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Some teams are lucky to have glue guys.

Every decade there comes a player who transcends this quality of "glueness". In the 70's there was Magic Johnson. In the 80's there was Charles Oakley. In the 90's there was Kevin Garnett. Players who can absolutely transform teams with their presence. Garnett, if wasn't surrounded by terrible teammates early in his career, may have had multiple championships with the Wolves.

I will call them "Crazy Glue".

I think the crazy glue of this decade is "Al Horford".

Note: I am not comparing their games. I am comparing the chemistry they create. I didn't include MJ/Kobe/Shaq/TD here because if you take out they were average, they couldn't transform a team. Magic, Oakley, Garnett and Horford can change the dynamics of a team.

I'm sorry, but I cannot agree with you here. To say that MJ, Kobe, Shaq, and Duncan don't transform teams is ridiculous. The Bulls won 3 championships with MJ then none in 2 years without him and then 3 more when he came back. The Spurs were one of the worst teams in the league before Duncan and you can make the argument that they have been the best team in the league this decade. The other team you can make that argument about is LA. Kobe has made that team what they are. And Shaq not only transformed teams, he transformed the league. Please don't judge Shaq on the last couple of years, you forget how great he was.

Oh yeah, Magic played only one half a season in the NBA in the 70s.

seriously? I mean if you want to say Battier is the ultimate glue guy them I'm on board. But calling KG and Magic glue guys? Those are superstars.

Not sure I totally agree with the OP, but I love Al Horford's attitude. He came here after winning two NCAA basketball titles back to back, and has never faced losing in his career. He brings great energy each night, and it's a joy to watch. He's turning out to be one of the few good picks by Knight.

Errr...Just so you know, Magic only played one season in the '70s, that is the 79-80 season. So if you want tag Magic as a glue guy or as whatever else, for what I care, please refer to him as an 80's superstar. Hell, he even played more seasons in the '90s (2) than in the '70s! For a guy using the screen name "JerryWest", I must admit that I was expecting a little more NBA IQ.

Just saying.

killbuckner wrote:seriously? I mean if you want to say Battier is the ultimate glue guy them I'm on board. But calling KG and Magic glue guys? Those are superstars.

I'm not sure if his post was edited...but he did put the disclaimer that he wasn't comparing their games,just the chemistry that the players create. The comparison is still a bit extreme though.

I'd also like to point out that I hate when commentators say things like "this guy is just a winner" or "he's going to change the dynamic of the locker room" as if that means something. It's the Bill Simmons syndrome where a good player on a bad team is overrated and a good player who goes to a good team finally "gets it". Noah was labeled as a guy who was supposed to fit your criteria yet his team blows despite him averaging a double double. I've always been a believer that winning creates good on the court chemistry and not the other way around.

Tim Dunca transforms his team more than Horford. I don't see how you could even possibly argue this...

killbuckner wrote:Tim Dunca transforms his team more than Horford. I don't see how you could even possibly argue this...

Well he said if they were average. I think he's solely comparing their effect on team chemistry.

i do think that Al is one of those guys who can fit into any system and contribute on any team without conflicting with the players around him, like Oakley or Ottis Thorp..... but i do think the whole "decade" thing is over the top

Horford is a very special player. I'm not sure if he can be labeled as "Crazy glue guy" lol, but he's fantastic. I'm not sure if you remember our first playoff game in Boston a couple of years ago, only one player showed up, only one player was ready for the occasion. That's the kind of player he is, always ready, always playing with energy, always playing TEAM basketball. Hey, I got 2 Hawks jerseys with his name on the back, that's how much I like the guy lol

I think I understand where the thread starter was trying to go.

Horford has it. He's smart and despite playing an undersized Center his contribution seems to exceed what it appears because he's not flashy and usually does the sometimes subtle things that winning teams needed. Except against D. Howard. lol

I basically agree with what the poster was trying to say. Al does all the little things on the court you need to win (a la Battier), plays hard every play every night (a la Battier), wins everywhere he goes (a la Battier), and everyone on the team tends to love him and gravitate towards him (NOT a la Battier).