Leadership, development, and promotion

[tooler]

There is something fascinating about our team this season. It explains a lot of what Rob Hennigan is doing. It's also very exciting for the future.

Take a look at our roster:


Luke Ridnour (11 years)
Roy Devyn Marble (rookie)

Notice anything missing?

We have no players with 4-8 years of experience. Why is that significant? That's typically where you find the prime (or early prime) of a player's career. They just got their second contract. They're probably already making a big impact. They expect to play a key role in the offense, especially on a bad team.

The Magic roster is like a bathtub curve. We have a lot of young guys. We have aging veterans that don't expect to dominate the ball. That leaves a big void in the middle.

I believe Rob Hennigan's plan is to allow our young prospects to grow into that space without deferring to a free agent in his prime. We are going to develop our own Eric Bledsoes and Chandler Parsons, rather than buy them on the open market.

Think of it like getting promoted at work. If you want your boss's job, he needs to move up or out first. There's friction. On the other hand, our veterans are like senior management taking on a mentor. Neither side feels threatened.

This separates us from a lot of other rebuilding teams. Philly is young and committed to tanking. Milwaukee and Boston are still clogged up with weird low-tier free agents. Utah is young but just paid Gordon Hayward the max, and they expect him to perform that way.

Our team is like a greenhouse with a few wise old horticulturalists. Everyone has a chance to grow.

Leadership roles and impact are there for the taking this season. We just need to see who emerges. I can't wait to watch!

[purpleswordfish]

I never saw it from that angle, but this makes a lot of sense. Especially with Hennigan always talking about organic growth. Personally, I'm okay with this. I realize the Magic are not going to be competitive this year, but if that's what it takes for long-term success, it's worth it.
The other thing I've noticed about the current roster's construction is that there's a lot of players that can play multiple positions. With the NBA becoming more and more "positionless" as time goes on, I like this current roster going into the future.

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[tiderulz]

There is something fascinating about our team this season. It explains a lot of what Rob Hennigan is doing. It's also very exciting for the future.

Take a look at our roster:


Luke Ridnour (11 years)
Roy Devyn Marble (rookie)

Notice anything missing?

We have no players with 4-8 years of experience. Why is that significant? That's typically where you find the prime (or early prime) of a player's career. They just got their second contract. They're probably already making a big impact. They expect to play a key role in the offense, especially on a bad team.

The Magic roster is like a bathtub curve. We have a lot of young guys. We have aging veterans that don't expect to dominate the ball. That leaves a big void in the middle.

I believe Rob Hennigan's plan is to allow our young prospects to grow into that space without deferring to a free agent in his prime. We are going to develop our own Eric Bledsoes and Chandler Parsons, rather than buy them on the open market.

Think of it like getting promoted at work. If you want your boss's job, he needs to move up or out first. There's friction. On the other hand, our veterans are like senior management taking on a mentor. Neither side feels threatened.

This separates us from a lot of other rebuilding teams. Philly is young and committed to tanking. Milwaukee and Boston are still clogged up with weird low-tier free agents. Utah is young but just paid Gordon Hayward the max, and they expect him to perform that way.

Our team is like a greenhouse with a few wise old horticulturalists. Everyone has a chance to grow.

Leadership roles and impact are there for the taking this season. We just need to see who emerges. I can't wait to watch!

only problem with this, not every player develops into great players or wants to or can become great leaders. Also, you either have to have big money or a good mixture of youth, prime stars and vets to balance out the salary.

[tooler]

Hennigan did something else I think is interesting. He removed all the incumbent veterans.

Jameer Nelson, for example, is a 10 year veteran. Why couldn't they keep him based on my post above? Not only would he take too much playing time dominating the ball, but he was also a team captain. It's difficult to turn the team over to the young guys with that type of seniority.

As soon as Hennigan cut the veterans from last season, our young guys suddenly had "seniority" even though they've only played a couple of years. New veterans like Channing Frye and Ben Gordon might be older, but they're still coming into someone else's team. As complementary players, they're not expected to take over like a free agent in his early prime.

