Yes, that was my comment. Thanks Rollie for sticking up for the basketball fans who played with friends or alone shooting the ball.
I never got into golf, but perhaps that is a good analogy. Lots of people love golf. If they can afford to play, they improve. Not only that, it has to heighten their enjoyment from watching the pros.
Hockey is another sport which I missed out on because it would cost too much money to participate. Basketball is free, like you said. We didn't mind if there was no net or if the rim was too high or low. Heck, I used to simulate basketball with a rolled up sock and a waste basket.
It helps to understand the game even when never having been involved in high school. I did get in one year in a rec league probably around age 12. That was exciting. To be in uniform and get sent in and wait by the scorer's table. On the court, you could really feel the tension if you weren't advanced or tall enough to just get by on physical advantage.
I learned how to get by on my natural abilities. There is a reason why I root for the Phil Pressey's and Isaiah's. They are the players I would have been most like if by chance I kept getting better.
You don't forget those things, even in the simulations we did as kids or with friends.
If everyone was average, then I could compete.
I remember one time I tried playing with what were to me the A team players. They were so good. I thought I was good, then I learned that it takes more than being able to shoot, run, and pass. It makes one a little bit more compassionate to young players such as Avery Bradley used to be and I reckon also with RJ Hunter, Young, even back to Pressey.
Hunter has all the tools. Bradley seemed to be a scrub. Now Avery just has to figure out how to pass the ball and we are all ready to go with one of the best shooting guards in the NBA.
I am not sure if James Young will ever make it. He is not as inept as Fab Melo was, but he seems to have a lot more work to do than Avery needed.
When I was in that A type pick up game, I just tried to not make any mistakes or get in the way of players who really had the stuff.
Thanks again Rollie for sticking up for the layman basketball fan. I do remember the Villanova upset over Georgetown. That was a great win for the little man.
Something changed in Avery Bradley starting last year. It seems to have been the same challenge Young and Hunter must overcome. In my prime, I could hit 80% free throws and once I hit 50 threes out of 100. But there was no defense. It was just me.
So maybe I have been wrong to discount James Young's chances. As awkward as he looked and RJ also with their jump shots, I am pretty sure they did what I did with even better numbers and could do it every day of the week, unlike myself who basically hit a nice groove.
I had other times in the backyard where I was nailing jump shots like Avery when he is on fire. I truly appreciate the NBA players who never give up and prove us wrong when we refer to them as scrubs. I used to think Avery was a scrub. I was very wrong.
Evan Turner is no good at shooting unless he is about 15 feet away. Amir is good at threes, but only if he has a half hour to set his feet and overthink whether to shoot it or not. Those guys will never be great shooters. Amir's defense and overall game, though, is very good. Unfortunately, Danny might have picked him up a couple years too late.
Isaiah is the one I can't figure out. He shoots 90% on free throws and sometimes he is on fire for outside shooting. I wish he was more efficient with his jump shots. Though he makes up for it by getting to the free throw line very often.
Hopefully RJ can become a Ray Allen/Avery level jump shooter. Maybe he is just nervous. Maybe he picked up some bad habits in college where he was forced to ball hog and throw up shots that one probably shouldn't and it brought down his percentages.
Rondo.... maybe he is the true mystery. He improved with the midrange jumper. He actually got good at it. But then his free throw shooting got even worse. There is a lot going on in basketball. It is not always what it seems, e.g. when Avery looked like he didn't know how to shoot. He must have been nailing them in practice or I doubt Stevens would have kept forcing the issue of Avery as a go-to option.
There was that guy Dustin Pedroia on the Red Sox. Sorry, I know it's a different sport. Yet, it was similar in that he was truly awful and not many were appreciating Francona sticking it out with him.
Marcus Smarts' career will be very interesting. He is already a top defender. I think most players can get good at shooting and that's done by taking those easy 100's of shots with no one covering us.
It is amazing how much respect the C's are finally getting from around the league. I don't think anyone knows how the year will end. It's easy to say we will be first round and done or maybe win one series, but one never knows. The Pistons won a title without any superstars. It is rare, but if any team could do it, it would be us and especially if Danny can help out Brad by tweaking the roster here and there.
I recall Leon Powe, Big Baby, and even Sully helped us as rookies. I like that RJ Hunter is in the rotation because we will need his skills for the playoffs. I am not as hopeful that Rozier can figure it out this year, but I wouldn't mind Jordan Mickey getting an RJ Hunter type opportunity. Maybe I am wrong, but I think Mickey might be ready and would fit in much better to the way the team is evolving. I wish Sully would lose twenty more pounds and immediately. And here's hoping Amir can heal his feet. I doubt we have any chance in the playoffs unless he can figure that out.
