The Denver Nuggets won their first playoff series for the first time since tight shorts; are up 3-0 in the current series, and Charles Barkley has them picked as the team to beat:
The reason? You know the reason. We’re talking the pride and joy of George Washington High School.
Said Barkley: “Chauncey Billups has given them leadership, he’s given them toughness, he’s calmed a couple of guys down. So, if I had to pick right now, I’d probably go with the Denver Nuggets.”
Why – aside from the shout-out to GW, is this interesting? Well for years I’ve been arguing that one of the Denver Plan’s (and many educators’) primary goals is an airball. The plan calls for highly-skilled teachers. I think we should look for highly-effective teachers (my previous post). Don’t focus on inputs; focus on outputs.
What’s the difference? It’s Denver trading Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups. Iverson is highly-skilled (career average: 27 PPG). Billups is no slouch (career: 15 PPG), but his highlight reel minutes are far less.
But Billups makes players around him better, and his teams win games. Highly effective.
Ooms With A View 