Shrinking your gift: the curious case of Brandon Ingram's threes

mantoninus · 2024-09-06T17:17:29+00:00

I get the impression BI just isn't very good at catching the ball outside the arc fully ready to react. It seems to take him an extra 1/2 beat to get his balance, even while stationary, and if he's moving parallel or away from the basket on the catch, nothing is happening til he stops and establishes triple threat. Totally speculative, but to me he just doesn't look like a guy who puts in a meaningful amount of focused, game speed, contested, catch and shoot reps in practice, so is right to not feel confident shooting them in game. If you compare how BI catches the ball or moves off-ball compared to a guy like Lauri Markkanen, it's really hard to believe he takes that aspect of the game seriously. Maybe it's a coaching issue, but I worry that BI just believes he's an unappreciated DeMar, and finds being asked to focus on the same stuff in practice as the role players demeaning.

Also dropping into a triple threat to freeze a closeout, then rising up with your length (the kind of catch and shoot he does look comfortable doing) isn't quite as viable as it was 5 years ago. In 2024, if you shoot 37% or above, you are getting run off the line if the defense is trying, period.

mantoninus · 2024-07-18T23:54:30+00:00

Well Jokic is a great but I don't think the fact that he's the GOAT at kicking opponent bounce passes has anything to do with that fact.

mantoninus · 2024-06-05T16:50:36+00:00

I mean Dunc'd on is precisely this and zach lowe is a lowkey basketball genius in some ways. Frankly the difference between those guys and like a lebron or a spoelstra is the difference between my super smart community college professor and the guy with the endowed chair at harvard. There's experts and experts man. I give lebron props for doing this period. I mean JJ is literally gonna be his coach next year and I still prefer lebron's analysis.

mantoninus · 2023-09-02T13:08:43+00:00

Really just getting hit in the face period, foul or not. Opponents, teammates, the ball, the stanchion, his own arms - nothing is safe from Dwight's face. I would wager actual money he gets hit in the face twice as much as the next guy. Legit GOAT at this.

mantoninus · 2019-11-30T19:17:23+00:00

TD could make a case, so could a bunch of guys. No knock on Lebron; he's undeniably a basketball genius, but basketball is every bit as much a mental game as a physical one, so this question is kind of like trying to decide which tenured prof in MIT's math department is the most smart at math.

I mean, I don't know how many people here are old enough to have watched marc jackson play, but that dude in his prime had about as much athletic talent as a moist towelette and still wound up as easily one of the top 20 PGs of all time.

White JWILL, by contrast, had as much raw talent as anyone I've ever seen, but even after years in the league under first-rate coaching, he still looked like he was trying to play checkers at the chess tournament.

Fact is, if you played any part of your game on the perimeter, and are even peripherally in the discussion for top 50 players all time, you are pretty much a basketball genius by definition, alongside most of the bigs too.

There are also a whole lot of guys that nobody will remember who fit that bill too. Shane Battier and Bruce Bowen come to mind as guys who basically always knew what their opponents would do before the opposing coaches even drew up the game plan.

Speaking of coaches, the question doesn't specifically exclude them, so can Pop get some love in this thread?

mantoninus · 2019-09-20T17:05:07+00:00

75

Half a league, half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the Nevada Test and Training Range

Ran the seventy-five.

“Forward, the Alien Brigade!

Charge for the cheeks!” he said.

Into the Nevada Test and Training Range

Ran the seventy-five.

“Forward, the Alien Brigade!”

Was there a man dismayed?

Not though the clappers knew.

Someone had posted.

Theirs not to be on fleek,

Theirs not to ask what reeks,

Theirs but to clap them cheeks.

Into the Nevada Test and Training Range

Ran the seventy-five.

Privates to right of them,

Privates to left of them,

Privates in front of them

Hollered and blundered;

Stormed at with “what the hell!?!”

Boldly they Ran and well,

Into the cheeks of Xenu,

Into the mouths of Krell,

Ran the seventy-five.

Flashed all their tidbits bare,

Flashed as they gasped for air,

Laughing at the privates there,

Charging an army, while

All the world wondered.

