By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
Remember when NBA bluebloods dominated the league? From 1980 through 2014, just six teams – the Lakers
(10), Bulls (6), Spurs (5), Celtics (4), Pistons (3) and Heat (3) – claimed 31 of
35 championships. The NBA was
consistent. Predictable. Familiar.
Stars gravitated to a few elite franchises in glamorous basketball
destinations. The result was an insult
to open competition: an inequitable concentration of power and riches created
an NBA aristocracy and a just-happy-to-be-here proletariat. The era gave us Magic, Shaq and Kobe’s
Lakers. Larry’s Celtics. The Bad Boy Pistons. Tim Duncan’s Spurs. Jordan’s Bulls. And Wade and LeBron’s Heat.
Now, a coup might be upon us. To quote Buffalo Springfield, “There’s
something happening here, and what it is ain’t exactly clear.” The best team in the Eastern Conference is
the Cleveland Cavaliers, a pre-LeBron James also-ran. The champs are the Golden
State Warriors, a long-time basketball wasteland. And the best rivalry going isn’t
Lakers-Celtics or Bulls-Pistons…it’s Golden State and the inconsequential
Milwaukee Bucks, a sub-.500 that somehow managed to deal the Warriors their
only loss and darn near pulled the trick again in the rematch last week. Maybe there’s hope for the Wizards? If my visions (hallucinations?) of free-agent-to-be
Kevin Durant in a ‘Zards jersey become reality, it will affirm that a
basketball revolution is underway.
Regarding those champion Warriors, they opened the season
with 24 consecutive wins and are, as of last Sunday, 26-1. So much for success spoiling the team’s hunger. With a title on the resume, the Warriors seem
intent on trying to become one of the best teams in league history. Considering the casual nature of the NBA’s
regular season (let’s face it, maximum effort isn’t prevalent), Golden State’s
approach is refreshing.
Continuity is on their side: The Warriors carried over
largely the same squad from last season. Reigning MVP Stephen Curry is even better. Fellow “Splash Brother” Klay Thompson rounds
out the NBA’s best backcourt. Andre Iguodala,
Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes all remain in the rotation. But there was one alteration, one that’s been
oddly ignored. Head coach Steve Kerr has
been out all season recovering from multiple back surgeries. His assistant, Luke Walton, has quietly - an
understatement because no one is talking about him – been a masterful
substitute teacher.
I get it. He’s “just”
Luke Walton. He’s not Anakin Skywalker/Darth
Vader’s kid, but he is the son of basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton. Luke was, in his own right, a 10-year NBA
player, but he was nothing more than a rotation guy on loaded Lakers teams that
featured the likes of Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant. After Kerr took a leave of absence, Walton was
also handed an obnoxiously talented roster.
Iconic father, famous teammates, decorated head coach and star-studded
roster: It’s understandable that Walton, a man perpetually in the shadow of
others, remains an afterthought despite coaching the Warriors to a 26-1
record.
But it isn’t justified.
Walton’s not just a warm body who mindlessly fills out a
lineup. He’s placating egos,
manipulating rotations, strategically responding to in-game situations and managing
the team’s mental and physical burden of being the champs and getting every
opponent’s best. Yes, he comes from good
stock, was a teammate of Bryant, one of the league’s best ever, and was given
the coaching opportunity of a lifetime by Kerr’s balky lower lumbar – the
shadow-man can’t deny any of it. But
Walton’s in the light now, front and center every night…and he’s crushing
it.
It bothers me when cynics dismiss individual accomplishment as
the product of name value, surrounding talent, accidental circumstance or some
other cheapening ingredient. Whom among
us has accomplished anything of significance organically? Whatever summit a person ascends, at the foundation
of the journey are advocates - teachers, parents, coaches, colleagues and a community/economy
– personal Yoda’s or Obi Wan’s, if you will.
Walton stands on many supporting shoulders, but Luke’s success isn’t merely
luck or the product of The Force. The
young Jedi/coach has seized the moment and is coaching at a high level. He deserves some credit. Acknowledging his existence on the Golden
State bench would be a start.
No comments:
Post a Comment