The DNA of A Championship Team

[Deems]

Since we all know this iteration of a good, but not great team will never become a championship. I wanted to throw out the question what you think is the make up of a championship team? I'm talking past the obvious of having a superstar and a great coach, what are the little nuances that you would like to see in your team if you were the GM?

Probably not surprisingly coming from me, but the number one thing I'm looking for is grit and accountability. I don't give a shit if my #1 player is the 2nd coming of Jesus offensively, if he doesn't perform on the other end and breeds passiveness as a normality; his ass will be glued to the bench. I want to see players who have been through shit and are willing to stand up to the goliath's of the league, because at the end of the day it's just basketball. NBA player are blessed to be in this position and if they aren't humble enough to give it all they got day in day out, I'll send them a recommendation to work at Tim Hortons.

The 2nd thing I'm looking for is organizational chemistry, I would like to create a culture like the Spurs have. This ties in to the 1st point of accountability, if there is a true culture everyone is able to speak out if they see something wrong or right. The truth is harsh and I would want my culture to be built around that, the harsh realities that if taken constructively will help the individual grow. It won't be all gloomy however, having fun as a family is just as important as learning with each other. Through the ups and downs I would make sure we were all there for one another.


I can probably go on but I would rather hear from y'all what your ideal makeup would be.

[MixxAOR]

Top 5 player in a league as your franchise player.

[Axel]

Hard to think of a great answer after watching last night's game, but versatility and toughness (both mental and physical) are big for me (beyond the obvious star power).

[planetmars]

I hate to say this but you have to look at the Boston Celtics and use them as an example on how to create a team/culture/identity. They haven't come across Lebron yet these playoffs but the way those guys fight without any stars (Horford is good but no superstar) is the way I expected the Raptors to play.. and they don't.

Maybe its a Brad Stevens thing. And I know some consider him over rated, but he gets those guys to play hard.. even guys that were cast offs on other teams (like Marcus Morris or Greg Monroe).

[Scraptor]

I think it's more instructive to weigh how important each factor is.

In my opinion it looks something like this:

50% superstar talent - there are only two teams in the last forty years that didn't really have a Hall of Fame-level superstar in his prime, the '04 Pistons and the '14 Spurs, and both had DPOY-quality players in Big Ben and Kawhi

25% supporting cast - not even Giannis could sink the injured Celtics without shooters or rebounding

15% coaching - Warriors only won the championship after Kerr unlocked their potential

10% culture - this is tied to coaching and superstars, who set the tone as leaders. But even dysfunctional culture can be overcome--just read The Jordan Rules.

I'd say a championship culture/DNA springs more from having the right talent and coaching than the other way around. For the most part you can't culture yourself into a championship in the NBA unless you solve the other problems first.

[KHD]

star players who can at very least defend their own position to a league-average level.

[Deems]

I'm talking past the obvious of having a superstar and a great coach, what are the little nuances that you would like to see in your team if you were the GM?

^

[KeonClark]

^

Past that? Heart. It's an old cliche and I'm about to sound like don cherry, but you gotta fight.

Lowry and derozan are more interested in being accepted by the cool kids than beating them. Oladipo and stephenson wanted to murder LeBron. Our all stars are already hoping they get a nice hug after the series

[Deems]

Past that? Heart. It's an old cliche and I'm about to sound like don cherry, but you gotta fight.

Lowry and derozan are more interested in being accepted by the cool kids than beating them. Oladipo and stephenson wanted to murder LeBron. Our all stars are already hoping they get a nice hug after the series

When I seen Lowry laughing with Wall in the Wizards mid game I wanted to throw the TV out the window

[Scraptor]

^

Yeah but that's what I'm trying to get at. It's totally pointless arguing about culture until you build the right foundation first.

The type of culture you build around a Kobe Bryant is going to be totally different than one you build around Tim Duncan.

Toughness, grit, heart--these are all wonderful qualities but they are empty platitudes without the requisite talent to back it up.

[Truth Teller]

You only need a top 10 player, but you better have a good tough cast around him. With a top 5 player you get more leeway.

With a roster like GS, you don't even need to try.

[Mindlessness]

You only need a top 10 player, but you better have a good tough cast around him. With a top 5 player you get more leeway.

With a roster like GS, you don't even need to try.

https://forums.raptorsrepublic.com/s...338#post836338

[Puffer]

You need players that can, and want to, guard their position. Their are players in the league who can't be stopped, only restrained, I admit it. But when I watch a gifted 20 year old kid gamely taking on the greatest basketball player of all time, and never once getting discouraged or coasting and continuing to put out maximum effort, I see the kind of DNA that can build a championship. That's what you need, or at least some version of it.

Toronto is already a significant way down that path. I think the organization is a fantastic one as far as staff go. I don't know if Casey has what it takes to be a head coach. He never seems to make the right in game decisions. It's hard to know what goes on in the strategy sessions or game huddles, but I have no confidence in after timeout plays, end of quarter plays and in his response to other teams runs.

I expect Masai to do something pretty significant if the Raptors don't win three games out of the next five. Something that will be DNA altering. If the Raptors win 4 out of te next five, they will somehow have changed their DNA themselves. I can hope, but I am not holding my breath.

[golden]

Hard to think of a great answer after watching last night's game, but versatility and toughness (both mental and physical) are big for me (beyond the obvious star power).

Toughness is a huge intangible. You look at the impact of noted d*ckheads like Lance and Rondo in the playoffs. They aren’t afraid of anybody and get under the other teams skin. Can’t have a whole team of those guys, but you need at least one.

[hotfuzz]

One thing you definitely need is have a lot of mobile defenders that can guard multiple positions. It's essential in case of switches.

When I seen Lowry laughing with Wall in the Wizards mid game I wanted to throw the TV out the window

In game 1, when Ibaka was shooting 3 free throws near the end of the game, Lowry was talking and laughing with Lebron as if he was at a birthday party and not a playoff game with your biggest rival. (a rival that smacks the shit out of you)