[ClutchFans] Terrence Williams reads you, but that doesn't mean you're right

Everyone that has actually played a serious and intense game of basketball should know the difficulty of the game.
The game is much more faster than what you see on television and you don't have a convenient "birdseye" view of the court and all the players movements...

 

The fact that you are talking about the physical aspects and not the mental aspects is telling.

It is not about understanding how to dribble or get in condition, it is about understanding the Xs and Os....do you think Mike Fratello was a great player, does he get it?

Does JVG get it, what about Laurence Frank?

Understanding the mental aspects of the game of basketball is what the discussion is about and a lot of 9 to 5ers are a lot smarter than some NBA players.

Just because you play the game does not mean you understand it well, lots of idiots have played the game on a decent level.

DD

 

No it is not. It is not complex at all, it is more athletic and faster, but the game is the same.

Now if you are saying some people are just not smart enough to get it, sure, I agree with that.

DD

 

Unless these 9-to-5ers have coached at a Division I level or higher, in all likelihood they do not understand the game better than the vast majority of NBA players.

 

You are a fan, a spectator, you do not know what goes behind the scenes.

 

I disagree a lot of 9 to 5ers are happy in what they do and chose to go a different direction.

Doesn't mean they don't get it, it means they don't want to coach.

Big difference IMO.

DD

 

Or more likely they lack the aptitude or the qualifications to do so.

 

It is about choices, what people choose to pursue in life, some choose coaching others do not, doesn't mean they can't understand a simple game of basketball, it means they chose to go a different direction.

There are subtleties in the game, but those are not that difficult to learn or understand.

The issue is generally whether the players are smart enough to understand the subtleties and transfer that knowledge to the basketball court, many are not.

They are physically gifted, but mentally challenged.....and have used their physical gifts to overpower and speed by opponents all their life, but once they get to the NBA and face others as athletically gifted, it becomes a much more mentally challenging game.

That is where some players struggle, they never learned how to take advantage of other players tendencies etc, and some 9 to 5ers understand that bit but are not physically gifted enough to play in the league.

DD

 

Come on now, that's ridiculous. Desire or not, the number of people capable of coaching D1 is pretty limited.

It's not that different than saying I could've made it to the NBA but "I chose to go a different direction". Doesn't mean I wasn't capable, it means I just didn't want to coach.

There's a huge difference between theoretical capability and capacity. I had the grades to go to med school, but went into a different industry - I can promise you don't want me giving you medical advice.

 

Look, you guys can think you don't understand the game well enough, but I will never admit that, I understand it very well.



DD

 

You seem to believe that any 9 to 5ers can coach. If so, go ahead and apply for the job. I'm sure with your passion for sports and your equivalent "knowledge" you could be a real head-turner for the Rockets, eh?

Pretty silly to make that claim when you've got nothing to back it up.

 

True, but that doesn't mean there are loads of people out there working 9 to 5 that also understand the game, which is what we are talking about here.

We are talking about mental capacity to understand the game, and I contend there are a ton of people working 9 to 5 that have a great understanding of the game, it is just not that complex.

DD

 

No no no no no no no, that is not what I am saying.

Coaching is a different animal, dealing with egos, motivating prima donnas etc..etc....

I am saying a lot of people have a very good understanding of the game - a lot of normal 9-5ers.

DD

 

Look - no need to derail the thread.

I believe a lot of 9 to 5ers have an in depth understanding of the game, and more so than some NBA players.

Doesn't mean they could coach, or play in the league, but they can certainly understand the game.

That is all I am saying.

DD

 

I can see how you might feel that way from a spectator's point of view. I would contend that if you were to sit in on a coaches meeting game planning to stopping a flex offense, debating whether to switch on the back screen or down screen and go into a 2-3 matchup, cheat your weakside defenders to the middle or trap early than rotate into man-to-man, you might alter your way of thinking.

Either way, I think this exchange has been quite revealing.

 

Personally I think Terrence Williams looks like a superstar having a bad game.

He always looks like he is one play away

 

I have sat in those meetings, as have many many 9 to 5ers. That is my point entirely.

To say that 9 to 5ers do not understand the game is underestimating 9 to 5ers.

And to say that NBA players have an understanding of what you just said would be revealing too, many of them would not know when to make those adjustments - which is sort of my point.

DD

 

Wait what? NBA basketball is very different to college or high school basketball.

I only played high school ball and you just can't compare it to the NBA

 

T-Will just achieved new epic status. He's one of my new favorites.:grin:

 

You are right, and you are wrong, the basic principals are the same, but the speed and athleticism are not.

DD