Sunday, June 2, 2019

Basketball: Dirty Jobs Assume Dignity and Culture



Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe preaches "the dignity of work." Rowe opens eyes with his experience neutering goats. 

 Excellent teams execute dirty jobs willingly and consistently. Doing dirty jobs helps win each possession; play the game "possession by possession." 

 Thinker Seth Godin's explains the culture of dirty jobs: 
Culture, by its very definition, isn’t the work of being right. It’s the work of being in sync.
Culture is people like us do things like this. The way WE do this is ‘right’ if right means, 
‘the way we do this.’
Dirty jobs may not earn recognition, just victory. You cannot play hard and refuse the dirty jobs. One team awarded the "floor polishing award," a ceramic tile for the player who went to the floor most often for 50-50 balls. Jay Bilas in Toughness, writes (below), "get on the floor." 

 Get on the floor: "In my first road game as a freshman, there was a loose ball that I thought I could pick up and take the other way for an easy one. While I was bending over at the waist, one of my opponents dived on the floor and got possession of the ball. My coach was livid. We lost possession of the ball because I wasn't tough enough to get on the floor for it. I tried like hell never to get out-toughed like that again."

 Enumerating all the dirty jobs is impossible:

 Practice full tilt, full time. You've heard, "don't cheat the drill." With limited or no playing time, some players find practice unrewarding. That mindset needs fixing. 

 Pressure the ball. Coach Pete Carril remarked that defenses needed to contain the ball, control screens, and challenge shots. Dirty jobs. Nothing works without ball pressure - Pack line, tight man, zone defense. Don't allow easy penetration by dribble or pass. 

 Sprint back alert in transition. No 'buddy running' and no running without thinking. See the ball and anticipate the attack, forcing the extra pass to allow teammates to get back into play. 

Control screens. NBA teams know they can't switch everything because elite players will find mismatches to get the desired matchups to the rim. And the best team kill you with slips. NBA coaches know that inability to defend screens means inability to hold your job. 

 Contest all shots without fouling. Many fouls follow lack of discipline. Never foul a jump shot. Elbows behind your ears. 

 Block out. Even if you play "hit and get," you need position and toughness. 

 Take a charge. Sometimes it takes courage to get run over. The rewards are possession and potential foul trouble for opponents. 

 Move without the ball. "Movement kills defenses." Smart play off the ball demands effort and concentration. Tire defenders. And with good teammates, you'll profit with scoring chances. 

Profit from screens. Setting screens sets opportunity, as "the screener is the second cutter." Setting hard, clean screens wears on defenders. 

 Players doing dirty jobs get respect from peers and coaches...and minutes. 

 Lagniappe: Some players play chess against checker players. 
Deception and patience from Iguodala create an open look and 3 for Thompson. 






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