Minnesota Sports Forum

I'm still honestly stunned.

Wow, incredible game. I'd love there to be a Harvard Business Review deep dive into the organizational dynamics and culture of both the Spurs and Patriots. It's just amazing in this day and age of so many teams in their respective leagues, revenue sharing, etc. that they have had such sustained success over a long period of time.

Q - I agree. I would say that I think what the Pats have done is more impressive. 53 man rosters and lots of changing season to season. NBA is much less dynamic roster wise and scheme.

bleedspeed177 wrote:Q - I agree. I would say that I think what the Pats have done is more impressive. 53 man rosters and lots of changing season to season. NBA is much less dynamic roster wise and scheme.

Agreed. It's pretty incredible to me. Obviously this wouldn't have been possible without Tom Brady, but he doesn't play defense, special teams, or catch footballs. I think a deep study of the coach and the management team would be an interesting read. I suppose some day books will come out on the Patriots and Spurs, but you just never know how credible the authors are and how much they spin things to build a more sexy narrative, when in fact, the things that lead to systemic sustained success aren't really sexy at all.

Not to get totally off topic, but I will use Michael Lewis as an example......Writes great books and they are fun reads, but how much spin, embellishment, and exaggeration goes into his books? I'm never quite sure.

I would love to see Jim Collins take a crack at it. It could be "Good to Great" revisited.

bleedspeed177 wrote:I would love to see Jim Collins take a crack at it. It could be "Good to Great" revisited.

Ah yes, that was a great read (pun intended).

I'm kind of a skeptic of authors that make it big with one or two books, then try to keep chasing "the next big thing" in the interest of selling more books. The masses likes drama, conflict, the rise and fall type stories. That requires exaggeration, embellishment, and a focus on conflict.

In this case, I'm interested in more of a true academic take on these organizations. I don't care about locker room drama or pithy anecdotes about people's personal lives. I just want to truly get a better understanding of what makes these organizations great.

Q12543 wrote:Wow, incredible game. I'd love there to be a Harvard Business Review deep dive into the organizational dynamics and culture of both the Spurs and Patriots. It's just amazing in this day and age of so many teams in their respective leagues, revenue sharing, etc. that they have had such sustained success over a long period of time.

The reason there has never been a HBR article on those guys is that they aren't with publicly traded companies or looking for their next job (like the Devils Rays guy). I have read everything I could find on those two and I can help fill in the blanks

S.A. - Popavich kept getting better because he didn't get fired and got the reps. And he got the reps because in the 80's and 90's, SA tanked. A lot. But when they tanked, they not only got a good player, they got a good human being. I'm sure Elliot, Robinson, and Duncan aren't perfect, but they're a damn sight better than Dennis Scott, O'neal, Webber, or Anfernee Hardaway.
One of the things Popavich "discovered" is the world is full of guys who can do everything but shoot, so he signed/drafted a bunch of those guys and hired Chip Engelland to teach them how to shoot, AND FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I can't figure out why every other team hasn't tried something similar.

N.E. - Bill Belichek is the son of Steve Belichek, longtime Naval Academy coach and author of a book on scouting. The only reason he stopped playing is because the college he attended (Wesleyan) didn't have FB. At Wesleyan, he met a fellow student named Ernie Adams, who loved FB so much he actually knew Bill Belichek was Steve's son BECAUSE HE SAID THEY LOOKED ALIKE. I couldn't pick Mike Grant out of a photo array, but Ernie Adams knows what Steve Belichek's son looks like.
In the 2000 draft, they were able to land Tom Brady because the Browns' management didn't have the courage to draft a Michigan kid, so instead of drafting 15 division titles and 7 super bowls in 17 years, they drafted a kid who couldn't get playing time WITH THE GOPHERS, transferred, and had exactly one good season at D-1AA.
And last but not least, maybe because they have loose morals, or maybe because they both were raised in military households with a "whatever it takes" ethic, Adams and Belichek began a series of rulebreaking moves involving illicit taping of rival teams and illicit alteration of game equipment that PROBABLY continues to this day.

So there you go. A little bit of luck. A little bit of skill. And the courage to do what others aren't (legal and otherwise).

I just wonder if Drew Bledsoe is still mad at Belichek, or has he moved on to Parcells for benching him for Romo?

Wow, impressive write-up Jason, thanks.

Your mini-essay on Pop resonates. Find guys with good character that know how to play unselfish basketball and can "do shit". Then teach them how to shoot if that's the missing piece.

Fun stuff, Jason. For the record, very few people can recognize Mike Grant, because he looks like every other bearded Minnesota fat guy! Couldn't look any less like Bud!

Oh yes "Bud Grant" The guy that lost us 4 Super Bowls yet still thinks his shit doesn't stink.