Is leadership the question?

I could not help but think about the last few lines of the previous post. Is leadership really the problem, can we look at Bosh, or Jose and simply say they are not leading properly? After thinking about it, personally I don't think that its fair to criticize that. So many people tribute Boston's resurgence to KG's leadership, his intensity, leading his crew, but I find it hard to believe that KG learned leadership at the tender age of 32?


Being an avid KG fan in his Timberwolves day, I struggle to remember one year where the team as a whole showed the passion the Celtics showed last year. I quote last year because I don't see it as much this year. Even when they made it to the conference finals, KG was undoubtedly the leader, but his teammates did not show the intensity that he did, it was not visible that KG had a direct effect on "pumping his team up". That was a year where they just had a good mesh of talent, diving for those 50/50 balls was not the reason they made it as far as they did while for the Celtics, the hustle of Posey, PJ and Powe were deciding factors. I can't remember exactly but I think PJ Brown had a +/- of 20 something during the finals. I do think when you see the Celtics this year, you can see that void on their bench. The leadership of those two off the bench, their passion their leadership set the tone for their bench and I think once we hit the playoffs, we're going to really see how much they will sorely be missed. Similarily, I think it will be even more interesting to see the effect Ginobili, Terry, Odom and Kirilenko have on the outcome in the west.


Leaders of the teams get so much criticism because they are the face of the team, but I think it's more important to have a group of leaders, and personally I think the best teams have multiple leaders, different kinds, leaders who are your best player, leaders who are your smartest player, leaders who are your best bench player, leaders who are vets, but more importantly, I think they need PLAYERS who hold each other and themselves accountable. It's always easy to say, oh Chris should have driven on the last possession, but whose fault was it that the game was so close at the end? I think the most underrated leader is the leader of the bench. Having a quality seasoned player accept his role off the bench sends an example to the rest of the bench. I think being able to look at the bench and hold them accountable is important, but I think those players on the bench knowing they are accountable is perhaps one of the most important points in building a team.


Look no further than the spurs and you'll see. Yes, they have a superstar in Duncan and one of the best point guards in the league in Parker, but we also know their success depends on how far Ginobili can carry them. I don't think any Spur took it harder being eliminated by the Lakers when it was clear that him being injured and not having a great series was ultimately the deciding factor. I think too many team s underestimate the value of the 6th man. He's so much more than energy off the bench, he may be the most valuable leader on the team. Down the 13th man, they are the lesser stars, they are the ones who can look to that 6th man, making a sacrifice for the team, helping any way they can, but more importantly, by sharing that bench together, they can relate and learn.


As this is a Raptor blog, let me relate it someway. Looking at their roster, its clear, we are still pieces away, key pieces. In my opinion though, Oneal getting injured may be the best thing that happens to the team this regular season. Not only did we get Bargnani to see that he does belong, but having a former all star, a seasoned proven vet leading the bench, I cant' help but think he will be the example and leader that Joey, Kris, Jake, Jason and Ukic need. I think we didn't realize the psychological implications of the game. Having our 6th man early on be a unproven third year insecure player looking to prove that he belongs, I think that can be a bad sign. Do you really want your leader off the bench to be unsure of whether he even belongs? I think we can rest easy knowing that no matter how many times Azubuike destroy's Oneal's knee, he's going to know he belongs in this league. I think it will be very interesting to keep an eye on how the bench reacts to Oneal being the 6th man.


This was my first post on a blog in god knows so I would appreciate any feedback, positive or negative.


PS. I know its long, I tend to ramble!