I'm watching the finals and thinking about which players have It. Players who have It clamp down in the 4th quarter and the final 2 minutes. Players who have It find a way to do whatever their team needs done -- the extra rebounds, the extra foul, the extra pick, the extra steal. Players who have It thrive on pressure. Players who have It refuse to lose. You don't have to be a star to have It. Being a championship-level role player is all about having It. To win a championship, you need a couple of stars, a couple of reliable shooters, a couple of reliable board-bangers, and somewhere among these guys or the rest of your squad, 3 or 4 players who have It. You need at least 2 It guys on the court in the final 2 minutes. Michael Jordan had It. Scottie Pippen does not have It. Mario Elie had It. Robert Horry did not have It. Hakeem Olajuwon had It. David Robinson did not have It. So among the players who reached the conference finals, who has It and who doesn't? Remember, this is not about talent. This is about It. In my book, Rasheed Wallace does not have It. Steve Smith has It. Rick Fox does not have It. Ron Harper has It. Marcus Camby does not have It. Allan Houston has It. Arvydas Sabonis does not have It. Bonzi Wells has It. Jalen Rose has It. Sam Perkins has It. Shaquille O'Neal does not have It. Kobe Bryant has It. Rik Smits does not have It. Austin Croshere has It. Kelvin Cato does not have It. Steve Francis has It. Walt Williams does not have It. Cuttino Mobley has It. We need more players who have It. You guys who know this year's college crop better than I do, answer this: Of the players we might get at #9 or higher, which ones have It?
Man, you know someone has to be feeling stupid right now! ------------------ "Be like Dr. J, be like Dr. J..." - Shaq during NBC interview.
We're looking for Clutch players...thinking about it, no one particularly stands out. I think you stake a claim for it while an NBA player. Potential "it" havers-Mike Miller, Darius Miles, DeShawn Stevenson, Courtney Alexander...guys who aren't afraid to shoot. Kapono may be a good player who has "it" with his type of range. Cleeves maybe. I think the guards type are easier to spot for it. Martin may have it, but he's defense more than offense. He can come through on offense, but he won't pour in 30 nightly. Mihm may have it. Johnson's potential could have it. Moiso may have it. But who will ultimately have it? ------------------ Rockets fans wanted at hoopsboards.com Draft Chat, NBA Chat, Team Chat, and more!
Cabbage- exactly what I was thinking. That was perhaps the stupidest play I have ever seen. It's one thing to cost your team by missing a shot or playing bad defense. But NOT KNOWING THE RULES! That's a new one. It has been emphasized so many times that you can't foul Shaq without the ball in the last two minutes, and Perkins, a 16 year old veteran, didn't know the rules. Inexcusable. Will- the one player I think has "it" is Mike Miller. He is a very clutch player. I know he had a subpar title game, but it never was close. You have to remember 5 seed Florida almost was knocked out in the first round vs. 12 seed Butler. Down 3 with a minute left, Miller helped make a defensive stop. Then, he made the pass to a teammate that cut the game to 1. Then, after two missed free throws with under ten seconds left, Miller took the ball the length of the court and tossed up a floater at the buzzer. It went down, and after Miller rescued Florida from defeat in the first round, they went all the way to the national title game. IMO, Mike Miller is a great leader and clutch player, and I think he has "it." Also, I hate to say this, and maybe I'm wrong, but based on what I've seen, a player who doesn't have "it" is Jerome Moiso. ------------------ Cheaters never win. Unless you play for LA that is.
I don't think many of these athlete's college careers should be used as indicators for how they perform in the clutch (or their quality of having IT) for the next 15+ years. Many of these guys only played a year or two, and some no college at all. So the most reasonable answer is it's too soon to tell. I also have to disagree with you on Shaq. He has It. If he didn't, he wouldn't be playing the last five minutes of the NBA finals. He is definetly not your FT man, but he does fit your other aspects of It: the key board, block, bucket. I don't like the man much, but he does have It. Many of your other examples are kinda off too. Again, I think it's unfair to judge a player's It until he nears the end of his career and then see how many times that man has come out with the It performances. Many of your examples might show in a few years that they do have It. In conclusion, I think It is something you look back on and say about a man in the end; it's not something you can talk about like jump shooting or 3pt accuracy.
As for the topic: Definitely Has "IT": *Mateen Cleaves *Mike Miller *Kenyon Martin *Morris Peterson Definitely does NOT have "IT" *Chris Mihm *Jerome Moiso ------------------ "Be like Dr. J, be like Dr. J..." - Shaq during NBC interview.