There is some fascinating social engineering here. Hennigan deftly thrust our young guys into leadership positions while still providing complementary veteran influence.

[MagicStarwipe]

Hennigan did something else I think is interesting. He removed all the incumbent veterans.

Jameer Nelson, for example, is a 10 year veteran. Why couldn't they keep him based on my post above? Not only would he take too much playing time dominating the ball, but he was also a team captain. It's difficult to turn the team over to the young guys with that type of seniority.

As soon as Hennigan cut the veterans from last season, our young guys suddenly had "seniority" even though they've only played a couple of years. New veterans like Channing Frye and Ben Gordon might be older, but they're still coming into someone else's team. As complementary players, they're not expected to take over like a free agent in his early prime.

There is some fascinating social engineering here. Hennigan deftly thrust our young guys into leadership positions while still providing complementary veteran influence.

Exactly. I'm surprised more people can't see why those moves were made.

[tiderulz]

Hennigan did something else I think is interesting. He removed all the incumbent veterans.

Jameer Nelson, for example, is a 10 year veteran. Why couldn't they keep him based on my post above? Not only would he take too much playing time dominating the ball, but he was also a team captain. It's difficult to turn the team over to the young guys with that type of seniority.

As soon as Hennigan cut the veterans from last season, our young guys suddenly had "seniority" even though they've only played a couple of years. New veterans like Channing Frye and Ben Gordon might be older, but they're still coming into someone else's team. As complementary players, they're not expected to take over like a free agent in his early prime.

There is some fascinating social engineering here. Hennigan deftly thrust our young guys into leadership positions while still providing complementary veteran influence.

Nelson wanted a chance at a ring, so he asked to be let go. Why are people missing this?

[Audi]

It's pretty much the quintessential example of building through the draft.

[tooler]

If Nelson wanted a ring, why play here the last two years? I think he wanted to lead the young guys and help them grow, but he and Hennigan had a different opinion on the best way to do that next season.

[NBlue]

One would have to note that this was also Doc's plan when he shipped Darrell Armstrong out of town to allow T-Mac to take over as the team leader. That did not exactly end well. Still, that does not mean that the theory can't work in certain circumstances. I would have to agree that it would appear to be the right strategy to pursue -- I just hope we have players that are ready to step up and lead. I believe we do.

[j-ragg]

I think we got rid of Nelson/Afflalo because they've won what... 45 games the past 2 years? I think the organization wanted them to find success somewhere else. They put their time in on a rebuilding team.

[purpleswordfish]

One would have to note that this was also Doc's plan when he shipped Darrell Armstrong out of town to allow T-Mac to take over as the team leader. That did not exactly end well. Still, that does not mean that the theory can't work in certain circumstances. I would have to agree that it would appear to be the right strategy to pursue -- I just hope we have players that are ready to step up and lead. I believe we do.

Very good reference, I remember that being unpopular at the time. However, the only reason that didn't work out is because T-Mac was never the guy that wanted to lead, ever. I'm with you 100%, I hope we have a few players willing to step up to the challenge this time around.

[tooler]

When you bring in a free agent and pay him a lot of money, or even draft a hyped-up "future superstar," you expect him to be the man and lead the team. You're putting all your eggs in one basket. Some guys aren't cut out for that. Dwight Howard is another good example. Everyone kept waiting for him to become a great leader. He never really did.

The advantage we have is that any one of our young guys can emerge naturally as a leader and a major contributor on the court. The ones who are cut out for it will do so. I'm 100% confident someone will step up. When you put that many young competitors in a locker room, someone will step into that void. Oladipo and Tobias already show signs of it.

The risk and challenge with this approach is that you still need that franchise player. It's one thing to give eleven young guys an opportunity like this. But what do you do if none of them approach that superstar level? I suppose we can cross that bridge when we get there.

One thing's for sure: I would love to pick Hennigan's brain about this! Maybe we can get Adam to ask him.

