In no particular order: ClutchCityReturns - All around great shooter but loves to come around picks outside the 3 point line. I would compare his shot to JJ Redick but definitely much more athletic. Got great hops. If he were taller he would be a great swing man so I put him at the 2 spot for sure. NBA Comparison - Ray Allen Kam - Only about 6 feet tall but has a huge wingspan. Ask me I have personally had him block a few of my turn around with ease. He's got great hops and is always around the basket. He's a defensive menace and can really aggrevate players because his motor never ends. He might not always look for his shot but he can put it in there. NBA Comparison - Ben Wallace with a slightly better game around the basket. Macalu - Great all around point guard. The guy has strong hands and great vision on the court. He runs the offense very well and can find the open man. He will look to take it to the hole when he can and with his strong hands it's hard as hell to knock the ball out. Always finishes strong. He won't shy away from the shot either. He might not take many of them cause he's looking to pass but if you leave him alone he is capable shooter. NBA Comparison - Jason Kidd on steroids Moestavern19 - Got good size and knows how to use it. Looks to attack the basket most of the time and does a good job of getting there because he has a quick first step. Strong to the basket which I would say it's the best part of his game. Can hit the open jumper when need be but I think he looks more to attack. Gets in there and fights for rebounds and doesn't shy away from contact. NBA Comparison - Dawayne Wade The Yo_Yo - Only played together once so didn't get to see much of your game but you were all over the place. You can take it to the basket hard and most people get out of your way cause when you have your mind up your going to the hole. Definitely get in the middle and fight for rebounds a lot as well NBA Comparison - Chuck Hayes w/ driving ability Yao Wink - This guy has nice complete package. He's tall but can take you on the dribble. Has the height to post you up but doesn't shy away from pulling up and hitting threes. Defensively he is a beast and has a quick first jump to block shots. One of the best all around players I have played with and enjoyed. Mean on the boards as well. NBA Comparison - Dirk Nowitzki w/ defense rusHour - This guy has some passion and fire that's awesome to watch. He can shoot it from downtown, isn't afraid to take it to the basket either. He will attack you all day if he sees you leave anything open. Great defender due to his speed. He can dribble and pass like a point if need be. I would put him at the 2 and let him get under your skin. NBA Comparison - Vernon Maxwell all the way with better driving ability Trying to remember the monikers of the other guys that I have played with but they are not coming to me at the moment. If I forgot anyone please tell me and I'll do my own little write up. Hopefully everyone doesn't get offended by my comments and or comparisons haha..they are strictly for fun.
1st bold: Not me 2nd bold= Chip on shoulder. I'll play in 2 weeks (dislocated shoulder) open invitation to all who posted to show what they've got.
I'm like a weird combination of Battier + Scola + Hayes. I'm 6'2"-6'3" (usually considered tall for pickup standards), a former college athlete and still active runner so i'm in better shape than everybody else out there. This always helps whenever you're playing against some younger hotshot type that isn't used to having a defender that can stick with him the entire time. Generally, i'm the guy checking the other team's best player regardless of position. It also helps to give you the endurance and extra edge needed to make hustle plays and what not. The downside to being a former college runner is my athleticism, hops and lateral quickness that I used to have is mostly gone due to wear & tear. I usually just park myself close to the basket and clean the glass. If you put somebody small on me i'll post up but generally I look to play "garbageman" and defer to others. High basketball IQ and unselfishness can never be underrated in a pickup game. I'd like to think those are strongpoints of mine.
when I played.. which takes us as far back as high school.. no, not for the school.. i was primarily selected and used as the shooter.. somehow I always had a knack for actually putting the ball in the hole at a dependable rate.. since I was a kid.. near the basket.. or whatever was considered or marked to be "behind the 3pt line".. be it on unmarked blacktop.. or the school gym.. And, I wasn't even ever close to being the first selected.. unless there were people that knew me, to some degree, involved.. it would usually take a couple of made shots or so.. and the would be "gameplan" would switch in focus to.. "ok, pass it to that guy"..
when we played i remember guarding you at Rice and thinking, "this damn mother****er never misses." i was getting pissed because it was making me look bad. lol. that last couple of times, not so much. :wink: probably b/c you'd been off of bball for awhile. you do have a great shot though. i pretty much looked for you at the 3 point line for the jumper every time. boxing you out wasn't easy either. usually i can push taller players out with my lower center of gravity but you seemed strong enough to hold your position. Earlier I said CCR had the best ball handling skills. I have to take that back. That would be jcee, who's game is comparable to Allen Iverson but with much better court vision and willing to pass.
