I Have A New-Found Respect For NBA Players. God Damn!

[Spectrum]

I remember when I was playing at bball city bout 12 or so years ago and Derrick Coleman was playing pickup ball with us... Niggas had no chance against him... especially the doofy tall nigga on my team... Coleman sitting there crossin ninjas over pulling jump shots and passing like him Nash

yo... D.C. was an underachiever...that muthafucka should have been an all-time great...

 

[Spectrum]

Like I said... i used to even watch CHUCK NEVITT rain threes in pre-game warmups like it was nothing..I mean straight butter...one after another...and he was a BUM.... but take him to a local court with your city stars and he would probably have dropped 50...

 

[Maxxam]

Like I said... i used to even watch CHUCK NEVITT rain threes in pre-game warmups like it was nothing..I mean straight butter...one after another...and he was a BUM.... but take him to a local court with your city stars and he would probably have dropped 50...

Not Nevitt



You're about to really get Bynum going

 

[SmoothD]

Surprised this guy has not been mentioned yet.
Always thought this Chris Jackson had the most natural talent I had ever seen.

 

[Maxxam]

Surprised this guy has not been mentioned yet.
Always thought this Chris Jackson had the most natural talent I had ever seen.

One of my favorite players...that jumper was quick as shit, too

Too political for Stern... Craig Hodges, too

 

[marcvoi]

I'm sure you cats know Kenny 'The Jet' Smith from TNT, and formerly of the Houston Rockets.

Kenny was never a super-star, but he played in the NBA. As of today, that shit says a lot to me. It's not that I thought guys could actually make it and be straight garbage, but...

Well, a friend of mine gave me a video he recorded back in 1998 of Kenny Smith, God Shamgod(Cat from NY, that played for Providence, with the slick handles), and Joe Wolf, formerly of the Orlando Magic. These dudes were working out, right? Now, peep ... Shamgod was always known for having a broke jumper, and Joe Wolf's GAME was broke(At least on the pro-level) and Kenny Smith could always dial it in from long distance, but...

On this video, I see God Shammgod knocking down jumpers like they were lay-ups. Sure, it was a work-out, but this dude would knock down 15, miss on or two, hit another 15, miss one or two, knock own another 15. I'm like, what in the fuck am I seeing? I've never seen that kind of shooting in my life.

Joe Wolf? This big gawky White boy was firing away from deep like it was breathing. I mean jumper after jumper after motherfucking jumper. I'm wondering how did that dude suck in the NBA, at all.

If you think this is nothing because it's not in a game, then get a ball, go outside, and try to knock down fifteen 15-foot jumpers in a row.

But, that's not even the best of it...

Kenny Smith. Kenny Fucking Smith...

This is my fucking word...

...The Jet knocked down 20 three's. Missed one. Knocked down TWENTY-FIVE!! Missed two. Knocked down like 11. Missed one. Knocked down 24....

You get my point.

They played this game where you started at the top of the key, and you could only use two dribbles. All three of those guys were draining jumpers like it was nothing...

I thought to myself, 'None of these guys were superstars, and they're hitting shots like it's throwing a rock into a ocean. The NBA must be a motherfucker. GOD-DAMN! HOW GOOD WAS JORDAN, REALLY ... IF THESE DUDES LOOK LIKE JORDAN RIGHT NOW?!?!"

To any of you cats that tried to make it pro, and never made it, I understand completely now. These dudes are FAR better than people give them credit for.

good read

 

[BDR]

Surprised this guy has not been mentioned yet.
Always thought this Chris Jackson had the most natural talent I had ever seen.

man listen and when he got that twitch it was a wrap.... nobody was guarding him

 

[Nu_lojik]

Couldn't the same be said for a guy like... remember rodney monroe that played for NC State? That sweet J that started in the damn locker room and made him damn near unguardable? Got drafted by the Hawks and had run the point...then had to take his game to Italy and everywhere else, lol

 

[King Natty]

c/s, that's why I was always mystified by cats like Spud Webb and Mugsy Bogues

 

[tryme2k]

Chris Whitney from the Wizards used to routinely go to Barry Farms and drop 50 in the Goodman League! People have no idea how good NBA players are!

