GustavBahler wrote:BigRedDog wrote:GustavBahler wrote:Knox- because he was our first round pick.Mitchell- It will be fun to see if he will turn out to be the steal of the draft.
Frank- because I want to see what he's been doing in the lab since SL. If he can use his added height, and bulk, to his advantage.
Burke- showed the ability to run an offense, and played respectable D. Trey is hungry, looking forward to seeing if he makes a case for a longer deal. Might make more sense than Irving or another high priced PG.
Lance- was getting rave reviews from coaches around the league a few years back, after his game took a big jump. Then he got hurt.
Longest tenured Knick, the kind of player you want mentoring a young team. Hope he can get his health and game back.
Most excited to see Lance??? Really ? I think he is last on the list. Excited??? Really? Wow!
Get bent you little red bitch.
Lance Thomas presents an interesting discussion on "fringe" type players in the NBA and how the NBA differs from the other pro sports in America.
Most players are always on the fringe. There are a handful of elite players or future HOF players. Guys who are considered "blues" (You are designed with a blue marker piece on the big roster board for most teams if you are an elite player/playmaker) But most guys are looking over their shoulders all the time. Your success and failures are PUBLIC. Think about that for a second. When the average guy ****s up at work or in his personal life, well that sucks, but he can even hide it from his close family many times. When you are so public, everything you do is for public consumption.
Fringe guys have to work every angle. Many fringe guys are told to talk to everyone then later write down notes on everyone. This guy's brother played at Clemson. This guy's dad work in investment banking. This guys sister just got married and moved to Oregon. This guy on the roster just had a kid.
Part of the "game" inside the game is getting your name and goodwill associated with your face and number. During Linsanity, Jeremy Lin said something quiet but stark. He said Pringles always had his number, but now was texting him to check on him and how he was doing. Never happened before that.
Eric Musselman was a former Warriors coach who work with Lin very hard and extensively in the D League. Word got out. Since Lin was on a pro contract, he'd give his first class tickets in trade with fringe guys. He'd treat out other fringe guys out to eat with his per diem money. He'd work extra with guys who had no chance to ever make a roster. People just plain liked Lin. Humble, hardworking, good teammate. Musselman doesn't have to put in extra time with anyone. It's good for his job, but he doesn't have to do more than he's prescribed. But when you LIKE someone and you can RELATE to them, you want to help them. This is a human thing, not just a pro sports thing. Many of you are still in the workforce, some of you got chances because someone up the chain simply liked you or could relate to you. Maybe some of you in management and you have pushed some kid ahead because you like his moxy and he reminds you of a young you.
Coach's daughter has a baby, you ask how she's doing. You wait, you listen. Other players have someone going on, you wait, you give out a timed but appropriate little gift. You do some charity stuff where you know the refs have some involvement. You get good with the families of players and coaches. Coach might love or hate you, but when his brother or mother visit, it doesn't hurt if you are that "nice young man" who lifted a heavy box for her. You get in good with the admins and secretaries. You bring them in snacks or doughnuts or something. Be generous, talk to everyone, come off as genuine.
Hard Knocks offers the average sports fan a small but controlled insight to this process. The coaches meet. The head guys don't know the 3rd string guys. Whether a lower level coach likes you or not might mean that coach speaks up for you in a meeting. "I like this kid, he can help us, if we cut him, someone else will take him and we won't get him back" That might be enough to keep your roster spot for a little while, and with injuries, maybe it might be a longer while.
Lance Thomas is/was an energy guy/glue guy. The coaches rave about him is because he does the stuff I listed above. Coach K loved this kid. Coach K has massive influence in the NBA and with all the Olympians. No one ****s with Coach K. Even Kobe Bryant, the king of all NBA *******s, will shut up when Coach K talks. Thomas got his contract in part because he's a deep contrast to the entitled Me First typical chucking NBA douchebag looking to beat up some hos at the club and drop a rap track and get a shoe deal. A lot of NBA coaches, scouts and owners and even agents HATE a lot of NBA players. We are talking despise some of these dip****s. It's called "herding cats" Trying to regulate a ****head like Marquise Chriss is like trying to herd some cats.
Here's a life lesson, true everywhere, including pro sports - You don't ****ing matter. What matters is how what you say and do makes the person in front of you feel about themselves. Pro athletes have a mix of ego and deep insecurity, if you understand how to push and pull this ( like Parcells did) then you can trigger people, manipulate them and get them on your side.
Coaches rave about Lance Thomas because he's likeable. If you read the spread he took out in a paper to thank Melo and really look deep, you can see he's just good at being manipulative. Being manipulative is not always a horrible thing. People do it all the time to survive. But Lance Thomas is not a high IQ player, he has extreme athletic limitations, he does nothing very well and his situational awareness and shot selection are pretty ****ty for a Duke guy.
You stick a mic in a coaches face, what is he gonna say?
If you think your sister married a douchebag but he's the father of your nephews and nieces, you gonna roll this guy every single time? He's the father of kids you love, so there's some diplomacy here.
I love Lance Thomas! ( Transation - Thank God he's not another ****ing typical NBA piece of ****)
Dudes will do anything to stay on a roster or get that one decent contract. Plenty of guys will strategize how to date and marry the coaches daughter. Tom Coughlins daughter married one of his offensive linemen. You think that didn't make a difference?
Lance Thomas is NOT a good NBA player. He's not even a mediocre one. People in the NBA laugh behind his back because they don't understand how he got paid. But deep down, they do understand. He plays the "game within the game" better than other guys. Lots of fringe guys get **** and can't handle people.
Someone raving about Lance Thomas, as it pertains to actual basketball, literally means nothing against the Knicks bottom line to winning.
As a fan of the game, and as a retired pro, I'm happy for the dude. Go get yours, homie. As a Knicks fan, he's a ****ty contract but a smart as **** person in the social arena. He won't get you a triple double, but he might buy some nice children's toys and books for your sister's baby shower.
