Smart said all the same things - defense, rebounding, low turnovers, team play. That's not to say I don't like Malone. I do. But it's all about implementing these principles, not recognizing the obvious. The most important fact for me in all of this is who exactly was it that made the hire? Vivek. Not the GM who hasn't been hired yet, but the owner himself, by himself. Some have said that this is unconventional and rightly so. But think about the implications. Essentially, it tells the players that Malone is Vivek's right-hand guy. You screw with Malone and you screw with Vivek. You try to go around Malone to the GM when you don't get your pt or unhappy about your "role" then you're going to the wrong guy. You better go to Vivek. And I highly doubt that Vivek is going to be the wishy-washy ineffectual craven owner that the Maloofs have shown themselves to be. The way Malone was hired and by whom is just as important as the coach himself.