 

[cbeezy]

Van Gundy: Kentucky can't top Wiz
Updated: March 28, 2012, 7:59 PM ET
Associated Press
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NEW YORK -- Stan Van Gundy said Wednesday the notion that Kentucky could beat an NBA team is "absurd."

The Orlando Magic coach was asked about comments by former Maryland coach Gary Williams, who told a Washington radio station he thought the Wildcats could beat the NBA's Washington Wizards in one game at Rupp Arena.

The Wildcats, the favorites to win the NCAA championship, have multiple players who are expected to be NBA lottery picks. Forward Anthony Davis could be the No. 1 overall pick if he enters the draft.

That's not enough for Van Gundy.

"Look, it's absurd," he said before the Magic faced the New York Knicks. "I mean, people will say, 'Oh, Kentucky, you know's, got four NBA players.' Yeah, well the other team's got 13."

Van Gundy said the talent level, experience and age of the players would favor the NBA team, even one as bad as the Wizards (11-38).

"Could anything happen on a one-night thing? I mean, I suppose, you have major upsets all the time. So, maybe, but it'd be rare and in a series it'd be a joke," Van Gundy said. "It wouldn't be close. That's just the way it is. John Calipari's got a lot of talent; he does not have 13 NBA players. He just doesn't. And even if those guys all are, they're all NBA rookies. I mean, when has that ever been a success in the NBA? So, no, they're not going to win."


Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

 

[SmoothD]

Van Gundy: Kentucky can't top Wiz
Updated: March 28, 2012, 7:59 PM ET
Associated Press
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NEW YORK -- Stan Van Gundy said Wednesday the notion that Kentucky could beat an NBA team is "absurd."

The Orlando Magic coach was asked about comments by former Maryland coach Gary Williams, who told a Washington radio station he thought the Wildcats could beat the NBA's Washington Wizards in one game at Rupp Arena.

The Wildcats, the favorites to win the NCAA championship, have multiple players who are expected to be NBA lottery picks. Forward Anthony Davis could be the No. 1 overall pick if he enters the draft.

That's not enough for Van Gundy.

"Look, it's absurd," he said before the Magic faced the New York Knicks. "I mean, people will say, 'Oh, Kentucky, you know's, got four NBA players.' Yeah, well the other team's got 13."

Van Gundy said the talent level, experience and age of the players would favor the NBA team, even one as bad as the Wizards (11-38).

"Could anything happen on a one-night thing? I mean, I suppose, you have major upsets all the time. So, maybe, but it'd be rare and in a series it'd be a joke," Van Gundy said. "It wouldn't be close. That's just the way it is. John Calipari's got a lot of talent; he does not have 13 NBA players. He just doesn't. And even if those guys all are, they're all NBA rookies. I mean, when has that ever been a success in the NBA? So, no, they're not going to win."


Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

The only college team that could possibly win against an NBA team
would be the UNLV Running Rebels from 1989-1991.

 

[Llano]

Surprised this guy has not been mentioned yet.
Always thought this Chris Jackson had the most natural talent I had ever seen.

One of my all time favorite NBA players. I used to try to emulate my game like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Dude's jump shot was lethal.

 

[dtownsfinest]

I been peeped this shit. My reality check was when Rondo was going up against Kevin Durant in Horse at All Star Weekend and dude was knocking' down 3's like they were nothing. What separates a guy with a J from a broke jumper in the NBA is their ability to hit shots under duress and with consistency. Every cat in the league got a jumper.

 

[Better]

I been peeped this shit. My reality check was when Rondo was going up against Kevin Durant in Horse at All Star Weekend and dude was knocking' down 3's like they were nothing. What separates a guy with a J from a broke jumper in the NBA is their ability to hit shots under duress and with consistency. Every cat in the league got a jumper.

