Re: musings

[Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Kestutis Kveraga wrote:

> If someone (foolishly) entrusted me with that responsibility, I would look for
> two things - physical potential and character. A strong desire to be the best
> you can be (like Jordan's or even Pierce's) is essential, and the physical
> talent allows the fulfillment of that desire. One without the other is not much
> good, as we might be finding out in the case of Moiso, and see in the case of
> Potapenko. (It makes me wish for the possibility of some "Young
> Frankenstein"-like exchange of drive for physical talent between Pot and Moiso,
> with both sides benefitting :> ).

Interesting Kestas! Personally I would factor in productivity as a third and equal
criterion, since (as hard as it may be to believe) I think a person can have both
the physical tools of a Moiso AND the desire/hunger of a Potapenko and still not
"get it".

There seems to be something innate about court sense at every level people play the
game. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, but I see it from the
point-of-view of those who view basketball as the hardest, freaking sport in the
world to play, even if you know you have tremendous desire and are playing against
physically weaker opponents as I sometimes have occasion to do out here.

What did Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker have that Moiso and Potapenko didn't? Well
don't overlook all-around statistical productivity at every level of organized
basketball that they've ever played.

Moiso was not quite a 10 points, 6 boards guy when he got rave reviews in the Shaw
rookie league; barely a 10 points, 6 boards guy in the NCAA, and probably the same
thing before that when he wowed Leo Papile as a Bill Russell level athlete.

Gimmeabuh-rake, I don't want to here about how some guy "has the raw tools to
project as a scorer/shotblocker at the next level", I want to see a statistical
pattern of production backing this up. I doubt Larry Bird ever once was guarded by
an NBA player who was truly slower and had less hops than him, but he sure as heck
did go up against any number of dingbat, headless-chicken Moiso types.

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