<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Boston - Establishing a team leader on a professional basketball team can be a tricky thing because the makeup of teams varies and because leadership comes in various forms. There is the vocal, rah-rah type of leader who uses a fire-and-brimstone approach to inspire his teammates. Then there is the player who attempts to lead by example on the court. There is also the veteran who attempts to show his teammates the way by utilizing a been-there, done-that approach. "You have different kinds of leaders," Milwaukee Bucks coach Terry Stotts said. "Leadership is a funny thing. It has to be natural. It's hard to force leadership and it's hard to force a leadership style on anybody." The Bucks do not really have a strong vocal presence in the locker room, so they take a leadership-by-committee approach. Leadership might come into play as the Bucks head down the home stretch of the regular season. Although it might take a subtle form in the Bucks' locker room, Stotts thinks the team has players who will take a leadership role as necessary. "We have guys who are vocal and we have guys who cheer guys on," Stotts said. "I think what happens is on the outside you may not necessarily see it. We have players who are talking to players and there's enthusiasm on the bench. There's caring in the locker room. Every team is not going to have the same type of leadership." As a six-year veteran guard Michael Redd would be the most obvious player to take a leadership role among the Bucks because he has been with the team the longest. He signed a maximum free-agent contract over the summer and is the team's leading scorer. Redd has been an all-star in the past and is now an Olympic prospect. But he is a lead-by-example type. Center Ervin Johnson has filled a leadership role at times over the course of the season and Toni Kukoc, who has three championship rings from his days with the Chicago Bulls, has always made himself available to younger players seeking advice. Both are in their 13th seasons and understand the ways and means of the league, but a leadership role for either of them is difficult since they don't play much. Redd said the Bucks didn't have a real vocal leader in the locker room among the players. "Out on the court, I'm more vocal than in the locker room," he said. "I try to get on guys, not necessarily yelling at them, but encouraging them. But there's no real rah-rah guy in the locker room. "It's just the nature of the group. I know me. I know how I've always been. I've always been the type to lead by example. You can't be something that you're not. So I just try to lead by example and encourage guys more so than to try and tear them down." Said Stotts, "The players need to do what comes natural for them."</div> Source
Yeah, it would help a bit if our COACH acted like a bit of a leader instead of an assistant That is definitely a problem with this team; our best player is not a leader-he's a good guy, and a solid presence on the team, but he is not a KG or a Duncan or a Billups. We have a ton of young talent, but they don't play enough defense, turn it over and pick bad times to play their worst. These are all symptoms that can be cured by a tough minded veteran leader. We're going nowhere this year based on how we're playing during the "easy" part of our schedule, and for next year we need to look for a leader for this team. Joe Smith is a good guy, but we need more.
