As the most ardent students of NBA roster building tend to, well, copycat success on occasion, I watch this season unfold with great fascination and anticipation of how three teams in particular could affect the future mentality of the NBA.
It's not just that Houston, Sacramento and Memphis are overachieving, though they should be given copious amounts of kudos for what each has accomplished through this first third of the season.
It's that each of those teams is doing it without their primary scorer in place, the Rockets missing Tracy McGrady, the Kings missing Kevin Martin and the Grizzlies jettisoning Allen Iverson early on so he could focus on what he always focuses on -- his shot -- and Memphis could watch its core youngsters develop into actual basketball players.
Personally, I have never liked the team that is constructed around one huge scorer while the rest of his teammates caddy for him up and down the floor, securing his misses and being forced to shuttle it back to him for yet another bomb, all the while being screamed at to play defense like a rabid rhinoceros.
It creates bad chemistry and, ultimately, divisiveness -- particularly when the scorer's skills erode even a fraction and everybody else senses it.
To their credit, the Grizzlies realized early on that incorporating Iverson into their lineup meant that very thing; and is there nothing more demoralizing for a young player than to know you are never going to get the opportunity to show exactly why it was you got drafted into the best league in the word because some narcissus is jacking 27 shots per game?
When the Iverson drama was dominating the team, the Grizzlies lost eight of their first nine games. Since his departure, they have coalesced and have won 12 of their next 18, with compelling wins over Denver, Dallas, Miami, Cleveland and Portland.
I have to admit, when I saw the Houston Rockets trot out onto the court in their first game with Trevor Ariza and Aaron Brooks as their main players, I had one thought: 20-win team.
But to their credit, they are about the hardest-working unit in the league, and it once again has been proven that Rick Adelman is one of the most underappreciated minds in the game, a low-key personality who always has his teams ready to play.
Now, the Rockets have to figure out how to work McGrady back into the lineup without upsetting the delicate balance they have established, the very thought of which blows my mind as I write this.
I mean, could you imagine if Dirk Nowitzki got injured, tries to return and the Mavericks say, "Whoa, there, Big Boy, slow down and take it easy. Let's make absolutely sure you are 1 million percent healthy before we throw you out there."
In any other scenario, the team would be griping that the player is not recovering quickly enough, that he needs to play with at least a little pain.
The McGrady dilemma reminds me of that scene in A Few Good Men, when they discuss Code Reds and the chow hall; it's not written in the handbook, but everybody knows what they are discussing.
Likewise, nobody is openly addressing McGrady's situation, but the reality is that the Rockets don't want him back. They have figured out how to win without him and they don't want to get sucked back into a bad marriage. Of course, there's that pesky $23 million salary with which to contend, but if the Iverson affair taught us anything it is that sometimes there is such a thing as addition by subtraction.
The Kevin Martin situation I find a little more intriguing because by all accounts the Kings want Martin back.
However, it cannot be ignored that they have forged an identity without him, and that rookie point guard Tyreke Evans has become the leader of this team. If you can believe this, the Kings are only 2 ½ games out for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Martin is expected to get his wrist examined in a week, after which he could return in early January. Which means the Kings have to figure out where to put 30 points a game. Which means they have to figure from whom to take 30 points a game.
Sacramento coach Paul Westphal says it will not be an issue. His players are young enough (read: malleable) that they can reduce their increased roles and step aside for Martin.
The difference is that this is not the same Kings team that Martin left after five games. Evans is a legitimate force. Omri Casspi has gained confidence as a starter. Jason Thompson is a presence.
For the Kings to take the next step and become a playoff team, they need Martin -- but they don't absolutely have to have him to be successful. This much they have learned in the past two months.
Perhaps Martin will be the type of star player who realizes that a successful team is one whose most well-paid player doesn't have to dominate the ball, but does have to make his teammates better. Perhaps he'll understand that his scoring dropping by six points a game but his assists increasing by two per game is a much more preferable scenario.
Perhaps Westphal will use Iverson and McGrady as the perfect examples of what Martin needs to avoid in order to become a better brand of player and teammate.
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