Great teams, companies, and organizations are forged by strong leaders who develop their culture and values at every opportunity. The idea of being a leader who brings out the best in those around them is what I call a TEAM leader. A TEAM leader is someone who values each individual and knows it is about the process as much as the result. The qualities of a TEAM leader are that they Teach, Entrust, Applaud, and Mentor.

First and foremost a great leader must TEACH. Your players, employees, and colleagues cannot execute the game plan without having the tools they need. In some cases a leader must teach the skills needed to do the job and at other times, the skill is there but direction is needed. No matter the circumstance, great leaders must teach what they want done effectively.

Once those being led have the skill and direction needed, a quality leader will ENTRUST them with the opportunity to do their job. Effective leaders empower and trust those around them to use their skills and talents. They don't micro manage every decision but leverage the expertise and experience of everyone on the team to bring out the best in the organization. Empowering others will ensure commitment and ownership of the process from everyone involved.

Teaching and entrusting others will also bring about opportunities to APPLAUD the efforts of your team. Great leaders understand that positive reinforcement boosts team moral and attitude. When those in your organization perform well, make sure to acknowledge their accomplishments. Focusing the credit for success on others will make sure your team knows you value their contributions.

Lastly great leaders will MENTOR their team by investing the time to make each individual better. Often mentoring means pointing out areas of deficiency and where a team member needs to improve. Once you have taken the time to teach, entrust, and applaud, your team will be more willing to take constructive criticism and take themselves and the organization to an even higher level.

In athletics, we often use military analogies to motivate and coach players. We talk about winning battles, fighting hard and taking care of the brother next to us. We use these comparisons because we know that soldiers are the toughest, bravest, and most selfless people on the planet. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and we strive to demonstrate the same commitment, honor, and sacrifice among our athletes.

The reality is what athletes do on a daily basis is not remotely close to the life of a soldier. Soldiers face life or death situations to preserve what is most sacred to us all, freedom. On Memorial Day we try to find ways to honor and thanks those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice by giving their life. On this day, I always think about the letter from Abraham Lincoln to a grieving mother who had lost five sons in battle.

We are a truly blessed to live in the greatest country in the world. Take a moment today to honor the sacrifices of military families so that our families might enjoy freedom.

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the LeaderCast live event at the Calvary Baptist Church West Campus. LeaderCast strives to develop leaders who are worth folllowing and that look beyond themselves and consider the larger community. The theme for the day was Beyond You Leadership and the opening speaker was Andy Stanley, Senior Pastor of North Point Community Church in Buckhead, GA. While I thought all of the speakers were great, Andy did an awesome job succinctly laying out what leading beyond yourself is all about. Below are some of my notes from his talk.

Definition of a Beyond You Leader
A leader who fearlessly and selflessly empowers leaders around them, as well as those coming along behind him.

The value of a life is always measured by how much of it was given away.

We celebrate generosity and selflessness but we envy accumulation.

To become a Beyond You Leader:

1. Make as few decisions as possible. Empower those around you by saying "You decide."
   As your organizational power increases, your organizational IQ decreases.
2. Work for your team. Help them get the job done by asking "What can I do to help?"
   He suggests asking those who report to you what one thing you can do to help them get the job done.
   
3. Empty your cup. Spend time investing the success of others by passing along your knowledge.
   You can't completely fill any one persons cup but you can empty yours.

If your leadership isn't all about you, it will live beyond you.

For more information on LeaderCast you can visit LeaderCast.com.

The newest trend in basketball is the use of advanced statistics not only to evaluate teams but individual players as well. Player Efficiency Ratings strive to drill all the stats a player accumulates down to one number that represents their effect on the game and individual productivity. The amount of statistical information and ratings available on the NBA is mind boggling. If you visit the NBA Stats Glossary you can see all the available stats and ratings. As a coach, I have often utilized player efficiency ratings as a way to motivate and track a player's progress.

Back when I played in the NBA the EFF rating was used the most and often included on the box score. The NBA's Efficiency Rating is a single number measure of a player's overall contribution (both positive and negative) to a game he plays in. It is calculated as follows: (Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) - ((Field Goals Att. - Field Goals Made) + (Free Throws Att. -Free Throws Made) + Turnovers). The biggest problem with the EFF rating is it does not factor in minutes played so therefore measures productivity but not really efficiency. Players who play more minutes are more than likely going to have a higher number. The positive to the EFF is that it is very easy to calculate.

The newest efficiency rating in the NBA is the Player Impact Estimate (PIE). PIE measures a player's overall statistical contribution against the total statistics in games they play in. PIE yields results which are comparable to other advanced statistics (e.g. PER which I discuss below) using the following formula: (PTS + FGM + FTM - FGA - FTA + DREB + (.5 * OREB) + AST + STL + (.5 * BLK) - PF - TO) / (GmPTS + GmFGM + GmFTM - GmFGA - GmFTA + GmDREB + (.5 * GmOREB) + GmAST + GmSTL + (.5 * GmBLK) - GmPF - GmTO). While I have never used PIE with any of my teams I do like that it creates a statistic relative to the game. Basically it is giving you a percentage showing how much of a positive or negative impact a player had on a game.

