order to provide the necessary help for a teammate who has been beaten on a dribble penetration move by an opponent.

Situation #8. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him. To rotate appropriately in order to provide the necessary help for a teammate who has had to rotate to assist a teammate that has been beaten on a dribble penetration move by an opponent, i.e. Help-the-helper.

Situation #9. In a half-court situation when there is no Pick being set on him. To close-out appropriately versus an opponent shooter, contesting the shot and containing that player on the dribble.

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When Jose Calderon is injury-free, the vast majority of his individual defensive breakdowns occur in Situation #2, as a result of a Big-on-Little Pick, where the main culprit isn’t actually Calderon at all but the Raptors’ Big involved in defending this specific action.

If Andrea Bargnani [who is the worst offender], Jermaine O’Neal [who is the 2nd worst offender], Chris Bosh [who is fairly good at this] and Kris Humphries [who is the most proficient at this], as a group, do a poor job defensively when:

i. Switching
ii. Showing & Recovering, or
iii. Trapping

in a 5/4-on-1 Pick scenario … and the opponent’s PG is able to dribble penetrate into the heart of the Raptor’s defense on a consistent basis, primarily, this is not the fault of the Dino’s PG.

When assessing Jose Calderon’s individual defense … encompassing those Nine Situational Categories … versus that provided by the other starting PGs across the League, this is what you should be able to see:

which would place him in the middle-of-the-pack, approximately, not towards the bottom. 

What is ksb about?

Well, in part …

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One of the favourite meeting places on the net today for yours truly is located at RaptorsRepublic.com, where the Dino Nation faithful get an opportunity to express their opinions [expert or otherwise] about their favourite NBA team in a mostly unfettered way.

Assuredly, this is a good thing.

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The State of the Raptors
No matter where you stand on the optimist-pessimist spectrum one thing is undeniable: so far this season has been a massive disappointment. If you were wise enough to predict what has transpired so far, good for you, you’ve earned a right to say, “I’ve told you so”, just don’t rub it in every time. If you’re in the other category, the category which thought that this team just might have what it takes to progress in the playoffs, this season has been a total letdown peppered with disheartening losses that invalidate anything you might have believed in.

Raptors fans are often called bipolar because of they way they react to the team’s successes and misfortunes. A lot of that criticism is warranted but it is also bred by the fact that we seem to know all too well just exactly what we have in this team. We lose to the good ones, we beat the bad ones and we go .500 against teams that are on par with us. It’s a massive generalization but it is a correct one. After two years of humbling playoff exits it is perfectly natural to want more and so far this team has done little in showing that it can do any more than the last two versions. That is simply not good enough. Raptors fans would rather see a plan in place that strives towards attainable and sustainable success rather than see the GM assemble a team that hopes rather than plans for success and is impervious to the flaws in the product assembled.

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And … here’s a sample of what you’ll find there … sometimes … from this observer:

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Indeed, it is very interesting to read today, a persective like this one, on the Raptors’ current plight, which echoes some of what was first published on-line back on September 22, 2006 … Credit where credit is due … more than two full years ago.

What someone like this can surely tell you is that one of the most important things in life, when it comes to determining success or failure, is the ability to read accurately the risks and rewards associated with a specific opportunity that presents itself, in advance of others who are operating in the same environment.

Do THIS enough times and, regardless of the field, riches will eventually flow your way.

Conversely, fail to do THIS, regardless of the field, either enough times or, perhaps, even just once when a significant opportunity is presented … say, like, the chance to choose No. 1 overall from amongst Andrea Bargnani, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyrus Thomas, Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, etc. … and, it is going to be an uphill struggle from there, where only the very best in their chosen field will be able to recover fully due to their authentic expertise and the gradual passage of time.

When a person like Mr. Buffett speaks, although it might not always be easy listening, it is foolish to disregard those words, given in advance of others, if/when the topic is the successful financial investing of your own hard-earned money.

Within the realm of basketball and sports, in general, who are the equivalents to Warren B. that you should be atuned to … with your ears and eyes wide open [rather than Wide Shut] … on a regular basis?

Food For Thought … on a merry New Year’s Eve day morning.

Enjoy, and please be safe tonight … one and all.

There are no dress hearsals in this life.

