I subscribe to the theory of alpha male leadership in basketball. In fact, I think it’s essential to championship level hoops. No team in the modern era has won a championship without its best player leading the charge. Alpha leaders drive their teammates to higher levels of excellence. They’re the first to step up in the clutch, forcing lesser players to follow their lead. To alpha males like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, and Kobe Bryant, demanding the best of their supporting cast is the only way to build a championship team. Ken Berger at CBSSports went in-depth in assessing the Orlando Magic’s leadership dynamic. I highly recommend you read the whole article. Here’s one part that stuck out to me:
“I don’t have to put up 25 [points] to win,” Howard said. “It shouldn’t be just putting up big numbers on the offensive end to win. Rebounding and blocking shots is my biggest thing. We’ve got a lot of scorers on our team, so that’s not my main focus. And he’s gonna take the load off with the scoring. If he scores, that’s good. I don’t care if I score five points. My job is to go out there and do everything I can to help my team win.”
If you agree with my theory that the Magic would be better if Howard fully embraced the role of franchise player, then you’ll agree that the only thing that will save him this season is Carter’s reluctance to do the same.
I asked Carter after practice Wednesday how it struck him that he doesn’t need to be the offensive focal point in Orlando, and his answer was exactly what I expected: That’s not what he wants, anyway. In fact, one of the things that most enthused him about coming to Orlando, according to a source, was the assurance he received from the basketball staff that he wouldn’t be the center of attention.
“We’re both expected to put the ball in the basket,” Carter said, rejecting the notion that his presence takes pressure off Howard. “We’re not taking away his ability to score.” But when it comes to the spotlight, Carter politely deferred.
“I don’t mind,” he said. “Hey, whatever. As long as the top’s down and we’re going down the street with a nice breeze, I’m happy.”