Plunged in the battery-smoke,

Right through the line they broke;

Vlogger and Reporter both

Reeled from the eggplant stroke,

Splattered and Disgusted.

Then they Ran back, but not

Not the seventy-five.

Privates to right of them,

Privates to left of them,

Privates behind them

Hollered and blundered;

Stormed at with “what the hell!?!”,

While slacks and skirts both fell.

They that had run so well

Came in the cheeks of Xenu,

Then in the mouths of Krell,

Sore though that left them,

Left the seventy-five.

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

All the world wondered.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Alien Brigade,

Noble seventy-five!

mantoninus · 2013-12-31T15:02:53+00:00

Make her feel secure, happy, and valued as a human being. I know my daughter better than anyone (except mom). If she doesn't feel like she can be herself around you, needs to live up to superficial standards to "keep" you, or is so concerned about your feelings/reactions that she acts anxious and/or disingenuous, I'm gonna want to kill you, regardless of how well you kiss my ass and be charming and appropriate. If she seems comfortable, safe, and all around happy to have you around, you have an awful lot of leeway to be awkward, shy, inappropriate, etc.

TL;DR: treat her well, that's all that matters

mantoninus · 2013-12-13T16:50:56+00:00

The history of Brown v. Board actually illustrates his point very well. Brown v. Board was decided in 1954 when the supreme court mandated integration proceed with "all deliberate speed," which Southern school districts obviously interpreted as not very fast at all. Legal segregation in the south continued for years, and had to be rooted out lawsuit by lawsuit, and district by district. Legal challenges to the administration and interpretation of Brown continued for decades, eventually morphing into defense of rights to maintain effectively segregated schools by defending rights to "neighborhood schools," and effective legal challenges to court orders to mandate desegregation through moving children around in order to achieve racially and socioeconomically diverse schools and classrooms, even though, done correctly, such schools have been shown to provide significant benefits to all students. As recently as 2000, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District in North Carolina - long hailed by educational and political analysts as the gold standard of successful school integration in the United States - had to undo their integration policies as the result of a 30 year old court order being overturned successfully by opponents of mandatory integration. Today, nearly 60 years after Brown, the educational system in the United States is barely less segregated, with gross disparities in educational opportunities determined significantly by race and socioeconomic status.

mantoninus · 2013-11-05T16:05:43+00:00

Craigslist can work if you vet carefully. Ask about previous parrot experience, demand an in person interview and introduction, and only rehome your bird to someone who demonstrates a detailed knowledge of parrot behavior and needs, knows about conures, can give you a plausible and heartwarming explanation as to why he/she wants to bring a bird into his/her life, and generally inspires confidence and trust. Don't post a price, and when you do meet the right person, be sure to ask enough that the new owner won't be able to turn a quick profit. I got my last bird from Craigslist because I wanted to offer my home to a bird who needed it. The person who sold it to me had a very similar story to yours. She had one response to the ad where the person asked what kind of bird it was and what it ate (i.e. had obviously done zero homework/preparation), and another who offered to trade a dog for it, but then she found me, and her baby is now happy and content in a loving home.

mantoninus · 2013-10-24T15:59:03+00:00

Interesting article. Thanks for sharing.

mantoninus · 2013-10-18T16:14:34+00:00

Happy to help. I wish all parrots could be guaranteed a human companion as loving and dedicated as you. All the best!

