The Give and Go: The Dominant Narrative of the 2015 Preseason

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The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.

Paul: Last week’s Give and Go focused on predicting the dominant narratives of this upcoming NBA season, but I’ll ask you this week instead: which preseason narrative and situation are you most interested in? You mentioned the Golden State Warriors winning a championship by playing position-less basketball last season, so are you more interested in seeing them attempt to repeat as champions or, for example, the San Antonio Spurs as they work to integrate their new pieces into Gregg Popovich’s system? Dare I say it’s been a relatively quiet preseason - outside of an awful injury to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - but which team has caught your eye early on?


Chris: For the most part, we try to fight the urge to get sucked into preseason narratives but there are a few that have piqued my interest this year.

The fact that Steve Clifford is putting so much of an emphasis on the three-point shot in Charlotte is really intriguing and makes the MKG injury even more sad. I'm excited to see how that plays out and how it might open up room for “Big” Al Jefferson to work in the paint.

But to me, the most interesting preseason narrative is the 'Paul George at the four' strategy Indiana will employ this season. That includes the disconnect between Larry Bird and Paul George himself.

As we saw with Roy Hibbert, Bird has no problem moving a player along if they don't fit into his plans. If George decides he's done with the experiment and Bird views the experience as the future of the Pacers, that could be explosive.

On the other hand, it seems crazy to put so much pressure on George to play so many minutes at the four coming off of that injury. Bird's roster moves forced head coach Frank Vogel's hand. George will have to play meaningful rotation minutes at the four no matter what.

But most other teams at least have some options to help preserve their hybrid/small-ball fours. LeBron is the most dangerous small-ball four in the world, but the Cavs still brought in Kevin Love.

Coming off of that injury, it seems like a bit much to force George to play 25 minutes a night at that position, so I'll be fascinated to watch that scenario in the early part of the season.

How does George fare at the position? How many of his minutes are played there? How well does he defend and rebound against bigger foes? How does he react? And does Bird relent at any point and look to bring in some help at the position (ahem… Channing Frye)?

How about you, Mitchell? Which preseason narrative has tickled your fancy?

Sue Ogrocki/AP

Paul: Allow me first to answer your Paul George questions: True. Some. Not well, at least so far. Ditto. Probably. Wait, are we calling Channing Frye a big man, and define “help”?

You’re right, though; Paul George’s transition to the power forward is fascinating and somehow still an underrated story. I love Larry Bird’s pivot to a less conservative offense and believe that Frank Vogel is the kind of head coach who can adapt his strategy successfully on the fly while getting effort on the defensive end from his players, but it’ll take time to acquire the talent necessary to transform the Indiana Pacers from their formerly plodding pace into a new-age NBA offense. Don’t let Steve Clifford’s Charlotte Hornets fool you; meaningful change is difficult at the professional level.

But my most intriguing preseason storyline has been the NBA debuts of two highly regarded collegiate coaches, and their potential impact upon a couple of dark-horse championship contenders. Fred Hoiberg and Billy Donovan have been linked to rebuilding situations in the past but finally jumped at the chance to coach the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively, after both franchises had moved on from their previous long-term head coaches this summer, and will have to adjust not only to the new league but to the immense expectations they’ve each inherited.

Both Hoiberg and Donovan will initially have the advantage of being considerably different than their predecessors, which should aid in their transitions to their new situations. Few people on the planet are as intense and focused as Tom Thibodeau, so Bulls players can at least enjoy less stressful practices and minutes totals under Hoiberg’s direction, with the hopes that Thibs’ defensive tutelage lingers and the offense opens up considerably in the exchange. Scotty Brooks’s Thunder tenure was ultimately undone by his rotation stubbornness and uncomplicated offenses, while Donovan’s successes at the University of Florida could be credited largely to his ability to adapt his playbook to his personnel.

They’ll have to avoid the inflated egos and paranoia that have defined the failures of previous NCAA-to-NBA head coaches, but Hoiberg and Donovan will each enter almost ideal situations in their first NBA jobs, complete with rosters stacked with All-NBA talent and resources that most head coaches would envy. The only expectation in return is improvement; and the more immediate the better. Considering that each franchise might already have hoisted championships if not for LeBron James and his Heat teammates, the possibility of improvement becomes a bit more limited, especially given their time parameters.

Billy Donovan has dealt with plenty of pressure in winning back-to-back collegiate titles with the University of Florida, but he’ll face an increased media presence on a daily basis, even in Oklahoma City, and should tire of questions concerning Kevin Durant’s Thunder future by the time the season tips off. Chicago’s situation isn’t exactly as expedited, though the chemistry rumors seem to be real and the eventual Derrick Rose divorce will be ugly, and they could also look like a completely different team following the summer of 2017.

The Thunder and Bulls are solidly in “win-now” mode and boast two of the league’s five-highest payrolls this season, and simply can’t afford to let their rookie head coaches learn on the job and take a step back this postseason. Billy Donovan and Fred Hoiberg will need to adjust quickly to their new environments and not only adjust to coaching men after over a decade in the NCAA ranks, but also show substantial improvement and stability over their predecessors in order to ensure the futures of their franchise players. No pressure or anything.