Quote:
Originally Posted by pistonsloyalist  I don't think our fans (including the forum posters here) are jaded. I think the feeling is that this team played to 100% of its potential in the playoff runs in '04 and '05, and has underachieved in the two playoff runs since, largely because of mediocre coaching. The core players are not getting any younger, and so this has lead to some justifiable fan frustration. The fan criticism about regular season games (including rotations, substitutions and offensive sets), even in the face of a very good won-loss record, is tied into this feeling. I think that much of the day-to-day criticism of the team is constructive, and is thinking ahead to the playoffs and how this team can excel in the playoffs. One has to plan for playoff competition in the regular season, and the '05-'06 season is proof that maximizing wins during the regular season is not the way to prepare for a successful playoff run, and, indeed, that one's won-loss record in the regular season is not a very good predictor of playoff success. |
Personally I disagree w you. Players have responsibility too and those aren't rookies. You just can't force players to get "hungry". This is not a consentration camp, where bosse can force everything. In NBA from coaches perspective it is almost impossible to force something: players can always demand a trade as a result. Larry Brown mentioned repeatedly that nowadays players do not listen coach as they used to. Many of those young millionares become so full of themselves that they think that they know everything they need to know.
For me it still starts from from players: they inside of themselves must feel that hunger not that somebody(coach ) has to say it to them from outside. And when you do not feel it inside then orders from outside are useless.