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Jaques:
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

As You Like It Act 2, scene 7, 139–143

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should you have occasion to drop by for a quick visit with the likes of Arsenalist, Raps Fan, AltRaps, Fluxland, Dave, phdsteve, Hollywood Gino, etc.

A long time ago a very good basketball coach taught yours truly something about the game which has never been forgotten.

Question

What is the basketball shot that is arguably the most difficult to defend against once the shooter already has the ball in his/her possession?

Answer

The direct offensive rebound put-back.

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When a basketball team does not have enough REBOUNDERS on the court, at a crucial moment in a game, it:

1. Substantially reduces its own opportunities to get and make the specific shot which is quite possibly the highest percentage FGA there is … other than an uncontested layup in transition;

and, simultaneously,

2. Substantially increases the opponent’s opportunities to get and make the same type of high percentage shot.

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FINAL SCORE: Raptors 111, WARRIORS 117
Game Info; Box Score; Full Play-By-Play

What killed the Raptors in this game wasn’t just that they missed 4 wide open 3PT-shots coming down the stretch of a close game with a chance to take the lead versus Golden State … but exactly what TYPE of shots THOSE specific attempts were at THAT crucial juncture of the game with the line-up they had on the floor at that time:

1/Calderon + 2/Parker + 3/Kapono + 4/Graham + 5/Bosh

Much like the key basket which Andre Biedrins hit for the Warriors, at the 02:05 mark of the 4th quarter … which followed a missed driving layup by CJ Watson with a simple put-back; as Chris Bosh had left Biedrins, momentarily, to deter Watson’s initial shot attempt and, then, was unable to recover quickly enough to stop his original check from scoring … what the Raptors NEEDED most at that specific moment in the game was an OFFENSIVE REBOUND PUT-BACK, which they would have been more likely to get from a line-up with:

Calderon + Moon + Graham + Humphries + Bosh

at crunch time, rather than the TYPE of shots which they took during possessions #5, #6, #7 & #8, i.e. four consecutive missed 3PT-shots by Parker, Kapono, Calderon and Kapono:

Full Play-By-Play

#1. Bosh Made Jump Hook – 04:55 … Tor 99, GSW 104
#2. Graham Missed Turn-around Jump Shot [blocked by Biedrins] – 04:17
#3. Calderon Made 2 FTs – 03:53 … Tor 101, GSW 106
#4. Bosh Made J3 – 03:29 … Tor 104, GSW 106
#5. Parker Missed J3 – 03:09
#6. Kapono Missed J3 – 02:37 [O-Reb: Graham]
#7. Calderom Missed J3 – 02:24
#8. Kapono Missed J3 – 01:51 [O-Reb: Graham]
#9. Graham Missed J2 – 01:48 [O-Reb: Bosh]
#10. Kapono Missed J3 – 01:42
#11. Kapono Made Running J2 – 01:10 … Tor 106, GSW 108

During this specific sequence, the best shots the Raptors took were:

Possession #I
At the 04:55 mark, when they isolated Chris Bosh on the Right Block vs Captain Jack, cleared the right side of the floor, and allowed CB4 to get his jump-hook off in the lane [#1];

and,

Possession #9
At the 01:48 mark, when Joey Graham was able to corral an offensive rebound of a missed 3PT-shot attempt but then wasn’t able to convert the direct put-back.

If the Raptors would have finished last night’s game with more REBOUNDERS on the floor …

e.g. Calderon + Moon + Graham + Hump + Bosh

they might have closed the deal on the Warriors, in a highly entertaining game … by generating a different type of shot attempt to begin with, and then even if they’d missed a couple, been in a better position [overall] to retrieve an offensive rebound in a spot on the floor from where a direct put-back opportunity would have been more likely to occur.

Coming down the stretch of a close game … high percentage shot attempts which are made are frequently generated by the REBOUNDERS and DEFENDERS a team chooses to have on the floor, or not, rather than the number of high percentage shooters in its 5-Man Unit. 

