Players writing columns in the middle of a Playoff run

[BudweiserCeltic]

John Collins just released this column on The Players' Tribune:
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/the-other-guys-01f9abggjk45/

Discuss the column if you care, but what do you think of players focusing on writiting a column in the middle of a Playoff run? As an aside, but in particular after 2 losing games in which you didn't contribute to the standards and expectations placed in you...

[RJ87]

It's a nice sentiment that you think players write these columns themselves as opposed to an assistant in their agent's or publicist's office.

[BudweiserCeltic]

It's a nice sentiment that you think players write these columns themselves as opposed to an assistant in the agent's or publicist's office.

I don't think he writes them, but I don't think they are entirely alienated from the process.

[bdm860]

Is it okay if the players watch a movie during the playoffs? Plays some video games?  Reads a book?

What do you think these guys are doing all day?  Playing every other day  that's ~45 hours between when one game ends and the next game starts.

He could spend 20 hours sleeping (8 hours per day + 2 hour nap * 2)
He could spend 10 hours practicing, working out, watching film.
We'll give him a very generous 4 hours for pre-game warmups, post-game cool down.

Dude still has >10 hours of nothing to fill his days with.

What do you think he should be doing to fill his time?

[nickagneta]

If Collins is a well spoken guy and can put words to paper, he could have knocked out that article in 30 minutes or less.

If he is not that well spoken and isn't great at putting words to paper, he could have recorded his thoughts in about 10-15 minutes and had someone else write the article up.

In either case, Collins probably dedicated much less than one hour getting this article done. So what's the big deal that he focused a tiny bit of his day writing this? I am sure it didn't keep him from focusing on his basketball play.

[gift]

What else should he be doing with his time? It's good to step away into other things. Makes you better when you return to your craft (in an appropriate balance).

[BudweiserCeltic]

If Collins is a well spoken guy and can put words to paper, he could have knocked out that article in 30 minutes or less.

If he is not that well spoken and isn't great at putting words to paper, he could have recorded his thoughts in about 10-15 minutes and had someone else write the article up.

In either case, Collins probably dedicated much less than one hour getting this article done. So what's the big deal that he focused a tiny bit of his day writing this? I am sure it didn't keep him from focusing on his basketball play.

I think you underestimate what it takes into writing a column, from a nonprofessional at that, even if we know he's not doing the actual writing. To me this is not a pressure free activity, in fact I think it's a stressor. Maybe not to him in the end, but it is. You're worried about what to write, then on how to write it, then on the actual content... then on how it's going to be received, etc. I don't think that's the kind of worries one has to put upon oneself needlessly during a playoff run.

On top of that, how would your teammates react to it? Does it have to potential to create needless issues? And once again, I bring this from a player who didn't play up to standards after 2 bad loses in the playoffs...

I don't know, and I'm one of those that think that players shouldn't be living and breathing every minute of their day basketball, but I particularly don't see this as a constructive activity to partake. Maybe that's just me.

If it was a Celtics player doing it, particularly in a Playoff series we're losing, I don't think we'd be quite happy with it.

[Roy H.]

Honestly, he probably spent an hour on this.  I fully expect that almost all of the players are playing video games, posting on social media, etc. way more than they are writing or contributing to articles.

That said, I haven’t even clicked the link.  If he’s sharing team secrets or causing dissension or distraction with his teammates, that’s a different issue entirely. But I assume that’s not it.

[Donoghus]

I don't have any issue with it.  It certainly seems sourced almost from a journal based on the presentation.  You have plenty of time to keep a journal and I doubt it interferes with his job.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Honestly, he probably spent an hour on this.  I fully expect that almost all of the players are playing video games, posting on social media, etc. way more than they are writing or contributing to articles.

That said, I haven’t even clicked the link.  If he’s sharing team secrets or causing dissension or distraction with his teammates, that’s a different issue entirely. But I assume that’s not it.

I read over it, but don't think it does or should. Doesn't the column existence by by itself intrinsically have the potential of distraction regardless of the content? That's part of the issue I have with this. I guess in that regard it's about the same of doing an a full on interview (which he also did coincidentally).

But if you guys have no problem with it, then I guess it's just me... and no I don't have problems with playing video games and what not, but I do think they spend too much time in social media for their own good and often getting into needless spats, but to each their own.

[Atzar]

Honestly, he probably spent an hour on this.  I fully expect that almost all of the players are playing video games, posting on social media, etc. way more than they are writing or contributing to articles.

That said, I haven’t even clicked the link.  If he’s sharing team secrets or causing dissension or distraction with his teammates, that’s a different issue entirely. But I assume that’s not it.

Nah, it’s the opposite.  I scanned it over.  Basically he’s talking about how he’s comfortable being in the underdog position because that’s where he, as a non-elite prospect, has been for his entire basketball life.  And the Hawks are comfortable if nobody believes in them because they believe in themselves.

