HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Chemistry is a much-talked-about aspect in attaining success in basketball.  In a sport where players’ movements are incredibly interactive and verbalization among the players on the floor so key, a lack of good chemistry can be detrimental.  When rosters undergo changes, either in the offseason or midseason, that developed chemistry can be threatened.

Two specific NBA teams have seen significant roster changes this year – the Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder – and each coach gave HOOPSWORLD their input on the value of chemistry.

Suns coach Alvin Gentry shared a most unusual scene.

"We had a little powwow where we did something elementary," Gentry said.  "My owner (Robert Sarver) got everyone in a circle, and we talked about some things and stuff.  It seemed really goofy at the time, but it might have been the best thing that we did the whole year.  It was something that really, really worked.  It pretty much changed our whole approach; changed the chemistry of our team right there, I thought."

The Suns have undergone a particularly huge roster upheaval this year.  Amar’e Stoudemire left via free agency, and Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Childress, and Hakim Warrick came on board prior to the season’s start.  In December, the Suns acquired Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus for Jason Richardson, Earl Clark and Hedo Turkoglu.  Then on the day of the draft deadline, Goran Dragic was traded for Aaron Brooks.
 
"Somebody asked me to define chemistry," shared Gentry.  "I said ‘I don’t know what it is; I can’t define it, but I know if you don’t have it.’  Really, I believe that.  Either you have it or you don’t.  I don’t think it’s anything that you can force or work on or develop.  I just think it’s somewhere along the line.  It’s really totally left up to the guys, and this group of guys has developed really good chemistry.
 
"I think the first thing you’ve got to do (is) you’ve got to have a respect, and I think you’ve got to care for the guys," Gentry added.  "That’s the big thing."

Brooks weighed in with his thoughts on chemistry with regard to his team.

"If guys don’t believe in each other or believe in the staff (or) the system in place, it’s not gonna work," he said.  "I’ve been on teams where that was the case, and there’s fighting.  There’s fighting just to stay together and you’re not focusing on what you need to be focused on and that’s your opponent.

"We don’t have the issues here.  Everybody that’s with us wants to be here, enjoys competing for each other, but it is important.  We talk about it.  We talk about continually helping each other, to score, to get stops.  It’s always been my philosophy.  We have a good group of guys that understand that we need each other to be successful. You can’t do it by yourself."

In the Thunder’s case, they made probably the biggest surprise trade at the deadline last month by sending four players away (Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, D.J. White and Mo Peterson) for the assumed missing piece, Kendrick Perkins, as well as Nazr Mohammed and Nate Robinson.  With the team’s legendary chemistry already in place, was Brooks concerned about losing ground?

"Sam (Presti, Thunder’s general manager) and his staff, they do a great job with all the background checks and what guys are like, but you never know until you get the group together," he answered.

Brooks explained how his job does not entail making the group get along.

"When you demand it every day, it gets old; if you have to demand it, it means it’s not going to work," he said.  "It’s like if you don’t have self-motivated players.  You can motivate them for a game or two, but they’re going to go back to their old ways and same thing with chemistry.  If there’s not a good mix, you can force it on them but eventually, deep down, they don’t believe in it.  They don’t believe in each other.

{AUTHOR_BOX}"Of course, when you have it, it’s special," he pointed out.  "You have to continue to work and build on it and create an atmosphere that is conducive to winning and not individual performances."

The Thunder’s star player, Kevin Durant, shared plenty when the subject of chemistry was brought up.  Clearly, he understands how important it is.

"You battle with these guys on the floor," Durant told us.  "You can’t win if you don’t like the players you’re with, so jell with the guys you’re with, because if you have hidden agendas, guys want to do their own thing.  But (when) everybody’s on the same page, then it makes it look so much easier to just get out there and play.  You’ve seen that with teams like San Antonio or the Lakers, they’ve jelled; their chemistry is good."

Durant isn’t worried about the arrival of the new players.
 
"It’s all about togetherness here," he explained.  "If you don’t mind that another guy is scoring or rebounding or assisting or whatever.  We don’t play for stats here.  Of course, you want to play your role to the best of your ability.  Just play as hard as you can for each other.  Sacrifice for each other, that’s what makes a good team.  We’ve gotten so much better at that."
 
Brooks agreed about the significance of players accepting their roles.

"It’s important to have guys that are willing to accept their roles," said Brooks.  "You don’t have to just be a player that (says), ‘I’m just gonna play this amount of minutes.  I’m not gonna try to push my teammates and get better.’  But you’ve got to accept your role, and do your best at that role that you’re given. And our team does a great job of that."

One thing is for sure, Brooks is pumped about the addition of Perkins.  Although he’s been sidelined with a knee injury since the trade occurred, Brooks understand what Perkins brings to the team.

"Perk is a player that has won at a high level, a championship level.  He’s also a player that did not play early in his career, so he understands how important it is having a good team and having good teammates around him.  And I think that helps when you see both of them, you understand how bad it can be sometimes."

Durant succinctly phrased what the concept of chemistry means to him.

"Guys coming together as a group and just try to get one common goal," Durant summed up.  "That’s the beauty of basketball.

"The guys are just going out there and having fun basically, so that’s the thing about it.  You’ve always got to keep the fun into the game."