FINAL SCORE: Raptors 89, Blazers 102
Game Info; Box Score; Full Play-By-Play

This game was decided at two crucial moments in the 4th quarter:

Number One
At the 08:06 mark of the 4th quarter … with the score POR 76, Tor 74 … when the Blazers called a Full Time-out, and the following 4 substitutions were made:

* The Blazers subbed out Sergio Rodriguez/PG, Travis Outlaw/PF and Joel Przybilla/C for Steve Blake/PG, LaMarcus Aldridge/PF and Greg Oden/C, leaving on Brandon Roy/OG and Rudy Fernandez/SF;

while,

* The Raptors subbed out Chris Bosh/C for Jermaine O’Neal/C, and left Anthony Parker/OG on the floor along with Andrea Bargnani/PF, Joey Graham/SF and Jose Calderon/PG;

and,

Number Two
At the 06:35 mark, five [5] possessions later … with the score POR 82, Tor 74 … when the Raptors called a Full Time-out after the visitors had failed to convert on their 2 jumpshots [a very makeable J2 by Bargnani; and, a J3 by Parker], and the home side had made good on all 3 of their shot attempts [a J2 by Roy; a Driving Layup by Roy; and, a J2 by Aldridge].

Then, when play resumed with the Raptors having made 3 more substitutions:

* Bosh/PF subbed in for Parker/OG; Jason Kapono/OG subbed in for Bargnani/PF; and Moon/SF subbed in for Graham/SF

this game was effectively over.

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How come?

If the Raptors would have gone with a line-up of, either:

A. 1/Calderon, 2/Moon, 3/Graham, 4/O’Neal-or-Bargnani & 5/Bosh

or

B. 1/Parker, 2/Moon, 3/Graham, 4/O’Neal-or-Bargnani & 5/Bosh

coming out of either one of those two specific time-outs with a solid defensive & rebounding Group-of-5 on the floor, then they would have been able to stay with the Blazers at the critical moments of last night’s game … much like they were able to use line-up B against Sacramento the previous night, shutting down the Kings on the final two meaningful possessions of that game.

It’s a fundamental mistake in basketball judgment to believe that the best way to play the game at crunch time against a High End team is to load-up with a one-dimensional spot-up shooter like Jason Kapono - seeking his additional offensive production - at the expense of Rebounders/Defenders like Jamario Moon & Joey Graham, in concert with one another … especially when working against a player like Brandon Roy.

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The eventual outcomes of NBA games are determined by the slimmest of margins and it’s not always just what a team “makes” that creates the difference but also what it “leaves” on the table for its opponent to take advantage of coming down-the-stretch in a hard-fought contest.

Raptors fans …

Coming down the stretch of last night’s game versus Sacramento …

What did you learn about your favourite NBA team?

Player Alignment

PG – Jose Calderon vs Beno Udrih
OG – Anthony Parker vs Bobby Jackson
SF – Joey Graham vs John Salmons
2B - Chris Bosh vs Spencer Hawes
1B - Jermaine O’Neal vs Brad Miller

With 56.9 left in the 4th quarter, Brad Miller made 2 free throws.

Raptors 103, Kings 99.

Possession #1

The Raptors then advanced the ball into the front-court without the benefit of a Time-out and attempted to execute a set play in their half-court offense, i.e. PG dribble to the Right Wing; Right Wing cross-screen for 1st Big, Flash High off the clean-up screen from the 2nd Big. When Hawes successfully denied the entry pass to O’Neal [1B], Bosh went to set a pick on the Wing for Calderon. Calderon used the pick to drive to the middle of the court. O’Neal executed a Duck-in, and moved across the lane and into the Left Low Post position. Udrih was picked off. Hawes jumped out to Show/Help vs Calderon. Udrih recovered to Calderon. Calderon passed the ball to Bosh who had begun his roll to the basket and was stopped just outside the lane when Miller positioned himself to middle the Raptors’s two Bigs. Hawes recovered to Bosh. Miller re-positioned vs O’Neal. Bosh executed a shot-fake and drove baseline vs Hawes for a layup attempt. Salmons helped off Graham and was able to knock the ball free from Bosh’s hands as the drive unfolded. The loose ball was recovered by Jackson. Jackson advanced the ball into the front-court and Sacramento called a Time-out.