Self-assessment - I will say the thing that surprises most people is that I can actually handle the ball. My handling is better than most people think for a guy my size, so I use that as an advantage against people who don't think I can suddenly make a move. I'm not very fast, but I rely on quick bursts to get to the rack. A lot of times in pickup games I usually end up handling the ball at the top and directing traffic trying to get somebody posted up or I set a screen and try to free up my shooters (when I'm playing with CCR I pretty much just set screens left and right trying to free him up for an open J). I also have a few lost post moves, I love to do a lot of Scola-type fakes and spins. On defense I usually just use my size and keep my guy in front of me, there aren't too many guys I let get by me, but Raven Lunatic is a guy who always seems to go Hakeem on me in the low post with his ability to go left at ease. as for you other guys who asked - Stack - Deadly 3 point shooter but also can hit from anywhere when he gets going. Loved to see him match up against CCR because they are both scorers who can get to the rack or light it up from the outside. macalu - I hate playing against Bolo because he's got the total package, inside game, outside game... you can't leave him open because he'll bust a 3 in your face, but at the same time he'll bamboozle you around the rim with his head fakes or drop a perfect pass for an open layup . He's probably the best passer out of anyone of the clutchfans I have played with. Point Forward to a T. Kam - Streaky offense, Solid Defense. Has trouble hitting layups for some reason when I hit him with an open pass. Can fool people with his Tmac ability to sell the pump fakes. Usually keeps his man in front of him on D and uses his ups to get a couple nice blocks. Turnaround J is his only real move down low, as I know all too well keeyanballa - played with him a few times, good burst... good shooter. Uses his quickness to his advantage, can get off the dribble and score but can also find the open man with ease. Aaron Brooks-esque. jcee15 - Great court vision, insane handles and a mid range game that is impossible to stop when he's on. One of the quickest players I've ever come across in pick-up games. Gary Payton in his prime.
i usually fill whatever roll is needed. I can do a bit of everything. I usually play consertative on offense to see what other people's strength are. If they are obviously a bunch of wannabe scorers, then i will let them do their thing...until it starts to make us lose. then I will be more aggressive on offense. Inside or out, i can score. I like playing defense and crashing the boards. and am pretty good at it. at least, you will have to work to get yours. crap, just realized i haven't played basketball in a while. So my role would be not to pass out after a few fast breaks.
Used to be: The guy who could create offense by posting up or attacking the rim, but prefered to set others up. Love the simple baby-hook and the almost-out-of-control Kenny Thomas baseline spin move. Was able to guard pretty much anyone on the court, but like Shane, it was more about contesting shots than it was about getting steals and blocks. Now: The guy with busted up knees. Even when they are feeling okay I don't trust them enough to really play.
I guard the other team's slowest or tallest player, depending. Slowest player if he's a good shooter (I can keep him from getting clean looks easily), tallest player if he's a good rebounder (I can typically box anyone out). I do nothing but grab rebounds, set screens, and put back garbage points. My vertical is bad, but I'm tall and have very good reflexes so I can typically defend the post very well and I can give guys fits getting their entry passes. I am also good at help defense and rotating within 12-15 feet of the basket, unless I get stuck out on the perimeter then I'm usually toast. I suck ass outside of the lane at almost everything except for a decent little hookshot and free throws. I tend to also play the role of the "enforcer" on my team. Which is ironic because I am very mild mannered off the court. But I put people on their ass who come into the lane and am very physical. I help them up and I'm the first one to shake their hand after the game, but I don't think twice about fouling hard.
My vertical is average. But I'm pretty strong and quick. Very rarely I find myself guarding someone I can't stay in front of. So I usually try to do my best against the opposition's top perimeter player unless we're up against a decent post player in which case I have to guard him. When I'm playing with players roughly as good as me or better, I concentrate on defense and rebounding and leave the scoring to others - I'll set picks and crash the boards on offense. I'm basically a more perimeter oriented Chuck Hayes. When I'm the best player on the team, I tend to forget about rebounding. On offense, I become a playmaker - despite my terrible handles I am a pretty decent passer with above average court vision. In this case, I'm more like Ron Artest (visually, I think my game most resembles his - especially handling and driving) but a much more willing passer.
I play point guard. Shooting Guard would be my preferable position, but I'm too short for that. If I played against any of you on a 9' rim, I would dominate. I'm most comparable to Tony Parker (with worse handles of course). Or maybe you could compare me to Rafer Alston (unsure if this is a good thing)
Reading all the people describe CCR reminds me of someone I play with in a league. Small world if it is you. Does your name start with a K?
