Experiences in asking a simple question during pickup basketball -- "What would Shane Battier do?" I thought it was a fun read, going off the recent Michael Lewis's NYT Magazine piece on Battier. http://www.slate.com/id/2212106/?from=rss [rquoter] ... Armed with real data and the Michael Lewis imprimatur, I took the court in my weekly pickup game in a church gym in Arlington, Va., with a new mantra: What Would Shane Battier Do? No longer did my Rec Specs-brand prescription goggles suggest unathletic gooniness ("When I saw those, I thought you might be able to shoot the 3, but I was wrong," a teenager once told me); now they simply meant that I could outthink my opponents, even if I couldn't outplay them. Battier had given me the courage to play the way marginal athletes should always play basketball: hustling, focusing on defense, and rarely, if ever, shooting. I confidently volunteered to guard Jackson, the opposing team's best player, just as Shane Battier volunteers to guard Kobe Bryant in Lewis' article. I fought through screens to stick with my man, like Shane Battier. I attempted to strip Jackson as he brought the ball up from his waist, like Shane Battier. I tried to force Jackson into taking bad shots and got a hand right up in his face, just like Shane Battier. On offense, I didn't shoot much; I just tried to box out and collect as many cheap rebounds as I could. And it worked—at least at first. On the opposing team's first possession, I forced Jackson to his left, kept him out of the lane, and got a hand in his face as he shot a jumper on the run. Clang! I tipped the rebound to one of our big men and grinned as the other guys on my team ran the break, scoring at the other end. Watching superior athletes score: That's what Shane Battier would do! Not long into the game, however, I got really tired. I became too winded to hustle, and my once crisp passes turned lazy and inaccurate. One difference between myself and Shane Battier, it occurred to me, is that he is 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, whereas I am 5-foot-9 and ... uh ... not quite 220 pounds. Playing like Shane Battier may not require finesse, but it does require stamina, and here may lie the limit of his influence on the pickup-playing, Times Magazine-reading people of America. It was slim consolation for my teammates—after Jackson hit, yes, a lefty runner to win the game—that in Lewis' article, Kobe drains a game-winning 3 over Battier. (Even low-percentage shots go in sometimes.) ... [/rquoter]
Battier is one of the most under appreciated, yet most appreciated players in the game. For people that really follow the Rockets, or basketball for that matter, see how he shuts people down and really hustles through all the endurance that it requires to play at his level. I was very excited about the fact that the Rockets did not trade him, because he play is very contagious. And for that matter, anyone that goes out and plays a game of pick up basketball (note above) and attempt to play like him, you commonly find yourself just gasping for breath. I played in high school and just wish I could play at the level that he does. All in all, if you appreciate the NBA or basketball for that matter, Battier has to be someone you respect whereas if you're not familiar with the game, he is just another player.
Battier was playing at a very low level so he had nowhere to go but up. He should, however, be given credit for his improved play in recent games. If it were possible, I would still trade him for Outlaw though.
We'd be a considerably worse team, but Battier is getting up there in age so it's consderable. I don't think the rockets would do that though.
If the Rockets ever got rid of Battier, then they would immediately hit the market looking for a player just like him. As long as Yao is here and productive, trading Battier away makes no sense.
On the other hand, maybe you can't play Battierball and be loved: The anti-social Battier himself notes that pretty much nobody in the NBA likes him. Maybe they're tired of him being there to steal their cookie every time they try to make plays.
Ever since I pitched a fit the day we passed on Rudy Gay, I've come to really appreciate what Battier does. That said, I've never seen anyone cross back and forth so frequently over the line between underrated and overrated.
What's up with everyone jumping on Battier's bandwagon all of a sudden... I love the guy and he is perfect for this team... it just seems that all of a sudden reporters are opening their eyes to the awesomeness that is Battier... so very strange...
I've definitely picked up a thing or two from Battier that I use on the court. I try to find where my opponents don't like to be on the court and funnel them that way. It's extremely effective and doesn't require much extra effort.
There's a writer who's kind of famous. He wrote a book called Moneyball a while back, which you may have heard of. He wrote an article last week on Shane Battier in the NYT Magazine ("The No-Stats All-Star"), and it's gotten a lot of attention.
yeah for me this was the interesting part of the article. on interviews Battier comes across as glib, articulate and (dry) witty. in one word: smooth. the article makes him seem more of a loner and alienated. part of it is for dramatic effect, as someone posted above Lewis is a book writer so he tends to sensationalize stuff. for example he makes it seem like the Rockets badly needed battier and are a lottery team without him, when in fact Battier makes the team better but with Yao and scola they are a playoff/2nd round team. battier would be of less impact on a team like the Celtics or New Orleans because those teams are more well-rounded and spread the athleticism around to run down loose balls etc. for a team built around Yao, battier and scola are absolutely critical. they compensate for all the stuff Yao cant do well. seriously if you took off scola and battier this team would be ****ed
