Quote:
Originally Posted by FreshPrince22  I don't know. If a young, highly touted player gets promises of minutes coming into the year, gets nothing, there is already an issue. Then he sees a new guy come in, and without earning it, already gets some minutes spoon-fed to him. You gotta put yourself in Amir's shoes.
It's starting to look more an more like the Darko situation. Granted, Amir isn't as Emo as Darko, but you can tell he's discouraged when he's out there in garbage time night after night. Everytime he makes a bad play, fouls, etc, he hangs his head.
I don't think we're at the point of no return, but something will have to change pretty quick. I don't think Amir is satisfied with 3 straight years of no playing time. And considering we've got Dice, Sheed, and Max all locked up for next year, a 4th straight looks very likely. Amir isn't stupid, he sees this as well and it can get into a young guys' head. |
If that is the case then he definitely should be playing. 20 year olds can lose focus pretty quick. So if he isn't getting enough PT to keep him focused and working hard then Flipper should increase his PT, within reason. I would not want to see him ahead of Sheed, Dyess or Maxey at this point.
In the long run if he is going to be really successful he has to be tough and just keep working hard and harder, regardless of whether he gets minutes or not, because it will pay off for him.
The mental aspect of all sports is more important to being successful at top level than the physical skills. Big Ben and William Bedford are two former Pistons who are perfect examples of that. Bedford had great physical skills, but mentally he never got it together. Big Ben made himself a great player by continuing to work harder than everyone else. Rodman was the same. He worked his tail off.
Of course some young guys like Rodman need a father figure like
Daddy Rich whereas as I recall Big Ben got his from his family and extended family.
AJ like all young players needs the proper encouragement and love from the right place in order to keep him focused when times are tough.
If by nature he is not a very vocal person it is tougher because non talkers have a far more difficult time communicating their feelings and needs than people who more extroverted.
People who are more introverted have to draw their mental and emotional strength from within, whereas extroverted people draw most of their mental and emotional strength from their relationships. So for a quiet introverted person a lot can go wrong before others realize that it has and can do something to help. The best way for a quieter person to overcome this liability in my opinion, is to have one or two really good friends who know that person really well and can tell quickly if something is mentally or emotionally disturbing that person and be trusted enough to be listened to.