Dude, I've seen no named college players play pick up ball and not miss a shot.

Somewhere between the practice court and the court where games are played, players lose a lot of focus and/or confidence.

 

[ChrisR]

Played against Joe Forte in a Tournament in MD and that dude was a beast, all nets all the time one of the best pure shooters I have ever seen, I was convinced dude would've made it in the NBA big time

 

[cranrab]

Van Gundy: Kentucky can't top Wiz
Updated: March 28, 2012, 7:59 PM ET
Associated Press
199
100
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NEW YORK -- Stan Van Gundy said Wednesday the notion that Kentucky could beat an NBA team is "absurd."

The Orlando Magic coach was asked about comments by former Maryland coach Gary Williams, who told a Washington radio station he thought the Wildcats could beat the NBA's Washington Wizards in one game at Rupp Arena.

The Wildcats, the favorites to win the NCAA championship, have multiple players who are expected to be NBA lottery picks. Forward Anthony Davis could be the No. 1 overall pick if he enters the draft.

That's not enough for Van Gundy.

"Look, it's absurd," he said before the Magic faced the New York Knicks. "I mean, people will say, 'Oh, Kentucky, you know's, got four NBA players.' Yeah, well the other team's got 13."

Van Gundy said the talent level, experience and age of the players would favor the NBA team, even one as bad as the Wizards (11-38).

"Could anything happen on a one-night thing? I mean, I suppose, you have major upsets all the time. So, maybe, but it'd be rare and in a series it'd be a joke," Van Gundy said. "It wouldn't be close. That's just the way it is. John Calipari's got a lot of talent; he does not have 13 NBA players. He just doesn't. And even if those guys all are, they're all NBA rookies. I mean, when has that ever been a success in the NBA? So, no, they're not going to win."


Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

long before you were born, it might interest you to know that they actually did this (college v. pro).

 

[Better]

I forgot about this, but I saw Shammond Williams from UNC play/workout back in 1996, and this dude was killing dudes with the shot-fake where you put your hands next to the ball like you're about to grip it to pull up, but pull the ball back down. He did that shit like a 1000's it seems, but he was so convincing with it, cats kept falling for it.

Sick.

Dude was talking to chicks at half-court, and launching threes from just inside the halfcourt line, nothing but NETS!

 

[husband73]

i always tell people, bench riders in the NBA were the superstars of their highschool or college days.

the NBA is just that damn tough.

Tell me about it... I grew up with this guy from my hometown

Dexter Boney
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dexter Boney
No. 10
Guard
Personal information
Born April 27, 1970 (age*42)
Wilmington, Delaware
Nationality American
High school Brandywine
Listed height 6*ft*4*in (1.93*m)
Listed weight 185*lb (84*kg)
Career information
College UNLV
Pro career 1997–?
Career history
Phoenix Suns (1997)
Dexter Lyndell Boney (born April 27, 1970) is an American former college and professional basketball player.
Boney played for Brandywine High School, where he was named all-state three times[1] and holds the boys scoring record in Delaware with over 2,000 points.[2] He played collegiately at Hagerstown Junior College of the NJCAA where he averaged 31.6 points as sophomore,[1] and then for two years at University of Nevada, Las Vegas of the NCAA Division I. He later played eight games with the NBA's Phoenix Suns in February of the 1996–97 NBA season.
Boney won the Continental Basketball Association Most Valuable Player award after ranking fourth in scoring (21.7 points per game) and third in steals (2.1 per game) for the Florida Beachdogs during the CBA's 1996-97 season.[3] He last played with the CBA's Fargo-Moorhead Beez in 2002.
[edit]Notes

We was like damn... He's the best outta Delaware, made it to UNLV ,then benched at UNLV then only payed 8 games for the suns? his pops still owns the family barbershop in Southbridge

 

[Better]

Sam Young:

