Raising 'Em Right: Developing Young Talent in the Lig

     

As a Detroit native, I'm all shits and giggles since about 6pm last night.  And hang in there non-mlb fans, I'm getting to the NBA-ramifications soon.  But, damn son!  Perhaps the trade of the young century (certainly could make the case for baseball.)  And its all thanks to owner Mike Ilitch and the GM, the big double D.   When Ilitch hired Dombrowski, they made two priorities:

1) Overpay a free agent to begin to build a nucleus for other players to want to come to the Tigers (Pudge signing.)

2) Invest boatloads in the farm system.

#2 is why this trade happened.  Not only have the Tigers scouted the bait to make this big deal, they developed that bait.  And that's the beauty of this trade.  It surpasses the satisfaction of throwing the equivalent of Canada's GDP at a free agent.  The Tigers made this deal not because they had the most money, but because they had drafted and developed prospects.  Gets me giddy just typing that sentence! 

So, NBA?  It gots me thinking.  The focus on developing young talent is an obsession with baseball fans.  Because of the minor league structure, teams are expected to change their fortunes by developing young talent.  Cases in point: Oakland, Minnie, Marlins...but also the biggies like Bostone and the Yanks.

But for all the talk of potential and upside, there's relatively little breakdown on the national level of NBA teams' abilities to raise their young.  When rookie rankings are written, they focus on the players' abilities.  Not on teams' successful handling of their young'uns. 

Development analysis remains at the local level.  That is, we all have a thoughtful opinion on how our local teams develop their young players, but don't have such a clear sense for other teams.   And no matter how many games you catch on the Pass, you only get a sip of that local flava: the reportage on the draftees in the D-League, the young'uns in the weight room, the Slovenian coach shipped in to teach post-moves...

So for me, I  have a pretty developed opinion of my birthteam Pistons and of the clubs residing in the cities I've lived in over the last few years.  But the Bucks? I could bullshit something quite passable, but really have no clue the prevailing local opinion in Waukee.  What's more, it's a complicated amalgamation of factors: head/asst/specialty coaching, gm'ing, scouting, drafting, investment in d-league affiliates, the right mix of vet leadership, owners' patience, curfews, minute management...endless.

Key question, should we credit Jerry West as the master of the draft-day-sleeper or as the master at building an organization that develops those players?

I'm hoping to get some analyses from readers, maybe even compile a list of assessments of how well NBA teams do at developing talent. Here's a lay-down of my own.  Look to follow this with an update later on the Baby Bulls:

Detroit Pistons: The national discussion of Pistons' development usually b-lines to the Darko Debacle.  No doubt one of the worst draftees in NBA history, but as evidence gathers, the Darko question may be more about character (read: insatiable rage) than talent.  [An issue that much of the national media has continued to ignore.] And clearly an issue the scouts should have discovered before pumping millions into the "Serbian Ganster".

[On a side note, I never found the translation for the "Venomous Tirade," so I asked my Bosnian friend for an assist.  Click here for a basic translation (It ain't pretty.)]

More importantly, the Darko Debacle has overshadowed the Pistons' premier record of developing their young players.  The maturations of Tayshaun and Rip into legit all-star caliber players speak for themselves. The emergence of the Maxiell Experience is even more remarkable. Usually, Joe D gets cred for drafting well in the late rounds.  But from a local perspective, it has been clear that Maxiell has been handled ideally: surrounded by vets (esp the under-appreciated Coach Sheed), given practice time to hone his skills, never rushed onto the floor, convinced to lose 25 lbs over the summer, worked on his midrange game, and now, in his third year, only after earning his minutes, is he getting significant play.  Credit to Jason for his hard-work/no-nonsense 'tude.  Credit to Joe D for identifying a talented/lunchbox player AND for patiently investing in Maxiell's skeels.  Most importantly, for not pushing Max to prove himself in his first two years. 

Now, the same process seems on course for Amir Johnson.  Here's the last high school player ever selected in the draft who is getting the play that Jason got a year ago (read: not much.)  Despite D-fans' obsessive calls for more play for Amir, Joe D and Flip continue to be patient.  And, according to their track record, that patience should pay off next year.

Of course, it was a luxury for the Pistons to not need Jason or Amir on the floor in the last two seasons.  But the counterargument is just as salient: the difficulty for a Power Team like the Pistons to satiate young players when those draftees don't get any play.  It's a tricky balance.  The rise of TayTay, Rip, and now the Max put the Pistons at a premier development level.

