a lesson from bill walsh

[seay 0]

I was and am a life-long 49er fan. Bill Walsh provided many lessons to gm's in whatever sport.

 

One that he offered to a hi-tech gathering in the silicon valley has stuck with me and it applies to the Magic.

 

This was his concept of a "base camp strategy". In his view you did not build in increments to simply "get into the playoffs" which for him was missing the point. Rather you build a "base camp" from which you actually can make the summit i.e. an nfl or nba championship.

 

with this in mind, he actually lost games he might have won because "he wanted to give the young joe montana, and others, experience in a 4th qtr drive. he traded away players, in their prime, who were good enough to get you to the playoffs but not all the way. He found a core of "nuggets" who belonged in the base camp ...and then he made the ascent, eschewing earlier "won-lost" records, or brief runs in the playoffs.

 

Otis, to say the obvious, is not a base camp strategist. We will get into the playoffs and if that is what you want fine. I feel he has mortgaged the future to such an extent we will be perennial also-rans perhaps, but no championship.

[seay 0]

I was and am a life-long 49er fan. Bill Walsh provided many lessons to gm's in whatever sport.

 

One that he offered to a hi-tech gathering in the silicon valley has stuck with me and it applies to the Magic.

 

This was his concept of a "base camp strategy". In his view you did not build in increments to simply "get into the playoffs" which for him was missing the point. Rather you build a "base camp" from which you actually can make the summit i.e. an nfl or nba championship.

 

with this in mind, he actually lost games he might have won because "he wanted to give the young joe montana, and others, experience in a 4th qtr drive. he traded away players, in their prime, who were good enough to get you to the playoffs but not all the way. He found a core of "nuggets" who belonged in the base camp ...and then he made the ascent, eschewing earlier "won-lost" records, or brief runs in the playoffs.

 

Otis, to say the obvious, is not a base camp strategist. We will get into the playoffs and if that is what you want fine. I feel he has mortgaged the future to such an extent we will be perennial also-rans perhaps, but no championship.

[30Assists 342]

You could also argue that Otis is building a 'base camp' around Ariza, Lewis, and Howard. Letting Darko go despite the obvious uproar from fans, and so on. The margin for error in the NBA is a lot lower than in the NFL, where an individual player is not as important.