A crisis can sink an organization.
And strong leadership can guide a business through tough times.
Three NBA teams (Boston, Golden State and Phoenix) started the season with a slump, and another (Brooklyn) was wrapped in one shortly after the season started.
The Celtics suspended coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season just before the start of training camp for a “violation of team rules”. Warriors mainstay Draymond Green knocked out teammate Jordan Poole in the preseason. The Robert Sarver investigation revealed enough ownership dysfunction that Sarver announced he planned to sell the Suns. And Kyrie Irving’s promotion of an anti-Semitic film resulted in an eight-game suspension.
This was not the way the NBA wanted to start its season.
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How did these teams perform on the field? The results have been mixed.
Celtics
The Celtics thrived with the NBA’s first head coach, Joe Mazzulla, replacing Udoka. They are among the best in the NBA 14-4, have the best offense in the NBA, and possibly the best starting player in Jayson Tatum.
It looks like the Celtics have handled the situation well despite some initial difficulties due to possible legal action. On the field, the Celtics played as a team determined to win the East again and return to the Finals.
Their offensive rating of 118.8 points per 100 possessions is a bit higher than No. 2 Sacramento (116.8), their plus-6.9 net rating is No. 3, and Tatum is one of seven NBA players with an average of at least 30 points (30.6). He also averages 7.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 blocks and is shooting 47.2% from the field and 35.3% from 3-point range.
Although losing a coach just before the start of the season never allows for a smooth transition, the Celtics and Mazzulla players deserve credit for their professionalism and focus. It was not an easy situation considering how much time a coach and players spend together. It helps to have strong ownership, front-office stability and a new manager who was ready at the moment.
Warriors
The Warriors have strong ownership, front office and coaching staff leadership. Withstanding Storm Green-Poole was problematic and the residual effects likely linger, but that’s not Golden State’s biggest problem.
The Warriors are just 9-10 years old and are struggling to find their identity after last season’s title and the loss of key players as they try to develop younger players into a team that still has aspirations in the championship with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Green and Poole.
The Warriors are 12th offensively, 24th defensively and they have the worst bench net rating in the NBA at minus-7.6 points per 100 possessions. Thompson struggled early and James Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, is unable to provide the production the Warriors need from a backup center.
In Wiseman’s 147 minutes this season, the Warriors have been outscored by 73 points. He fell out of rotation and is on a mission in the G League. In the six games Wiseman hasn’t played in the past two weeks, the Warriors are 4-3.
In Thompson’s first 12 games, he averaged 15.1 points and shot just 35.1 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range. The players had a team meeting, and in Thompson’s last three games he scored 20, 41 and 18 points and was 27 for 49 from the field and 17 for 30 on 3s.
Still, it doesn’t fall on one or two players. The Warriors are 28th in turnover per game, which makes it difficult, even with their offensive firepower, to overcome defensive issues.
Golden State has been through several NBA fires and fared better. There’s plenty of season left for the Warriors to get it right.
Suns
The fallout from the Sarver saga with the Suns had little impact on the team. Not that there hasn’t been some turmoil in the franchise with Sarver’s shortcomings in the workplace as an owner, but it was something the front office, the coaching staff and the players could compartmentalize.
The Suns are atop the West at 11-6, have the No. 3 offense, No. 6 defense and No. 2 net rating (plus-7.3 points per 100 possessions). Coach Monty Williams is a stabilizing force and it’s an experienced team led by Chris Paul and Devin Booker, who are off to an All-NBA start at 27.4 points, 5.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 47.7% from the field and 38% on 3s.
Nets
The Nets had the worst. Their problems started before the start of the season when Kevin Durant asked for a trade. Things got worse with a 2-5 start, the firing of coach Steve Nash, and the pursuit of Udoka as Nash’s replacement until the Nets realized it would be a mistake at that point.
Then the Irving incident, in which the star guard was trafficking in anti-Semitic stereotypes, imploded. He initially refused to back down or apologize for promoting a link on social media to a film filled with fabrications and lies. It has drawn rebukes from NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Nets owner Joe Tsai, Jewish leaders and anti-hate groups.
Irving was suspended for eight games and only returned after completing a series of steps that included meetings with anti-hate groups and Tsai, a genuine apology, and sensitivity and anti-Semitism training.
It was a three-week debacle, but Irving is back on the court, Durant has been stellar and the Nets are 7-5 since Jacques Vaughn replaced Nash.
The ramifications for the four teams are not over. But for most, actual basketball can become the focus.
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt