May 22, 2013

Cavs’ Byron Scott Calls Today’s Effort Within the NBA “Scary”

December 28, 2010 by 17 Comments

Though 2010 has been a year of considerable struggle when it comes to Cleveland sports, the overriding fan sentiment continues to focus on the word “effort.”

After each Cavaliers game, head coach Byron Scott adresses the media, discussing key points in the recently-finished game or the players who were involved in meaninful ways. But the latest bout of close losses, per Scott, has not necessarily been decided by a talent gap, but moreso due to a lack of focus on the “little things” and not playing with high effort for a full 48 minutes.

It’s a day and age where the professional athlete has taken on a bit of a different persona than those that came before them. Whether it is the talk of “brands,” or a concern about the next contract, its a day in age where fans feel that they are becoming less and less important and the players – some of whom were coddled since junior high – tend to merely go through the motions and collect their weekly game checks.

And it’s a day and age that Scott deems “scary.”

Though Scott is clear in his assertion that he should not have to remind certain players to give full effort, he admits that it is becoming more and more prevalent within the entire NBA.

“Around this league, it’s like that,” said Scott on Monday afternoon. “I’m sure I’m not the only coach that has to tell his guys that they have to go out and play hard every single night, ‘We have to compete tonight’ and things like that. I talk to other coaches and it’s almost universal, which is kind of weird. To me, that should be a part of your job, to compete and play hard every single night.”

Kind of weird may be putting it a bit lightly in a day when players’ salaries and ticket prices continue to increase with each additional season.

Whether it is a Browns team starving for playmakers, an Indians team going back to the basics with fundamental fielding or a Cavaliers team looking to prove that they were not merely one man for the last seven years, the fans of this here blue-collar town want to see 108 men on professional rosters with heart, determination and the willingness to give the cliché 110 percent on game day/night.

The final four games of the 2009 Browns season, Eric Mangini was given immense credit for getting the most out of a bruised and battered roster that was clad with former practice squad bodies and waiver wire additions. In the midst of a rebuild, Manny Acta will have the opportunity to work with several young players who are looking to make it on the active roster for opening day. And in the case of Scott, while he feels that there was a rough patch in terms of effort a few weeks ago, his team has gotten back on track as they enter a very rigorous stretch of their scheudule.

“Our guys have been doing that lately, but we are still doing a lot of the little things that we’re not supposed to do,” said Scott.

In the end, he feels that, as head coach of an NBA franchise, it is up to him to keep today’s NBA player focused on the task at hand regardless of what their record is. To Scott, it’s about moving forward, learning from mistakes and controlling the controlable.

“My job is to be a little more harsh, keep them a little more accountable as we can’t keep making the same mistakes.”

———-

(AP Photo/Tom Strickland)

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  • Harv 21

    Not sure the issue is player effort as much as changing expectations. Thirty years ago athletes were only expected to give 100%, not 110%.

    Like my post-Spinal Tap amp which adjusts to 11, our voracious consumer society constantly demands more. Coaches need to chillax. It takes a while for these new expectations to trickle up to the 7 footers.

  • http://cleveland.com JT

    This “effort” issue is exactly the reason why the NBA is unwatchable for most of the season. The cliche of “You only need to watch the final two minutes of an NBA game,” is well-earned by its players, who sometimes seem to be wondering aimlessly up and down the court, playing “Ole” defense and making stupid mistakes.

    It’s also the reason why I’d rather watch college basketball.

  • Jeremy

    If the coach is saying it’s an effort issue, he probably knows what he’s talking about.

  • http://216sports.wordpress.com Chris

    I’m hearing whispers that the Cavs signed Alonzo Gee. Anything to that? And who IS he?

  • GhostToMost

    This team has absolutely quit. It broke their hearts when LeBron went to Miami and they want out too. This could be a respectable team if they put forth the effort every night, but they dont. 2 weeks ago we played Miami tough on the road, if we put forth that kind of effort each night, we would be in the mix for a playoff spot.

    Blow it up and start over. A number of people have said it and I will say it again, get rid of any player who was associated with LeBron and the last 7 years. Those guys are just reminiscing about the good old days when they could throw alley oops to their hero and pose for fake photographs. Get rid of them all, and get some competitors in here who want to beat LeBron, not go to South Beach and be his bottom b*tch. (CoughHACKjawadwilliams)

  • Reggie Ruckus

    Byron Scott deserves better than what he has with the Cavs. He was a hard working player and it must make him sick to see how these guys go about their business. Like others have said, this is why the NBA regular season is almost a waste of time. Players don’t seem to care until the playoffs if then. The superstars all get more money from their shoe deals and endorsement deals than they do from their teams. Maybe this isn’t the proper forum to pose this question but what the heck…with the league facing a lock out next year, would anyone really miss the NBA if it took a year off?

  • Harv 21

    Cavs probably are blowing it up. This is what Blowup Year 1 looks like. They won’t cut high-priced players with guaranteed contracts and still pay them. They will trade when/if they can.

    Guessing players are hip to this and it contributes to the effort issues of those with duller wits or maturity issues.

  • Joe in Wooster

    So I read some lame story on ESPN about Lebron saying the league isn’t competitive enough (he referenced “like the 80′s and 90′s”) because of too many teams and a diluted talent pool. This article hits the real issue on the head!

    The league isn’t competitive enough because these professional entertainers are more interested in chatting during foul shots, being friends in the lane, and plotting who’s gonna be the next big three.

    When I was a kid I liked watching the NBA because people like Bill Lambier, Larry Bird, MJ, and Magic did care about beating the competition. I’m with JT (#2), college basketball does offer a better game…

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Scott

    “I’m hearing whispers that the Cavs signed Alonzo Gee. Anything to that? And who IS he?”

