April 16, 2002

STRONG LEADERSHIP CAN SOLVE MOST PROBLEMS

      THE BURNING QUESTION among NBA pundits---How is it possible for a team-- seemingly in a freefall--lose its superstar player…and then put together one of the more remarkable turnarounds in league history?    The answer is quite simple actually---LEADERSHIP

      Like most teams that possess a superstar The Raptors wanted their superstar to be their leader.  The only problem was that their superstar didn’t want to be their leader.  He just wanted to be a superstar—to be able to flash across the court, make great plays, and win basketball games.   But while there have been many superstars that have flashed across the courts of the NBA, the league has seen very few of those special superstars—those capable of leading their teams to championships.    Vince never wanted to be a Magic, a Bird, a Michael. 

      Its clearer now.  Vince was right…he was right all along.  He knew his strengths; he knew his weaknesses.  He knew he wasn’t a leader. 

      I mean--a leader has to be able to push his teammates to greater heights…drive them to play at peak efficiency.  To be effective a leader has to be able to make his teammates believe that they can win—that they will win.  And whenever possible that leader makes the great play to win the game.  That is why teams want their superstar to be their leader—because he’s the one that can determine the outcome of a game.  It’s not exactly rocket science.

     So, Vince let me say it again.  You were right.  You shouldn’t have been asked to be something you’re not.  After all—does a leader sit with the television broadcasters; happily eating popcorn and drinking cranberry juice while his team suffers through another defeat in what became a painfully long losing streak?   I don’t think so.  And I know for certain that we would never have seen Michael fiddle while his team burned.

      Just remember Vince—we may not expect leadership from you anymore, but we expect to see the superstar--EVERY GAME. 

      The whole—Vince as leader—experiment ended after an abysmal loss in Minnesota-- against a team that was suffering through their own hellacious losing streak.   Vince tried to play on one leg—but he was nowhere near the play on this night.  On offence he gave up the ball as soon as it came into his hands and then he would circle around until he was far out of the play.  On two good legs Vince isn’t much of a defender—now he was a pylon.  It became embarrassing when—on a fast break—MoPete fed Vince along the sideline—but Vince wasn’t looking and the ball bounced off his shoulder and rolled out of bounds.  In a scene straight out of  “The Longest Yard” the heart broken sophomore couldn’t even look at Vince as they jogged back on defence.  It was then that the superstar surrendered.   

      The next day Vince announced that his season was over.  The organization said that it was time to look ahead to next year, and hopefully to a healthy superstar.  Experts and fans wrote this season off and began to guess who the Raptors would select with their lottery pick.  But when Vince’s name was finally taken off the leadership ballot… Antonio Davis stepped in and scratched his name out in blood. 

      Davis had always been a complementary player, but he knew that if he didn’t step into the breach at this time this team would fall completely apart.  It was a matter of pride with A.D.  There’s no quit in the man.  He knew that he possessed the necessary qualities to be a leader, qualities earned through years of hard work and determination…but he didn’t know if he had that ability to determine the outcome of a game.   

      But when he ripped the ball out of the great Michael’s hands and lifted the Raptors to a crucial and emotional win…he believed…and his teammates believed.  And when he stood at center court, after the playoff clinching game, and thanked the fans for their support through a difficult season-- they showed that they believed as well.

      It may be hard to believe that this new team…this team that consists—ironically--of overachievers, can make it through the eastern conference without their superstar…but it does bode well for next year when Vince simply has to come in and play the role of superstar--- without the expectations, without the responsibilities, without the burden of leadership to slow him down.   If so then the Raptors would possess the necessary qualities to be a championship team—two great players, strong leadership, a motivated superstar, a solid supporting cast, and a deep sense of team unity. 

      And while we’re on the topic of leadership---here’s a vote for Ben Wallace as league MVP.  While most of the NBA hype machine pumps up Jason Kidd—Wallace has become the anchor of a team that wins with hard work and solid defense.  This year he became only the fourth player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounds and in blocked shots.  Without Wallace the Pistons don’t make the playoffs and probably aren’t any better than last season’s fifty loss team. 

      Funny---the experts always say that defense wins championships, but inevitably it’s the offense that wins the awards.

      Oh, and before I go—here’s a quick note to George Karl and the rest of his Milwaukee Malcontents.            

      HEY GEORGE!

      Na na na na    

      Na na na na

      Hey, hey, hey

      Goodbye