The "alpha dog" idea is overstated and over-valued, probably a shockwave from the MJ dynasty. Who was the "alpha" on all those great Spurs teams? Golden State? 04' Pistons. Was it Shaq or was it Kobe? Is Steve Nash an "alpha"? Who cares?
Some good teams have one and some don't. We have a group of highly professional, competitive, disciplined guys. They listen to Stevens and they execute. We don't need someone barking in the huddle.
No. It's not overblown. Shaq was the alpha. Bird was the Alpha. Billups was on Detroit. Name a team I'll tell you who the Alpha was.
Thanks for playing try again.
OK.
17' Warriors
15' Hawks
13' Nuggets
98' Pacers
98' Wizards
01' Kings
every Spurs team
every Jazz team
Not every team has some hyper-dominant guy shouting in practice. It can be a collective.
You have a misunderstanding of what Alpha means.
Steph Curry was the aloha before Durant got there. Is he pounding his chest and screaming in practice?
King's Chris Webber
Pacers Reggie Miller obviously
Hawk's they sucked no Alpha
Spurs Tim Duncan. Again, don't have to ba a jerk to be the Alpha.
This..
For example, as good as KG was (I do believe he was the BEST PLAYER on the 08 Celtics), Paul Pierce was IMHO clearly the Alpha of that team. While KG got many touches, impacted the game in a million ways, and was constantly talking to coordinate the defence - but on offense he was often criticised for being too unselfish, much like Lebron is now. Even in Minnesota when he was the clear #1, he had a tendency to defer rather then take things in to his own hands.
For the 08 Celtics, when push came to shove and the team desperately needed something to happen, the ball almost always found it's way into Pierce's hands and he almost always put the team on his shoulders and found a way to make something happen.
To me that is the definition of an Alpha. Somebody who is a leader not necessarily by words, but by example. Somebody who will see when things are getting stagnant and will step in and take over.
For the Jazz it was Malone. For the Knicks it was Ewing. For the Mavs it's been Dirk. For the Bulls it was Jordan. For the Lakers it was Shaq initially, but then Kobe stepped up into that role after he left - moving forward I feel it will be Ball (as Ingram IMHO isn't that type). For Miami I would actually say it wad Dwyane Wade, for us last year it was Isaiah. For the Warriors it was Steph, but Durant took that torch from him the instant he arrived there. For the Spurs it was Duncan, and now is Kawhi. For the 76ers it's Embiid (when he's healthy). For the Cavs the past couple of years, I would actually say it was Kyrie rather than Lebron (who I think is more KG then MJ). For the Clippers it was Chris Paul.
Almost every team has a deface Alpha guy. Even in the case of the Hawks, I would say their Alpha was Millsap - he seemed to be the guy who would (more often then not) take over the reigns when they were struggling.
Hayward was the Alpha in Utah, but he never really was the Alpha type - I think he was kind in that role be necessity rather then instinctively.
Basically just ask yourself this - if it comes to the end of the game, and you have enough time for one shot to potentially win/tie the game, who gets the ball? Whatever your answer is to that question, that's your Alpha.
Topic: Kyrie instantly the Alpha, and leader of the Team (Read 4548 times)