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Nalod
Posts: 71375
Alba Posts: 155
Joined: 12/24/2003
Member: #508
USA
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I thought this article was interesting. Its not an indictment towards any of the knick players.
perhaps they have just a small amount of this in place. But the selfish player, like a Pierce should be avoided. The T-macs, the Jaelans, the Vince (although I think he is changing), are players with enourmous talent, but crack under the pressure of being the man.
Character is very important when drafting, and trading for a player. Fantasy stats don't pick this up.
Its a relevent subject as we sometimes scratch our heads as to what it is about Marbs that holds him back. I don't think he suffers what Skip suffers with, but I wonder what others think:
Raps naive in handling Alston case
Steve Simmons, Special to the Free Press 2005-02-01 02:07:48
The many contradictions of the troubled relationship between Rafer Alston and the Toronto Raptors expose the basketball operation as both illogical and naive. That general manager Rob Babcock admits now that he was aware of Alston's flaws and had done the necessary diligence into the Rafer Madness of the past is reason to wonder why the team chose to make a long-term commitment to the point guard who majors in immaturity.
That Sam Mitchell insists now that Alston had to be suspended for conduct detrimental to the team because it's not about this year, it's about establishing an expectation and building a champion, raises even more questions.
If Alston has had three major meltdowns during his first 2 1/2 months as starting point guard in the NBA -- he is nearing record status in the area -- then what happens when the games really mean something? When the pressure is extreme?
Know this much: Rafer Alston may act like a kid but he's no kid. His birth certificate says he is 28 years old. If he doesn't know better now, when will he know? When you act like a 12-year-old trapped inside an 18-year-old's body, you make the wrong decisions and you make them too often.
Babcock insists this is all in the family. That Alston has taken on the role of troubled kid and management the caring parent. "You don't kick them out of the house, do you?" he asked.
You don't. But you don't give them $29 million US guaranteed either with the keys to your offence when it's your butt on the line in the process.
One Raptors insider made this analogy yesterday when discussing the latest Alston saga. He compared Alston's single-minded, selfish, street-ball attitude as being similar to that of a recovering alcoholic.
The alcoholic says he's clean and you believe him. You give him another chance to succeed. But with one slip, he's back in treatment again.
You're not surprised when it happens because the battle is so difficult.
Only alcoholism is a disease. Not passing the ball and throwing up three-pointers off the dribble is simply a lack of judgment.
And what the Raptors choose to do the next time they collide with Alston's childish, emotional outbursts is anyone's guess.
Sam Mitchell talks about building the kind of team that can be called a contender every year, not just a one-shot deal, a San Antonio kind of team.
But as he speaks of a champion, he speaks of building with Rafer Alston.
That's a basketball oxymoron. There's no evidence at this time to suggest one goes with the other.
After a lifetime of pratfalls -- college troubles, failed NBA stops, all the street-ball talk -- this was the great opportunity for Alston, the chance he never got anywhere else, a chance to bury his past and launch his future.
He never had the big money before or the opportunity to start at point guard and run his own offence.
And he seemed -- at least with what he said -- to relish what was afforded him.
Instead, he has slipped and embarrassed himself, embarrassed his team, embarrassed the very people who made the decision to reform the Raptors around his flawed personality.
The time for Alston to grow up was yesterday. Expecting it to happen now is the Raptors' own version of throwing up a prayer.
Copyright © The London Free Press
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