The Rise of Playmaking Basketball, The NBA and Coach K

[Skitzle]

Having watched the "phenomenon" of the Warriors winning the NBA playing small ball, my mind immediately went back to the 2008 redeem team led by Coach K, where Bosh played more minutes at the 5 then Dwight Howard and everyone was killing K for not stocking his team with enough size.

I've kind of been wondering about K's role in the small ball trend. He's been playing and winning with this style for YEARS, but did he effect the NBA in this regard? (Short answer, doesn't seem like it. Feel free to keep reading though).

Arguably like the first time you see a small ball champ is 2004 when the Pistons beat the lakers with 6'10 do-it-all center Ben Wallace, but he feels like more of a traditional big man than a Bosh, as he wasn't a great offensive player.
2005 Spurs had Duncan (Not a small ball team)
2006 Heat had Shaq (Not a small ball team)
2007 Spurs again (Not a small ball team, but as time went on Duncan was less a big and more a playmaking 4, so I feel like we can already see the trend forming without K at the USA Helm)
2008 Celtics had Garnett and Perkins. (Perkins was/is terrible, and Garnett is almost the harbinger of the "new big". So again even before Coach K had his Redeem Team it seems like the trend began.)
2009-10 Lakers with Bynum, Odom, and Gasol. (Odım as a Point Forward and Gasol's passing ability and midrange games keeps moving us in the small ball direction)
2011 Mavs - Dirk and Chandler (Chandler more traditional big, but hello PNRs and good buy Shaq pound'em up era)
2012-13 Heat - (Now We're playing small ball with Bosh at the 5 mostly)
2014 Spurs (Is Duncan a big? Start the debate)
2015 Warriors

Again Looking at this list, it seems like K rode the trend with the Redeem Team as opposed to grow or start it.

But I'd love to get other peoples thoughts as well. I thought it might start some interesting off-season discussion.

[94duke]

Having watched the "phenomenon" of the Warriors winning the NBA playing small ball, my mind immediately went back to the 2008 redeem team led by Coach K, where Bosh played more minutes at the 5 then Dwight Howard and everyone was killing K for not stocking his team with enough size.

I've kind of been wondering about K's role in the small ball trend. He's been playing and winning with this style for YEARS, but did he effect the NBA in this regard? (Short answer, doesn't seem like it. Feel free to keep reading though).

Arguably like the first time you see a small ball champ is 2004 when the Pistons beat the lakers with 6'10 do-it-all center Ben Wallace, but he feels like more of a traditional big man than a Bosh, as he wasn't a great offensive player.
2005 Spurs had Duncan (Not a small ball team)
2006 Heat had Shaq (Not a small ball team)
2007 Spurs again (Not a small ball team, but as time went on Duncan was less a big and more a playmaking 4, so I feel like we can already see the trend forming without K at the USA Helm)
2008 Celtics had Garnett and Perkins. (Perkins was/is terrible, and Garnett is almost the harbinger of the "new big". So again even before Coach K had his Redeem Team it seems like the trend began.)
2009-10 Lakers with Bynum, Odom, and Gasol. (Odım as a Point Forward and Gasol's passing ability and midrange games keeps moving us in the small ball direction)
2011 Mavs - Dirk and Chandler (Chandler more traditional big, but hello PNRs and good buy Shaq pound'em up era)
2012-13 Heat - (Now We're playing small ball with Bosh at the 5 mostly)
2014 Spurs (Is Duncan a big? Start the debate)
2015 Warriors

Again Looking at this list, it seems like K rode the trend with the Redeem Team as opposed to grow or start it.

But I'd love to get other peoples thoughts as well. I thought it might start some interesting off-season discussion.

I'm not sure he rode the trend. He needed to go small to win in 2001. I'm not saying he started it, but Coach K has always liked bigs that could step out, even as far back as Ferry.

[JasonEvans]

I'm not sure he rode the trend. He needed to go small to win in 2001. I'm not saying he started it, but Coach K has always liked bigs that could step out, even as far back as Ferry.

