like many of you, i have wrestled with the enigma of a team we’re witnessing this year, and how far their performance has fallen from expectations. much has been written about team chemistry, maturity, drive, as well as specific player’s performance, brad’s decision making, and danny’s personnel moves.
as i continued to think about the season thus far & why the team is in such disarray, i thought about what has changed. obviously, much has already been contemplated regarding kyrie’s return from injury, hayward’s struggles, al’s age, the lack of a true five, etc. consequently, i moved past these exhausted topics and kept digging. then it hit me, an unsung change to the team vs. the past few years was the loss of walt mccarty.
a few things to consider: walt was the only guy on the coaching staff with nba experience, which offered him a unique vantage point from which he could relate to the players vs. the remaining staff. i’ve also read that mccarty’s role was disciplinarian, the guy who kept them in line, bought in, focused, and drama-free. his nba experience would position him as the one coach with the locker room credibility to deal with these type of internal issues, especially the type the team is currently dealing with (roles, egos, playing time, effort, youth vs. veteran, etc.).
walt was uniquely positioned to compliment brad’s non-emotional, very cerebral approach and connect to the players on a different and very needed level. in my opinion, this is a critical gap on this year’s team and brad needs to add another coach like walt who can relate to today’s players and call them out, hold them accountable when appropriate.