Good NBA teams have a lot of obvious things in common: talented players, good coaches and systems that make it all work. The complicated part is putting all those ingredients together.
Before the acquisition of talented players, the hiring of a good coach and the implementation of a system that fits, there needs to be a plan. That plan comes from the team’s highest-level decision makers: usually ownership and the front office.
This is the group who is responsible for crafting a franchise’s identity, building its ethos and setting its benchmarks for success. That is who makes the difference between an organization that toils in mediocrity and one with a reputation for sustained dominance.