For all the bitchin about Travis Outlaw makin mistakes on the floor...

[hasoos]

I really don't know what that means, to be honest. Players don't magically become better when injuries force them to play bigger roles. Saying "step up" may sound good (good, tough rhetoric...no excuses, not even lack of talent!) but if they could have "stepped up" and become better players, they already would have since it means more fame and money. Outlaw is what he is...an athletic player who can be really good or make mistakes. If he weren't mistake-prone, he'd be a much better player. But he is mistake-prone. I doubt he wants to be...if he knew how to eliminate them, I'm sure he would have by now.

Outlaw is productive. He's just not extremely productive. That's why he's a reserve and paid like one. Him playing starter minutes isn't ideal but happens because the team has a weakness at small forward.

I don't believe that for a second. You have watched enough basketball to watch players step up and elevate their play when a star goes down. There is nothing magical about it. It is all about a player recognizing they aren't a role player when a major player goes down, and taking a heavier load on for the team. An example is last year when we faced Denver and Roy was out. Martell and Outlaw both stepped up and scored in the 20s. That is stepping up. Getting 2 fouls in your first 2.5 minutes and ending up with 4 points for the game (which is worse than a normal bench outing) is laying your team out to dry.

 

[Minstrel]

I don't believe that for a second. You have watched enough basketball to watch players step up and elevate their play when a star goes down.

No. I've seen players randomly have career games. I've seen the vast majority of players who replace stars be far, far worse than the players they replace and no better than they ever were. Picking out the random exceptions as the norm is silly.

There is nothing magical about it. It is all about a player recognizing they aren't a role player when a major player goes down, and taking a heavier load on for the team.

That's quite magical, suddenly transforming into a better player because their label changes. Let's call Shavlik Randolph a "superstar" and play him 45 minutes a game. Hopefully, he'll "recognize that he's not a role player" and perform much better.

Changing a player's role doesn't change their ability. Outlaw is still the same talent he always was.

 

[Ed O]

Changing a player's role doesn't change their ability. Outlaw is still the same talent he always was.

Agreed. Many confuse productivity with ability. "Stepping up" occurs either as a result of random occurrence or because a good player gets an opportunity he usually would not. I don't think that many players can simply try harder or change their mindset as a result of a star being out and suddenly be a better player in terms of ability or efficiency.

Ed O.