You could argue its a skill in that you can achieve it by working towards it (becoming a hair barber). But its not inherent like athletic ability.
No, playing hard is strictly effort. It is NOT a skill Effort is simply giving it everything you have. That doesn't make you skilled, that makes you dedicated to that particular cause (for better or worse)
And even if we want to limit to "offensive skills", anyone who's watched the Rockets play the last couple years should know that Chuck is the most skilled passer we've had at the 4/5 positions. Also a good offensive rebounder and good screener. Or do those things not count as skills either?
To me playing hard is a talent or a characteristic. You either got it, or you don't. Skills are things that people are not born with, but must be cultivated.
If you work in a team's front office, does that distinction really matter to you? The Rockets value players that are exceptional in work ethic (e.g. Scola), just as they would value players that have exceptional speed (e.g. Brooks) or high basketball IQ (e.g. Battier) or great shooting (e.g. Novak), or any other identifiable traits that can make your team better. I answered yes to the poll question because I think this is a sensible approach. Whether it should be considered a "skill" or "talent" or "attribute" isn't really what this poll question is getting at IMO, and it isn't what Morey was referring to when he made his comment on 1560.
yes, its a skill. Its something not everyone haves. And it can be honed with practice. That average joe is skill at playing hard, but he is not skillful at the other part of the game. Yao Ming is skillful, but he does not possess the skill to dribble, do 3p shots etc. Dwight Howard is skillful although he does not possess any finess game. If everyone is capable of doing it, you would not see the condemning of the likes of Tmac, Antoine Walker etc
I don't consider playing hard a skill, but Robert Half put it very well. “Hard work without talent is a shame, but talent without hard work is a tragedy.” -Robert Half Hard work or talent alone can only get you so far in the NBA. It's a tragedy that there are talented players who end up wasting the talent due to laziness or drugs.
Getting around screens is a skill. Filling the lane in transition effectively is a skill. Ability to move your feet in order to get in position to take a charge is a skill. Not allowing another player to bully his way to the basket in the low post is a skill. Beating other players around you to a loose ball is a skill. The Rockets value players that can do those things, and that's what Morey meant when he said they consider "playing hard" a skill. If you don't think the Rockets should value it, then go ahead and answer "no" to this poll.
Let's face it, if Tracy would only play as hard as Battier and Scola, he would probably be the best player in the game. In my opinion playing hard has alot to do with an important skill called "mentall toughness". Mentally tough players always play hard no matter how talented they are ie.Garnett, Kobe, Duncan, Ginobli ect.
I just replied in the NBA Dish on a post DaDakota posted about this, and here's an actual full on thread about it. "Playing hard" is broad term where it becomes a semantics thing. I'll assume its an term that aggregates together mental and physical toughness/aggression, focus, competitiveness, never taking plays off... Could even say personality plays a part. Things such as coachability and team-first mentality. Isnt "making others better" considered the great trait that got Steve Nash 2 MVPs and got Stephon Marbury considered valueless for not having that ability? Skill, Attribute, Talent, whatever you want to call it, I think its a skill on the lower levels under the NBA. Its an attribute/ability in the NBA. Undersized underathletic hard working players can prosper in high school and college just off grit. NBA filters them out for those with more skills and talent. Steve Wojciechowski to those who remember was everyone's favorite college overachiever. He just wasnt a pro level player. Before him Scotty Brooks had the same height and build and worked hard but he was just better skilled. Why I wont vote is...in contrast to the last point if ALL NBA PLAYERS approached the game like Battier and Chuck Hayes it'd be a better league, would it not? Whats the difference between a player getting 2 more points from working harder, and a player getting 2 more points from utilizing a left hand hook he picked up just going through the motions of big man camp?
I'm late to the discussion, but one of the main distinctions in my mind is this: You can be born talented. A lot of talented players are drafted but never make it because they don't choose to work hard. I happen to be a huge hockey fan on the side, so I'll use a hockey player as a perfect example of this. Alexandre Daigle. The guy was drafted 1st overall in 1993 to a struggling Ottawa team that needed the lotto win badly to get moving. No scout could deny that the guy was fast enough to be on wheels, had a sniper's eye, and filled stat sheets like few before him in the junior leagues. Well, he gets drafted and bounces from team to team, having one of the most wasted, forgettable careers in NHL history. The guy was blessed with TALENT, but did not choose to have the drive. He was content to sit on his unprecedented entry contract and admit that his drive to play the game had faded. He went and bounced around hollywood during a hockey hiatus. Then you have guys with little or no talent but who choose to do the dirty work they need to do to make ends meet and fill that role on a team. Talent is different from hard work in that it can not be chosen. People without a specific talent can wish they had it, but that will never change it.
Arguing semantics doesn't get you anywhere. It is a positive attribute and that is pretty much as far as this discussion goes pragmatically.
Not a skill . no way.. skills have to be "developed". playing hard need not be.. its just a mindset for instance.. take T-Mac.. he can turn it around and play good defense if he wants to ( Dallas series) .. but does not do it often... but anybody can play hard.. if they want to.. no development needed
durvasa, some of the things you named as a skill doesn't relate to just playing hard. Managing a screen situation goes to bbiq. Some players that play hard can't manage to concepts of a screen. That goes into situational ball. Diving for a loose ball isn't a skill, its part of effort which is playing hard. A high schooler can be a pro player to a loose ball, but that doesn't mean his diving for loose ball skill is greater. Some people have mentioned Chuck. Chuck plays hard, but he also has a high bbiq,is a very good positional post and help defender,and is a good rebounder. If all he did was play hard, he wouldn't be in the league.
You're right, it's not just playing hard. But I think that everything that goes into making a player better at basketball should be treated as a desirable attribute to look for in players. I see no practical purpose is distinguishing between such attributes and "skill". Take rebounding. I think rebounding well is a skill, but there's a lot that goes into it. Technique, knowing how much contact you can get away with, hustle, having good hands, agility, size, having a strong base, etc. These are all relevant attributes that teams should look for in players, because they all go into winning. What's the purpose in only looking for players that are athletic and have size when searching for a rebounder, if that player doesn't hustle and doesn't care enough to box out? I would argue that for such a player, rebounding is not a skill precisely because he doesn't work hard. See what I'm saying?
Not everybody has the mental focus nor the determination to play hard consistently. In Tracy McGrady's case, he imposes his will onto big games. Shane Battier on the other hand plays hard every game, regardless of their opponent.
They do,but playing hard is not a skill. It requires will,and effort. Even a player with an average IQ can play hard,if he puts his mind to it.
If playing hard is a skill, does it excuse JVG from playing Ryan Bowen, a skilled specialist of nothing?