Possession #2

With 29.2 seconds left the Kings inbounded the ball with the following player alignment:

1 Beno Udrih vs Anthony Parker
2 Bobby Jackson vs Joey Graham
3 John Salmons [Inbounder] vs Jamario Moon [replaced Calderon]
4 Brad Miller vs Jermaine O’Neal
5 Spencer Hawes vs Chris Bosh

Sacramento then had difficulty completing their inbounds pass, after which Salmons had the ball returned to him, drove the Right Baseline vs Moon, and beside Graham, and was smothered under the basket by Moon & Bosh. Salmons’ attempted pass out from there was then intercepted by O’Neal [who had rotated down to the opposite baseline [in support of Bosh's rotation]. Toronto called a Time-out with 21.9 seconds left.

Possession #3

When play resumed the two teams were aligned in the following way:

1 Beno Udrih vs Jose Calderon [Inbounder, Right Sideline]
2 Bobby Jackson vs Anthony Parker [outside Left Elbow]
3 John Salmons vs Jason Kapono [Left Corner]
4 Brad Miller vs Jermaine O’Neal [Right Elbow]
5 Spencer Hawes vs Chris Bosh [Left Elbow]

at which point the Raptors then ran the same Sideline Inbounds play they attempted several weeks ago vs Portland but had failed to execute properly, which eventually contributed to one of their most dis-heartening losses this season.

The OG cuts over the top of stationary screens by 2B & 1B into the near Corner. The 1B pops out towards the Centerline, as a Pressure Release, to receive a pass from the PG. The PG cuts to receive a quick return pass from the 1B. The SF remains still in the Weak Side Corner.

The difference was … last time Kapono [Inbounder] and Calderon [Opposite Corner] were in the opposite roles.

After the Raptors successfully inbounded the ball, Sacramento then fouled Calderon with 18.3 seconds remaining.

Calderon stepped to the FT Line, in an effort to keep alive his league-leading consecutive FT’s Made streak … and to preserve a much-needed road W for the Raptors.

Calderon made both FT’s.

Raptors 105, Kings 99

At which point, Sacramento then called a Time-out and moved the ball into the front-court inbound position.

Possession #4

When play resumed the teams were aligned in this way:

1 Beno Udrih vs Anthony Parker
2 Bobby Jackson vs Joey Graham
3 John Salmons vs Jamario Moon [replaced Calderon]
4 Franscisco Garcia [Inbounder] vs Chris Bosh
5 Spencer Hawes vs Jermaine O’Neal

The Kings then had a difficult time making a successful inbounds pass and eventually took and missed a contested 3PT-shot [Garcia vs Graham, on a defensive Switch] that was rebounded by O’Neal, who was then fouled.

O’Neal made 2 more FT’s.

Raptors 107, Kings 99

At which point, Sacramento called a Time-out and moved the ball to the front-court inbounding position.

When play resumed, the Raptors used the same 5 players on defense.

Sacramento made a final driving layup [Salmons].

FINAL SCORE: Raptors 107, Kings 101
Game Info

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On Offense

1. When the game was on the line, the Raptors best match-up advantage was with Chris Bosh, facing up versus the Opponent’s Big, 12-15 feet from the basket, initiating a drive to the rim. 

On Defense

2. When the game was on the line, the Raptors best defensive match-ups were:

vs PG – Anthony Parker

vs OG/SF – Jamario Moon

vs SF/OG – Joey Graham

If these 4 Possessions in last night’s game actually did signal a New Awareness of these perceptions/FACTS? by the Raptors’ coaching staff then another corner may have been turned for this team.

Time will tell.

With all due respect to:

1. Michael Grange - AIR BALLS: WHERE THE RAPTORS WENT WRONG;

and,

2. Dave Feschuk - Colangelo’s credibility is at stake;

it should also be noted that, on September 22, 2006, more than two full years ago, a simple thread first appeared on another Raptors’ friendly web site titled, 

Where is all this unbridled optimism coming from in Raptorland?,

which, in FACT, read like this:

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and captured succinctly what the State of Affairs would be like, in Raptorville, some 27 months later.

