The difference between talent and skill is one of the most misunderstood concepts of the NBA – and sports in general, for that matter.
Talent you have naturally. Every player in the NBA has some form of natural talent. But skill can only be developed by hours and hours of working on your craft.
10,000 hours, as Malcolm Gladwell has famously professed.
This is as true for individuals as it is teams.
This is why — Lakers fan or not — it was gut-wrenching to see Kobe Bryant — one of the most tireless workers this game has ever seen — tear his Achilles, and at the same time, not surprising to see the Lakers – arguably comprised of the most “talent” (on paper) in the league — in a do-or-die game against Houston Wednesday night.
Just to get into the playoffs.
As one of the most interesting NBA regular seasons concludes on Wednesday, 16 teams will attempt to harness their talent (they all have it), but more importantly, find their skill, as best they can, and make a run at a championship. Some teams — the Miami Heat, the Oklahoma City Thunder — are ahead of the pack, and will show it as spring turns to summer, while more and more of the league continues to watch, trying to turn their talent into skill.
With one day to go, lets take a look at the latest news around the NBA:
- All eyes will be on ESPN’s Wednesday night showcase tomorrow. The Utah Jazz will travel to Memphis while the Lakers host the Rockets. If the Lakers win, they’re in. If Utah wins and the Lakers lose, the Jazz will snag the 8th-seed, sending the Lakers spiraling into the offseason early. Ironically, it will be Pau Gasol’s brother, Marc Gasol in control of Utah’s fate, which Pau spoke about with the Los Angeles Times Tuesday:
“I told him to please go out there and compete and try to win the game,” said Pau. Did he get a positive response? “He said, ‘We’ll see,’ because last night they played the starters 24 minutes.They probably play the same the next game,” Gasol said.
Of his brother, Marc, Pau said:
“He might not be the most spectacular defender, but he’s just so efficient and I think in the games we played against him, I know the type of work that he’s done against us, defensively especially. You just look at the numbers, it is what it is, so he’s just a great defender and I wish they could give him that recognition, but I know there’s other candidates as always. But he gets steals, he gets blocks. He’s an anchor for Memphis, which is one of the top defensive teams in the league.”
- Dwight Howard, the other big man in LA, also made headlines on Tuesday. Only this time, not because of something he said. Lakers’ General Manager Mitch Kupchak spoke out about Howard on the Jim Rome show: ““For the last six or seven weeks, we’ve been seen him playing like he played in Orlando,” said Kupchak. Asked whether or not he expects the 7-time All-Star to re-sign with the team, this summer, Kupchak was clear. “I expect it,” said Kupchak.”
- It’s official, Tracy McGrady has signed with the San Antonio Spurs and hopes to be an intergal part of the teams playoff run. More from ESPN’s Chris Broussard: “The 33-year-old McGrady will be eligible to play for the Spurs during the playoffs because he was not on an NBA roster as of March 1. He said he will not play in San Antonio’s regular-season finale on Wednesday night against Minnesota.”
- More on T-Mac: “McGrady last played in the NBA during the 2011-12 season, averaging 5.3 points and 16.1 minutes per game for Atlanta. He played in the Chinese Basketball Association this year, averaging 25 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists.”
“Whatever happens, I’m just glad to be a part of this environment,” McGrady said via text. “[It’s] something I never experienced while being my best!”
- Thought to be one of the most likely players to be dealt at the trade deadline, Pistons guard Will Bynum would like to come back to Detroit next season: ““I want to stay,’’ said Bynum after today’s practice. “My daughter is in school here and she’s comfortable. I’m four hours from home (Chicago). This is where I want to be. I worked my butt off to be in the position where I am.’’ But Bynum said he would test the free agent market.”
“Coach (Lawrence) Frank has given me a lot of freedom,’’ said Bynum. “He has let me call my own sets and do my own thing out there. I can call pick-and-roll whenever I want to and just making the right reads and making the right plays. It’s tough to defend when you have Andre (Drummond) and Greg (Monroe) out there. They have to pick their poison.’’