Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images On windmills, and waiting On July 15th, 1979, just 11 days after America’s 203rd anniversary, former President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation via television from the Oval Office. It had been a rough six years for Americans; a time full of global crisis and uncertainty, with a certain familiar Baltic nation formidably shadowing the world’s affairs at seemingly every turn as the United States suffered through its most significant economic recession since the Great Depression. Hit by a withering trifecta of high inflation, surging unemployment, and stunted economic growth (that economists now wryly refer to as ‘stagflation’), Americans had also suffered through their first protracted and losing war effort, national political scandal, and disco music. National morale was at an all-time low. President Carter took to the airwaves in an attempt to quell the malaise of national unrest and economic and social concern. This was not the first time that he had done so. By his own admission, Carter had spoken to the American people on a number of previous occasions regarding various geopolitical and finance-related issues. This was, for many, just another Sunday evening, and opinions are still somewhat divided on the overall effect of the speech in question. For some, this was just another announcement of failure in policy, in leadership, and in legislative action. For others, this was a political and personal sermon that cut to the very heart of the matter. Today it’s best known as the ‘Crisis of Confidence’ speech. Regardless, there could be no mistaking that it was yet another speech from President Carter on the subject of energy use and conservation. It was a sore subject for the many Americans who had endured a period of sustained gas rationing and a passionate point of emphasis for the Carter Administration from the very beginning. For all the many things that have been said about the administration since, there can be little doubt that few Presidents have so actively pursued routes for alternative and sustainable energy solutions. Chief among those quixotic pursuits was the improvement of windmills. Convinced that the secret to sustainable energy lay in the pursuit of wind energy, the Carter administration pushed a large number of their poker chips into the venture, with NASA developing a variety of experimental wind turbines. Also facing a future of dependency on foreign oil interests, an array of European Nations joined the United States in their pursuit, triggering one of the quietest energy races of the 20th century. It was a race that the U.S. would lose at the time, but what’s more intriguing than the loss is the nation that claimed ‘victory’ and how they did it. Watching the Spurs lose ground after a spectacular first half against the Houston Rockets, I found myself struck by the phrase ‘Crisis of Confidence’. In that moment it couldn’t have been clearer that when playing up to their fullest capacities, these Spurs have athletic and talent-based advantages that the Rockets simply do not. Cycling spindly players through the post, Houston was at a distinct disadvantage in and around the block for most of the night, as Victor Wembanyama made short work of Alperen Şengün and Jock Landale. Equally disadvantaged were the efforts of Houston’s perimeter players to convert shots from beyond the arc, as the long-armed Spurs harassed them at every opportunity, taking advantage of a lack of perimeter penetration and Houston’s inability to convert in the face of The Big Bonsai From North Versailles. Indeed, the Spurs played some of their best defense in half a decade against the Rockets in the first two frames. Then, gradually, almost of their own accord, they began to fall apart. A crisis of confidence indeed. Something that, in the early and mid 1970’s a certain northern European nation lacked. It was the small and otherwise quiet country of Denmark that would make the great sustainable wind energy leap of the time, over more well-funded and powerful nations, finishing construction on the world’s first megawatt wind turbine in the Spring of 1978, just a year before Carter’s speech. That they had done so in the face of remarkable economic disadvantages was all the more stunning. But for Danes, this seemed the only way that they could have succeeded — by adhering to the policy theory of Charles E. Lindblom known as Incrementalism. Basically stated, Incrementalism is the act of creating larger changes through small, gradual steps, rather than a larger-scale and more drastic form of strategic planning. Limited by their resources and comparatively minor GDP, the Danes were all but forced to commit themselves to a longer, more gradual track of improvement. Unlike many of the other nations involved, the Denmark had long been committed to the pursuit of improved wind energy due to longstanding energy needs for their agrarian economy, and thusly had a better understanding of the obstacles involved in the process. As the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany failed to rapidly develop competitive machines, the Danes patiently built better and better windmills using their more incremental approach, culminating in their grand achievement in ‘78. By the turn of the millennium, many of the top windmill manufacturers in the world