CrushAlot wrote:Veteran guard Dwight Buycks broke off negotiations on a two-year contract with Olympiacos in order to pursue NBA opportunites, tweets David Pick. Buycks, who last played a regular season NBA game in 2015 with the Lakers, was said to be drawing interest from the Knicks earlier this month.
Base problem is he has too much actual NBA service time ( even as a journeyman) to qualify for a two way contract. Which is where he'd have the most value to the Knicks.
He forms a "Steve Blake Question" that happens to a lot of fringe guys. Blake was not as talented as TONS of guys on the fringe who can't make an NBA roster. But beyond talent, Blake understood how to play within his skill set and limitations. Courtney Lee is of the same vein. Rick Brunson. Brian Scalabrine. Lots of guys carve out careers by accepting a "role" even though they might have some talent to try to push through to be a rotation guy instead of a back of the roster guy.
Buycks has the talent to be in the NBA right now. He's had that talent for years. He's more talented than lots of guys edging on the back of rosters. He's just sort of an idiot.
He's undisciplined. The plays out of control and doesn't read the floor well. He has poor shot selection, takes way too many shots and refuses to accept he's not talented enough to take on a 6th man role. He draws attention because he's older, has experience against better talent, and is playing against a lot of fringe guys in Summer League.
People remember Mario Elie. He was a CBA success story ( before Zeke crushed and burned the Continental Basketball Association) Who people don't remember is Vincent Askew. Who came up the same year from the CBA as Elie. Don Nelson mined this guy and he carved out a nice little career, even earning the respect of Pat Riley along the way. Askew doesn't/did not have 1/100th the talent of Buycks. But he knew what his role would be, played within his limitations and had the humility to accept he was going to be a back of the rotation guy.
Buycks could have had Tom Tolbert's career. But it's likely too late now. Sometimes the talent you need most is humility and understanding how expendable you are in this type of cutthroat environment.