Looking back today … with the benefit of time … it is certainly interesting to see exactly which of enkhata’s assessments eventually proved to be wrong, regarding:

• The Raptors win total during the 2006-2007 season, when they won 47 games and captured their 1st Atlantic Division title;

… and which ones eventually proved to be right, regarding:

• The Raptors’ President/GM
• The Raptors’ Assistant GM
• The Raptors’ Head Coach
• The Raptors’ Assistant Coaches
• The Raptors’ Players who were/are talented enough to Defend & Rebound effectively at their respective positions
• The Raptors’ Players who are talented enough to create and take advantage of offensive mis-matches, particularly inside and out to the mid-range area
• TJ Ford
• Jose Calderon
• Chris Bosh
• Andrea Bargnani
• Rasho Nesterovic
• The Raptors’ Off Guards
• The Raptors’ Power Forwards.

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Yes, indeed …

“The proof of the pudding is always in the eating.”

His name is Luc Richard Mbah A Moute.

He was chosen by the Milwaukee Bucks, as the 7th selection of the 2nd Round [No. 37, overall]. Last season the Bucks finished 26-56/.317 and failed to qualify for the NBA Playoffs. These are his individual numbers, so far, this season.

As the years go … it says Here & Now that … you will be remembering him more and more for achieving THIS status, as a member of the 2008 Draft Class.

If you had to choose a single standard Game Stat to base your assessment on, which one would it be?

re: the case for Points Allowed Per Possession

Not the worst defensive coach out there: Mike D’Antoni
if you wanted a quick way to rate the defense of Mike D’Antoni’s teams, or any coach, I would advise you do this: Add up the number of points his opponents have scored all season, and divide it by the number of possessions they have had. It’s beautiful, right? It factors in everything above — every miss or make, every foul, every blocked shot — in a real world setting. It tells you, essentially, if your team has the ball, and D’Antoni’s team is playing D, how many points are you likely to score before his team gets the ball back.

Other defensive stats might tell you more about how such a thing happens. But this statistic is surely king when it comes to quickly telling you which team is the best at stopping people.

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re: the case for FG Percentage Differential

A link for you to consider.

If you do … here’s some of what you should then be able to see for yourself. 

PLEASE NOTE: If you really want to get a better handle on which teams [or coaches] are the best defensive squads [or coaches] in the NBA, you will begin to assign ordinal ranks to individual defensive categories and then combine those into an unified metric, for example, along the following lines …

Field Goal Percentage Differential Rank
+
FG Made Differential Rank
+
3FG Made Differential Rank
+
FT Made Differential Rank
+
Points Differential Rank
+
Opponents Points Scored Rank [Inverse]
=
Defensive Quality Rating

This will provide an accurate appraisal of each team’s ability [relative to one another] to Get A Stop when it’s needed most in a close, hard-fought playoff type game … which is a substantial part of what separates the Winners from the Losers, on a night-to-night basis, in the NBA.

There is much to learn from Academia and the world of Business about THE WAY in which an authentically High End NBA team functions.

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To wit:

Bad Apples
… host Ira Glass talked with Will Felps, an assistant professor at the Rotterdam School of Management.

    Felps has done research into the nature of group dynamics, which I think should interest anybody who is a fan of team sports. Felps did a study involving three types of bad apples – - jerks, slackers and pessimists – - to see the damage they can do.

    He organized four-person teams of college students who were given 45 minutes of management tasks to perform. There was a $100 per person prize for the team that did the best, so there was a healthy incentive for everyone involved.

    As part of the experiment, Felps had an actor step into a team with another three unsuspecting members at times. The actor was trained – - and I love this – - to be a jerk, a slacker or a pessimist.

    The jerk would put everyone else down in the group, saying things like, “Have you ever taken a business course before?” The slacker text messaged throughout and started eating in the middle. The pessimist acted as if his cat had died (seriously).

    The thinking was that the group would be able to overcome this one individual. The opposite was true. Even with smart and talented people, the groups that included the bad apple performed 30 to 40 percent worse in completing tasks, according to Felps.

    I will admit to finding stuff like this fascinating. Immediately I started to think about all the jerks, slackers and pessimists you can find in NBA locker rooms. How much do they actually succeed in dragging down a team?

    Are there a bunch of .500 teams out there with the talent to win 55 games if they only got rid of the one bad apple in their locker room? It’s a fascinating question. Felps’ groups also didn’t have coaches trying to point things in the right direction like NBA teams do.