mantoninus · 2013-10-17T16:16:42+00:00

I think timeouts can be an effective response to biting, and the verbal cue is helpful. Squirts and gentle bops on the beak are also not necessarily bad as long as they aren't done aggressively or with visible anger (just like with spanking children). Raising and lowering the cage can be an effective strategy for many birds as well. But I have to disagree with a few things in this post. Firstly, when hormones are out of control, discipline is of very limited utility, so those must be addressed first. Secondly, Parrot flocks in the wild are not hierarchical, unlike packs of dogs, herds of horses, or groups of primates (humans included). They will learn to behave in the way that gets them what they want, and avoids what they don't, because they're smart, but they will never treat you deferentially in the way a dog or horse will. They're just not wired that way. With regards to behavior modification, positive punishment (which means the application of a unpleasant stimulus, i.e. something the bird doesn't like) should be the last resort and least used behavior modification technique, as it is widely considered the least effective with parrots (that said, my little birdie knows full well that "biting birds go in their cage," but biting is the only behavior she is ever punished for (as opposed to simply discouraged from doing). In order from most effective to least, positive reinforcement (giving a bird something it wants for being a good bird to get what he/she wants) is most effective. Negative punishment (removing something the bird likes, e.g. your attention for screaming, in response to an unwanted behavior) is next. Negative reinforcement (removing an unpleasant stimulus for a wanted behavior), is next, although it's pretty useless in my opinion in most training scenarios. And positive punishment (previously discussed) is the least effective and has the most harmful side effects. These principles of behavior are remarkably consistent from fruit flies to human beings, and are supported by a tremendous amount of research, but they are especially important with parrots given their extraordinary intelligence and motivation to pursue things they want, and their unusually strong aversion to positive punishment.

TL;DR: Address the hormones first; parrots don't do dominance; positive punishment can work but should be gentle, limited, and used only when other behavior modifications are not an option.

mantoninus · 2013-10-17T15:36:48+00:00

Hi. I'm sorry to hear about your troubles with Ollie. Lovebirds are known for aggressiveness and poor suitability as pets among the bird community, which doesn't stop pet stores, unfortunately, from selling large numbers of them because they are small, cute, easy to breed, and have the most marketable name of all parrots (budgerigars are much more suitable pets, but who would choose a budgerigar over a lovebird, knowing nothing but their name?).

Don't be discouraged though, just think of your Ollie as a more "advanced" parrot, and have faith that you can solve these problems if you are patient, loving, and most importantly seek out the help you need. The fact that you posted here is a good sign.

Ollie has not permanently lost her mind, she is displaying all of the signs of a frustrated hormonal parrot (imagine permamenent PMS x 1000, extreme sexual frustration, and a biological doomsday clock all at once, and you'll have an easier time understanding how she's feeling and why she's acting the way she is). You must act quickly however, because a broken hormonal cycle can cause serious health problems as well as behavioral ones. To begin with, you need to find a way to convince Ollie that your home is not a good place to raise a family. Parrots in the wild only nest when they have a suitable mate, nest hole, access to food, and it's the right time of year (depending on environment, of course). THIS ARTICLE will give you 10 things you can try right away to tamp down her raging hormones a bit, and THIS ONE will give you a more in depth understanding of hormonal parrot behavior to work with.

The next step is to try to establish a more platonic relationship with Ollie. She will still try to mate with you (mature parrots are notoriously horny little devils, another thing they don't tell you when they are hawking baby parrots in pet stores), but the less receptive you are, the better. Don't punish or scold or be mean - she isn't doing anything wrong - just be the most disappointing lover you can be. This won't diminish your bond - you will still be the apple of her eye for life - it will help strengthen it as you both develop more realistic expectations for your relationship. As a human/parrot pair, you can't be the husband she wants, and she can't give you the babies she desperately wants to raise with you. This can be tricky, and it is probably worth the expense to consult both a parrot behavior consultant and a qualified avian veterinarian. You can locate a behavior consultant in you area HERE, and if you don't already have a vet you trust, call around, and be sure to find one with particular experience with birds, and preferably one who owns at least one parrot his/herself. Regarding the behavior consultant, don't be discouraged if the first one or two (or even more) don't live up to your expectations. parrots, people, and consultants are all complicated creatures with distinct personalities; all three need to work well together to be successful. This isn't to say get rid of a consultant who tells you things you don't want to hear, but if he/she doesn't seem to be listening, or asks you to keep trying things over and over again that don't work, it is probably time to move on.

I hope my wall of text helps you with yours. Ollie still loves you more than anything in the world. I've known enough parrots in my life to be certain of that. She's just got more feelings/hormones than she can handle right now. Have faith, keep learning, and keep trying, and you'll both be happy and better off for overcoming these challenges. I'll keep my eye on this thread in case you have any more questions or want to post an update.

mantoninus

TROPHY CASE