Coach K has always liked bigs that could step out, even as far back as Alarie.

-Jason "fixed it for ya" Evans

[Skitzle]

So I guess that's my question. Do you guys think that K had any direct influence on the NBA or that the development is just the natural evolution of the game.

[94duke]

So I guess that's my question. Do you guys think that K had any direct influence on the NBA or that the development is just the natural evolution of the game.

I think it's the evolution of the game. It happened in football, too, with the shift to speed over size.

[sagegrouse]

So I guess that's my question. Do you guys think that K had any direct influence on the NBA or that the development is just the natural evolution of the game.


I think it's the evolution of the game. It happened in football, too, with the shift to speed over size.

K's motion offense places a premium on mobile, interchangeable players. The changes in the NBA rules that give greater freedom-of-movement to the players has somewhat the same effect.

[luvdahops]

I'm not sure he rode the trend. He needed to go small to win in 2001. I'm not saying he started it, but Coach K has always liked bigs that could step out, even as far back as Ferry.

Mark Alarie was the first big with with range in the K era

[brevity]

So I guess that's my question. Do you guys think that K had any direct influence on the NBA or that the development is just the natural evolution of the game.


I think it's the evolution of the game. It happened in football, too, with the shift to speed over size.

Actually, the NFL stole that from Coach Cut.

[Edouble]

Having watched the "phenomenon" of the Warriors winning the NBA playing small ball, my mind immediately went back to the 2008 redeem team led by Coach K, where Bosh played more minutes at the 5 then Dwight Howard and everyone was killing K for not stocking his team with enough size.

I've kind of been wondering about K's role in the small ball trend. He's been playing and winning with this style for YEARS, but did he effect the NBA in this regard? (Short answer, doesn't seem like it. Feel free to keep reading though).

Arguably like the first time you see a small ball champ is 2004 when the Pistons beat the lakers with 6'10 do-it-all center Ben Wallace, but he feels like more of a traditional big man than a Bosh, as he wasn't a great offensive player.
2005 Spurs had Duncan (Not a small ball team)
2006 Heat had Shaq (Not a small ball team)
2007 Spurs again (Not a small ball team, but as time went on Duncan was less a big and more a playmaking 4, so I feel like we can already see the trend forming without K at the USA Helm)
2008 Celtics had Garnett and Perkins. (Perkins was/is terrible, and Garnett is almost the harbinger of the "new big". So again even before Coach K had his Redeem Team it seems like the trend began.)
2009-10 Lakers with Bynum, Odom, and Gasol. (Odım as a Point Forward and Gasol's passing ability and midrange games keeps moving us in the small ball direction)
2011 Mavs - Dirk and Chandler (Chandler more traditional big, but hello PNRs and good buy Shaq pound'em up era)
2012-13 Heat - (Now We're playing small ball with Bosh at the 5 mostly)
2014 Spurs (Is Duncan a big? Start the debate)
2015 Warriors

Again Looking at this list, it seems like K rode the trend with the Redeem Team as opposed to grow or start it.

But I'd love to get other peoples thoughts as well. I thought it might start some interesting off-season discussion.

Seems like it's not Coach K's influence, but Europe's influence.

IIRC, Coach K constructed the 2008 Redeem Team to best compete with the international rules/international competition. Just as Coach K adjusted to counter his Olympic competition, the 2015 Warriors went small to counter their competition. The (Blatt-coached) Cavaliers were dominating over the first three games of the 2015 Finals, with James spending a lot of time at the 4 spot. The series turned around once the Warriors pulled Bogut and went mano a mano, size-wise, with Cleveland.

Blatt, Gasols, Dirk... a lot of Europeans trending through your post.

[rocketeli]

I think this so-called trend is at least partially, if not wholly, sports-yak from the sports media looking to gin up an angle. My proof? Look at the size of the first 12 players taken in the 2015 draft.