[tooler]

Related to this thread:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/490232706379575297[/tweet]
I assume Ariza is talking about John Wall and Bradley Beal. I'm confident our guys are more natural leaders than them, since they're already showing signs. But it's clear that franchise guys don't always take charge as quickly you'd like. It's possible that veterans might get a little impatient if the team is making a playoff push.

Even though Ariza is a 10-year veteran, I can't see Channing Frye making a statement like that either. Based on his interviews, he's more likely to go behind the scenes and fix the problem than throw his hands up and take the reins.

Fortunately we have some time before expectations set in, and some of the guys seem to be well on their way.

[Magic4champ]

I think this is sustainable team winning for a longtime together. No hired guns just for show in the win column. Good management with flexibility going forward on the hunt for playoff spot. No shot cut step by step let it grow type of team. Team will be better with age. Just got to be patient. But I can sèe where we are headed as a team. A dynamic team that can adapt to open style basketball and grind out memphis style basketball.

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[otownflava21]

There is something fascinating about our team this season. It explains a lot of what Rob Hennigan is doing. It's also very exciting for the future.

Take a look at our roster:


Luke Ridnour (11 years)
Roy Devyn Marble (rookie)

Notice anything missing?

Ummm...Why is Vooch listed at PF?? lol. Same with Dedmon and Kyle is apparently a combo forward lol. Frye, according to that roster is our only center and as a combo center/forward lol. Not trying to not the OP just find that roster listing interesting lol.

[shadrock]

Hennigan did something else I think is interesting. He removed all the incumbent veterans.

Jameer Nelson, for example, is a 10 year veteran. Why couldn't they keep him based on my post above? Not only would he take too much playing time dominating the ball, but he was also a team captain. It's difficult to turn the team over to the young guys with that type of seniority.

As soon as Hennigan cut the veterans from last season, our young guys suddenly had "seniority" even though they've only played a couple of years. New veterans like Channing Frye and Ben Gordon might be older, but they're still coming into someone else's team. As complementary players, they're not expected to take over like a free agent in his early prime.

There is some fascinating social engineering here. Hennigan deftly thrust our young guys into leadership positions while still providing complementary veteran influence.

Nelson wanted a chance at a ring, so he asked to be let go. Why are people missing this?

Because its not true...

[Nyce_1]

Hennigan did something else I think is interesting. He removed all the incumbent veterans.

Jameer Nelson, for example, is a 10 year veteran. Why couldn't they keep him based on my post above? Not only would he take too much playing time dominating the ball, but he was also a team captain. It's difficult to turn the team over to the young guys with that type of seniority.

As soon as Hennigan cut the veterans from last season, our young guys suddenly had "seniority" even though they've only played a couple of years. New veterans like Channing Frye and Ben Gordon might be older, but they're still coming into someone else's team. As complementary players, they're not expected to take over like a free agent in his early prime.

There is some fascinating social engineering here. Hennigan deftly thrust our young guys into leadership positions while still providing complementary veteran influence.

Nelson wanted a chance at a ring, so he asked to be let go. Why are people missing this?

Because its not true...

Listen to Nelson's interview on Jim Rome 2 weeks ago.

[tooler]

Update

Looking back at this post from before the season, I don't think this plan was as effective as I had hoped.

The Magic had 8 first round draft picks on rookie contracts, plus 3 more players on rookie contracts. I don't think we ever established much of a pecking order aside from feeding Vucevic. It might have been nice to acquire one strong veteran and let everyone else fall in line from there.

Maybe it was a good learning experience for everyone. We'll see.

[woosah]

Well Payton showed that he can lead so we have that.

No real roles established. Maybe that's good for a new coach to come in and mold it like he wants????

[MoMM]

Luke Ridnour (11 years)
Roy Devyn Marble (rookie)

In terms of expectation...
I liked Elfrid, Vucevic, Dedmon and Fournier.
Same old thing: Harris and Oladipo.
Disapppointed: Harkless, AN, KOQ, Frye, Aaron and Marble.

Veterans who wouldn't impact anyway: Willie, Ridnour and Ben.