I agree that DT brings huge intangibles and leadership to the equation, and that given her long and illustrious career---not to mention her intensity--her words and actions would have a real effect on BG.
However, in a different way, Maya's intangibles outside of the game's 40 minutes are also tremendous. She isn't going to be the one to sit down with new players for long one-on-one meetings, a la DT. She's not that far along yet and she's never been (to my understanding) a "long-form" leader like DT, Sue, or even Renee was at UCONN. Her biggest contribution--noted numerous times by Coach Reeve at Minny and also by the UCONN coaches after her departure--comes via a contagious drive that pushes the whole team forward, every hour, every minute. She lifts everyone; not every talented player does. True, Minny had a lot of talent when she arrived and in that one could say she put them over the top. But she is the master of 'preparing to win' and of keeping everyone's eye on the prize during the small moments--during drills, in workouts, practicing sets--when no cameras are present. One of my B-school professors liked to quote his college football coach, who said: "What is most important is not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win." This is Maya in spades. She changes the culture of the teams she is on. Not that other greats like DT don't have similar effects, but the magnitude of Maya's effect on teams is a cut above, and this cannot be overlooked. Jordan had a similar effect on the Bulls in his day. It was not just his obvious talent and greatness in competition. The Bulls practices became almost as legendary among the players as the games themselves. This kind of intensity and will to prepare to win sets the great apart from the very good. When you have someone who can also impart this to others and weave it into the culture of the entire group, you have someone truly special.
You have Maya Moore.