Yeah, that foul by Perkins was not exactly It-like, unless you add a couple of letters in front of "it". But over the course of Sam's career, you gotta admit he's shown more It than 95% of other NBA players. Just think of his 3 against the Bulls in '91, and all the big shots and scrappy plays he made against us with the Sonics. He's just too old now.
Not to be argumentative, but I think Horry has It. This is going to sound blasphemous, but, to this day, I still believe that Horry deserved the MVP of the '95 Finals. He set an NBA Finals' steals record, kept them in Game 1 with his OT 3-point shooting and clinched Game 3 with a late 3-point dagger. Hakeem was steady, Horry was brilliant. ------------------
I remember that game where he got the 7 steals -- he made it look like Orlando was running plays for him. But Kim's right about college not being a reliable indicator of "It"-ness. Based on his college career, would you not have to say that Christian Laettner had It? Same with Ed O'Bannon, who displayed plenty of It when UCLA won the college title. Because I had a similar theory to Will's at the time, I was convinced O'Bannon would make it in the pros . . . until I learned the hard way that things like speed, size, and quick release on your jump shot are more important. The other guy I thought had It that year was Randolph Childress, who's mentioned a few times in the bonehead draft predictions thread. Does anyone else remember the 4th-quarter play in the NCAA tourney when two guys ran into each other & fell down racing to cover Childress at the arc . . . and he made a quick "C'mon, get up" gesture before he nailed the 3-pointer? That seemed to have It written all over it (probably because it reminded me of Reggie Miller taunting Spike Lee while killing the Knicks). ------------------
Man, does Austin Croshere really have It. I really want this guy now. He was what, 12 for 12 from the line? I think he swished every single one. Not to mention his Mobley-like first step and his nice rebounding. And he is not afraid to stand up for himself, and get into a brawl or two. This is a quality in a power forward the Rockets could use, but wisely of course.
Alright where the zzz's when u need em. J/K, Only one guy has it this year and has proven it consistently. That is Morris Peterson. There is no other player that hit more clutch THREE shots in the tourney than him. If the game's on line, I want the ball in his hands. Mo Pete bailed out Michigan St. numerous times with his clutch shooting. ------------------ Check out the new and improved Draftsource.net
OK, I'm willing to back off on Horry. He does make some big plays, as he did tonight. I just have trouble forgiving him for the high-pitched voice, the passive demeanor, and the towel-throwing episode in Phoenix. Even when he makes a great play, he ducks away from the basket instead of giving somebody a good chest bump. Mario was the junkyard dog. Horry looks like one of those dogs that only eats treats from a dog bakery.
Great. Now every time I see Horry, I'm going to be thinking, "Fifi?" ------------------ [This message has been edited by Swopa (edited June 10, 2000).]
Actually, I saw Jerome Moiso single handedly carry UCLA in the last 2 minutes against #1 Stanford late in the regular season. He hit a turn around jumper to send it to overtime. Then he played well in OT before he fouled out with a minute to go. UCLA went on to beat #1 Stanford at Stanford and pretty much all because of Jerome Moiso. But he still doesn't have "it". Give me Courtney Alexander anyday. We would have a 5 guard rotation as good as any and with 4 potential all-stars in the future and hell maybe even Mooch is that good. Francis/Mooch at PG, then Mobes/Alexander/Anderson at the 2 and 3 gives you multiple "it" players at the guards and SF positions, but we need a PF more than we need a guard. Fizer, Martin, and Swift are definitely "it" players. ------------------
Sam Perkins most certainly forgot to bring IT with him tonight. That was bone-headed. ------------------
Barkley did not have it. Austin Croshere has it. The way this guy is playing, he will be a desirable target for many teams this summer. I hope the rocks try to sign this guy, he can shoot. ------------------
sam perkins has it? if perkins has it than shaquille o'neal has a hell of alot more! kobe has it but not shaq? hmmm, who was the one carrying the team today and who was the one watching it in the lockeroom? ------------------ johnny "red" kerr:i'm glad the bulls did'nt draft steve francis. dan roan: why!!!!! johnny red kerr:because he would forever be compared to michael jordan. [This message has been edited by brahma rocket (edited June 10, 2000).]
I thought Reggie Miller had It, but so far, it don't look like it. As for college players, I don't think there is an It available. They might develop It, but this years crop might have It in 2-3 years. This draft just doesn't have It. ------------------ Live Rocketball. Breathe Rocketball. Die with Rocketball.
Will, you depress me... Francis and Mobley have it....There, now we agree and I can go to sleep with no worries other than wondering how the hell I'm paying for my renewals tickets by June 20th.
Times the word "it" (oops, there's 1 more) has been mentioned in this thread-109 ------------------ Rockets fans wanted at hoopsboards.com Draft Chat, NBA Chat, Team Chat, and more!
