05-05-2021, 10:21 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-05-2021, 10:22 AM by KillerLeft.)
(05-05-2021, 10:00 AM)Kammrath Wrote: We know RC often lets salary hierarchies dictate a lot too.
More than the agent thing, the above is what happens, I believe, and it's not just about salary, either. The organization acquires players at certain levels of pay and envisions them in certain roles. Those players (and their teammates) expect themselves to occupy and flourish in those roles, and openly taking those roles away from certain people can probably be traumatically altering to your locker room if/when it's not done correctly.
For example, I'm sure that on some level Richardson is fairly pissed about not starting the 2nd half last night, and about how infrequently he has been a closer as of late. It's clear that Carlisle is looking for solutions, but a guy like Richardson might have the support of quite a few of the more important people in the organization (we don't know). If removing a problem by not playing Richardson as much creates three more problems because (just speculating to make a point) Luka, DFS and Brunson all get upset about how their buddy is getting treated, or worse yet: they don't agree that Richardson is a problem, well...that wouldn't be good. I am quite sure that managing this type of political situation is one of Carlisle's biggest job requirements.
I actually think Carlisle is one of the few coaches in the NBA with enough power to make drastic changes, but I also think he got to where he is by understanding and carefully navigating the politics and psychology of NBA organizations. None of this is meant to say he's infallible, but I do think that in cases like Porzingis and Richardson's, the entire organization, from Cuban down to the trainers, probably believes that the best way forward is to get them playing well, not to replace them in the rotation.