Scott Cacciola of The Commercial Appeal, the daily newspaper of the Grizzlies' home city of Memphis, Tennessee, wrote:
“ Young has long been known for his work ethic and his determination. At 6-6 and 210 pounds, he plays basketball in a minor key, all angst and controlled rage, motivated by those who had underestimated him, written him off, ignored him.[1] ”

Young's work ethic borders on the obsessive. While at Pitt, he practiced so much on his own that the coaching staff worried about his knees, and he would regularly play pick-up games at lunchtime during the season. During the summer before his senior year at Pitt, he went so far as to live for a month in a locker room at Pitt's home arena, the Petersen Events Center, sleeping on an air mattress he had carried to the locker room, so he could work out and practice whenever he chose. Young himself admitted that basketball was his "love" and his girlfriend was his "mistress", adding, "And she knows that."[1]

One of Young's closest friends, former high school teammate and later South Florida player Chris Howard, noted that Young's work ethic was present long before he came to Pitt:
“ This is a guy who'd be at school at 6:30 in the morning working out or at the gym. When he was at Hargrave, there'd be times we'd call each other and be on speakerphone while we were doing push-ups. He's not one of those guys you're going to see in the club. Sometimes he'll call me and say he's going to movies, and I'll joke around and say, 'Who are you going with? Who's the girl?' And he'll say, 'I'm going by myself.' That's the kind of focus you've got to have until you get to the place you want to be.[5]​

His NBA career stats:

2009-10: PPG - 7.4 RBS - 2.5 AST- 0.7
2010-11: PPG - 7.3 RBS - 2.4 AST- 0.9
2011-12: PPG - 3.3 RBS - 1.8 AST- 0.4



If a dude THAT dedicated can't even crack double-digits, then I just plain don't know what to think anymore.

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

i've played against leon powe several times in random games

and it just wasn't even close to being fair..

hitting every jumper

dunking on everyone at will

d'ing people up and on the ball catching their shots

him and q (quentin) for the unc fans...

that dude is lightning and smooth.... he hit every jumper he took
and the passing... that's what killed it for me, he had the ability to do any pass make any play and make it look so easy

 

[Better]

i've played against leon powe several times in random games

and it just wasn't even close to being fair..

hitting every jumper

dunking on everyone at will

d'ing people up and on the ball catching their shots

him and q (quentin) for the unc fans...

that dude is lightning and smooth.... he hit every jumper he took
and the passing... that's what killed it for me, he had the ability to do any pass make any play and make it look so easy

Damn, Leon never averaged more than seven points in the league.

These niggas can't be THAT good. There has to be a catch. There has to be some sort of cap on how good you can be.

Fuck that shit.

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

Damn, Leon never averaged more than seven points in the league.

These niggas can't be THAT good. There has to be a catch. There has to be some sort of cap on how good you can be.

Fuck that shit.

leone is not 6'8'' as he is listed...he's a little shorter
but think on how many rebounds he used to get with the celtics

and all the big plays he made and dunks he had
and this is after he shredded his knee.... he's older than me but i remember seeing him at the local youth center (EOYDC) and he was just dominating all these other dudes... like these dudes were abcd camp invitees they were the top players in oakland and some were from some colleges like uc berkeley and such.

and he's dominating them... this is when his knee was fine.
im telling you BEFORE his knee injury he had some fucking real hops
jump out of the gym hops

there was a guy i dont know who he was...probably one of those "family friends" only dude dressed in a suit at a youth center game my jaw was dropping on shit he was doing and the guy noticed and flat out said to me "he's going to the nba... you watch and see"

you know...people say it and im like yeah ok buddy
but i'll be damned if he didn't end up there every time i saw him play i thought back to that moment

think about it, he tore his knee all the way up his senior year in high school

and never even came close to jumping the same

went to college and dominated on a bum knee

went to the nba and had a real imipact... on a bum knee

that's how good he really was

 

[2 ONE 3]

i've played against leon powe several times in random games

and it just wasn't even close to being fair..

hitting every jumper

dunking on everyone at will

d'ing people up and on the ball catching their shots

him and q (quentin) for the unc fans...

that dude is lightning and smooth.... he hit every jumper he took
and the passing... that's what killed it for me, he had the ability to do any pass make any play and make it look so easy

I fucks with Leon & his cousin Sal.

They went to Oakland tech high I believe. And his cousin Sal (6'7 200+ lbs) tried to dunk on me at the Clipper camp 2 yrs ago in front of all the kids.

Surprised his ass when I met him at the rim

A little foul involved, but you're not dunking on me homie.

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

i played against chuck hayes as well

i hated chuck hayes i don't anymore but i did.

we were playing and he fouled the shit out of me, i mean fucking hacked...not open to interpretation i mean they'd call a flagrant and send him to the showers... he's always had a big frame even though he isn't really tall, and he used all of that shit on my layup.... i went down hard luckily it was the gym but you know the BOOM sound you hear over everything else? there's play and then BOOM and everyone looks? I was the boom

knocked the wind out of me, i roll over.... i see him looking down smirking like "mission accomplished"

im thinking im gonna foul this dude so hard he's gonna remember me til the day he dies he's gonna be on some yea i remember this one motherfucker kicked me in the face when we were playing!

few plays later he gets the ball blows right by the guy who was guarding him and there's my chance... im gonna jump with all my might... hopefully get up there a little bit and come down with both arms full swing with force like never before....


so he blows by dude i leave my guy and im committed
totally committed

he sees me, he gears up to go for the slam
he knows im not a punk so its either me or him.

he takes off... im not backing up im going up to meet him and im jumping into him... i go for a greg lloyd air tackle to slam him into the ground for the foul shit he did to me...

we make contact i wrap......

somethings wrong though

i jumped towards him and towards the free throw line outwards i should be going forward

im not im going backwards ...im flying backwards

he's going forward

why am i by the rim i should be going the other way... why does he have the ball still??



i got hit...went back with him and bounced off of him and back to the back wall of the gym and he proceeded to slam it and let out some kind of war cry and then walked over to me still yelling

i knew it wasn't on purpose (the yelling) ive been there, sometimes when you do something like that or something good it just comes out you don't even know why

anyway he dunked on me something vicious....

BUT i had his respect... he actually helped me up and was saying something to the effect of me having balls for going up and challenging him (everyone else really just let him dunk)

he apologized for the hack and the rest of the day was good...

even next round of games we were on the same team... i racked up a million assists just passing it to chuck

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

I fucks with Leon & his cousin Sal.

They went to Oakland tech high I believe. And his cousin Sal (6'7 200+ lbs) tried to dunk on me at the Clipper camp 2 yrs ago in front of all the kids.

Surprised his ass when I met him at the rim

A little foul involved, but you're not dunking on me homie.

yea they went to tech... i didn't

i never was in position to get dunked on by leon thankfully

chuck hayes did dunk on me though


and around the same time a little later marshawn lynch went there too.... i know him... this isn't a football thread so ill save my stories on him

 

[2 ONE 3]

yea they went to tech... i didn't

i never was in position to get dunked on by leon thankfully

chuck hayes did dunk on me though


and around the same time a little later marshawn lynch went there too.... i know him... this isn't a football thread so ill save my stories on him

Bro I literally lol'd reading that chuck Hayes story.

You can always clown his ass for his free throw game though

I haven't played against Leon. But shit I wouldn't want to...that man is both quick & powerful.

His cuz Sal is quick but has no Jumper or handle.

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

Bro I literally lol'd reading that chuck Hayes story.

You can always clown his ass for his free throw game though

I haven't played against Leon. But shit I wouldn't want to...that man is both quick & powerful.

