SB Nation's Bomani Jones is a man of many versatile thoughts and analogies, and in today's show he ascribes the young Thunder to the veteran rockers the Rolling Stones.
I think that comparing an NBA team to a musical act makes a ton of sense because of the way each of the key players must learn what they can bring to the moment without usurping the greater goal. In fact, we've made similar analogies here in the past:
I like the "Almost Famous" analogy, so I'll carry it a bit further. In all great rock bands, there is a natural tension between iconic lead singer and legendary guitarist. It is borne out of the creative juices that must flow in order to make true art. At the end of the day however, even if Durant is the one guy in focus and Westbrook's visage is a bit blurry, the fact remains that the guitarist still needs his lead singer to be present in order to accomplish their goals. Parts aren't simply interchangeable, and one does not work without the other. That is why ideas that could work on paper (i.e. Gary Cherone stepping in for Van Halen, Scott Weiland joining forces with the Guns n Roses crew, or Steve Vai) seldom do in reality. Human beings are too dynamic and vital for simple equations to be applicable.
Music is organic, dynamic, and ever changing, just like the players on a basketball court. Different players bring different elements to the moment, but it takes a special ear and eye to understand how the piece gets played if you want to reach the end and get a standing ovation holding a trophy.
Parts aren't interchangeable, and that's why you can never just swap James Harden in as the starter and have Russell Westbrook coming off the bench, as people like Skip Bayless have contended. Lead singer Kevin Durant wants to carry you from A to B, while Westbrook wants to melt your face off with a back-breaking guitar shred. If you ask Harden to step up and lay down a stealthy groove or jazzy piano moment, he can do that. However, he can't just pick up a Les Paul and bang out Eruption, and Westbrook can't recede to the background and be content tapping a triangle like Mick Fleetwood. Durant is the team's Stairway, but sometimes he has to just get out of the way and let some heads get cut.
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