Most NBA podcasts are too long. The idea of this one is that we will be into and out of an issue within 10 minutes. In this respect, the structure will be loose, and the ad-hoc release dates definitely will. Hence the name. But this does not mean we won't hit on some analytical depth along the way. Thanks for listening!
https://sites.libsyn.com/446469
episode 1: #1 - The Charlotte Hornets and the value of 'culture'
"Culture", a thing that is both hard to define and badly yearned for, is key to creating winning sports teams. So says everyone.
Basketball is no different. The late Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause was widely mocked for his (paraphrased) statement that "organisations win championships", and his clunky phrasing (which either gave or allowed for the inference that he was saying he and his front office were more important than Michael Jordan) did not help his case. But he was on the right lines. It is a foundational principle of roster construction in the NBA that, no matter where on the ziggurat a team places, they need to be developing the right "culture".
But how do we measure culture? If we cannot measure it, how do we acquire it? And what if it is only identifiable by its absence?