RE: One thing missing

[chad buckendahl <cbuck@navix.net>]

Pride and tradition aren't enough.  What the C's have been missing is "fundamentals".  Skills like team defense, ball control, and ball movement have been lacking since Bird & Co. retired.  That group couldn't rely soley on their athleticism and actually had to play as a team; something that most NBA teams this decade can't claim.  The team now would benefit not only from Russel's tutelage, but also from watching film from his teams and also from the teams of the 80's.  Once you re-establish the skills, the Pride will follow.  Unfortunately, I think this is Jordan's legacy to the game, a generation of basketball players who want to take the spectacular shot (e.g., Kobe, V. Carter) to make highlight films rather than the winner's circle (e.g., Duncan, and soon to be, Pierce).