Three misunderstood words

by cantdunk on Oct 3, 2008 12:20 PM PDT

Leadership

The leader is the coach. Having a natural leader on the team is great, but it's counterproductive when the self-presumptive leader talks about being the leader. Leading by example is priceless. Being a vocal team leader is of dubious worth. Corrections, direction, reprimands or challenges from a presumptive team leader should be extremely sparing. Anyone that has played any organized hoop can tell you how disruptive it is to have a player that acts like the coach. The best player on the team may or may not be a good motivator. I blame recent presidential politics for the inflated status of the word.

Toughness

Toughness as relates to basketball is inseparable from mental toughness. It is manifested physically while the clock is running and within the rules of the game. Getting in someone's face is not a measure of toughness. Getting under someone's skin while remaining cool is. Throwing a half-assed punch at someone's face is not toughness. Cooly draining a three in someone's face is. Either dealing or receiving a hard foul with equanimity is toughness. Giving hard glares and blowing smoke is not. Anyone that has played pickup ball in an area park can tell you that fist-clenching, chest-bumping and hollow threats are cheap and mean nothing. True toughness comes on the following play when a player takes it hard to the rack and scores on his opponent.

Strength

It's great. It's necessary. But lots of muscle mass doesn't protect from injury. Everyone's meniscus and and cartilage is made up of the same stuff. It doesn't get any thicker or more resilient with exercise. The musculature that protects the knee and holds the parts in place are generally the smaller, shorter muscles. A waist-thick thigh doesn't necessarily help and can hurt. 15lbs of beef on the shoulder are definitely not helping the ankles at all and it all adds up. Before the draft there was lots of talk about how Durant was going to get hurt. Who go hurt? Just to clarify, I'm still an Oden man. Long live The Velvet Chinstrap!

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It's good to see people considering the meaning of words again; it's been a while.

Leadership: It’s tough for a coach to get the same type of credibility and to inspire by example. Knowing someone on the court has your back can mean a lot. Of course, if you’re thinking you’re the one that knows best on the court, you’ll get a little mad when someone else acts like the leader. Maybe you’re just super alpha.

Toughness: You’re definition sounds more like discipline and compusure (mental toughness is incidentally covered by the word compusure, who knew we already had a word for it). Tough should be more physical. You’re tough if you’re hard to move, don’t get hurt, able to defend yourself and so on.

Strength: The bigger you are, the harder it is to send you flying into the stands. You’re right that too much mass can certainly harm joints, but there’re things you can do to strengthen knees and joints. That kind of strength is utterly necessary for an NBA player. Strength’s going to play a different role for different positions. Oden needs to be strong for his position. Rudy, not as much. Even if you give Rudy another 6 inches, he’s not a center.

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by hobobob on Oct 3, 2008 2:37 PM PDT reply actions

This is worth a rec

I like it when someone takes on conventional wisdom like this…props to cantdunk.

I think of Nate as a consummate leader/coach. The players all totally respect him and he demands respect not in words but in actions and demeanor. This is one big problem I had with Cheeks.

I think of Ray Allen as tough even though he never gets after people like Garnett does.

I think the Blazer trainers actually do a good job of strengthening the right muscles. But the injuries do seem to be piling up.

by jamon51 on Oct 3, 2008 3:41 PM PDT reply actions

A team is very fortunate

when it’s best player is a natural leader. We have that in Roy ….. didn’t with Drexler.

Totally agree with you strength dissertation cantdunk.

by TwoDeep on Oct 6, 2008 11:01 AM PDT reply actions

I think you're probably right about Roy

At the beginning of last year I remember Brandon being careful with the word “leader” in an interview. If I recall correctly he called himself “one of the young leaders of this team.” I appreciated his discretion. I hope that he can maintain that type of level-headedness in the center of the media storm that has anointed him “The Leader.”

I do think he has set the tone of the organization. He lead the charge to get the team in ahead of pre-season last year. His off-the-court life seems exemplary. All that and much more we owe him. But if you’re constantly being told you are the leader of the team, I think it’s human nature to begin to feel entitled. I hope Brandon can maintain his team-first attitude. I hear he’s being more vocal in practice. Maybe that’s good. Maybe I have nothing to worry about. It’s hard to tell from here. But I don’t like all the emphasis on leadership. I don’t like that mantle heaped on one player. I don’t think all the talk about it is going to help the team.