were Danish in origin, an area they remain an international leader and innovator in to this day. It was a contrast that came immediately to mind as I watched a Rockets team that ownership has tried to microwave into relevancy fight desperately against an even younger Spurs team playing only their second game with a battle-tested point guard at the helm in several years. Quietly, thoughtfully, and in an often painfully gradual manner, the Spurs have put on their own showcase of Incrementalism. Agonizingly, they traded away some of the best parts of their last good teams, then dedicated themselves to the tank; to the most embarrassing and half-hearted process of talent acquisition. Then they drafted their centerpiece and spent a year test-driving him. Now, they have begun to add experience and depth. Not all at once, but as always, gradually. Similarly limited by their market and their funds, they’ve made small but important changes. And one of those changes, seeing the moment for what it was and applying experience, half-hobbled and half-darted through the lane, dropping a pinpoint pass into the hands of a stealthily-cutting Jeremy Sochan to give the Spurs a critical five point lead with 1:39 left in the fourth. It’s easy to forget that these Spurs have had a rough four years of their own. Largely leaderless and experience-less by design, having watched lead after lead evaporate against even the most equally hapless of teams, it’s not hard to conceive of a very different crisis of confidence from the one in President Carter’s speech. For one night though, they found it — saw it demonstrated in their favor for the first time in years. Who knows how many megawatts that might generate? Energy has a way of being contagious in the world of sports, and the benefits of solid foundational construction has a way of being forgotten in the face of more radical solutions. After all, windmill design is in-and-of-itself not very complicated. The largest obstacle is often just the tradeoff between cost and reliability. In many ways the U.S., U.K., and German windmill designs were technically superior. (Some of those innovations are still in use in windmills today) It was a lack of experience that made their windmills less reliable, and therefore less effective. By comparison, the Danish windmills were heavy and ponderous, as they had been for generations. But they kept on turning — just like this roster, just like these players, just like the fates. Maybe one good turn will finally deserve another. Takeaways Having spent some of my last article in premature praise of Stephon Castle, I feel vindicated enough to talk about another one of the toolsy Spurs youths, Jeremy Sochan. There’s been a lot said about Sochan over the last few years, from one-handed free throws, to dyed hair, to point-guard misadventures, but now it might be time to talk about the good. Outside of shooting, Sochan is one of the most gifted players in a group of Spurs youngsters. Unfortunately, a lot of that doesn’t lend itself to the box score in the most straightforward of ways. Clearly enjoying being book-ended by the capable Castle, and backed by a sophomore who nearly won DPOY, Sochan made the night miserable for several Houston players. It wasn’t flashy, but Sochan managed to appear in the most inconvenient of places all night for the opposition, using the versatility to dart from the perimeter, to the lane, to the ball-handler, in his snakey, smirking sort of way. Additionally, Sochan appears to have put some real work into his finishing this offseason, as he regularly took advantage of defensive lapses and his own athleticism to slide in and around the bucket all night, to great effect. Houston had no answer for a player who seemed to be in the right place at the right time for most of the evening. You have to keep your eyes on him at all times, but it was an outstandingly varied performance from a player who’s often been very vocal about the Houston Rockets, and was one of several players to rise to the occasion. Jeremy Sochan is off to an outstanding start this season. The 21-year-old put up an efficient 17-12-3-2 Saturday in the win over Houston. Smart, opportunistic off-ball player who rebounds and defends. Important building block for San Antonio’s future. pic.twitter.com/dUhwqsoXom— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) October 27, 2024 I can’t say enough about how seamless a fit Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie are in the opening lineup. Both players did exactly what was needed in playing very solid defense and shooting 40% from deep in a lineup that is going to absolutely depend on that for the rest of the season. There’s been some popular choices for x-factors for the Spurs this season, but I’d be willing to wager that the Spurs win column will depend on this tandem as much as any single player. When things are right, they’ll have a night like last night, where they escape the notice of Spurs Twitter entirely. But when things are off, you can bet the spotlight will be on the spacing of that opening group. Talk about a thankless job. another one, thank you! pic.twitter.com/5yWBbvG2y8— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 this sequence pic.twitter.com/0UuSvSSvii— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 Playing You Out – The Theme Song of the Evening: Slow Turning by Jon Hiatt