http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2007/01/career_advice_for_billy_and_a.html January 23, 2007 Career advice for Billy, and a hero's tribute for Dikembe For all his frustration -- perhaps you've heard -- I have been struck in recent weeks at how cordial Billy Spanoulis has been. Every day, he comes in, offers a big smile, asks how I'm doing. It's just small talk, common courtesy. But you know how it is when you see someone every day. Pretty soon you nod, maybe grunt. It all becomes perfunctory. Professional athletes learn that to say hello is to invite inquiries. This guy is endlessly courteous. I've heard that once he got through the holidays and the Rockets started winning, he seemed less morose at practice, working harder with a better attitude, too. So since he has been such a good guy, I thought it was time to offer a bit of career advice. Want to play more, Billy? Here's a tip. Play better. Funny how that works. Now I do like Billy, and I believe he has a future in the league. But it always sounds wrong when a Chris Webber frets about playing time. When you're a rookie, having invested a half-season in your NBA career, having done nothing, absolutely nothing, in the league, you don't get to complain. You go to work. You pay your dues. Then you work some more. In all of Billy's chats with the media -- with me last month, Fran last week, the Greek paper over the weekend, a few locals on Monday and many more on Tuesday -- he has expressed his frustration clearly. It is understandable that he would feel this way. He talked about continuing to practice hard and said that he wishes to help his team. But in all these talks, we have heard precious little about playing better. The truth is that Spanoulis did play. Let's say it again -- he did play. Not much, but enough to have had a chance to play well enough to earn more playing time. With one exception, he played his way back to the bench. In the preseason, his play was just awful. During his brief regular-season stint in the rotation, he shot 22 percent. The Rockets collapsed during his time on the floor. The team lost games. The notion that he is not playing because he is a rookie makes absolutely no sense. He was not benched in favor of Rod Strickland or Mark Jackson. John Lucas, a veteran of 13 NBA games and all of 107 minutes, got the playing time that Spanoulis lost. Lucas is also on the edge of the rotation, but he and Spanoulis both got enough playing time to have earned more. Another argument that needs to be forgotten is the notion that his sublime performance in the World Championships and in the win against the United States. Had Spanoulis played poorly that day, it would not have meant that he could not play. The Rockets had already signed him. They had already decided he was a player. One game could not have demonstrated that he could not play; it cannot prove that he can. It's one game. In the NBA, almost everyone can play well for one game. And it was not an NBA game. Different rules. Different team. Different role. If the Rockets were scouting him, they would have liked what they saw, but how many guys drafted among the top picks because of the promise they showed never make it in the NBA? We're talking about players every team coveted, with tremendous physical tools, scouted down the smallest detail. It's a tough league. Spanoulis can find his way in this league. He has a nice first step and a terrific sense of how to use it. He can penetrate to his right or left, understands angles, uses his body well. He is tough and tenacious. And all his "rookie of the year" talk, or his declaration to Jeff Van Gundy that he had been his team's Tracy McGrady, might indicate a healthy confidence. But if he thinks that he is being short-changed or in any way treated unfairly, he is worse than wrong. He would be cheating himself. He would be ignoring the steps he needs to take to get what he so dearly wants. My guess is that the kid smiling and saying hello is simply feeling the pressure that comes with every phone call and email asking a national hero why he is not playing. "Everybody, everybody, because