want to know how to tell a true superstar from a star?

[scotsman13]

this comes from murray (net) talking about the trade that sent vince carter to the nets.

"Nothing against the guys they brought over, but to give up on a franchise guy ... what are you thinking?" Murray said yesterday, as the Nets forward looked back on his own three years in Toronto. "To do what they did, to go make that trade, they basically gave up on us. There really was no reason for it: 'Hey, let's get rid of Vince, we'll be better. Get rid of our talent, we'll be better.'

"That's how they think, because it's all about (their perception of) hard work. Hard work? Get some guys digging trenches if that's what they want. It's a talent-driven league."

flat out carter gave up on that team the player that played for the raptors wasnt even close to the player the played for the nets. for all of his talent carter doesnt even come close to being a superstar. there are a number of players in the nba today that getting superstar status handed to them without being able to do anything beside jumping or scoring. they dont work on their game they really think that they have already made it. yoa ming doesnt do anything now that he didnt do when he came into the nba, kidd still cant hit a shot to save his life, etc. where is these guys pride? yes there is more to being successful then standing their and letting the checks come in.

 

[Tank]

kidd still cant hit a shot to save his life

Kidd doesn't get paid to hit shots...

 

[scotsman13]

no offensive tank but the game is still about being able to put the ball in the hoop. and watching the playoffs last year with the suns and mavs where the mavs worked at shutting everyone else down besides nash it because really clear that if we had kidd we would have lost that playoff match up becuase he wouldnt be able to score like nash did.

 

[Mainstreet]

Kidd doesn't get paid to hit shots...

I never really appreciated Magic Johnson until several years into his careeer as a Laker. Unfortunately ( ), I had a friend who was a Laker fan and he was always so confident in his team if they were just a point or two behind when they had the ball in the closing seconds.

After having watched the Lakers dispatch so many teams in the closing seconds (including the Suns), I was forced to watch why the Lakers were so successful.

In essence, unlike Kidd, Magic had the complete package. If he did not pass the ball for the winning or tying shot, he shot it and invariably it went in the basket. It was the same sickening feeling when Michael Jordan had the ball at the end of the game.

Great players always work to improve their game and settle for being nothing less than the best. Think how much a better player Jason Kidd would be if he had a consistent outside shot.

 

[Tank]

I'm not saying that Kidd would not be better if he could shoot, but that he has signed a contract for the max more than once, and I highly doubt the people signing him are thinking, "ya know, let's give this guy the max and see if he develops a shot."

The game is about getting the ball in the hoop, but if you can help your teammates get the ball in the hoop better than anyone else in the league (when he was in his prime) it makes him worth what he is being paid.

Besides, it is not like Kidd has not tried to work on his J, it just never worked and even after working on it, he still couldn't hit the broad side of a barn...

 

[scotsman13]

but a max contract doesnt make a player a true superstar. kidd isnt a superstar because while you may have all the talent in the world if you dont work to improve your game and do away with your weakness then you arent a superstar.

 

[elindholm]

Most people aren't all that committed to self-improvement. For instance, there are some people on this board who can't write worth a crap, but they don't seem to have the "pride" to follow basic grammar rules or check dictionary.com once in a while.

"Superstar" is just a label. I doubt that most NBA players care who has the label and who doesn't. Carter has had a love-hate relationship with media attention throughout his career, so it wouldn't surprise me if he'd just as soon let someone else carry labels around.

Is your point about Carter that he should work harder, or that he's not a "superstar"? If it's the first, you need to compare him to the entire population, and if it's the second, he'd probably be happy to agree with you.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Murray is right in saying that it is a talent-driven league. Tracey McGrady doesn't have the attitude or work ethic of a "superstar" but his talent makes up for it.

To tell you the truth, I don't know who gave up first in Toronto. Was it Carter or was it management? Yah Carter's game was slipping in Toronto, but then again who was his PG? Raefer Alston isn't exactly the person I would want controlling the offense of my team.

Carter's inflated numbers had more to do with the Nets personel, namely Kidd, than anything else. Like Marion, he can just do amazing things with his athleticism when he has someone getting him the ball.

 

[scotsman13]

Most people aren't all that committed to self-improvement. For instance, there are some people on this board who can't write worth a crap, but they don't seem to have the "pride" to follow basic grammar rules or check dictionary.com once in a while.

your right elindholm that a lot of peopel dont care abotu basic grammer rules or going to check dictionary.com, the simples reason is that we do this for fun and not to have some grammar nazi ruling over us. now if you ask what i do for work and what i have done to improve in that area. well lets say that i would feel safe in saying my game has come along a lot more then kidd's.

i work for intel and tell people how to build desktops and servers. i have an A+ cert. and work on learning more every day. the next area i work on is software but as it stands right now unless you bring a engineer in i have a better understanding imtel products then maybe 90% of the people i have meet and worked with in intel.

 

[elindholm]

i work for intel and tell people how to build desktops and servers. i have an A+ cert. and work on learning more every day.

Your argument seems to be that written communication skills aren't essential to your job, which is a point I'm obliged to concede as it appears to be self-evident. But surely being more careful with the language would make you at least a little more effective in your job, wouldn't you agree?

You and Carter are in the same boat. He has his own "A+ cert" and knows his trade better than 90% of his coworkers. There are some little things that would probably help his game a little, but he doesn't care enough to do them, and he can't be sure they really matter. He tells himself that it's only the "effort Nazis" who are interefering with his ability to do what he's hired to do, which is entertain.

The comparison about who has improved more since being hired is irrelevant, since the NBA hires only people who are already at the very top of the profession. Once you get close to your peak and move to a new job (or get promoted within Intel), you won't improve much from that stage either.

 

[Neo]

your right elindholm that a lot of peopel dont care abotu basic grammer rules

That is one of the funniest things I have read in a long time.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

your right elindholm that a lot of peopel dont care abotu basic grammer rules or going to check dictionary.com, the simples reason is that we do this for fun and not to have some grammar nazi ruling over us. now if you ask what i do for work and what i have done to improve in that area. well lets say that i would feel safe in saying my game has come along a lot more then kidd's.

i work for intel and tell people how to build desktops and servers. i have an A+ cert. and work on learning more every day. the next area i work on is software but as it stands right now unless you bring a engineer in i have a better understanding imtel products then maybe 90% of the people i have meet and worked with in intel.

I didn't even bold all of the problems.....