I really think the biggest problem the current group of players has is a lack of trust in themselves and the other players on the court.
Putting aside the lack of balance on the team that's been discussed to death, and JUST looking at what we have available to put out there every night, we have guys who haven't played with each other long enough to gain the trust that comes only with time.
We were spoiled. We saw Bibby, Christie, Peja, Webber and Brad play at a level where the trust was so complete that they didn't even think about it. I'm talking about the kind of trust where you know someone else's game so well that you know what they'll do in certain circumstances. You TRUST them to do that the next time. In addition, you pass the ball if you're open but another guy has a better look because you have TRUST in him that he'll do the same the next time because it's about TEAM and you all KNOW that you feel the same way.
The Princeton offense - Pete Carril's philosophy of basketball - depends on passing, cutting, thinking, and trust. If you do not have the trust, you won't make that pass. You won't cut inside without the ball. You won't take the time to THINK before you jack up that quick shot. You won't look for the open man and pass him the ball, TRUSTING that he'll do the same fo you.
Back what seems like so long ago but was really just a couple of years, we were proud of our team and called them a "band of brothers." Right now, they look more like a bunch of strangers. Even if they never do reach the high pinnacles, this current roster can improve but they have to trust each other and THE TEAM to do it.
Putting aside the lack of balance on the team that's been discussed to death, and JUST looking at what we have available to put out there every night, we have guys who haven't played with each other long enough to gain the trust that comes only with time.
We were spoiled. We saw Bibby, Christie, Peja, Webber and Brad play at a level where the trust was so complete that they didn't even think about it. I'm talking about the kind of trust where you know someone else's game so well that you know what they'll do in certain circumstances. You TRUST them to do that the next time. In addition, you pass the ball if you're open but another guy has a better look because you have TRUST in him that he'll do the same the next time because it's about TEAM and you all KNOW that you feel the same way.
The Princeton offense - Pete Carril's philosophy of basketball - depends on passing, cutting, thinking, and trust. If you do not have the trust, you won't make that pass. You won't cut inside without the ball. You won't take the time to THINK before you jack up that quick shot. You won't look for the open man and pass him the ball, TRUSTING that he'll do the same fo you.
Back what seems like so long ago but was really just a couple of years, we were proud of our team and called them a "band of brothers." Right now, they look more like a bunch of strangers. Even if they never do reach the high pinnacles, this current roster can improve but they have to trust each other and THE TEAM to do it.
