Walker Loves to Play ( a bit too much)

[daniel.pelletier@philips.com]

I was having a conversation with my brother about Antoine the other day 
and he made an interesting observation.  He said that it seems like 
Antoine loves to play the game, but perhaps he likes to play more than he 
likes to win. 

We talked about that for a while and agreed that almost all of Antoine's 
"bad behavior" and poor decision making can be tied to the idea that he 
loves all the little contests and challenges that happen during the game 
to the point that he sometimes misses the big picture of who wins.   In a 
way it makes him a very likeable guy, he loves sport for its own sake, 
rather than for the final result.   He revels in the joy of the well-made 
play, likes creating challenges for himself and his team that are 
insurmountable, likes surmounting those challenges and remains positive in 
the face of defeat because he has enjoyed the thrill of the smaller 
victories that come with sinking the big three, the impossible drive 
through the lane, the amazing pass to the open teammate. 

Fundamentals bore him, they are not for an artist like Antoine.   He gets 
up for play against the best in the league and sometimes plays his best 
basketball.  But he will let down against a lesser opponent, seeking to do 
the spectacular rather than the efficient and effective. 

It also explains some of the dichotomy of feeling about Antoine.  At times 
he looks so brilliant, making many of us believe that he is skilled as few 
others in the league, which is true.  At times he takes the most 
ridiculous low-percentage shots, making many of us think that he doesn't 
care much about winning the game, which is true.

The situation is not hopeless.  Has has a talent that is comparable to the 
greats, he needs to learn to harness it.   He has a strong competitive 
streak, but he is focused on the short view. 

Instead of calling for his head and saying that he's a bad player, which 
he clearly is not, someone with his ear has got to convince him of the 
greater glory of the big competition, rather than all the little ones. 
Then, when he's focused on the big picture, his ability to pull of the 
spectacular will come in handy when that is what's needed to win the big 
moment (see Michael Jordan).

Dan