Has Ubuntu Returned?

[nickagneta]

Ubuntu was a cool philosophy to teach three veterans that they needed to put aside the "I'm a superstar and I need to carry a team to the promised land" attitude that existed in the three superstars. Ubuntu was never for the role players. Role players and non superstars usually understand the idea of sacrificing for the good of the team and doing less individually to accomplish more for the group.

It's the superstars who usually have trouble grasping that concept because usually they have teams centered around them in their lives and they were the driving force of the team. They usually never experienced having to be centered around a team and have the team be the driving force for them. It worked. The people who had to understand the idea of sacrificing of the individual to attain the team goal did and the team prospered.

Now that that has been accomplished, Ubuntu doesn't need to exist. Why, because slowly and surely their is a superstar emerging that this team can be centered around and who can be the driving force of this team. A championship level talent and team. That player is Rondo.

You see, championship teams can be made up the way the 2004 Pistons were and the 2008 Celtics. Team oriented with no real true superstar as the driving force of the team. But often in the NBA, especially over the last 15-20 years, the teams that win the championship have that star or stars that the team revolves around. MJ's Bulls. Dream's Rockets. Shaq's Lakers. And so on. This team is transforming into Rondo's Celtics.

This is still a team where three great stars are sacrificing for the team's good but it is also a team where the transcendent superstar has emerged and now slowly it is turning into a superstar team with him at the core. And those team's don't need Ubuntu. They need the transcendent superstar to lead and carry the team and for the rest to play their roles.

Next year this will be even more apparent and soon the search for the next superstar to pair with Rondo will begin because it's not every superstar that has 3 Hall of Fame role players around them to help him to the title.

[Bahku]

I think as long as the Big Three are on this team, Ubuntu will have special meaning, and draw focus for this organization ... but I hope it continues long after. A "Team-First" perspective is the best kind of core discipline you can build a team around, (because it encourages balanced scoring and unselfish, stifling defense), and it will never be outdated or not necessary, IMVHO.

[nickagneta]

I think as long as the Big Three are on this team, Ubuntu will have special meaning, and draw focus for this organization ... but I hope it continues long after. A "Team-First" perspective is the best kind of core discipline you can build a team around, (because it encourages balanced scoring and unselfish, stifling defense), and it will never be outdated or not necessary, IMVHO.

Agree 100000000000% with this. An that's for any team from CYO and youth league all the way up to the NBA. Unfortunately, in the NBA, it doesn't always translate into championship success, but I do think it the best way to build any and every team.

TP4U, very well said.

[thirstyboots18]

I think as long as the Big Three are on this team, Ubuntu will have special meaning, and draw focus for this organization ... but I hope it continues long after. A "Team-First" perspective is the best kind of core discipline you can build a team around, (because it encourages balanced scoring and unselfish, stifling defense), and it will never be outdated or not necessary, IMVHO.

Agree 100000000000% with this. An that's for any team from CYO and youth league all the way up to the NBA. Unfortunately, in the NBA, it doesn't always translate into championship success, but I do think it the best way to build any and every team.

TP4U, very well said.

I disagree with you, Nick, that this is just for the Big Three superstars.  We do not need a team of secondary players standing around waiting for the "stars" to perform. That is a recipe for failure.  UBUNTU is TEAM....Every member of the team...Each contributing to the Best of His ability .

[nickagneta]

I think as long as the Big Three are on this team, Ubuntu will have special meaning, and draw focus for this organization ... but I hope it continues long after. A "Team-First" perspective is the best kind of core discipline you can build a team around, (because it encourages balanced scoring and unselfish, stifling defense), and it will never be outdated or not necessary, IMVHO.

Agree 100000000000% with this. An that's for any team from CYO and youth league all the way up to the NBA. Unfortunately, in the NBA, it doesn't always translate into championship success, but I do think it the best way to build any and every team.

TP4U, very well said.

I disagree with you, Nick, that this is just for the Big Three superstars.  We do not need a team of secondary players standing around waiting for the "stars" to perform. That is a recipe for failure.  UBUNTU is TEAM....Every member of the team...Each contributing to the Best of His ability .

Who said anything about other players standing around waiting for the stars to perform. I said

"Role players and non superstars usually understand the idea of sacrificing for the good of the team and doing less individually to accomplish more for the group."

What I am saying is that role players usually already play a team oriented game because they understand they are limited and that they need others to be successful in the NBA. Conversely, superstars, pretty much for their whole lives, have been the centerpiece of teams and have had the team's success ultimately been determined by their performance. As they went so went their team. If they didn't score enough or pass enough or rebound enough or play defense enough, their team lost.

So Ubuntu was geared towards the Big Three to teach them what role players for the most part, already know and grasp because they have had to meld their more limited talents into a team environment at some point before because they didn't or couldn't be a superstar.

[moiso]

Ubuntu is 100% back.  I do believe we lost it at some point.  Ubuntu isn't only unselfishness, it's effort for each other.  Even during our hot start, we had Rasheed going 1 for 7 every other night from 3 point range and playing no defense.  The oppostite of ubuntu!  Then we had some injuries but we also went through a couple months of below average effort and coasting with no sense of urgency.  Defensive rotations were slow and we didn't battle for rebounds or loose balls.  The opposite of ubuntu!
But that is a thing of the past.  We have it back.  Every single player in the rotation has bought in, and those who havn't are stuck on the bench.  The effort and unselfishness is a thing of beauty.  Rondo beating JWill to that loose ball sums up the playoffs for me.  We are unselfish intense animals who are working together to kick some serious butt.  Now that's ubuntu!

[thirstyboots18]

I realize you "said" that role players already know how to sacrifice...but I don't buy that completely.  I have seen too many offensive sets (and defensive sets, too) fall apart because "role players" are too willing to let the stars control the tempo, take the shots, cover the man, etc.  How many times, even recently, have we seen people standing around, not moving without the ball, and having a player who has the ball, getting double-teamed and having no one to pass to?  To me, UBUNTU means "together" and "together" means "all inclusive" and that means TEAM.

[nickagneta]

I realize you "said" that role players already know how to sacrifice...but I don't buy that completely.  I have seen too many offensive sets (and defensive sets, too) fall apart because "role players" are too willing to let the stars control the tempo, take the shots, cover the man, etc.  How many times, even recently, have we seen people standing around, not moving without the ball, and having a player who has the ball, getting double-teamed and having no one to pass to?  To me, UBUNTU means "together" and "together" means "all inclusive" and that means TEAM.

That's cool. I think the literal translation of Ubuntu is different depending on what tribe you are dealing with. I happen to like the translation of "I am what I am because of who we all are", which is more along the lines of self sacrifice and unselfishness for the greater good. And ultimately I think it is a teaching tool/philosophy for all but is more geared to the elite/stars/rich/ruling class that tells them that they are nothing without all of those that live in the community/team/kingdom/fiefdom.

I just see it differently, I guess, as, strangely enough, do the different tribes of Africa, as the general meaning and philosophy differs from tribe to tribe.

As for those role players failing because they expected the star players to do their thing, I think I can also point out there there were just as many star players standing around doing nothing during those stagnant times. One can even look at it as the reason for the stagnation was less because of role players standing around watching and waiting for the stars to do something and more so that the stars were trying to be more selfish and reverted back to their old ways of hero basketball. By the way, that is the way Doc described it a lot.

[thirstyboots18]

You came back saying exactly what I expected you to say, Nic, and yes, I agree!  I also see your definition.  I see it both ways....elevate yourself for the good of the team, and while not lowering yourself, sometimes you have to subjugete your talents and let others contribute to help your team reach it's highest potential together.  TP