duncan228
12-15-2009, 12:57 PM
Chris Paul's role: Superstar (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11540/chris-pauls-role-superstar)
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/1215/nba_g_paul_576.jpg
If Chris Paul did less, could the Hornets do more?
By Henry Abbott
Role player.
Here's the idea: You have a job to do, you do your job, and you don't worry about anything else.
Imagine you're a salesperson, say. Then you sell. You have ideas about how the product could be better? OK, cool, write it down on a piece of paper and stick it in the comment box in the lobby. Thanks! We'll take it under advisement. But for now ... why don't you hustle out there and sell something!
The NBA equivalents are rebounding, shooting open jumpers, feeding the post, setting screens, playing defense ... that kind of stuff. There are players who earn their money just doing some combination of those things, and not much else.
Then there are superstars. That's like the opposite of somebody who has a role.
But think about that. If you're not a role player, does that mean you have no job description at all? Does that mean you just roam around and do whatever you want?
I'm not one of those people who thinks superstars are terrible and need to be controlled. I recognize that they're often very similar to role players, but work that much harder and smarter, and have earned the responsibility.
But surely we can agree it's very hard for five players to work together at their best when one of them is a full-time free-thinker, right? Part of good teamwork is having your team know your team better than the other team knows your team. You know?
Chris Paul is an MVP candidate and, essentially, a freak. By the time he retires I suspect it'll be clear that he's the best NBA player ever of that size. He's super tough, super fast, and super skilled.
But there's the chance that by working so hard doing what he does he's preventing some nice things from happening with his teammates in New Orleans. The point guard is the player who makes sure everyone gets involved, that the ball is moving and the offensive system is working. Paul has that job, but he has to balance it against duties as his team's first option and someone empowered to use the dribble while searching for scoring opportunities. He has a mismatch every time down the court.
Niall Doherty of Hornets247 has been watching the Hornets (http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2009/12/15/the-mavericks-beat-the-hornets), and Paul, closely:
In five games since returning from injury, he's averaging 15.8 points, 14 assists, 4.8 boards and 3.4 steals.
Having noted all of that, this next sentence might seem a little misplaced: Chris Paul is part of the problem.
I say that because I don't see him buying into what Jeff Bower and Tim Floyd are trying to do with the offense. We saw some nice progress made towards more ball movement and less pounding when Paul was out injured, and I assumed that would continue when CP came back. Unfortunately though, I'm seeing the offense regress into Paul dribbling most of the shot clock away before launching a contested jumper while his teammates stand and watch.
Of course, there's no denying Paul's brilliance, and with the way he's been shooting this season those contested jumpers aren't necessarily bad shots. The problem is that the Hornets can only go so far with Chris Paul dominating the basketball. For the Hornets to be a real threat offensively, they need everybody involved, multiple passes on each trip down the floor, not just one guy prodding the defense for 15-20 seconds. That requires too much of Paul and too little of everyone else, including the guys playing defense.
Chris has been responding to the team's poor performance by playing hard, playing hurt, and getting on his teammates even more so than usual. I'm thinking what would serve him and the team better is to realize that his Herculean efforts aren't adding up to more W's. A smarter approach is needed.
At the same time, we see a Houston team working pretty well together, and seemingly reticent to reintroduce their star in Tracy McGrady. And of course, these kinds of questions (when to be the superhero, when to be the teammate) have always been part of the Kobe Bryant conversation.
When you can do everything, which things should you do? You have to pick something. Because over an 82-game season, plus the playoffs, trust me, you don't want to do everything.
There are no easy answers. And if the problem with your team is Chris Paul, you don't really have problems, you know?
But at the same time, who could argue that ball movement and spacing wouldn't help any team find more easy buckets? That might be precisely what the 10-13 Hornets need.
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/1215/nba_g_paul_576.jpg
If Chris Paul did less, could the Hornets do more?
By Henry Abbott
Role player.
Here's the idea: You have a job to do, you do your job, and you don't worry about anything else.
Imagine you're a salesperson, say. Then you sell. You have ideas about how the product could be better? OK, cool, write it down on a piece of paper and stick it in the comment box in the lobby. Thanks! We'll take it under advisement. But for now ... why don't you hustle out there and sell something!
The NBA equivalents are rebounding, shooting open jumpers, feeding the post, setting screens, playing defense ... that kind of stuff. There are players who earn their money just doing some combination of those things, and not much else.
Then there are superstars. That's like the opposite of somebody who has a role.
But think about that. If you're not a role player, does that mean you have no job description at all? Does that mean you just roam around and do whatever you want?
I'm not one of those people who thinks superstars are terrible and need to be controlled. I recognize that they're often very similar to role players, but work that much harder and smarter, and have earned the responsibility.
But surely we can agree it's very hard for five players to work together at their best when one of them is a full-time free-thinker, right? Part of good teamwork is having your team know your team better than the other team knows your team. You know?
Chris Paul is an MVP candidate and, essentially, a freak. By the time he retires I suspect it'll be clear that he's the best NBA player ever of that size. He's super tough, super fast, and super skilled.
But there's the chance that by working so hard doing what he does he's preventing some nice things from happening with his teammates in New Orleans. The point guard is the player who makes sure everyone gets involved, that the ball is moving and the offensive system is working. Paul has that job, but he has to balance it against duties as his team's first option and someone empowered to use the dribble while searching for scoring opportunities. He has a mismatch every time down the court.
Niall Doherty of Hornets247 has been watching the Hornets (http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2009/12/15/the-mavericks-beat-the-hornets), and Paul, closely:
In five games since returning from injury, he's averaging 15.8 points, 14 assists, 4.8 boards and 3.4 steals.
Having noted all of that, this next sentence might seem a little misplaced: Chris Paul is part of the problem.
I say that because I don't see him buying into what Jeff Bower and Tim Floyd are trying to do with the offense. We saw some nice progress made towards more ball movement and less pounding when Paul was out injured, and I assumed that would continue when CP came back. Unfortunately though, I'm seeing the offense regress into Paul dribbling most of the shot clock away before launching a contested jumper while his teammates stand and watch.
Of course, there's no denying Paul's brilliance, and with the way he's been shooting this season those contested jumpers aren't necessarily bad shots. The problem is that the Hornets can only go so far with Chris Paul dominating the basketball. For the Hornets to be a real threat offensively, they need everybody involved, multiple passes on each trip down the floor, not just one guy prodding the defense for 15-20 seconds. That requires too much of Paul and too little of everyone else, including the guys playing defense.
Chris has been responding to the team's poor performance by playing hard, playing hurt, and getting on his teammates even more so than usual. I'm thinking what would serve him and the team better is to realize that his Herculean efforts aren't adding up to more W's. A smarter approach is needed.
At the same time, we see a Houston team working pretty well together, and seemingly reticent to reintroduce their star in Tracy McGrady. And of course, these kinds of questions (when to be the superhero, when to be the teammate) have always been part of the Kobe Bryant conversation.
When you can do everything, which things should you do? You have to pick something. Because over an 82-game season, plus the playoffs, trust me, you don't want to do everything.
There are no easy answers. And if the problem with your team is Chris Paul, you don't really have problems, you know?
But at the same time, who could argue that ball movement and spacing wouldn't help any team find more easy buckets? That might be precisely what the 10-13 Hornets need.