Standard stuff, really.  Certainly no harm in it, and I hardly think Collins’ work on this article - whatever that entails - would keep him from his basketball duties.  Nothing to see here.

[Surferdad]

Honestly, he probably spent an hour on this.  I fully expect that almost all of the players are playing video games, posting on social media, etc. way more than they are writing or contributing to articles.

That said, I haven’t even clicked the link.  If he’s sharing team secrets or causing dissension or distraction with his teammates, that’s a different issue entirely. But I assume that’s not it.

I read over it, but don't think it does or should. Doesn't the column existence by by itself intrinsically have the potential of distraction regardless of the content? That's part of the issue I have with this. I guess in that regard it's about the same of doing an a full on interview (which he also did coincidentally).

But if you guys have no problem with it, then I guess it's just me... and no I don't have problems with playing video games and what not, but I do think they spend too much time in social media for their own good and often getting into needless spats, but to each their own.

Content matters.  I would be disappointed in any poster here who has not clicked on the article.  If he wrote about zen & the art of motorcycle maintenance (not the book by the same name, but literally that topic), I would have no problem whatsoever with him writing it and sharing publicly.

BUT, he wrote about the current series that his team in involved in.  This is bad form and if I am Hawks management, I would have a problem with it.

[Ogaju]

Is it okay if the players watch a movie during the playoffs? Plays some video games?  Reads a book?

What do you think these guys are doing all day?  Playing every other day  that's ~45 hours between when one game ends and the next game starts.

He could spend 20 hours sleeping (8 hours per day + 2 hour nap * 2)
He could spend 10 hours practicing, working out, watching film.
We'll give him a very generous 4 hours for pre-game warmups, post-game cool down.

Dude still has >10 hours of nothing to fill his days with.

What do you think he should be doing to fill his time?

At that age with all that testosterone ..I give you one guess.

[Ogaju]

Honestly, he probably spent an hour on this.  I fully expect that almost all of the players are playing video games, posting on social media, etc. way more than they are writing or contributing to articles.

That said, I haven’t even clicked the link.  If he’s sharing team secrets or causing dissension or distraction with his teammates, that’s a different issue entirely. But I assume that’s not it.

I read over it, but don't think it does or should. Doesn't the column existence by by itself intrinsically have the potential of distraction regardless of the content? That's part of the issue I have with this. I guess in that regard it's about the same of doing an a full on interview (which he also did coincidentally).

But if you guys have no problem with it, then I guess it's just me... and no I don't have problems with playing video games and what not, but I do think they spend too much time in social media for their own good and often getting into needless spats, but to each their own.

Content matters.  I would be disappointed in any poster here who has not clicked on the article.  If he wrote about zen & the art of motorcycle maintenance (not the book by the same name, but literally that topic), I would have no problem whatsoever with him writing it and sharing publicly.

BUT, he wrote about the current series that his team in involved in.  This is bad form and if I am Hawks management, I would have a problem with it.

Why would you be disappointed in any poster that did not click on article? Do you mean any poster commenting on the article or just any poster?

I don’t know about Collin’s article as I do not care to read it yet.

I know that as entertaining Trae Young’s shimmy was it was way to early in the series for that. Looks like  it really lit a fire under Giannis. Why would you want to do that?

[Surferdad]

Honestly, he probably spent an hour on this.  I fully expect that almost all of the players are playing video games, posting on social media, etc. way more than they are writing or contributing to articles.

That said, I haven’t even clicked the link.  If he’s sharing team secrets or causing dissension or distraction with his teammates, that’s a different issue entirely. But I assume that’s not it.

I read over it, but don't think it does or should. Doesn't the column existence by by itself intrinsically have the potential of distraction regardless of the content? That's part of the issue I have with this. I guess in that regard it's about the same of doing an a full on interview (which he also did coincidentally).

But if you guys have no problem with it, then I guess it's just me... and no I don't have problems with playing video games and what not, but I do think they spend too much time in social media for their own good and often getting into needless spats, but to each their own.

Content matters.  I would be disappointed in any poster here who has not clicked on the article.  If he wrote about zen & the art of motorcycle maintenance (not the book by the same name, but literally that topic), I would have no problem whatsoever with him writing it and sharing publicly.

BUT, he wrote about the current series that his team in involved in.  This is bad form and if I am Hawks management, I would have a problem with it.

Why would you be disappointed in any poster that did not click on article? Do you mean any poster commenting on the article or just any poster?

I don’t know about Collin’s article as I do not care to read it yet.

I know that as entertaining Trae Young’s shimmy was it was way to early in the series for that. Looks like  it really lit a fire under Giannis. Why would you want to do that?

Yes, any poster commenting on the article should read the article.  Content matters...read the rest of my post.