Veterans Vs. Youth
As a GM, or a head coach, of an NBA franchise, you have to face many troubling and difficult questions on a day to day basis. Are my players happy? Do we have the facilities necessary to be a successful franchise? How can I improve my players? How can I improve my fan experience? How can we win a championship?
All of those questions are vital to the health and wealth of a franchise. One other question that interests me is: What is more important to my roster, steady and proven veterans, or exciting and untested youth? This question is one that needs to be answered by a coach and a GM every year as they re-examine their rosters in the offseason, and it is often one that is addressed in the middle of the year via trade.
I think there are several points to be considered when deciding how to flesh out your roster:
1. Are my veterans a good locker room influence?
Take Baron Davis on the Los Angeles Clippers of 2010 versus the Baron Davis of 2011. In the 2009-2010 season, everyone agreed that Baron Davis was out of shape, uninspired, and generally a poison in the locker room. His team sucked, he didn’t want to play, and there was no reason for him to love coming to work every day. Many of us will say: “Baron, you are making crap-loads of money, just go out there and do your job!” However, it is always hard to do your best in a work environment that is unhealthy and unfulfilling.
Drastic change time. In 2011, the Clippers are an exciting and young team. They have beat the Heat and the Lakers in the last week, and have won 12 of their last 16 games. Baron Davis is a big reason behind this resurgence (as well as ROY Blake Griffin). B-Diddy is coming out and having fun on the basketball court again. He is enjoying throwing lobs to Blake and Deandre Jordan, and is generally being the kind of team leader that he was supposed to be when the Clippers signed him.
2. Are my veterans helping my youth to grow?
Very similar to the first question, but a few different nuances. For this example, let’s look at one of the oldest teams in the league, the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have a very good, if aging veteran point guard in Tony Parker. In 2008, the Spurs drafted George Hill out of IUPUI in Indianapolis to become Parkers backup and eventual replacement. Greg Popovich will attest that Tony Parker has been integral to the development of George Hill. Leading by example and teaching on the court are two things that Parker is doing as a veteran that are helping his team both in the long term and immediately on the court as Hill is quickly blossoming into a great young guard.
3. Are my veterans aware of their age?
This may be a jab at a few veterans in particular, but one vet who does understand that he is older is Shaquille O’neal of the Boston Celtics. The Big Shamrock has always been a force of nature. Slightly less powerful than an earthquake, but definitely superior to a hurricane, Shaq has carved a niche for himself in the Hall of Fame by being bigger, stronger, and often quicker, than any other center in basketball. But, as we all do, he has aged. The last 5 years have seen Shaq become less and less of a franchise player, and more of a role player. However, Shaq has been aware of this evolution. He joined the Celtics because he wanted to win a championship, not because he wanted to average 30 ppg again. He has done an admirable job by rebounding the ball, clogging the paint on defense, and periodically even getting 10+ shots in the post if needed. Shaq has aged well for someone with a personality as large as his tattooed shoulders.
Two veterans who I think had trouble realizing that they were not premier players anymore were Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady. This past summer, Tmac told the Pistons that he didn’t want to come to the team and be a sixth man. He expected that he would be a starter, and basically take over the team. He has fixed that assumption since, and has started to contribute as a solid role player and playmaker for the Detroit Pistons. Allen Iverson lost his job in the NBA because he refused to accept the fact that he was not the player that he used to be. He could still be valuable to any team, but his ego refuses to let him take a reduced role.
4. What do my youth lack?
I think this is a very important question to ask. Again looking at the Clippers, what does this young team lack? Here is a related question: Why do Ryan Gomes start at small forward over Al Farouq Aminu? Aminu is younger, bouncier, longer, and has a better future. I think the answer is this: Gomes is a steadying force in the starting lineup. He is not flashy, he doesn’t demand the ball, and he doesn’t score much. But he does defend hard, hit open jump shots, and crash the glass on both ends of the floor (although defensive boards are hard to come by with Griffin and Jordan looming). So, if your youth lack the ability to slow down, get a veteran ball-handler. If your youth hasn’t developed an inside presence, get a veteran banger like Kurt Thomas. He is doing an admirable job of filling in as a banger for the Chicago Bulls while Joakim Noah is out with injury.
Another thing that a lot of youth lack is an ability to play competent defense. Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets scores less in the NBA than I do (almost) but he still starts for the team because he can effectively defend 3 positions on the floor. The Rockets stick him on the opposing team’s best player night in and night out and he gives an enormous effort in shutting that player down.
So, we have listed some things that a GM may need to take into account when building his team. In case any GM’s are reading this article, here are a few veterans that you should consider as you are rounding out your roster. Note: these players may or may not be affordable or available
· Christ Anderson, PF: the Birdman can block shots and rebound with the best of them, and will always give serviceable minutes off the bench as a big man. Also, he is an inspiration with the way he has overcome addiction.
· Kyle Korver: do you need a three point basket? A solid defensive rotation? Someone to make funny, dodgeball themed commercials? Korver is your man.
· Luke Ridnour: This man is starting for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and some nights is their 3rd best player. He can run the pick and roll, shoot the basketball, and he is another vet that fights every minute he is on the court.
· Linas Kleiza: He is under-producing in Toronto at the moment, but he showed over the summer in the World Championships that he can be a valuable and explosive scoring option if used correctly.
· Arron Afflalo: This UCLA grad has turned himself into quite the well-rounded player. He defends well, he shoots the three well, and is better at driving to the basket than he has been in the past. He would be a perfect shooting guard in Chicago, if they could get him.
Final note: the more I looked through rosters for this piece, the more I noticed that there aren’t a ton of people who fit the “still serviceable but not really used” veteran label. There are so many young players in this league right now. Maybe my definition of veteran is too…something.
