As a youngster in a large city, you are the fastest kid on the block or perhaps even the school. The you graduate preschool, and move up to grade school, and you're still the fastest kid in your class. Then you advance to middle school, where nothing much has changed and yep you still run faster, jump higher, and are more athletically gifted than the rest. In high school you are the standout point guard. Your dad was a decent player, and he's worked with you over the years, so no shame in your game to this point. You are sought after by some prestigious universities, and the recruiters are calling daily, and desire to sport their colors on your back. You are on top of the world and feel sooooooo important! You just know that no school can make it without your services.
Let me say that I believe in confidence, but arrogance sucks wind, and blows chunks. Don't get me wrong, I believe we could all be a little happier every now and then, but we could also be a lot more pitiful! Whatever the situation, that is still no excuse to act like a Cry Baby!
Where is the whole "Cry Baby" drama stemming from? Larry Drew II, or as the Tar Heel faithful affectionately refer to him as, SOK (Some Other Kid)! Well SOK was quoted by Ben Bolch of the LA Times as saying in the May 28th article, "When you're winning, everything's good. When you're losing, it's opposite. Going to a school like that, I was aware of the potential for how things could be. I wasn't aware to the extent."
Yes, it's "Man Up" time! Not, "They booed me mama, I can't go back there," time! You can't handle that at the collegiate level, then how in the world can you believe that you are good enough to go pro!? Living in LA have you ever been to Chavez Ravine as a kid? Well I was blessed and fortunate enough to visit there plenty. I heard guys boo Enos Cabell, and yell false accusations of his drug abuse, before his drug abuse was ever brought to light. OK baseballs not your thing, how about a date with the NBA? Ever been to MSG? They booed John Starks, and even NBA legend, and Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing! Yes on their home floor!!! What's even worse than being booed? Being on a team where you can hear a mosquito in the rafters fart, because your fans can't even muster up the strength to stomach a boo! Then you see the twenty-thousand plus dwindle to about two-thousand, as the seats empty. Sadly enough that's the most noise you hear all game, is when the fans are leaving! Welcome to the early years of Sedale Eugene Threatt, and company. That's booing my friend. When your fans are used to big things, and winning, they get a little cranky when that's not happening. Go ask Reggie Miller about Spike Lee at courtside. Check in with Nicholson as he throws up a choke sign atcha!
SOK later said that while he was at his party, he was venting, not "dissing" anyone. He just had to get the following off of his chest, but again allow me to remind you, he's not dissing anyone... SOK said, via rapping at a party, "They tried to tell me just to play my role, but who's really trying to stick to a script full of typos?"
Where did he see typos? And even for a rapper, he is grammatically off! OK on that note, here's a quick survey... All of those who truly feel that SOK deserved starting time over Ty Lawson raise your hand. None of you!? Wow! Was he good enough as a freshman to be the back up even? Oh but wait, an even better question! Who thinks SOK deserves a start over Kendall Marshall? WOW! Same results as before! My opinion isn't much so let's go to the facts. Here's the fact sheet on SOK:
In the '08-'09 season he averaged a little over nine and a half minutes a game. So who's lying, the kid who cried about not getting to play, or the coach that gave him limited playing time based upon his (poor) decision making, and inability? Wow! So he (SOK) did play some didn't he? That last question was rhetorical, and moving right along... with his playing time, those non-existent (according to SOK) 9.6 minutes he averaged a very impressive 1.9 assists, and 1.2 turn overs. Even with limited play, or a better term for you freshmen, "especially" with limited playing time, turn overs can change your nickname from "Driving Larry Drew II," to "Driving Miss Daisy II!" The road traveled by a turn over king is a very short, and rocky road to the pines, right next to coach, or even worse to the end of the bench where you are ostracized! Let's look at it this way, two to one in the assist to turn over ratio department is OK if you are averaging 12 assists per game. Even if you give up six baskets with your six turn overs on fast break points you're only sacrificing as many points as you have in your 12 assists that have earned your team double the points at 24 or possibly but not probable 36 points. So unless you crack under pressure with your team down 12 in the last minute and a half of the game and you yield your six turn overs then, you are in good shape. It's not likely that is going to happen, but again possible, although not probable. So if in the game you surrender the ball six times, but have twelve assists to cover you, the opposition with six three point goals still trail you by six or eighteen points! That's three trips to the foul line on two point baskets or nine trips on three point baskets. Bad shot decisions on your teams behalf, or no defense could be the blame, but it's not all on you if the team loses. Two to one assist to turn over ratio with two assists, and one turn over, is four points in your favor, and the possibility of two or three points against you. That's a shot away from defeat! Which in most every coach, player, and fans mind is no bueno! So with numbers like 3.9 assists, and 2.0 in turn overs, there is no room to cry. When you play against mediocre teams, and have 6 assists and 3 turn overs, you shouldn't go away feeling like you are an all-star. When you have more turn overs than assist in big games and your team loses by a basket, or twenty points (see the GA Tech game) that should tell you something! It told Coach Williams something, "START KENDALL MARSHALL!" See the 2010-2011 Vanderbilt, Minnesota, and Texas games just for beginners.
So SOK, have fun in the sun, and keep working on that individual game, Barnes, Marshall, The Twin Tar Heel Towers, and supporting cast will be working together to make this season just as successful as last season. To conclude, thank you SOK for bailing, it ranks as the second best thing to happen to Carolina in the last decade! The #1 thing would be getting a great coach that knows how to bench a Cry Baby, and win!
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