    He’s working out with the team, along with about six or seven other players (Patrick Ewing Jr!). Gee’s an athletic wing, so given the recent release, makes the most sense. Sounds like it’s pending a physical at this point.

  • historycat

    It’s endemic in this generation. From the classroom, to the practice field, to the job market, Generation Y has had everything handed to it. The NBA is the pinnacle of this. They hand millions to 18 . . . er, 19 year olds and expect them to be held accountable?

    If you were 19 with millions of dollars would you be willing to put it all out there? You slept . . . er, dated the cheerleaders in high school for doing nothing but being a jock. You now spend all of one year in college where the coach kisses your butt for ONE year in the hopes that he can make the tournament. (and that one year was paid for, and you didn’t need to go to class since you knew you weren’t staying). You had a cell phone at age 12, and attended basketball camps since you were 8 where pro scouts fawned all over you if you showed any talent.

    You reap what you sow.

    *(and not to pick nits, but it’s “Day and Age”) (sorry, don’t banninate me)

  • Tommy

    @Historycat

    NBA players are a small, and relatively concentrated segment of the population, so I don’t think its fair to judge the whole of “Generation Y” based on them.

    On another note though, it seems to me that if the NBA as a whole really does have a chronic “effort” problem, that this leaves an easy path back to contention. If we just make acquiring players who give maximum effort an organizational priority, it seems to me that would give us a competitive advantage.

    So if we had a team full of average talent guys at each position, theoretically we would win around 41 games. But if those guys are maximum effort guys, playing against an NBA full of slackers, all of sudden, you win 45 games or so and are in the playoffs every year. Not to mention, Cleveland fans would easily get behind a team like that and ticket sales would be good. Then all it takes is to find 1 or 2 guys that have above average talent/star potential and still give maximum effort, and you are a 50+ win team and back in championship contention. Sure those types of star potential/ maximum effort guys are rare if indeed the “effort” problem is an epidemic, but I’m sure there are some out there. How bout a guy like Blake Griffin?

  • Marco

    Sorry HistoryCat, not buying it.

    I have yet to hear a generation that doesn’t complain about every generation that comes after them not working as hard, etc.

    People remember the times they worked hard and forget about the times they slacked off, so it’s easy to harp on ‘kids today’ when you see lazyness in people younger than you.

  • historycat

    From “The Trophy Kids go to Work” in the Wall Street Journal:

    Although members of other generations were considered somewhat spoiled in their youth, millennials feel an unusually strong sense of entitlement. Older adults criticize the high-maintenance rookies for demanding too much too soon. “They want to be CEO tomorrow,” is a common refrain from corporate recruiters.

    More than 85% of hiring managers and human-resource executives said they feel that millennials have a stronger sense of entitlement than older workers, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com. The generation’s greatest expectations: higher pay (74% of respondents); flexible work schedules (61%); a promotion within a year (56%); and more vacation or personal time (50%).

    “They really do seem to want everything, and I can’t decide if it’s an inability or an unwillingness to make trade-offs,” says Derrick Bolton, assistant dean and M.B.A. admissions director at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. “They want to be CEO, for example, but they say they don’t want to give up time with their families.”

    Millennials, of course, will have to temper their expectations as they seek employment during this deep economic slump. But their sense of entitlement is an ingrained trait that will likely resurface in a stronger job market. Some research studies indicate that the millennial generation’s great expectations stem from feelings of superiority. Michigan State University’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute and MonsterTrak, an online careers site, conducted a research study of 18- to 28-year-olds and found that nearly half had moderate to high superiority beliefs about themselves. The superiority factor was measured by responses to such statements as “I deserve favors from others” and “I know that I have more natural talents than most.” . . .

    Where do such feelings come from? Blame it on doting parents, teachers and coaches. Millennials are truly “trophy kids,” the pride and joy of their parents. The millennials were lavishly praised and often received trophies when they excelled, and sometimes when they didn’t, to avoid damaging their self-esteem. They and their parents have placed a high premium on success, filling résumés with not only academic accolades but also sports and other extracurricular activities.

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122455219391652725.html

    And yes, I walked 3 miles to school in the snow, uphill, both ways.

  • Tommy

    @Historycat

    You made an argument that you feel younger generations than yourself, particularly “Generation Y” has everything handed to them resulting in a sense of entitlement.

    We argued that all generations think that younger ones have this problem, and that this is nothing different.

    So you responded using an article where members of older generations say they think younger generations have a great sense of entitlement.

    This adds nothing to your argument, and only reinforces what we said the issue is. You offered no evidence from the article that shows this generation is any different from others in the past in this regard.

  • The Prof

    The NBA will go the way of the NHL in the next 10 years. A second rate sport with limited national appeal.

  • historycat

    @14.

    Typical. what standard would meet your criteria. There is no measurement of “work ethic” other than commitment and effort.

    The coach is saying they don’t have a work ethic.

    It’s been clear that the past generation of NBA talent wouldn’t have acted this way.

    The article I gave you cited university studies and surveys of those who work with that generation.

    Would you like the opinion of millennials about themselves?

    Ok fine how about this study done by Pew Research?

    http://pewresearch.org/millennials/

    74% of millennials themselves state that they have a lower work ethic than preceding generations.

    How’s that? That’s not old people talking about them, that’s them talking about themselves.

  • Joe in Wooster

    @Histroycat: I like what you posted. I heard a speaker once saying things in the same tone and he described millennials as entitled because “they had to wear bike helmets and weren’t allowed to ride in the back of pickup trucks.” Instead of being taught to be empowered, they (and most genxers too by way of my opinion) have been taught to be coddled.