His cuz Sal is quick but has no Jumper or handle.

chuck hayes

the funny thing about leone is this is the watered down version

that's how good leone is/was

BEFORE the knee injury dude probably would be an all star right now he was blake griffin those level hops
but you know he plays stronger than blake in the lane and has the post game and all of that...

he still made it to the nba and got a ring on a bum knee

 

[Llano]

i played against chuck hayes as well

i hated chuck hayes i don't anymore but i did.

we were playing and he fouled the shit out of me, i mean fucking hacked...not open to interpretation i mean they'd call a flagrant and send him to the showers... he's always had a big frame even though he isn't really tall, and he used all of that shit on my layup.... i went down hard luckily it was the gym but you know the BOOM sound you hear over everything else? there's play and then BOOM and everyone looks? I was the boom

knocked the wind out of me, i roll over.... i see him looking down smirking like "mission accomplished"

im thinking im gonna foul this dude so hard he's gonna remember me til the day he dies he's gonna be on some yea i remember this one motherfucker kicked me in the face when we were playing!

few plays later he gets the ball blows right by the guy who was guarding him and there's my chance... im gonna jump with all my might... hopefully get up there a little bit and come down with both arms full swing with force like never before....


so he blows by dude i leave my guy and im committed
totally committed

he sees me, he gears up to go for the slam
he knows im not a punk so its either me or him.

he takes off... im not backing up im going up to meet him and im jumping into him... i go for a greg lloyd air tackle to slam him into the ground for the foul shit he did to me...

we make contact i wrap......

somethings wrong though

i jumped towards him and towards the free throw line outwards i should be going forward

im not im going backwards ...im flying backwards

he's going forward

why am i by the rim i should be going the other way... why does he have the ball still??



i got hit...went back with him and bounced off of him and back to the back wall of the gym and he proceeded to slam it and let out some kind of war cry and then walked over to me still yelling

i knew it wasn't on purpose (the yelling) ive been there, sometimes when you do something like that or something good it just comes out you don't even know why

anyway he dunked on me something vicious....

BUT i had his respect... he actually helped me up and was saying something to the effect of me having balls for going up and challenging him (everyone else really just let him dunk)

he apologized for the hack and the rest of the day was good...

even next round of games we were on the same team... i racked up a million assists just passing it to chuck

Good story, I'm a die hard Rockets fan and watched every game when Chuck played for them. I only saw Chuck dunk once or twice during that time That just goes to show how good cats are in the league. Like I said earlier in this thread, T.J ford who's about 5'9 was throwing balls of the back board and dunking over cats in actual pick up games back in the day

 

[2 ONE 3]

chuck hayes

the funny thing about leone is this is the watered down version

that's how good leone is/was

BEFORE the knee injury dude probably would be an all star right now he was blake griffin those level hops
but you know he plays stronger than blake in the lane and has the post game and all of that...

he still made it to the nba and got a ring on a bum knee

yea before the injury he was a beast...

he has a touching story too. Raised all his brothers and sisters.

Hopefully he'll still be able to contribute somewhere next season.

He doesn't drink or smoke at all, so if he's rehabbing right he'll get some calls.

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

Good story, I'm a die hard Rockets fan and watched every game when Chuck played for them. I only saw Chuck dunk once or twice during that time That just goes to show how good cats are in the league. Like I said earlier in this thread, T.J ford who's about 5'9 was throwing balls of the back board and dunking over cats in actual pick up games back in the day

chuck made it to the nba as a 6'5'' post player

the nba

at the same time there are hood legends who shit on people like hayes but didn't make it.

cg comes to mind. nobody outside of oakland probably knows about cg but he was a.i. with a jumper
he played high school ball and would dog people out without trying. he was cocky as hell....
i mean dude used to destroy you get fouled and go to the free throw line... and sing the hook to get money at the line before his shots...

ayinde ubaka.... he made it to cal but his game was off the charts... i mean off the damn charts. most handle i've seen
quick and fast
and jump shot was money... he never missed in pick up games

and my arab homie mosse
mosse could be in the nba right now, his family wasn't having it. 6'7'' quick, had NO HOPS but had a money jumper and all of that, he dominated all the leagues and got aau invites played on some traveling teams and all of that...got a scholarship offer to asu off the strength of 1 year of ball...

family said no
that ends the story of mosse

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

yea before the injury he was a beast...

he has a touching story too. Raised all his brothers and sisters.

