Circa_1985_Fan said:
This team has too many great players for the gel to stay away for too much longer.
Unfortunately not necessarily so. In fact Bonzi must be wondering what the hell he did in life to be in this too many cooks in the kitchen situation AGAIN. Portland, Memphis, now us -- all have had a similar structure when he's been there. Lots of good players more or less on the same level. Its not a situation that lends itself to the easy emergence of a leader.
Most leaders around the league, personality or not, are usually overwhelmingly good/better at one aspect of the game or another and become a natural leader by virtue of their abilities. Not all -- smart guys with strong personalities can do it too, but players with exceptional abilities often mean that everyone has to respect their game, and follow the guy who is best at...whatever. Does not always happen, and that's where you see many franchises trying to convince their big stars to be more of a leader even if its not in their personality. But in a situation where everyone is more or less equal, and largely good on the same side of the ball to boot, it does not lend itself to a nice natural easily identificable person who SHOULD be the leader.
In our past we had one unique guy (Vlade, who by personality and in the early years, age/worldliness/experience, established himself a a leader), we had an overwhelming talent that was a natural for the position by game alone, and then we had a great defensive player who far outshone his teammates in that aspect. All had something to naturally separate them. Now we really don't. Everybody exists on the same plane talentwise. Nobody has an obvious personality for it. I am trusting to the same trait that means we have no natural leader -- lots of bland, low key personalities -- to hopefully prevent the messes that have occurred in Portland and Memphis in this situation. But its not one that has a real natural resolution. Amongst a bunch of equals without forceful personalities, where does leadership come from?
2 Subnotes:
1) Of course our coach does not have a forceful persoanlity either. He excels at getting out of the way of athletes who DO, and thus letting players be themselves and lead if its natural. Give him a team full of quiet bland types thogh, and he can't provide the missing spark.
2) Our GM has all the personality of cardboard. His favorite player, the persoanlity of a wet noodle. I have long been concerned that his own quiet demeanor makes him less likely to add players to the team who are not similarly low key flatliners. He's quiet and low-key, and so he likes quiet low-key players. But that's a problem in excess. SOMEBODY has to lead. And he's acquired a team without an obvious player to fill that role. (and that's before my growing concern that he was a shooting softie as a player, still sees the game that way, and is unable to see or appreciate ferocious tough competitiors).
