Rebuilding 101: Alchemy Experiment

by Allen Law In professional basketball building team chemistry is everything. The problem, of course, is that team chemistry is more alchemy than an exact science. With so many different players who have different styles, skill sets and, most importantly, personalities, it’s almost impossible for a front office to create pure gold from scratch. As a result most general managers tend to build slowly and carefully, adding a piece here, swapping a player or two there. But occasionally a particularly clever and creative team will break the mold, foregoing the traditional rebuilding process to test their luck in one big experiment. These teams don’t have to Tank n’ Draft; they just make a huge move to recharge their fan base. Rebuilding quickly can be incredibly successful, other times it ends up as the Allan Houston contract. That’s just how alchemy works; sometimes you strike gold, and other times you’re left cash-strapped and doomed to years of mediocrity. Perhaps the most exemplary ...