everybody knows when I came here, they brought me here to play and to have a good run on this team, and now we don't know what happened and I'm not playing," he said. "This is difficult for me. I don't have anything to do. I will make a decision. We'll see what happens." He went on. But see if you find something missing. "I make good career," he said. "I had good success with my teams. I played with the national team. We took second place. And everybody expects good things. This is logical. I can do nothing when I stay on the bench. I can do a lot when I play, but if you stay on the bench, you cannot help, you know. "It was hard, but it's my choice to come here. It was my choice. I was very good with Panathanaikos, my ex-team. I had a good time. Everything was good. It was my choice to change my lifestyle and my life to come here to play in the NBA because I was convinced I would play and I would have a good role here. I was 100 percent confident I could play good basketball here. I'm still confident and sure I can do this, but I will wait my time to play, to do what I came here to do, play and help my team. "First of all, I don't have to prove anything here. Everybody knows how I can play and what I am. I have to myself I can play here and do what the coach asks of me to help my team win." There was more, and more again is his conversation with Fran, and again before Tux & Tennies and again on Tuesday. It is easy to understand his frustration. He had a good thing going and came a long way. He is disappointed. It's only natural. But in all that and much more, did he say anything about needing to actually play better? Maybe that's what he has in mind with needing to keep working, but in all he said, he has said little about his own responsibility. Billy seems to be a good guy and a good prospect. And he is right about one thing, "basketball is basketball." If you want to play more, just play better. ‧ ‧ ‧ The Rockets' Dikembe Mutombo was saluted at the State of the Union by President Bush. It was a great moment. As we debate these topics each day, it is worth remembering heroic work that has nothing to do with blocked shots. 大意 V-span这家伙非常有礼貌 我(Jonathan Feigen)听说当他在过完假日且火箭开始获胜後 他在练习时的不快看起来变少了 而且带着更好的态度 那既然他是如此好的人 我认为是该给他生涯建议的时候了 Billy 想要上场更多吗? 建议如下 打的更好 好笑的是它该怎麽实行 现在我确实喜欢Billy 而且相信他在联盟里有未来性 但是当Chris Webber担心上场时间时 听起来总是不对 当你是个菜鸟 在你的NBA生涯已经投资了半个赛季 在联盟里一事无成 你并不会开始抱怨 你会努力 然後缴了自己的学费後 继续努力更多 在所有Billy和媒体的访谈中 他把自己的沮丧表达的很清楚 他会这样觉得是可以理解的 他提到持续努力练习和希望帮助自己的球队 但是在所有访谈中 我们鲜少听到有关"打的更好"这件事 事实是Spanoulis确实有上场 让我们再重申一次 "他有上场" 虽然时间并不多 但是已经足够有机会打的更好并且争取更多上场时间 但是有项例外: 他把自己打回板凳 在季前赛 他的比赛只能说是滥 在常规赛他定量的些许轮替时间中 他的命中率是22% 火箭在他在场上时形同崩坏 且队伍输了比赛 他没上场是因为他是菜鸟的观念完全不合理 他不是因为Rod Strickland 或 Mark Jackson较受到爱戴而被放在板凳上 而是John Lucas 一个打了13场共107分钟的老鸟得到了Spanoulis丧失的上场时间 Lucas也是在轮替名单的边缘 但是他和Spanoulis都得到足够的上场时间来争取更多 另一项需要被忘记的争论是: 他在世锦赛表现出众并且对上美国时获得胜利 就算Spanoulis那天打的不好 也不代表他不能打 当时火箭已经签下了他 也已经决定他是个球员 一场比赛不能展现出他不能打; 也不能证明他可以 这只是一场比赛 在NBA 几乎每个人都能在一场比赛打的很好 而且这也不是场NBA的比赛 规则不同 队伍不同 角色不同 如果火箭过去有探查过他 他们必定是喜欢他们所看见的 但是有多少在前几顺位被选到的家伙是因为他们展现出来的允诺从未在NBA里实现过? 我们说的是每个队伍所渴望的球员: 有着惊人的体能条件 勘查到最小的细节 这是个严酷的联盟 Spanoulis可以在联盟里找到自己的出路 他有着不错的第一步和非常棒的第一步使用概念 它可以从左边或右边切入 认知角度的重要 并妥善的运用身体 他是坚韧且顽强的 而且所有他年度新人的谈话和向JVG表明他是自己队上的T-mac 或许显示出他有着健康的自信心 但是如果他认为自己被矮化或是在任何方面上被不平等对待 那他比错了还要遭 他这样会是自我欺骗 他会漠视自己非常想得到的事物所需要的过程 我的猜测是 这个孩子的笑容和打招呼纯粹是感受到 来自於电话 E MAIL询问为何一个国家英雄没上场的压力 他说到 当我来到这里大家都知道 他们把我带到这里比赛 并在这支球队能表现良好 淡现在我们不知道发生什麽了? 而我没上场比赛 这对我来说很艰困 我无事可做 我会做些决定 我们等着看什麽会发生 他持续着 但是看看你有没有发现什麽遗失了 他说 我有好的生涯 我在我的队上有很好的成功 我和国家队一起比赛 我们得到第二名 大家都期待好的事情 这合乎逻辑 我待在板凳上时什麽都不能做 我上场时可以做很多事 但你待在板凳上 你就无法帮忙 这很艰难 但来到这里是我的选择 我在我的前队伍Panathanaikos表现非常好 我有美好的时光 每件事都很好 改变我的生活习惯和生命并来到NBA打球是我的决定 这是因为我被说服我可以上场而且可以在这里有个良好的角色 我100%有信心自己可以在这里打好篮球 我依然有自信而且确定自己可以做到 但我会等我上场的时刻 并做我来这里要做的: 上场并且帮助自己的球队 首先 我并不需要在这里证明任何东西 大家都知道我是怎样的能打和我是怎样的人 我告诉自己我能在这里比赛 而且做到教练交代的事来帮助球队赢球 在他和媒体的对话中有着更多诸此之类的议题 要了解他的沮丧是很简单的 他过去有个好表现而且大老远来到这 他是失望的 这都很自然 但在所有这些和甚至更多的抱怨中 他有提到任何确切要打的更好的言论吗? 或许在他需要持续努力的同时这言论在他的脑海中 但在他所言中 他很少提到自己的责任 Billy看起来是个好人而且有好的远景 而且他有一件事是对的: 篮球就是篮球 如果你想要打的更多, 只要打更好就好了 V-span想要获得成功还得放下更多身段 否则他在火箭肯定待不久 最後人们充其量也只会为他是另一个打不出来欧洲球员而已... --

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