http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/59418/20090527/cassell_will_try_to_make_arenas_a_leader/ Maybe I'm alone in my opinion, but I don't think you can just bring in Sam Cassell as an assistant and magically Gilbert Arenas will turn into a leader and/or a team player.
I realize that Sam has a couple rings with the Rockets, but what has he done since then? I wouldn't really call Cassell a leader.
He has been to the playoffs with almost every team he was on, if not all. Including runs to the eastern conference finals with Ray Allen, Michael Redd and Big Dog in Milwaukee, and a run to the western conference finals with Minnesota and KG, and a run to the 2nd round of the western conference with the LA Clippers where he was definitly considered the leader of that team. Yes, I had coffee this morning!
Yeah, but come on Hasoos..... look at those teams. Houston: Hakeem Milwaukee: Robinson and Ray Allen Minnesota: KG The Clippers would be the only team that I would give him props for. What did he ever do with the Nets?
I'm not sure what your point is by noting that those teams had a star. Are you saying that Cassell should have taken a team deep in the playoffs entirely by himself with no other star to help, or else he hasn't accomplished anything? By that measure, what did Jordan ever accomplish? I don't recall him ever going deep in the playoffs without a first-ballot Hall of Famer as a teammate.
Yea so what? I watched almost all of those games over those years. The only team that he was on that sucked, was the Nets. The reason? Because good teams wanted him on their squad to make a run at the title. That in itself speaks volumes about Sam. Houston didn't know what they had when they got him, but they definitly would not have won it all without him(or Horry for that matter). Milwaukee picked him up to make a run. Minnesota picked him up to make a run. He was a floor leader in all of those places, and was even a floor leader in NJ even though they stunk. He didn't have much to work with there. Nobody said Sam was a carry your team completely type of player. They said he was a leader. He has been, wherever he has played.
