The 1975 Cincinnati Reds started the season splitting the first 40 games, 20 wins and 20 losses. Then Manager Sparky Anderson made a fateful move. He moved Pete Rose to third base, replacing John Vukovich, who couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag. The move enabled Anderson to insert George Foster--a power hitter who could also hit for average and had a canon for a throwing arm-- into the line-up as the starting left-fielder. The Reds went 88-34 the rest of the way. Astounding.
In the fall of 1971, the Los Angeles Lakers started the season 6-3. Then Coach Bill Sharman forced aging and injured star Elgin Baylor to retire, replacing him with the young, fresh legs of Jim McMillian. Result? The Lakers immediately ripped off 33 wins, on their way to an historic 69-win season and an NBA championship. Again, astounding what a difference one line-up change can make to a season.
So all Doc Rivers needs to do is figure out is how to make one of these season-changing moves, and the rest, as they say, will be history.Only problem is Doc doesn't have the players to make any moves. Kevin Garnett isn't the Kevin Garnett from 2008. My latest example was in the first quarter against the Magic. When Orlando point guard Jason Williams drove to the basket against the Celtics, Garnett backed away to box out Dwight Howard. Williams scored an uncontested lay-up. Say what? Hey, Kev, next time maybe defend the guy with the ball. Just a thought.
Now let's say Doc gets a wild hair. Who's he gonna replace Garnett with? Sheed? He was 0-8 from three last night, and might be playing worse basketball than Garnett. How about Shelden Williams? Too short. Not an impact player. Baby? Young legs. Plenty of energy. But, again, too short and not an imposing defensive presence. Look around this team, and any move you contemplate leaves the team in worse position than if no move is made at all.
And so, like I said earlier in the week, this team will merely be a good team, winning 54 games or so, unless, somehow, miraculously, KG and the starters find their mojo and do something other than sleepwalk their way through important junctures of games, digging themselves into holes they can't get out of.
2 comments:
I'm thinking that the problem with the team is mental. They have completely lost focus. They won those first 5 games so easily that they were talking 72 wins and their heads got so big they figured they would come into games and win because they are so good. It doesn't work that way, of course. So, they are now completely discombobolated because they aren't running their offensive sets - instead, they are individually trying to create offense and they are taking those abominable quick 3's. On the defensive end, they aren't working and they aren't trusting each other. I think they need to get back to square one and ubuntu and they will be fine.
Should be an interesting journey
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