Don't shortchange Battier's ability to score at lower levels - he scored 17.4ppg and 19.9ppg in his 2 final years at Duke.
This is another Battier vs Gay thread in a disguised manner. We have had plenty of them. The only thing I'm concerned about is the Rockets,not the Grizzlies or anyone else.
That doesn't mean he could do it in the pros,otherwise he wouldn't be a great role player,but a star in the NBA. I also want to make it clear that I don't consider guys who can only score as stars.
Shouldn't, for the sake of argument, the "better" team be the one with the "better" players by definition? athleticism = best??
No. Because the impact that an organization has on players through coaching and development, through teaching can make a big difference. Offensive sets, defensive strategies. What a coach demands and enforces. Chemistry and trust between guys. All of this stuff makes a difference. I guarantee you that if Rudy Gay had started off a Rocket he'd be a much different player than he is today. Don't also discount the impact guys like Battier, Yao, and Deke had on their teammates setting a tone for the squad.
Making him a better player. It's cyclical. In your original post you said that the Rockets have a better team, but that Memphis has better players. My point is that the better team DOES have the better players. Because if they didn't they wouldn't be the better team. The only way you can say that Memphis is "better" is if you define "better" as raw talent. But then is raw talent "better" than a team as a whole or not? Maybe I am being too philosophical at 3 am, but I'm just curious about what people think "better" is in the grand scheme of basketball.
Being able to win games. Let me try another way to explain this: Team A: 5 greatest post players to ever play Team B: The 6th best post player, the 20th best good pg, the 10th best wing man, etc... Which has the better players? Team A does. Which is going to win the game? Team B. Team B > Team A
I'm pretty sure we'll win this one. ....but if we don't, we know it is all because durvasa jinxed us with this thread!