    Talking about the study, Felps said the other individuals in the group would even take on the characteristics of the bad apple, beginning to act like jerks to one another, for example, or joining the pessimist in laying their heads on the table.

    Felps also mentioned another study that looked at a range of businesses and industries. It found that the best predictor of success for teams comes not from the person at the top, nor the average person, but the person at the bottom.

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So, too, is it valuable to read/hear what another NBA observer has to say about the subject and its apparent applicability to the work environment [WE] in The Association, on a game-to-game basis.

To wit:

One Bad Apple
I believe there is a lot to do this. Isn’t this what the Celtics are talking about when they talk about Ubuntu? Isn’t this what Pat Riley and his team were doing with their talk of 15 strong? Isn’t the Spurs careful method of character screening all part of weeding out those super bad personailities?

Sure, it might not be huge to have the 15th guy play well. But it’s huge to have him on the same page, pulling for the team to succeed.

I have also noticed over my life that title-winning teams tend to be teams where everybody can give 100% just about all the time. That means you can’t have super talented players who are not really contributing. In other words, I’d argue you’re better with Mr. “Go Team” Mark Madsen as your 11th man, instead of a really talented player who can only give 100% if somebody gets hurt. It’s your protection against the bad apple syndrome.

This, I’d argue, is the flaw with the Bob Whitsitt style of management where you assemble as many stars as possible. When there aren’t enough basketballs to go around, some of your good apples might go bad. And, it turns out, that can change everything. Another part of the story mentions that in some research, across many industries, the best predictor of a team’s success came from assessing the worst person on the team. As in, that person has a bigger effect than the leader or an average player. That’s something, huh?

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When looking at things like this, however … what this corner of the blogosphere is ABLE TO SEE is a different set of factors which need to be accounted for when attempting to draw conclusive parallels between these two essentially different WEs, such as:

1. A Standard Work Team [SWT] in the NBA is composed of 5 persons, not 4. From a Group Dynamics’ perspective, are there fundamental differences between the way in which a 4-person group functions vs a 5-person group? Yours truly thinks there is.

2.  A SWT in the NBA is composed of 5 male persons. Were the work teams in this study homogeneously male? Are there fundamental differences between the way in which a homogeneous group of 5 males functions vs a heterogeneous 4-person group? Yours truly thinks there is. 

3. A SWT in the NBA is a sub-group which functions as an outgrowth from a wider Family Tree that includes a Smaller Group of Secondary Substitutes [SGoSS] charged with the task of replacing individual members of the SWT, as the need arises, on a short, medium or long term basis. Are there fundamental differences between the way in which an isolated, 4-person, heterogeneous group functions vs a 5-person, all-male group supported by a homogeneous SGoSS? Yours truly thinks there is.

4. The SWTs in the research study were motivated to “do their best”, relative to the competitors, in order to receive an “individual monetary reward of $100″. Are there fundamental differences between a 4-person, heterogeneous group working for an individual financial reward vs a 5-person, all-male group, supported by a SGoSS working for an integrated series of rewards … including Satisfaction, Prestige, Pride, and Power, in addition to financial gains … which are both Individual and Collective based, Tangible & Intrinsic? Yours truly thinks there is.

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The game played in NBA is one of Individual match-ups and mis-matches, within a Collective WE, that combines a series of concentric 5-Man Units, composed of 1. Starters, 2. Key Subs, 3. Reserves, and 4. Extras, where the Weakest Link  … who actually [A] gets to play in games [regularly], gets to dress for games without playing in them [regularly], and [C] gets to play in practices [regularly] … makes a significant contribution toward the success or failure of a specific team, relative to its competitor[s], on a Possession-by-Possession basis, in pursuit of a series of Tangible & Intrinsic Rewards.

Those who understand THIS about how things work [or not] in The Association … are the ones who you SHOULD take the time to read, to see, to listen to and to work with in your life, on a daily basis.

If you do … it will make a difference.   

Thursday, December 25 2008, at 5:00 PM, EST … where will you be?

NBA’s 2008 Christmas Day Schedule of Games

… and what, praytell, will you be doing?

2009 NBA Finals Preview

27-2 vs 23-5

In the history of this league, there has never been a Christmas Day like THIS.

Season’s Greetings! … to all.