Grading on a curve

[Kim Malo]

At 02:10 PM 9/13/2006, Ryan, Patrick S Maj RES USAFR 439 MSG wrote:
>I used to think so, but with so many high school/one year in college kids in
>the NBA right now the talent level of draftees is pretty darn close.

I don't believe talent is the difference he's referring to, though. 
The learning curve is about development/maturation of your talent, 
not how much of it you have. And even some college provides a higher 
base level of development based in experience, maturity and 
competition you've been playing against. Part of Jefferson's problem 
- and don't get me wrong, I agree that he has to show more work ethic 
than we've seen in past years, I was criticizing him for that before 
most - is that he never had to work to beat the competition in high 
school and is still learning how. I grew up in a small town too and I 
used to play with guys like many of those he was playing with and 
against. Don't forget that this isn't even the sort of high school 
kid whose skills were honed on the competition of urban courts or the 
competition and coaching at a basketball feeder prep school. You can 
see that he's used to getting by very nicely on just skill and 
physical presence even in the little things like that annoying habit 
of batting rebounds vs grabbing them -because with the competition he 
used to play against, that was enough. And I have very limited warm 
fuzzies about how helpful our coaching staff may have been about 
developing him in the fundamentals. No one questions Perk's work 
ethic but I've seen no sign of the coaches identifying and working 
with him on the problem of his putting the ball to the floor to 
collect himself every time after getting a pass or rebound, making 
him an easy turnover.

BTW on one of your things he has to improve on - the points. Part of 
that is that his teammates have to get him the ball when he's on the 
court. As I've said before, he's not out there for his sterling 
defense so when he's out there, FEED HIM. I know his FG % went down 
last year but I'm willing to give him a partial pass that part of 
that was injury because you could see it when he shot, in things like 
his releasing the same on less lift. And handling playing with pain 
is likely another area where lack of experience & maturity factored in.

>Although the curve, I think, will really prove my point with the new ruling
>regarding no 18 year old draftees unless it's challenged in court.  The only
>guys staying four years these days are the role players especially - there
>are exceptions to every rule of course, but overall the "potential" (there's
>that word again) impact players rarely if ever wait more then a year or so
>to come out.

Which hasn't exactly improved their game or The Game.

>Steve had said:
>
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>But in the grand three-year plan don't you have to differentiate between
>kids straight out of high school and guys who have had three or four years
>of major college experience? Doesn't the learning curve have to be
>different?