Congrats Shane: Named to USA Today All-Rambis Team

rimrocker · Jun 17, 2009

Nice write-up on Battier... and quite the honor.

Also, seems like the Rockets could have had more on here... Scola and Landry belong on this team for sure, but only one from each team made it, so you have to give Shane the distinction.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-04-14-all-rambis-team_N.htm
Hard work the mantra of our inaugural All-Rambis Team
By Chris Colston, USA TODAY
NBA fans might not recognize Kurt Rambis, sitting dapper and clean-shaven as an assistant on the Los Angeles Lakers bench or filling in for Phil Jackson, as he did Friday when plantar fasciitis kept the coach from making the game at the Portland Trail Blazers.

But in his day (1981-95), 6-8, 213-pound Rambis developed a cult following with his long, wild hair, black horned-rimmed glasses and tenacious, body-hurtling style of play.

In the era of multimillion-dollar salaries, chartered jets and Xboxes in locker stalls, the spirit of Rambis remains alive through the grittiness of certain players who still do the dirty work.

To honor these players, USA TODAY introduces its inaugural All-Rambis Team.

For a player to "earn his glasses," he must ... well, let Rambis describe it himself.

"The guy can't be afraid to throw his body around," says Rambis, whose career statistics (averages of 5.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.5 minutes) don't tell the whole story.

"He must be completely unselfish about his game and give of himself for the benefit of his team. He's going to have to do a lot of things that won't show up in the box score, but he's going to be the guy on his team that his teammates appreciate more than anybody else.

"Diving on the floor, setting picks, getting rebounds, taking the tough defensive assignments," Rambis says. "But he also must be able to do enough offensively to keep his man occupied so he can't just go out and double-team somebody."

Each NBA team nominated the player who best embodies these qualities. Because of the subtleties these players provide, deciding who made our team was not easy. Nearly every player nominated would make a good lineup better.

Toronto Raptors guard Anthony Parker (6-6, 215), who made the team, says he takes "a lot of pride in doing the little things, guarding the other team's best player, diving for loose balls. You have to do your best every night, no matter what."

But one player stood out above the rest: Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier.

Battier, 30, is the first All-Rambis Team captain because, on a nightly basis, he successfully executes his one mantra: Do whatever it takes to help his team win.

"Whatever the job description is for that night, that's what I try to do," he says. "If I'm matched up with a top scorer, I try to make his night as long as possible. Other nights, if I'm not guarding a top guy, I can score a little more or help the big guys with rebounding. It's just doing what I can do to win."

For an unsung player, more people are singing his praises of late. The New York Times Magazine featured Battier in a lengthy piece in February by Moneyball author Michael Lewis titled "The No-Stats All-Star."

"It's nice to be recognized for making winning basketball plays," Battier says. "Everybody on this list plays to win. That's why we work on our games every summer — to win basketball games. So being on this team is pretty cool — as long as I don't have to wear those glasses."

The Rockets are the NBA's fourth-best rebounding team — and Battier is a big reason, more than his 4.7 rebounds a game suggests.

"If he can't get to the ball, he tries to tip it to his teammates," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey says. "A lot of guys do that, but he's unique at it. He has great awareness of where the ball's coming off the rim."

Battier also quickly recognizes where his teammates are positioned. "I'm not the highest leaper, but I do have decent timing," he says. "I know where my teammates are, so if I can tap the ball to them, they'll get credit for the rebound."

Defensively, his size (6-8, 220) allows Battier to defend a variety of players. Usually, he takes the other team's top scorer, such as the Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

"Some players he crowds, some he plays off," Morey says. "Some he shades left, some right. It's all based on getting that player in their least comfortable situation. He has great instincts for it."

The Rockets ask a lot of Battier, but that's what he enjoys most: the variety.

"Not that scoring 30 every night wouldn't be fun," he says. "But I like to impact the game in every way possible. That's fun to me. It keeps my job spicy. No two games are the same."

***

ROSTERS

Western Conference

Shane Battier, Houston Rockets: In his last six seasons — three with the Memphis Grizzlies, three with Houston — his teams have averaged almost 51 wins.

Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz: Perhaps the most gifted rebounder in the league for his size (6-8, 250). A scrappy hustler in the mold of his coach, Jerry Sloan.

Michael Finley, San Antonio Spurs: A two-time All-Star, Finley has had to reinvent himself, from superstar to role player. Without ego, he does whatever coach Gregg Popovich asks with professional aplomb.

Nick Collison, Oklahoma City Thunder: Collison has played 70 games this season despite broken fingers on both hands. He is often seen diving on the floor for loose balls. He also rebounds, bangs and rarely takes a poor shot (56.6% field goal shooting).

Joel Przybilla, Portland Trail Blazers: TNT's Charles Barkley says the 7-1 center is "probably the most underrated player in the NBA. What do they call him? 'The Vanilla Gorilla, Joel Przybilla.' "

Sixth man —Chris Andersen, Denver Nuggets: "Birdzilla" is the Energizer Bunny of rim protection. He tries to alter everything that comes his way in the lane. Despite playing 20.6 minutes a game, he averages 2.5 blocked shots, second in the league. He has turned around his life after a two-year suspension for violating the NBA drug policy.

Eastern Conference

Andre Miller, Philadelphia 76ers: Because he's not flashy, he's rarely mentioned among the league's elite point guards. But he has directed a young Sixers team into the postseason by getting everybody involved.

Anthony Parker, Toronto Raptors: The Raptors underachieved this season, but it's not Parker's fault. He rarely misses a game, can fill it at the point and regularly guards the opponents' best player.

Udonis Haslem, Miami Heat: In a Jan. 17 game at Houston — a play Battier witnessed up close — Haslem had his legs knocked out from underneath him on a layup and slammed the back of his head on the floor. But he finished that game and played the following night at Oklahoma City. He helped the 2006 Heat win the NBA title and regularly leads Miami in charges taken.

Anderson Varejao, Cleveland Cavaliers: His hair makes the "Wild Thing" a fan favorite. Second in the league in offensive fouls taken, he is equally effective as a starter or reserve. A valuable cog for the team with the NBA's best record.

Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks: The second-year man runs the floor to help negate turnovers and rebounds, blocks shots, defends centers and continues to develop offensively. He instantly made the Hawks a playoff team.

Sixth man —Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee Bucks: Only a rookie, M&M has impressed the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who says, "You don't see a lot of players who understand the value of playing hard defensively."
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Dr of Dunk · Jun 17, 2009

I'm not sure if being named to an All-Rambis team is an insult or a compliment...

RocketRaccoon · Jun 17, 2009

Damn, you gotta love our guy.

rimrocker · Jun 17, 2009

Dr of Dunk said:

I'm not sure if being named to an All-Rambis team is an insult or a compliment...
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It's an honor...

Shane said:

...being on this team is pretty cool — as long as I don't have to wear those glasses.
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Rambis is great... before he came along the brothers would call me Paultz, but since I wore glasses too, I quickly became Rambis and as we all know, Rambis was much cooler than Paultz. Even though Paultz was a Rockets legend, that nickname didn't exactly help with the girls.

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Congrats Shane: Named to USA Today All-Rambis Team

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