Reality television brought The Deadliest Catch. What are the seven deadliest basketball sins?
Pride. Pride, excessive belief in self, spawns the other sins. Pride is the parent of other sins. Pride appears in lack of preparation, lack of focus, and in stories like the Tortoise and the Hare. Pride is overconfidence becoming arrogance. Pride speaks to our good enough selves. Pride tells us that we don't have to trust the process, that we can "turn it on when we have to."
Gluttony. "Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires." Chuck Daly addressed gluttony when he said, "every NBA player wants 48 - 48 minutes, 48 shots, 48 million (dollars). Gluttonous self sins against teamwork. It's a former Red Sox player off the record saying, "I got paid. That's all that matters."
Lust. Lust is distraction by pleasure. Lust prioritizes pleasure and dismisses the pain needed through sacrifice. Lust appears with inadequate rest, dietary self-abuse, alcohol and drugs, in putting pleasure before performance. How many players could have been somebody but placed good times before good work.
Avarice. Avarice puts the material above the ethereal. When we value an altar of stuff - houses, cars, watches, sycophants - over higher relationships, we sin against avarice. Avarice manifests when there is never enough, never enough publicity, never enough praise, never enough things. When we place resources above relationships and resourcefulness, we commit the sin of avarice.
Envy. "The grass is always greener." Why can't we have what the other guy has? Envy tells us we need a better situation; we need more playing time, more respect, more love, more everything. Envy tells some parents their child must be the focus, the center of the team's universe. It's Don Meyer's "every parent would rather have his child win All-State over a State Championship." Envy sins against gratitude. "Want what you have."
Wrath. Wrath strips away self-control. Wrath causes us to lose touch with reality, to seek vengeance over reason. Wrath deposes character. Wrath imposes emotion over quality decisions. "I don't get mad, I get even." Wrath builds a destructive platform impervious to others' feelings.
Lagniappe: What are deadly basketball sins? They show up under the framework of not playing hard, playing smart, and playing together.
1. Losing your defensive assignment.
2. Being "lost in space" on either end of the floor.
3. Lack of effort. It's a sprinting game, not a running game.
4. Taking bad shots, "my turn" shots, "shot turnovers." Turn the personal shot clock off.
5. Selfishness in any form, being an unwilling passer.
6. Disrespecting the game, the officials, coaches, opponents, and teammates.
7. Dumb fouls. Good teams kill you at the foul line.
8. Lack of toughness. Softness beats you every day.
Lagniappe 2: Coach Daniel shares a basketball offense that scored twenty percent more points per possession with the same personnel. A hidden gem...
Lagniappe 3: The EPITAPH TEST. Can we find one profound idea today? In Tribe of Mentors, Tim Urban shares the Epitaph Test. Will we work on anything important enough, life-changing today that it belongs in our epitaph?