[Update: Raising 'Em Right: The Conversation Begins.]

Comments

[Crucifictorious]

Very, very interesting questions. Off the top of my head, I'd say the Jazz have a great approach to player development (just given their historical success with lower-rated prospects), but is that the coaching up or the great eye at the draft? Curious where you end up going with this.

[sebring]

I think the analysis of young player development also has to take into consideration culture and opportunity. It's too simplistic to finger Darko's public comments as a negative sign. There are all kinds of NBA players past and present who have excelled despite having a dark side to their character. Some GMs would have been endeared (privately) to Darko's comments, equating it with killer instinct. However, Darko was drafted into a veteran team which had no need for him. Larry Brown and the Piston vets probably expected Dumars to draft Carmelo Anthony as opposed to an 18 year old foreigner who se role was to eventually replace one of them, not help them win in the here and now. Brown met the drafting of Darko with outright hostility and was true to his word: He buried him deep on the bench and probably squelched his confidence. Those Piston starters are/were a close knit group and didn't give up minutes easily. In fact, under Brown and their first year of Flip, they were ready to play every minute of every game. I don't know if this had anything to do with Darko being white, foreign, young, whatever. But the opportunity for Darko to play, and play through his mistakes, was never there.

Secondly, Dumars has had his other drafting mistakes, like Cleeves and White who may never had had pro game, but Carlos Delfino is a better example of a player who did his time in Detroit and now is flourishing in Toronto. There is definitely more opportunity for him in Toronto, and there may be cultural issues in his favor. The Raptors have more international content. On Detroit, he never got the minutes to play through mistakes, while in Toronto, with a big jump in minutes, he's become a quality rotation player with upside. Delfino is an introvert, and this initially caused Sam Mitchell to question his effort, but now Mitchell has admitted that he didn't understand Delfino - the passion is there, it just isn't expressed outwardly with grunts, scowls, shouts, fist pumps. I wonder if the Detroit staff understood Delfino as well as Mitchell has come to in a short period of time.

[ghostman]

I apologize in advance for the long reply. I don't keep a blog, so comments are my outlet...

I'm in Phoenix, and while I don't know any specifics about how the Suns handle their young players, the results on the court over the past few years would indicate that they're doing something right. Aside from D'Antoni's approach of instilling nearly absurd amounts of confidence in his players, it seems that the Suns spend a lot of time working with players individually to maximize their efficiency in the Suns' system. Amare, for example, is now nearly automatic off the pick-and-pop, either from the top of the key or the wings. I have a sneaking suspicion they have him practicing jumpers a lot lately, but only from the few places he will ever shoot them in a game. Indeed, if you pay attention, you'll notice his jumpers coming from almost the exact same spots over and over again. There isn't much variety. That's smart and efficient coaching. Same with Brian Skinner. He shoots jumpers from nearly the exact same spots each time from the baselines and shallow wings. Nowhere else. And guess what? He makes them, to the continuing surprise of even our hometown announcers. This pattern of practicing to the role, rather than for all around greatness, seems to work very well for the Suns, as they end up with players who are extremely comfortable doing what they are expected to do. This, of course, helps Nash as well, with regards both to having confidence in teammates to make shots, and in knowing they will be where they are expected to be... because that's where they have been made to feel most comfortable. I don't know if this can be considered individual player development per se, as this approach does not necessarily prepare the player for success in any system other than the Suns' (which could be a problem if they leave for another team), but it certainly speaks to the Suns spending time working with players individually to excel in their expected roles.

Lastly, I think the strongest case for the Suns' approach to young player development is Leandro Barbosa. Those who have watched the Suns closely over the last few years remember when Barbosa couldn't buy a layup. He was always quick, but he was a disturbingly weak finisher around the rim, blowing open layup after open layup. He was also always a pretty good shooter, but only when open. Now, he finishes just about everything in the lane, including a new floater I think he learned from Nash, and in addition has developed a pretty accurate jumper both off the dribble and coming off screens, and can now shoot accurately over defenders. Some of this is personal dedication, no doubt, but I can't help but think that because his specific weaknesses were so thoroughly addressed, that the Suns must have played a role in helping him address them.

Boris Diaw, on the other hand, remains a work in progress. The Suns practically beg him to shoot the open shot, to no avail...