One thing we hate about the basketball ‘buwaya’ (ball hog) is how this overeager player is taking most of the shots during the game. We take it as an insult, and we take it personally. Right then and there we were judged as players of lesser quality and capability no less by our very own teammate, who refuses to pass the ball, enjoying his cursed tunnel vision where there is nothing but his God complex hero ball.
It is only recently that I’ve realized that we seem to have forgotten about that other undesirable quality of a ball hog: dribbling too much. A buwaya holds the ball too long you’ll soon hear the coach’s (and teammates’) exasperated instruction as they watch the defense converge and set a suffocating triple-team while the shot clock ticks away and expires: ipasa mo!
And like a recurring nightmare, this scenario will happen over and over again. And it’s just the first quarter, mind you. If the team wins, the ball-hogging will be ignored (rather begrudgingly), but if the team loses, expect no one to hold back on finger-pointing.
The childish and immature in us hated the buwaya because we want to shoot the ball, too. Our mature basketball IQ dislikes the ball hog because that kind of player is the enemy of motion offense. Four players will struggle to find his/her offensive rhythm, not just because of the absence of shooting opportunities, but because there are very few touches to the ball, and the player subbing you is now walking towards the scorer’s table. Drat.
I was never a talented ball handler. My crossover is slow I can’t remember how many times I was stripped bringing down the ball against a single cover man-to-man defense (and besides the zone, that is as basic as it gets in defense). I was fast in my youth, like a freight train barreling in a straight line, but not shifty like drifting cars negotiating turns. There is a certain comfort level in the confident, ambidextrous dribbling I never unlocked. I guess this insecurity was the reason I nurtured one particular mindset when it comes to dribbling: walang points ang dribble. With it, my disapproval for too much dribbling. Shoot it or pass it.
NBA teams are hesitant to trade for James Harden not because he shoots a lot – after all, you don’t want a James Harden who is hesitant to shoot, or not even attempting. Teams don’t want to be involved in this high-value trade because they dislike the prospect of how James Harden’s style of play will influence the team’s current offensive personality (and locker room).
It has been too long since James Harden expressed his desire to leave Houston. It has been too long since Houston started exploring trade deals with other teams. James Harden is a former MVP and scoring champion still in his prime — these credentials alone are enough for a team to trade for him not too long after he became available.
So why is no one biting?
Simple: no one wants the James Harden brand of basketball. And yes, he may get traded tomorrow or in the days to come, but I stand firm on my opinion. If James Harden is a coveted player, he would’ve been traded by now. GMs are testing how low Houston will go just to be rid of Harden which explains why this is taking so long, and no coveted, blue-chip player is traded this way.
I was amused at how people applauded James Harden for making difficult shots, and for making difficult shots much more difficult. Sure, a side-step or step-back three looks good considering it requires speed, agility, footwork, ball-handling skills, and impeccable shooting to pull this off in an NBA-level basketball game, against NBA-level defenders/defense.
But why a difficulty shot when you can just pass the ball and find an open teammate?
Is it flashy? Yes. Is it practical? No. Nothing can trump the efficacy of the age-old discipline of moving the ball.
Good players make difficult shots. Great players avoid having to resort to attempting a difficult shot. That is another thing we hate with ball hogs: forcing a shot. When this happens, you can almost hear the collective sigh of the audience shaking their heads: pinilit (he/she forced it), followed by a disapproving “tsk”.
Trading for James Harden with these things to consider is a GM’s nightmare. The rumors that surfaced recently—about his alleged partying, practice no-show, days off, etc.—are not helping anyone, neither is James Harden’s value as a trade acquisition nor Houston’s effort to be relieved of this baggage. The Rockets now appear very keen on starting the Post-James Harden Era in Houston as soon as possible, hopefully during the tip of their first game for the 2021-22 NBA season.