To illustrate how much of a joke the NBA is when it comes to talent evaluation, consider the case of Chris Douglas-Roberts.
He was an All-American at Memphis, and he is a tremendous transition and mid-range player. His ability to score on fast breaks is dynamic and his skill for it is very polished. He also has an "old school" mid-range game with floaters and pull-up shots in the 12-15 foot range (of course no one bothers to care much about this because he has a couple tattoos and is from the hood). In both college and the NBA, he has demonstrated impeccable skill at this. In fact, LeBron and Durant could take some notes from CDR on how to execute these particular shots. He is also a great passer and team player. He integrates the highest level of basketball IQ and basketball skill with elite athleticism. His basketball intelligence is far greater than, for example, that of pretty much all of the San Antonio Spurs players (I am excluding Ginobili from the rest of that group).
When CDR faced UCLA in the Final Four in 2008, he was far and away the best player on the court. He was better than his teammate Derrick Rose, as well as his UCLA opponents Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love. He scored 28 points, making him the game's high scorer.
Douglas-Roberts also has many games in the 20s and 30s under his belt as an NBA player. He had 30 on the Heat, and many huge games while playing for the Nets and Bucks.
Yet, the NBA consensus on him keeps him on the bench or in the D-League. He is a repressed talent. For someone like Brook Lopez to be making $18 million per year while CDR struggles for a roster spot shows that stupidity reigns supreme as part of the human condition. It also shows that playing at a face pace is unacceptable to the NBA management. The slower and more "under control", the more money you make and the more stability you have in their eyes.
CDR against UCLA (28 points):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX4rgFnuM5w
CDR against the Lebron-Wade Heat (30 points):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQHlJAayi4U
CDR against the Bulls (30 points):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jex5bEQCSi0
CDR combines the highest IQ with the highest skill level and the highest athleticism. The fact that the NBA holds him down while elevating comparatively slow and dull players to star and superstar status shows how clueless the NBA power structure is. He is superior to just about everyone in the NBA but doesn't get to show it because of the slow and structured pace of the games and the "who fits what role" philosophy.
He was an All-American at Memphis, and he is a tremendous transition and mid-range player. His ability to score on fast breaks is dynamic and his skill for it is very polished. He also has an "old school" mid-range game with floaters and pull-up shots in the 12-15 foot range (of course no one bothers to care much about this because he has a couple tattoos and is from the hood). In both college and the NBA, he has demonstrated impeccable skill at this. In fact, LeBron and Durant could take some notes from CDR on how to execute these particular shots. He is also a great passer and team player. He integrates the highest level of basketball IQ and basketball skill with elite athleticism. His basketball intelligence is far greater than, for example, that of pretty much all of the San Antonio Spurs players (I am excluding Ginobili from the rest of that group).
When CDR faced UCLA in the Final Four in 2008, he was far and away the best player on the court. He was better than his teammate Derrick Rose, as well as his UCLA opponents Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love. He scored 28 points, making him the game's high scorer.
Douglas-Roberts also has many games in the 20s and 30s under his belt as an NBA player. He had 30 on the Heat, and many huge games while playing for the Nets and Bucks.
Yet, the NBA consensus on him keeps him on the bench or in the D-League. He is a repressed talent. For someone like Brook Lopez to be making $18 million per year while CDR struggles for a roster spot shows that stupidity reigns supreme as part of the human condition. It also shows that playing at a face pace is unacceptable to the NBA management. The slower and more "under control", the more money you make and the more stability you have in their eyes.
CDR against UCLA (28 points):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX4rgFnuM5w
CDR against the Lebron-Wade Heat (30 points):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQHlJAayi4U
CDR against the Bulls (30 points):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jex5bEQCSi0
CDR combines the highest IQ with the highest skill level and the highest athleticism. The fact that the NBA holds him down while elevating comparatively slow and dull players to star and superstar status shows how clueless the NBA power structure is. He is superior to just about everyone in the NBA but doesn't get to show it because of the slow and structured pace of the games and the "who fits what role" philosophy.
