Otis is pleading for more "player" leadership! Losses should bother them more!(blog)

[ball junkie]

quote:

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:29 pm Post subject: MAGIC GM STILL NOT HAPPY WITH TEAM'S LEADERSHIP, FOCUS

 

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As he has several times of late, outspoken Magic general manager Otis Smith continued to question his team's lack of leadership among the players for the team's inconsistent nature.

That's the primary reason why, Smith figures, that the Magic can play well against playoff competitors New Jersey and New York, and then lose to the hapless Boston Celtics. Here's what Otis had to say after the Magic's film session/practice on Thursday:

 

``We're competing against ourselves. I don't think we're competing against the other team. Whether it's a good team or a bad team the Magic are competing against the team in the mirror. We have to do a better job of executing and preparing ourselves to play. We just have to beat that team in the mirror and come to play.''

 

And Smith didn't stop there, saying that the Magic's veteran players haven't done a good job holding the team accountable when it fails to bring the focus or energy needed to beat the teams they should defeat.

 

Orlando is just 19-18 this season against teams with losing records. Also, they have lost to Memphis (without Pau Gasol), Milwaukee (without Michael Redd), Charlotte (without Emeka Okafor), New Orleans (without Chris Paul) and the Los Angeles Lakers (without Lamar Odom).

 

``Whether Brian (Hill) is saying it, I'm saying it or an assistant coach, it means something different when it comes from a player,'' Smith said. ``We have good guys, they come to work and you're not going to hear about them in the paper (for breaking the law).

 

``We're always talking about character around here, but this is a different type of character. When you lay down at night does it bother you if we lost? I'm not saying it doesn't bother our guys, but it needs to bother them a little more.''

_________________

John Denton is a FLORIDA TODAY sports reporter and the Orlando Magic beat writer

 

 

You make the call. Is Otis covering for the shortcomings of his coach and trying to save a season headed down the tubes or is player leadership really what is killing this team?

 

 

http://forums.floridatoday.com/viewtopic.php?t=25079&si...005dd486fc24663f208e

[ball junkie]

quote:

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:29 pm Post subject: MAGIC GM STILL NOT HAPPY WITH TEAM'S LEADERSHIP, FOCUS

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

As he has several times of late, outspoken Magic general manager Otis Smith continued to question his team's lack of leadership among the players for the team's inconsistent nature.

That's the primary reason why, Smith figures, that the Magic can play well against playoff competitors New Jersey and New York, and then lose to the hapless Boston Celtics. Here's what Otis had to say after the Magic's film session/practice on Thursday:

 

``We're competing against ourselves. I don't think we're competing against the other team. Whether it's a good team or a bad team the Magic are competing against the team in the mirror. We have to do a better job of executing and preparing ourselves to play. We just have to beat that team in the mirror and come to play.''

 

And Smith didn't stop there, saying that the Magic's veteran players haven't done a good job holding the team accountable when it fails to bring the focus or energy needed to beat the teams they should defeat.

 

Orlando is just 19-18 this season against teams with losing records. Also, they have lost to Memphis (without Pau Gasol), Milwaukee (without Michael Redd), Charlotte (without Emeka Okafor), New Orleans (without Chris Paul) and the Los Angeles Lakers (without Lamar Odom).

 

``Whether Brian (Hill) is saying it, I'm saying it or an assistant coach, it means something different when it comes from a player,'' Smith said. ``We have good guys, they come to work and you're not going to hear about them in the paper (for breaking the law).

 

``We're always talking about character around here, but this is a different type of character. When you lay down at night does it bother you if we lost? I'm not saying it doesn't bother our guys, but it needs to bother them a little more.''

_________________

John Denton is a FLORIDA TODAY sports reporter and the Orlando Magic beat writer

 

 

You make the call. Is Otis covering for the shortcomings of his coach and trying to save a season headed down the tubes or is player leadership really what is killing this team?

 

 

http://forums.floridatoday.com/viewtopic.php?t=25079&si...005dd486fc24663f208e

[Emory889]

Someone has to call them out. The coach seems incapable of motivating them so maybe the GM can do it. It worked briefly the last time Otis did it.

 

Good coaches never seem to have a problem motivating players. With the exception of Larry Brown last year I can't think of an example of players not playing hard for a good coach.