I’m pretty surprised by your assertion about Drexler.

by cantdunk on Oct 6, 2008 12:18 PM PDT reply actions

I disagree

A leader is a person who has people following him. A person can shout charge, but if no one follows, they’re not hte leader. A group of people talking about charging but not doing has no leader either.

Leaders can also be followers. Good followers also tend to be leaders but they know when to lead and when to follow. Roy is a leader on this team. So is nate. They lead by example. They lead by providing vision. they lead because their team is behind them and goes where they go.

Ford: Bill, you're claiming victory already? Have you had a "Mission Accomplished" banner printed yet?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?page=DraftDebate-080624

by ratbastird on Oct 6, 2008 3:43 PM PDT reply actions

I don't disagree with you

I agree with every word of your reply. As I said at the top, “having a natural leader on the team is great…”

My problem is with putting a lot of emphasis on who is filling that role. I also disagree with what I commonly hear as constituing the role. I stick by my point that a vocal leader is an overvalued commodity.

I like your point about followers. That’s a word nobody is trumpeting these days. Let’s hear it for followers! A coach definitely needs 15 good followers.

by cantdunk on Oct 6, 2008 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions

What about "ironic" and "literally?"

Everyone misunderstands those words. If I had a quarter every time someone misunderstood those words; I’d have enough money for season tickets to the Blazers games including round trip airfare.

Blazers Edge has an alarmist vision

by tominhawaii on Oct 6, 2008 4:28 PM PDT reply actions

regardless and irregardless

the Spanish contributors on this board are hellah cool

by G_dubs on Oct 6, 2008 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Totally agree on one, partly on the other two.

About leadership…..I get what you’re saying, but the one statement “Being a vocal team leader is of dubious worth”…..well, that depends. Michael Jordan was both a leader by example, and a leader vocally. He was never shy about telling his team mates what they needed to do. Same with Brett Favre and Magic Johnson. Sometimes a tean NEEDS vocal leadership. Roy expressed vocal leadership his first season when he (semi) called out Zach, who was obsessing with stats and blaming his team mates. Something needed to be said and Roy said it.

But I agree that you can’t be the vocal leader without also being the leader by example.

The other one I have a minor nit with is strength. You are oh so right about the connective tissues all being the same, and that bulking up can only add to some problems. But adding strength in other areas can truly help….like core body strength.Strengthening the torso (front, back and sides) is key to preventing a whole series of injuries.

There you go…..two minor nits, and one heaping helping of “Good post on what those three words mean”…

by antediluvian on Oct 6, 2008 4:54 PM PDT reply actions

I agree again!

I completely agree with your point about strength. Misunderstood again! I am such a crappy writer. My point was that a lot of beef doesn’t protect against injury. I am not anti-strength. Strength is essential. I am not even anti-beef. It’s a huge help for a post player. Beef is potentially helpful to any player as long it doesn’t slow them down. It particularly helps when absorbing contact and being able to finish. But despite the conventional wisdeom, it doesn’t prevent injury. Hobobob mentioned in a post above that it protects against injury by preventing players from being thrown into the stands. I can’t remember anybody ever being injured by being thrown into the stands! I’d say 85% percent of all injuries happen in weird, tweaky incidents where it doesn’t even look like anything happened. Anyway, I agree with you.

by cantdunk on Oct 6, 2008 10:37 PM PDT up reply actions

interesting tidbit

about Clyde…that he wasn’t a natural leader. I guess really he wasn’t was he? Sure there were a lot of games that he took over and was the go to guy, but he didn’t have that intangible “it” that a leader has, like MJ, Garnett, Favre, and yes, our boy wonder " the natural" Brandon. There is no question to anyone in the arena or watching at home who’s team it is during the 4th quarter.

by oden is GOD OF WAR on Oct 6, 2008 9:46 PM PDT reply actions

I would like to say...

… that if they had one a championship he would undoubtedly be considered the leader—but I can’t say that because I have forbidden myself from talking about leaders.

by cantdunk on Oct 6, 2008 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions