It is no secret to NBA fans that there is something of a cultural power struggle taking place in many present-day front offices and coaching benches across the league. Battle-hardened ornery ex-players, none more a perfect embodiment of this spirit than the Los Angeles Lakers' Byron Scott, lament the league, and the game, being overridden by "softer" new blood, armed with their calculators and passing familiarity with math.
This is not necessarily a battle that will end with a clear victor. Houston has proven that a purely analytical approach can lead to a carcinogenic locker room.