[Sports Illustrated] The People And Places That Made Clint Capela

nice article, didn't see if anyone had posted this yet??

https://www.si.com/nba/2017/04/21/rockets-clint-capela-james-harden-mike-dantoni-hakeem-olajuwon

The People And Places That Made Clint Capela

Jake Fischer
Thursday April 20th, 2017

Clint Capela and John Lucas stepped out into the drizzle. The Rockets’ starting center may as well have been another New York skyscraper, his 6’10" frame shielding the Houston assistant coach while they awaited an Uber back from Barclays Center to the team’s hotel in downtown Manhattan. On this Sunday morning in January, Capela is still two days away from returning to the court following a small left fibula fracture that sidelined him for 15 games.

The team bus had long since departed following the Rockets’ morning shootaround. The duo lagged behind to loft extra jumpers and free throws. Rehab is a mere blip in Capela’s evolution into James Harden’s symbiotic lob partner. Lucas, after all, forfeited his day-to-day role in the John Lucas Wellness and Aftercare Program to lead the Rockets’ player development. With alcohol and substance abuse derailing his own NBA career—which the Rockets launched by selecting the Maryland product No. 1 overall in 1976—Lucas scripted a second act as a hybrid personal trainer and life coach, draft prospects and NBA stars alike seeking his gospel.

Capela’s the strapping specimen a development staffer dreams of: a reservoir of athleticism, a frame practically begging to be sculpted with muscle, an inherent understanding of the sport. Near 7-foot, 22 year-olds of that makeup are rarer than desert rain, and his recent history of rapid skill maturation only compounds the Rockets’ excitement. Lucas is the unique lifer equally qualified for hardwood tutelage and off-court inspiration. Capela might just be the pupil he was destined to mentor.

Daryl Morey first observed Capela inside Le Colisée, Chalon’s 5,000-seat arena in eastern France. In a city considered the birthplace of photography, the teenage stringbean could only provide a snapshot of his powers. Foul trouble relegated him to the bench, yet Caplea flashed glimpses of elite ability. “You’re judging athleticism, you’re judging their touch, how they move, how hard they play,” Morey said. Houston’s general manager flew to Geneva the day prior, shuttling two hours across the Switzerland border to attend the game. Morey’s drive virtually traced the path of Capela’s prodigious hoops career.

Capela arrived at Chalon’s INSEP training center in 2009, only two years removed from his first organized basketball game at 13 years old. Romain Chenaud plucked Capela from the Swiss U16 national team trials. The Chalon coach had accompanied one of the program’s junior team players to the event, only to find himself fixated on the gangly wingspan and soft hands of the youngest player on the floor. “When I saw him on the court, I just needed five minutes to think: 'Wow, this kid is the future of our academy and of our pro team,'" Chenaud emailed The Crossover.

Immersion in France’s basketball laboratory accelerated Capela’s maturation, but stalled other aspects of his life. He essentially turned professional at 15 years old, forfeiting the freedom to see his family for months on end. “I knew I had sacrifices to make,” Capela said. Distance, though, was far from a foreign obstacle. Independence has been a theme interwoven as deeply in Capela’s story as basketball. It’s practically a family trait.
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more at the link

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bump. surprised this didn't generate any comment

 

lol. I would have thought non-Westbrook related content would have been worth something

 

I could change the title and see if that would work. Something like . . . I have grown to HATE Clint Capela

 

oops. didn't catch that. will fix. thanks for the heads up. and, oh by the way . . .

DESERVES ITS OWN THREAD.

 

it's true, you've helped make Clint what he is today. Next time I change the thread title, I'll work you in alongside DMo