A thought occured to me this morning. I was wondering what everyone's opinion is on the subject of a player becoming great due to tons of practice versus becoming great due to plain God given talent. Do you think that it is possible for a young athelete to practice very hard and accomplish what some of the past and present rookies now turned all stars have accomplished in the NBA that are labled as having God given talent? Or do you believe that no matter how hard one practices, they will never be as good as those who are deemed "gifted". Can being gifted can result from tons of practice, or is this just unheard of. What are your views on the subject?
A great example would be The Worm. He started late playing basketball. Yet he practiced and succeeded. He may not have the God-given talent before and he doesn't even have that much of a height but studying all those tapes made him a much better player.
That's a pretty good example. I believe that if people try hard enough at something (and this applies to pretty much anything in life) they will achieve it.
Practice won't outweigh God-given talent when it comes to pure ability, but to me practice does outweigh it when it comes to winning ball games. I'll take someone who trains 7 days a week over someone more talented who doesn't put in as much effort.
I think of Larry Bird. Everyone talks about the can't run, can't jump mantra that followed him. And some would argue that he had the ability and thus became one of the best shooters ever. But other great shooters haven't become as great, and I think the practice was a big reason.
i remember reading a story about steve nash in ESPN The Mag. he had to send tapes to hella schools before Santa Clara finally gave him the light of day. otherwise he would have never been recruited for even the college level if it wasn't for his own dedication.
You truely need God given abilities. I know guys that are great because they practice and play all day, but they will never play at the higher levels because of what they lack in the things they can't improve. You definitely need both dedication and ability in order to be considered one of the best, because practice alone won't take you that far. Ability alone will take you a bit further, but not all the way to the top. btw, You guys are naming guys like Rodman and Bird, but they have God given abilities too. Being 6'9'' is pretty good in itself.
I believe it's practice for even those with talent can be improved. No such thing as being made perfect, even with a combination of both.
you definitely have to have a good mix of practice and talent...but what stars have u seen that dont practice hard??
talent=practice = This guy had all the talent in the world and practiced his butt off and that is why he is the best player ever. And trust me God given talent has alot to do with it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting P_Stojakovic16:</div><div class="quote_post">you definitely have to have a good mix of practice and talent...but what stars have u seen that dont practice hard??</div> "practice man... we talkin' bout practice, man. practice?" jk, much respect for AI.
I am going to have to disagree with the majority here and say that it is 90% god given talent and 10% practice just to fine tune your skills. Just take a look at Hakeem The Dream, he did not even know the sport of basketball existed until he was 17 years old and became one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Pretty much every great NBA superstar is there solely due to god given talent. Of course they practice to improve their dribbling, shooting, etc. but all of that comes second to an incredible god given jumping ability or height. LBJ is a perfect example of this. If it was not for god given talent, he would not be in the NBA, his amazing skills are something that cannot be achieved through any amount of practice. He's just got 'it' and others don't.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting notMuchgame:</div><div class="quote_post">btw, You guys are naming guys like Rodman and Bird, but they have God given abilities too. Being 6'9'' is pretty good in itself.</div> 6'9 is a good height to be a small forward...a shooting and slashing SF...or even an SG...but a rebounding and defending PF demon? it will take a lot of practice...
Just practice outweighs just talent, I think. Of course, as Magic said, a combination of both is best. If this is just one versus the other, then practice is more important. In order to succeed players have got to be in shape, and be willing to work on their weaknesses. Talent is worth jack without practice. Practice without a great deal of talent can take someone very far.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting BigMemo:</div><div class="quote_post">Just practice outweighs just talent, I think. Of course, as Magic said, a combination of both is best. If this is just one versus the other, then practice is more important. In order to succeed players have got to be in shape, and be willing to work on their weaknesses. Talent is worth jack without practice. Practice without a great deal of talent can take someone very far.</div> I agree BigMemo. Take a look at Mark Price. That guy practiced his ass off and it paid off big time. Heres a thought: They should come up with a 4 year school for basketball. You start when you are 16 and play basketball for 5 hours a day. And go to shcool for 8 hours a day. You use remaining time to study and work out, and play more basketball. You eat, drink, and sleep basketball. You are taught by the best and you practice hard. When you are 20, you exit the school and are eligable for 1 year of college but you don't have to take any college courses. All you do is basketball. If you prove yourself worthy during this 1 year, you are automatically placed in the NBA draft. If you don't make it, then the only drawback is a late start in life and 4 years of college infront of you. You graduate college when your 24, but at least you gave it your best shot to get in the NBA.
being diligent and working hard, one can become great. for example, calvin murphy. height? about 5'8". athleticism? right.... he did not have god given talents. but, he was smart. he willed himself into making into the league early on. in highschool, he wasnt worried about flash. he trained himself in the fundamentals. shooting technique. he learned when to shoot, how to shake his man using his shooting prowess as a decoy, and went to the bucket, double clutch circus shot? no. pump fake and shooting if off the glass? yep. did this throughout his career, went from a good free throw shooter, to the best ever. if calvin had been as athletic and quick as TJ Ford, or damon....whoa....that wouldve been scary.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting lost_elephant:</div><div class="quote_post">being diligent and working hard, one can become great. for example, calvin murphy. height? about 5'8". athleticism? right.... he did not have god given talents. but, he was smart. he willed himself into making into the league early on. in highschool, he wasnt worried about flash. he trained himself in the fundamentals. shooting technique. he learned when to shoot, how to shake his man using his shooting prowess as a decoy, and went to the bucket, double clutch circus shot? no. pump fake and shooting if off the glass? yep. did this throughout his career, went from a good free throw shooter, to the best ever. if calvin had been as athletic and quick as TJ Ford, or damon....whoa....that wouldve been scary.</div> Well I wouldn't go as far as to say the best ever FT shooter. Let's not forget about my boy Rick Barry!
