I’m in Europe and didn’t get to see the Intuit home opening overtime defeat against the Suns. Too bad. But I was jet lagged and wide awake in the middle of the night to watch the inspiring wins against Denver and GSW. Both just fantastic, all the way around.

I’ll weigh in on the Terance Mann tempest in a teapot. We love Terance, and he’s a great player. He’s going to be a huge asset this year. The idea that he’s problematic or not good is absurd. Yes, he’s been slow out of the gate. People mention last year’s slow start, but last year he was injured. The idea that JHarden is passing him over makes some sense, and it’s probably temporary. But it’s a complex issue.

I was thinking from the very beginning (of the PG departure–say hey, Addition by Subtraction) that Norm would be a likely starter. He always seemed to be the obvious path to replacing PG’s scoring, perhaps even capable of doing it all on his own. It was still an open question, and this was before Kawhi was out.

Dominoes fall, and Norm is a solid starter. We’ll see what happens with TMann over the next few games. I would have expected him to be filling the PG scoring gap (along with Zu and Norm), but his role may turn out to be different. He should start until Kawhi gets around to playing, for sure, but then things will change.

For now the glaring hole isn’t Terance, it’s KPorter Jr, who is being asked to do too much and has really been bad. I’m hoping this isn’t a typical Ty 10-game trial, and Bones gets his shot to lead the second team sooner, rather than later. I can’t wait any longer, actually. Love Bones, and that will be fun to watch.

But, given the small sample size we’ve seen thus far, you know who would be a good playmaker on the second team? Yes, Terance Mann. I wouldn’t have wanted to put him in the second unit, feeling like he deserves the starting nod over DJJ. But if Norm is a starter and the team’s leading scorer, bringing Terance and Kris Dunn in together off the bench is a strong and interesting option. Maybe that’s how it will work.

Part of what I expect out of a great coach is to manage egos. Harden is our star and leader. He’s running this team well and has instilled the belief by his hard nosed play that this team is capable of winning every night. However, the coaching staff has got to manage his excesses b/c he does have flaws. Managing him to use all the 4 other players on the court, not pick favorites and to improve on his shot/pass selection will help this team immensely.

I can tell you right now that the potential is there for a deep playoff run b/c we have a lot of depth, we’re athletic, play defense and have capable playmakers and shotmakers at every position. But whether we win those close contests to get to that position depends on the judgment of the guy with the ball in his hands. That judgment is shaped by the coaching staff throughout the year…or not.

I’ve not been too impressed with Lue’s ability to manage his stars or vets. Phil Jackson and Chuck Daly were the all time greats in that department. Kerr belongs in that group. Pop, too, but he didn’t have larger than life superstars w/big egos like Michael, Kobe, Isaiah Thomas and Shaq.

TMann is struggling. He needs to shoot the ball. Just be aggressive offensively.

KPJ was a bit better. He looks like he is pressing.

Getting rid of George has done wonders for Norman. This is his opportunity and he’s seizing it.

Zu is terrific and he’s still getting better.

I really like DPJ.

Amir is taking Mann’s job.

Keep Dunn on the 2nd unit.