Spurs are the youngest team in the league and they looked way better than the rockets last night. Wemba didn’t have a blowout game so we can’t point to that. Pop is in another leave compared to Ime.
I think it depends on the age of your players and the current configuration of your team. A lot of coaches can win with veterans and high level talent in their prime - why I always thought it was lazy when coaches like JVG or Thibs would demand and only play veterans. However - I look at this situation in OKC and SA, and I do believe that coaching and the culture surrounding those organizations have helped their players develop and their teams improve. If those same players were under Fertitta/Stone/Silas; I don't think they would be as good.
I honestly think SA proves the opposite - all of their culture, especially teh current version, is founded on the bounce of a lottery ball. Left to their own devices, Pop & RC assembled a horrible to watch tank crew taht was just as bereft on the court as the Rockets (but not as embarrassing, leadership-wise, even though one of the first cornerstones of their rebuild was ...HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC)
I cannot explain how professionals, even 21 year old professionals can have mood swings and this kind of inconsistency in playing hard and professionally. It is gross and disgusting.
The bounce of the lottery balls obviously matters a LOT. The Spurs do not win any titles without Robinson and Duncan. However, the coaching staff/front office did a good job drafting and developing players as well. Otherwise it could have been a KG in Minnesota situation. Also - Wemby is obviously the biggest piece, but they have quietly done a good job drafting and developing pieces around Wemby.
Pop is probably a vastly superior coach to Udoka - but it isn't a fair comparison. Pop has been able to draft and develop the players he wants for years - guys like Sochan, Johnson, Vassell and Jones have been coached under Pop for their entire careers. Udoka has coached them for a total of one game, and there were lots of horrendous bad habits. Also - the Spurs roster is better balanced that the Rockets, where Stone just threw a bunch of players together.
Vassell, Johnson, Sochan, Jones most recently. They did it with D Murray as well. The Rockets didn't even try to develop their picks.
I would say at best they've done "OK" at drafting Sochan - solid OK Branham/Wesley - havent' seen them but, I'm going to say OK Primo - huge, embarrassing disaster Vassell - Better than OK These guys all fit good around Wemby, but I think that - Wemby is so unique and elite, literally everybody fits good around him! He's like the anti-Sengun in a way - you put him anywhere and and he raises the value of everybody else around him. I mean, imagine if he was on the Rockets We'd all be like "OMG Jae'sean Tait is the change of pace BULLY small man we need next to Stick Vic" or "Wemby PERFECTLY complements Sengun's defensive shortcomings and can catch all of his passes" "FVV is the perfect point of attack defender for an erase like Wemby" Stone you are A GENIUS! Other than the lack of shooting, which Vic actually seems to provide, all of your role players look great next to a bonafide superstud.
When Udoka came, some were saying that Sengun would not fit his system (because of his defense) and would not play him. It was seen last night that Udoka, on the contrary, sees Sengun as his first choice, even ahead of FVV. At the end of the game, he wanted to give all the balls to him. I love seeing this because I haven't forgotten the disgrace of the past years with Silas. Udoka is not stupid enough not to play a player who can affect so many plays, in fact, he is brave and smart enough to give him the biggest responsibility. It is obvious that Sengun, FVV and Brooks are the three most important players in this team right now. There is a very good harmony between FVV and Sengun, especially the PnR plays are quite successful. But Green and Jabari are far below expectations. I have no hope for Jabari, but I believe Green can still do something. It seems that this team will be able to achieve something if Green increases his focus on the game and replaces Jabari with another player. I'm hopeful for Udoka. I can't blame yesterday's loss on him or anyone else. Jabari is solely responsible. And if Silas was still in charge of this team, the game would not even have gone to overtime, Spurs would have won the game by at least 20 points.
You can see the patient improvement from this team each game. Can't change players habits overnight but so far I'm really impressed by Udoka. I think we'll be playing like a top 10 defense before mid season. The offense needs some work (and Jalen needs to put up efficient points more aggressively) but I prefer to prioritize the defense. If we can be a top 10 defense with Alpi at C then Alpi is on trajectory to be a max worthy player. If Udoka can get that done (and I know it will take Alpi some time) it would be a major stepping stone in the rebuild. We'd be one more max worthy player away from being a contender. Hopefully this last game is an indication that Green is improving. Frankly I didn't like his defense until the final 6-8 minutes of the game when he tightened up his defense. He had a below average game and then exploded for the final 6-8 minutes. Basically put the game away. He's always shown flashes of that clutch quality. Like Alpi we have to be patient with his defensive improvement and his understanding of when/how to attack. I've always said Green will shine this season after a rocky start. I can see the process taking place. His fundamentals are extremely underdeveloped which is shocking after two years of what the organisation called development. He was very raw when he got here and we have a lot of catching up to do. The good news is he seems willing to learn and work hard. I can see that for us to make the playoffs he has to be scoring 25 points on good efficiency and lots of FT's. The offense really needs it and we'll get there soon enough.
We lost this Hornets game if Silas was coaching. That's clear to me. Why? No adjustments from game 1 to game 4. That's why. You can tell Ime has been experimenting with stuff and that the team is learning and growing from game to game. Just tonight you can tell that he was staggering starters so that they can help the 2nd units a lot more. I know it was against the hornets but they also looked pretty well and almost beat the Warriors just earlier this week. The first Magic game so far looks like an aberration and hopefully it is only up from here.
