It's Mario West doing what he did best.
Never has a man done so little, with--well, so little--consider the comment from Kevin Pelton (via Hoopinion)
Because he has spent the last two seasons with the Hawks as the most limited of defensive specialists, usually being called upon by Mike Woodson to play the final possession of a quarter/game, he has averaged just 4.6 minutes per game. Amongst players with at least 100 games, that is the lowest career minutes average since Paul Noel, who played for New York and Rochester from 1948 through 1952 in the BAA and the NBA. A couple of guys have come close, but no one else has averaged fewer than five minutes in an appreciable career since the 1950s. While interesting, this does not exactly bode well for West's future.
Indeed it did not bode well as West joined Garrett Siler and Courtney Sims as former "Hawks" thereby making the Hawks roster complete as we near the beginning of the real season.
We're not mean or personal here at THHB, but we are compelled to be honest. There was nary a single time we anticipated West's presence in a game versus plenty of shudders. The days of playing 4 on 5 as a tradeoff for West's "enthusiasm" wasn't a good one in our admittedly completely amateurish eyes.
But now that he is gone (for now, at least), West must be complimented in that he played (2) full seasons in the NBA, a great feat unto itself. Even greater must the accomplishment be recognized when you consider that West's only discernible NBA talent was his hustle and aggression. That a player can make it that long on that little speaks Swamp-like volumes to West's work ethic and commitment to being on the Hawks (and in the NBA). Kudos to you, dear sir---your career will long be noted here at THHB.
THHB will be releasing their Season Preview next Monday, October 26th. Efforts to stop said publication should be considered fruitless, but we understand all the efforts. The Mario West support group weekly meeting has been postponed until further notice.
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5 comments:
Mario was a class act and an inspiration to never give up on your dreams. I wish nothing but the best for him in the future.
Plus, dude made more money playing a basketball game (or not playing considering his minutes) than I ever did. I'd take that opportunity any day.
Amen to that, Jesse.
Flubber did his thing as best he could, and he was in the L for (2) seasons.
For a guy who hardly busted a grape in college and wasn't over seven feet tall, this was a major accomplishment.
Now, whether we're happy this feat was done with minutes on the Hawks....a whole 'nother story there, partner...
I suppose, but my counterpoint to those who make that argument is this: How many games did he actually cost us in the W-L column? I'm willing to bet it was close to zero, so while he may not have outright won us a game, it's not like he all his own cost us anything major, say like the second round sweep to the Cavs.
Also, w/r/t his minutes, isn't that really on Woodson moreso that Mario? To me that is an invalid point because Mario doesn't just walk on the court whenever he chooses, he's placed there by the coach. I agree that he had no offensive skillset to compliment what little defensive presence he had and his immense amount of energy, but blaming him for having minutes is misplaced blame imo.
Not that you're making that point, but that is the main point that people make when discussing Greasy.
Understood. I think that any discussion of Flubber was a direct poke @ the strategy (?) of Mike Woodson.
You just said strategy and Woodson in the same sentence. I want you to go find the closest mirror, point at it, and say, "I'm not stupid, you are!"
Haha, I keed, I keed.
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