Hopefully he'll still be able to contribute somewhere next season.

He doesn't drink or smoke at all, so if he's rehabbing right he'll get some calls.

yea i knew that/them
he should get some calls i agree someone can use him.

him and q on the same team??
and there was another kid 6'10'' demarshay... who was durant before durant imo he just was a fuck up and didn't go to class was too cool and another kid keith wilright who never went to school he played in a handful of games and was still ranked top 10 in the state... this is when the likes of tyson chandler and them were in high school too

 

[militantmidget]

yea they went to tech... i didn't

i never was in position to get dunked on by leon thankfully

chuck hayes did dunk on me though


and around the same time a little later marshawn lynch went there too.... i know him... this isn't a football thread so ill save my stories on him

I'd love to hear the stories. That nigga Marshawn funny as hell.

 

[XXXplosive]

Played against Joe Forte in a Tournament in MD and that dude was a beast, all nets all the time one of the best pure shooters I have ever seen, I was convinced dude would've made it in the NBA big time

I forgot about this, but I saw Shammond Williams from UNC play/workout back in 1996, and this dude was killing dudes with the shot-fake where you put your hands next to the ball like you're about to grip it to pull up, but pull the ball back down. He did that shit like a 1000's it seems, but he was so convincing with it, cats kept falling for it.

Sick.

Dude was talking to chicks at half-court, and launching threes from just inside the halfcourt line, nothing but NETS!

I was at UNC when Forte was on the team and dude used to play pick up games at Woolen Gym all the time killing everybody.
I heard he's actually banned from there now b/c he got into a fight and ran off.
Duke players used to come around all the time to play too.
I swear I've never witnessed anyone with my own eyes more athletic than Dahntay Jones (plays for the Pacers now).
Dude could fucking jump out of the gym back then and would just dunk on anybody and everybody with no remorse.
He gets to the NBA and he's been nothing more than a role player.

 

[Better]

chuck made it to the nba as a 6'5'' post player

the nba

at the same time there are hood legends who shit on people like hayes but didn't make it.

cg comes to mind. nobody outside of oakland probably knows about cg but he was a.i. with a jumper
he played high school ball and would dog people out without trying. he was cocky as hell....
i mean dude used to destroy you get fouled and go to the free throw line... and sing the hook to get money at the line before his shots...

ayinde ubaka.... he made it to cal but his game was off the charts... i mean off the damn charts. most handle i've seen
quick and fast
and jump shot was money... he never missed in pick up games

and my arab homie mosse
mosse could be in the nba right now, his family wasn't having it. 6'7'' quick, had NO HOPS but had a money jumper and all of that, he dominated all the leagues and got aau invites played on some traveling teams and all of that...got a scholarship offer to asu off the strength of 1 year of ball...

family said no
that ends the story of mosse

To me, those types of stories are very sad.

To me, whether you lost out on the opportunity tragically, or you pissed it away, to basically have a winning lottery ticket, and not cash it in, is a pill that I would really have a hard time swallowing personally.

While I do believe that a lot of the 'He could have played/dominated in the pros!!" stories are often told by people who have no real idea of how hard it is to make it is to the NBA let alone dominate...

...there are more than a few guys who had the talent AND work ethic, and got injured; or they had the talent, but simply thought it was enough and could be an asshole, or lost interest in the game.

I R-E-A-L-L-Y wanted to play in the NBA, but I was not extremely talented. My work ethic would probably cause 99% of the population to think of me as insane, but even THAT is not enough to make it pro. I've heard stories of guys who worked themselves like their lives depended on it, and still didn't make it. Not because they had a bad attitude; not because they didn't get a chance; not because they got injured; but because they simply were more work than they were talent.