What is the most important intangible for a player to have and why? Is it heart? leadership? grit? What is the one immeasurable asset a player can have? Which current player best describes your most important intangible?
How are you differentiating between heart, determination, and desire? I thought they were synonymous.
I think it is leadership and heart. Earl Boykins plays with heart and he is a success for his size. MJ had both and he is arguably the best player the game has ever seen. All things are important, but those are what I think are most important.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting ANiMuS:</div><div class="quote_post">How are you differentiating between heart, determination, and desire? I thought they were synonymous.</div> you're right. they are synonymous in my mind as well....I amended the first post.
i'd say work ethic: hitting the weights, practicing hard, improving on your game. i think that seperates the average players from the all-stars, and the all-stars from the elite.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting iamme:</div><div class="quote_post">i'd say work ethic: hitting the weights, practicing hard, improving on your game. i think that seperates the average players from the all-stars, and the all-stars from the elite.</div> I'd say that too.
Competitiveness is what seperates the normal players from the great players. Other intagibles directly related to this are heart, desire and determination. You can be the smartest player, the strongest player, even the most skilled player, but when you think about the one thing that the greatest players brought to the table, you think of how competitive they were/are. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and most of all Michael Jordan (in my generation) were all considered greats because they showed the most ability to win games based on their will alone.
The intangible of choice for me is "Hustle." In boxing it's referred to as beating your opponent to the punch. In basketball, if you can beat your opponent to a loose ball, a spot on the court (drawing a charge), or helping out teammates, your going to give your team a better chance to win. Players who consistently hustle on the court provide their teams with energy and make the plays, that make the difference in a game. One of the All-Time great hustlers in the NBA was Dennis Rodman. He's one of the few players who could win a game for his team without having to score or take a single shot. He hustled for all the loose balls, rebounds, both offensive and defensive, and was always willing to step up and take the charge when a teammate missed a defensive assignment.
I'm goign to have to agree with Work Ethic. If you make the NBA and you ahve to have some skill at least, unless you are just drafted because of height. If you're drafted in the first round your skills got to be somewhat decent, if you have a really really good work ethic, you can become a good player even though you're drafted low. You can also be drafted high and have a horrible work ethic which in turn will make you a bust.
I'm tied between Leadership and Heart. I feel the best "person" can often be the best player. They'd have to be able to work, carry and better their teammates. Meaning sort of like motivators, they'd be willing to do things for the sake of the "team." Those're real leaders and heroes, such a person is DMase. That's a captain for you. Already estabilished his own skill, heart and effort whilst being able to carry and improve his team. David Robinson was like that too.
It's gotta be your leadership. It doesn't matter if you score 30+ or zero points, dish out 15 or 0 assist or grab 10+ or 0 rebounds. But the mere fact that your teammates follow your lead and actually play better just knowing that you're out there with them, that's leadership. You know I'm going to say Jason Kidd. He can have a triple single and still honestly say that he had a great game.
Deliverying in the clutch. It's not really an acquired skill. People handle pressure in different ways, some will fold others will focus and follow through. Either you have it or you don't. You don't necessarily need to be the best player on your team just someone who has enough confidence in themselves to take and make that big shot. Mike Bibby, Sam Cassell and Robert Horry are all clutch players. These guy have proven it time and time again in the regular season and playoffs.
I would have to say leadership. Cause, if you have a good court leader, you are a much better team. Look at the Nets. They acquired Jason Kidd and have been good since. It's because he is a leader on the court. If you have one of those, you're team will be good.
I'd have to say hustle and heart. When I played, I played with heart and I hustled, I wasn't the best player, but once someone shot, I was in there boxing out the biggest guy and knocking them to the floor. I might get a foul or two called, but after awhile they would learn I would not give up. Or stepping up to draw a charge, you might not get it called right everytime, but when you do, man does it feel good. Also, anyone who dives on the floor for a loose ball is a star in my eyes. If I was a GM and seen a player doing all of these, I would sign him to a 10 day contract in a heart beat, because this is what the NBA needs more of. Just some hard nosed guys.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Magic Johnson:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm tied between Leadership and Heart. I feel the best "person" can often be the best player. They'd have to be able to work, carry and better their teammates. Meaning sort of like motivators, they'd be willing to do things for the sake of the "team." Those're real leaders and heroes, such a person is DMase. That's a captain for you. Already estabilished his own skill, heart and effort whilst being able to carry and improve his team. David Robinson was like that too.</div> I'm tied between Leadership and Hea.... Oh wait, you took the words out of my mouth.
Its got to be heart, because thats the root of everything. Without heart youd have no leadership, desire, or will. Hustle plays are the key to winning games, and thats an intangible distributed by heart.
By far, the desire to win. If you want to win, it will encompass the other things posted above, heart, hustle, leadership, work ethic and the likes. If you want to win bad enough, you will work to make yourself better, and your team better, so that you do win. Players like Mark Madsen, Earl Boykins, Ben Wallace, KG, Jason Kidd and them all have the makings of superstars. Madsen, and Boykins never had the body, and Wallace never had the touch. The desire is there, if persued, anything is possible.
