Here is a wikipedia link to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Basically, it says that when you observe something, you change it; therefore, what you're observing is no longer an accurate reflection of what that something is. A good example is that when you're taking the temperature of a hot beverage (coffee) the thermometer absorbs the some heat to make the mercury move; therefore, the coffee is now cooler and the reading is inaccurate (however slightly).
Does this apply to basketball?
Well, if basketball operations are like any other workplace, then the answer is most defintely a "yes." Perceptions are important. What the fans are yelling (blogging) about may be. Media reports definitely have an impact. During his radio interview, Robert Sarver says he "first learned" about D'Antoni's discontent from McCallum, and that he knew there were some serious problems from that reporting (forgive me if I'm off a little bit, but listen to the interview again and I think that's the gist of it).
Is it a big affect, though, or is it more minor -- like sticking a thermometer into a cup of hot coffee? It has an effect on people. We will see how it affects the current coaching search.
I was a big supporter of Coach D until the last month or two of the season. Right up until the point he made the myopic comment that he wants to win a championship, not develop a bench. His arrogance hit me right then. Still, though, I recognized him as one of the top coaches in the league. Winning a championship is not a simple accomplishment and many a good/great players and coaches have fallen short of that goal.
His arrogance, though, was something I liked about him, too. When everyone was complaining about not fouling at the end of Game 1, he said, "Yeah, all you guys complaining about that should go work on your game at the 'Y'." (Or something like that) You know what? He was dead-on with that comment.
You take the good, you take the bad ... then your show gets cancelled.
He sure was under a microscope, wasn't he?
Remember the beginning of the season? 7,500 fans showed up to a practice. We're taling about practice. Not a game. Practice. How silly is that? We ain't talking about a game. We're talking about practice.
From the get-go, there was incredible pressure on the entirety of this team. All the fans wanted to "start-over" with the 2007 playoffs and kill San Antonio and Stern. Even with the Suns sitting at the top, Shawn Marion commented, "Why are you all so upset? What's better than number one?" There was his discontent, the talk of his discontent, the speculation on how his discontent affected others. There was Marcus Clanks pouting in the corner. There were all sorts of issues.
Well, there were problems (perceived problems perhaps) in the poor record during the first half of the season against the playoff-bound Western Conference Teams. In years past, no one would have noticed that chink in the armor. However, being so close for so long, moved the Suns' fans way up on Maslow's Pyramid.
Shaq gave us false hope. The smartest thing Walton's ever said is that, "Shaq is undefeated in press conferences."
Even if it turns out to be a good move because he's able to contribute in 60+ games next season and is "fully integrated" into the team, to think he could have changed this year's playoffs was hope, and nothing more. "Hope," in this case, being the last refuge of the desperate.
Desperation, though? Really? Why? Because a Nash-Stoudemire-Marion team would not bring a championship. We all saw the window closing, noticed the chinks in the armor and demanded a change. After the Jan. 31 loss to the Spurs I was freaking out on Marion, too.
Such intense scrutiny changed things. Irrevocably.
Suns fans across the nation (bandwagoners and long-suffering-desert-dwellers) expected nothing less than a championship. Journalists and media outlets desperately wanted to see their darlings have their revenge. This caused enormous internal pressure.
The fans, the observers, the cheerers and those who consume the media, are like the stockholders of the Suns. We gorged on the success, but the success left us wanting more and the failure left us feeling empty. Like a heroine addict, we wanted more and more. Like a ruthless capitalist or robber-baron of the Industrial Revolution, moderate success was not enough. Blood was our goal. The druggie's search for the Eternal High had ended.
Satiation never came. Only a championship could satiate our blood lust. Left with unleashed energy and dispiriting disappointment, we turned on everything around us. Long-suffering-desert-dwellers turned on bandwagon fans. Bandwagon fans refused to watch Shaq lumber up and down the court. Bloggers became unfriendly. Fans jumped off nearby sidewalks. Wild speculation abounds as to whether Steve Nash, Leandro Barbosa or Boris Diaw will be traded. Media members alternately mourned the disappearace of their darlings, declared fun basketball dead or screamed "I told you so!"
Look what we all did to our Golden Goose. Our intense love affair changed the thing we love(d). Forever.
A blooming rose is a dying rose; and now, it is time to re-plant the garden.
Cue appropriately melancholy song, something grungy, not by The Beatles or Simon & Garfunkel
[Note by Phoenix Stan, 05/15/08 4:43 PM PDT ]
How about Fred Durst for melancholy grung?
Durst is the karaoke-sounding-talking-guy, right?