One of the simplest efficiency stats which is now shown on all NBA box scores is the +/-. The +/- stat looks at point differential when players are in and out of a game, demonstrating how teams perform with various combinations. While I like and use this statistic, I don't feel it truly represents a single player's impact on the game.

If you want to take player efficiency stats to an even more detailed analysis you can take a look at John Hollinger's PER on ESPN. The PER is an extremely complicated formula based on minutes played, pace and other factors. Due to how complicated it is, PER is not a stat coaches outside of the NBA and NCAA can use with their players because it's nearly impossible to calculate.

Because of this, I created a much simpler PER which I oddly enough named "Simple PER". Simple PER is calculated as follows: (2FG Made*2) - (2FG Attempted*.75) + (3FG Made*3) – (3FG Attempted*.84) + (FT Made) - (FT Attempted*-.65) + Rebounds + Assists + Blocks + Steals - Turnovers. Similar to PER, the Simple PER only gives positives for scoring if you shoot a decent percentage (see picture for breakeven shooting percentages). If a player scores a ton of points but shoots a very low percentage then they would not have a positive Simple PER. I chose a relatively low breakeven shooting percentage but that can be adjusted as needed.  I like this formula because it is simple to calculate but factors in shooting percentages.

No player efficiency rating is perfect because it is practically impossible to drill down a player's impact into one number. However, these formulas and numbers if used consistently can be a great way to evaluate, motivate and educate players on the game and their impact on helping the team win.

Basketball junkies love to argue about who is the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.). Whether it's the current generation who argues Kobe vs Durant vs LeBron or the old guys in the barber shop harkening back to the days of Michael, Magic, The Big "O" or Wilt, there is no question it is a highly debated topic. I do not pretend to have any greater insight into the subject than anyone else but I am extremely grateful and blessed to have been around plenty of guys who could be considered the greatest in some way. I once had someone introduce me when speaking as similar to Forrest Gump and I guess that's hard to argue. From my time at Wake Forest with Tim Duncan to my professional career with Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan as well as Jerry Sloan, John Stockton, and Karl Malone in Utah, it has been quite the journey.

I am not going to try and answer the question of who is the GOAT because that is a question that will never be answered. Passionate fans of every era will always think their time was the best and of course the next Michael or LeBron is somewhere in a middle school gym right now honing his craft. To be honest I couldn't care less who is the GOAT. What I do care about is the integrity and culture of basketball. One of my favorite quotes is from my former coach Jerry Wainwright: "We live in a selfish and undisciplined society, but basketball is an unselfish and disciplined game." Basketball is a team game that requires great players to bring others along with them to be successful. For every Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan there is a BJ Armstrong or Scooter Banks fighting in the trenches with them. Championships are won when great players play on great teams.

Unfortunately our insta-society is bleeding over into the game. Enough already with the endless videos that over hype players. Get in the gym and work. Find a team and stick with it. Make others around you better. Only care about winning! That's how you become a GOAT and more importantly, that is what basketball is all about.

The full page headline in The Oklahoman, Kevin Durant's home town newspaper, read "Mr. Unreliable". Seriously, you write that before an elimination game? Of course the paper has back pedaled some and stated the headline was just talking about his play this series against Memphis. Let's look at a few career stats for Kevin Durant:

• Averaging 32 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists this season
  
• Shooting 50% from the floor, 39% from 3 and 87% from FT
• 5 time NBA All-Star and and 4 time scoring champ
• Hasn't averaged less than 20 points in any NBA season
• Career playoff average of 28 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists
• Donated $1 million to tornado clean up in Oklahoma last year
• Outspoken Christian and positive role model

When asked about the comment by ESPN, KD replied: "As a competitor there's going to be good and bad days. They're going to build you up, they're going to break you down. You just have to stay even keeled, and that's what I am. It's all about what have you done for me lately, and I understand that."  Durant handled it like the professional. My entire life I have heard my father say that in sports, the only thing that matters is what you have done for me lately. Any athlete who plays at a high level understands that, but it doesn't mean fans and media can say whatever they want. Athletes understand that most reporters and commentators want to create a buzz and therefore write or say things that elicit emotions. But for the home team newspaper to put out a headline like that is in poor taste and bad judgement. Kevin's teammates and coaches spoke out about it, but I sincerely hope the local fans will as well.

For the record I am a huge Kevin Durant fan. Not only for the way he plays, but because of how he carries himself and what he stands for. Last night, KD dropped 36 points and pulled 10 boards while leading the Thunder to a game 6 road win. The series now will head back to OKC for game 7. If the Thunder win, The Oklahoman should run a big headline on the front page reading "Apologies to Mr. Reliable". Regardless of what happens, kudos to KD for how he handled the headline as well as his teammates and coaches for speaking out on his behalf.

I love quotes and I will leave you with one of my favorites which fits perfectly for this situation:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt