This superhype about Jeremy Lin, its like a few days ago he couldn`t play basketball and now he has risen from the dead like a god and taken over the NBA.
Well, surprise he could play this way before and he like everybody else needs opertunities to show their skillz. NBA and European basketball is full of talented, foundamentaly skilled players that never ever get the opertunity.
"you only get one shot" ....rememeber those lines from Emenims song.
I`m happy for Lin that players in his team got injured, I`m not happy that they got injured, but that was the key for him. If the had stayed healthy, maybe he would have seen some minutes, but not more.
Same happened for swedish Jonas Jerebko, when he came to Detroit Pistons he was lucky that players where injured so he got the chance to prove himself and prove himself he did just like Lin. Not the same diggits, but also with much less ballcontact.
Back to Lin, he is foundamentally good and he plays PG, which must be a dream in the NBA. "Everybody" plays the pick and roll out on the floor and the creativity in NBA coaches head stops at hedge and recover. Must be a dream to be a pointguard that is quick, got ballhandling skills and likes to attack the basket and knowing that every time there is a pick and roll defense will hedge it and recover.
I`m not saying there is a perfect defense, but if the PG splits the hedge for the 5th time in a row, come on do something. Hedging defense is dreamland for PG`s like Lin, Westbrook, Roose and mor.They got speed, they got handles and they got a basketballhead.
Back to my point if you end up in the wrong team, have low saluary or Mr "Age before skills" Coach you will make money, play at the game that ypu love, but if you dont change teams get used to the bench and hope that somebody stops, gets injured or fouled out (whick almost never happens in NBA).
If you read between the lines I`m not a great fan of NBA. Dont get me wrong I love many parts of it, but there is so much business that is more business than sport. Teams dont want to win games so they get god position in the next draft, most coaches have an opionion but not the last word. Superstar players overule or owners or chief of NBA. Money talks and to be honest until the final most games are really bad. Maybe not for the fans or the spectator that dont know the game, but for a old dog like me its more fun watching a kids game age 9 playing. They give their all, sould, heart, sweat blood and tears and that is so far from most NBA players and teams. Of course its a suicide situation for the players that wanna go hard because their are so so many games and their bodies gets worn out and injuries follows.
But still my respect goes to all players on all levels of the game that give their all on the court and in the NBA there are some players that dont hold back, but most do hold back and thats a shame.
Solution is of course less games and more quality, but less games means less money so that will never happen.
Players like Westbrook, Griffin, Rudy Gay, Lin, Jerebko, and more all that go 100% you have my deepest respect and you still got respect for the game and pure love for the game, the desire shows and playing hard is more important than more millions and "safe play" through the season so you can have a long career and cash in year after year.
I sometimes wonder how its is to be a "always playing hard" player playing with thoose kind of players that dont give a 100% every single game. I would be so mad. I guess thats why some teams have dominated in the NBA for many years in a row. When teams of Chicago, Lakers, Boston had Jordan, Magic, Bird everybody on those teams went all in the games, cause Magich, Jordan, Bird demanded that of them, a player slacking would here about right away.
One of Birds books, I read some year ago he explains a situation with one older player on his team whom joked about getting a new contract (get the last cash before no team wants you). he said something like "Maybe I should fake a injury now and just chill out my contract".
Bird heard this and went over to him and said "Which leg do you want to be broken" He was pissed off go hard or go home, he played most of his career with extreme pain and still went all in. Hearing stuff like that most have pissed him of bigtime.
Mchale his teammate played with some broken bone in his foot throught playoffs, foot never recovered but the got the ring.
Jordan demanded perfection of himself and he expected the same from his teamates, he wasn`t very loved by most teamates, but deeply respected.
When you think of Magic you think of a big big smile, but behind the smile was the same attitude to the game as bird, Jordan, he went hard and his love for the game was pure as silk.
Everybody nowdays is hating on Allen Iversen, WTF!, I cant believe what I read is it a surprise that his brains was on the court and not in economics and more. But this player went all in and sacrified his body for his fans and for his love of basketball.
Like many succesful athletes or actors, singers they have people working around them and there is usually where is goes wrong. Friends instead of pro`s, or friend of friends everybody wants a piece of the pie.
Its sad to read about how AI`s life has gone, but show some respect and those who can help the man get back on his feet.
His not alone in the NBA with problems, they have always been there, but we almost never hear about them since NBA handle many problems themselves, with their own drugrehabs, alcohol rehab and so on.
NBA is a sureal world in a world, the players have to handle so much from pain, injures, fans, demands, being away from their families and more. Many of them enter and go from no money to a shitload of money, "mo money, mo problems". They have been taken cared of by others since college, many even since high school, dont have to think themselves, they just have to play ball, rest is taken cared off. But what happens after playing or when you aint that superstar anymore I think a big empty hole builds inside them ( not all), but when you know one thing and that is basketball and you "can`t" play anymore, how do you fill that vacancy in your life.
Have you invested money in the right things, do you have the right people around you. Do you have some other dream that is not basketball that can fill that vacancy for many pro athletes its a rough life after stardom.
How to get the next adreline rush it doesn`t have to be cambling, drugs or alcohol, but that is the road many takes.
Go hard or stay out of my televison :-)
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