Re: You know what's amazing?

[Kestutis.Kveraga@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Kestutis Kveraga)]

--- You wrote:
Shammond: This player reportedly hit 27 straight 3-
pointers in a workout this summer. There's no other word 
for that but "wow". Its not at all a simple matter of 
being a gym rat. An NBA 3-pointer isn't just a flick of 
the wrist like a FT, particularly for a 6-1 guy. I think 
it requires an innate marksmans talent (stress on the 
word "talent") to adjust your range as your wrists and 
triceps slightly fatigue etc. 
--- end of quote ---

I haven't had the time to respond to Josh's post about skill vs. talent, but
Joe now brought the topic up again, so here's my quick take on it:

I think people tend to assume talent a lot when it's just a (highly developed)
skill. It might be talent when we're talking about purely physical
characteristics (height, musculoskeletal structure),  raw abilities (running,
jumping), or something exceptional that a person can do without any training.
Three-point shooting, IMO, is way too specific to be an 'innate talent'. You
need sound technique, adequate strength, and LOTS of practice. Most people
never get beyond the first stage, yet there must be lots of people who can
shoot  NBA threes really well. Most of them just happen to be too short and
unathletic to make it in the NBA, even as Steve Kerr clones. Didn't they say
that the best 3-point shooter in the Celtics organization is the equipment
manager (John Connor?)? 
Kestas