 

I guess this will spark another debate of who is really responsible for this season. The players or the coach?

[jack daniel 999]

Without a leader we will go nowhere ...

 

So what do you think...

 

who is really giving 1,000%...

 

I don't know of any player right now stepping up to that level.

 

As far as the coach that's been discussed.

[Marc Acres 3:16]

quote:

We have to do a better job of executing and preparing ourselves to play. We just have to beat that team in the mirror and come to play.''

 

"Whether Brian (Hill) is saying it, I'm saying it or an assistant coach, it means something different when it comes from a player,'' Smith said"

 

Those 2 quotes were interesting. Honestly I don't think he is trying to do anything other than call out his players and try and motivate them. The quotes are interesting to me because he is talking about preparation and execution. Both players and coaches are responsible for those things but it is troubling to me that a team 70 games in is having trouble executing the same things over and over again.

 

This team has a lot of flaws, I'm really sick of saying this but I hope this is the last season where we are looking forward to offseason moves to correct issues. I hope this is the last season that we are saying wait till next season.

[Soul Bro]

I am so pissed at Jameer's lack of leadership and reckless play last night. If Shaq were on our team, he would have flattened Jameer. What a jack-o.

[Skywise316]

What Otis is basically saying is that Brian Hill has said everything he's gonna say this season. When you hit 70 games from this guy, anything B.Hill says after that is just going to be something the Magic players have heard before.

 

In other words, IMO, the players have already tuned coach out. Like Hill says something he's already siad 200 times before and the players go, "Yeah yeah, we know, Coach."

 

So I think this latest Otis Smith rant is directed at one person:

 

Grant Hill.

 

Yes Tony Battie is basically our "big man leader" but let's face it, he was never a star with those Boston Celtic playoff teams he played for.

 

Grant's got the most successful resume on the Magic roster. Playoff games, All-Star game starter, he's been there and done that. But you can pretty much tell from his post game interviews.. and his isolation plays on the court, quite frankly.. that he's a "do his own thing" kind of guy, and he flat out expects the other guys on the team to play as hard as he can every minute.

 

News flash, Grant.. this team is far too young and at times flat out STUPID to be trusted that much.

 

I think this is Otis' roundabout way to get Grant Hill to step up as a vocal leader because the players might actually listen to Grant.

 

They sure as heck won't listen to their coach, because they haven't until now. At least not long enough to make it stick.

[Emory889]

I don't think execution is really the problem. They run the same da** plays every single game. I think the real problem is they run the same da** plays every game. Opposing teams don't even need to send scouts to see what our strategy will be. It hasn't changed all season.

[indybobb]

quote:

Originally posted by emory889:

I don't think execution is really the problem. They run the same da** plays every single game. I think the real problem is they run the same da** plays every game. Opposing teams don't even need to send scouts to see what our strategy will be. It hasn't changed all season.

 

Agree 100%

[30Assists]

quote:

News flash, Grant.. this team is far too young and at times flat out STUPID to be trusted that much.

 

That is exactly what I was thinking. Coach is partially responsible, but like the Boston Game illustrated, it doesn't matter if coach calls the right play, has the players practice, calls the right numbers at the right time during game, and the player straight up says: "Well, I hit the game-winner last night by doing my thing: Here I come, Sports Center!!"

 

Well, not much the coach can do about that except bench that player. Then what's your choice? Arroyo? He does the same thing. Diener? Good, but kind of untested and I honestly haven't seen him in practice, so maybe he isn't showing coach enough.

 

Hrmmmff.

[CG]

quote:

I am so pissed at Jameer's lack of leadership and reckless play last night. If Shaq were on our team, he would have flattened Jameer. What a jack-o.

 

You got that right! If I were Dwight and wanted to become the team LEADER (which he will eventually be!), I would forget any kind of "friendship" with Jameer and be all over his face everytime I went to the scoreboard and found he had 15 FGA and only 3/4 assists, while I only had 7 FGA.

 

As of now, Dwight is too soft with his friend, too nice to people, or too immature to take action. Hopefully, losing will open his eyes and make him react/act....

[Berto]

I don't understand what Otis is trying to accomplish here. We're 72 games into the season, if our guys don't get it by now, they won't figure it out by seasons end.