Category: Basketball

Standardize Basketballs! (The Rock Sucks)

I was at a workout the other day and noticed that a recent high school graduate was shooting with a strange looking ball. It had a completely different color, texture, and weight than the Nike ball I was using. It was darker, rougher, and harder.

It was made by Under Armour. Apparently the school this guy is attending uses those balls exclusively. I couldn’t believe it. Not only was I unaware that Under Armour even made basketballs, I was shocked that they had the audacity to trot out what I consider an obviously sub-par product.  Unless you are 100% defensive minded, I am pretty sure you prefer a ball with some give and cushion to it. A relatively soft, slightly sticky ball is easier to handle and allows you a little more leeway with your shots that hit the rim. By making a tough, unforgiving ball, Under Armour essentially ignored all the traditional qualities that people seek out in a college ball. It had the look and feel of something a Middle School team would use when if were forced to practice outside. Stick to cleats, Under Armour.

Seeing Under Armour’s poorly made, make-James Naismith-Roll-Over-In-His-Grave ball reminded me of the least favorite basketball I have ever used.

This guy:

worst ball ever
Lots of bad memories coming back right now.

Continue reading “Standardize Basketballs! (The Rock Sucks)”

Religion and Basketball

We used to make fun of Jeremy for his beliefs. A lot. There was not a bus trip that went by where another teammate and I would not take him to task. If god was so benevolent, why all the wars? How come you can never see him? Do you really not believe in evolution?

The funny thing is that I think I was missing the whole point. The ancillary details surrounding the religion are not that important. Being religious gives people a moral framework that they build their life around. This structure can be a very positive force.

The power of the mind is undeniable. If you believe that a higher power has planned big things for you than you are more likely to make something out of your life. I really think that’s the case, and even if it is just a placebo effect, it is still an effect. They have given pills to pregnant women that were supposed to induce vomiting, told them it was an anti-nausea pill, and watched as those women suffered less from morning sickness. The human brain is NUTS. So, if you ignore the fact that a ton of religious people think a dude died and came back to life, and that the earth is only 10,000 years old, you can see where having seemingly irrational beliefs can come in handy.

You need to be irrational to succeed in basketball. You have to believe in the hot hand, even if stats prove it does not exist. You have to believe you are the best player on the court, even if you have just played 5 sub par games in a row. You have to believe that spending hours a day shooting a ball through a hoop is a better use of time than learning a different skill, spending time with friends, or even studying. Continue reading “Religion and Basketball”

Royal Jelly

I want to talk a little bit about Mike Conley, George Hill, and Avery Bradley. All three are players that epitomize the positive things that can happen when an organization puts unwavering faith in a young players’ abilities.

No one would question that all of these players have talent. They had brilliant college careers and were touted as special from a young age. Yet, none of them showed their true potential at the professional level until they were given the full royal jelly treatment.

The “royal jelly” refers to the food that certain honey bees eat that allows them to develop into queens. The larvae destined to become queens are fed a different substance than the rest of the bees.  If they don’t get this food, they can’t become queens. (The name invokes images of some sort of delicious caviar crossed with Smuckers. In reality it an ooze secreted from the heads of the worker bees. Royal jelly certainly sounds better than brain pus.)

The idea that special treatment during different stages of development can affect who succeeds has been applied to athletes. I first read the term royal jelly on Truehoop, and they have discussed it at length. I’m not reinventing the wheel, just continuing to point out that circumstances and minutes are often the only difference between a player being a star or a bench warmer. Continue reading “Royal Jelly”

Who Has My Points?

Me “Ok, I know there is nothing we can do about it, but who got my points last game?”
(Silence)
“Just out of curiosity. I know one of you got them.”
(Silence)
“We all count our points. We all saw the box score. I wish someone would give me extra points, it’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

I have had some version of that conversation several times throughout my career as a pro. I will get credited with less points than I deserved. Like I said before, it really bothers me when they mess up assists, but at least those can be hard to determine. But points? You are just going to take my hard earned points and give them to someone else? Continue reading “Who Has My Points?”

Improving the NBA Viewing Experience

Here are two things I think the NBA can do better:

1. Let fast breaks play out from the natural TV camera angle. This is a major pet peeve of mine. There is nothing worse than when you are about to watch Blake Griffin uncork a vicious slam from the nice, familiar, side camera angle, when out of nowhere the producer switches cameras on you. All of a sudden you are thinking “Why I am I watching this great dunk unfold as if I am sitting in the lap of a sweaty baseline cameraman?” or “Hold on, why would I ever want to look through the backboard?*” Continue reading “Improving the NBA Viewing Experience”

Thoughts on Assists

Being a point guard who literally makes his living off of assists, I was irritated at the end of one of my midseason games. We had won, which I was thrilled about, but the official score sheet had me down for 3 assists. I could count 5 off the top of my head. I might have had 7 if the stat people were feeling generous. I know that people make mistakes, but this kind of thing happened enough in Israel that it really started to get on my nerves. I talked to my coaches about it and they said there was nothing they could do.

Thankfully, there was something that I could do. I took to getting chummy with the people at the scorers table during home games. I figured even a little something, like a smile, couldn’t hurt. I even went so far as to point over to them after a pass to make certain that they credited me. I would laugh as I did this in order to keep it lighthearted, but it’s one of those “haha this is funny right? But also you better give me that g#*@%& assist.”

I have always bristled when people throw their hand in the air after they tip in a missed shot. They do this to notify the scorers table that they were deserving of the points. The worst is when someone sticks their hand up after a no brainer type of sequence, like when they were clearly the only ones in the vicinity of the basket. Everyone saw you buddy, waving your hand and getting all excited makes you look like the fat kid from soccer who is allowed to score a pity goal at the end of the year. Continue reading “Thoughts on Assists”