When evaluating players there are so many things that you want to look at. Size, skill level, and athleticism are all facets that come into consideration. One major thing that scouts look at is attitude. In some cases it can make or break if a school or team will make the decision to take a player or not to.
One word that I use very often to describe a player that has no chance to overcome their bad attitude is “Radioactive”. A radioactive player is someone that I don’t care how good would never play on a roster that I had control over. These days more than ever there are so many players that don’t have respect for authority, coaches, or their teammates.
Radioactive players have such a negative impact on a team. They suck all of the energy out of what a team is trying to accomplish. They are almost impossible to coach and have zero conception of what it takes to win. For a coach it is hard enough to run your team on the day to day, but with the addition of radioactive player(s) it just an extremely tough thing to deal with.
Let’s talk about an occurrence that is taking place with DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings. DeMarcus without question is one of the five most talented big men in the game today. He has the ability to score form the low post, mid post, and high post. He is a match up nightmare that has so much talent and so much potential. The Kings suspended Cousins for conduct detrimental to the team for arguing with the coaching staff.
If there is a definition of being radioactive for a current player it is Cousins. Cousins is a player that has had behavior issues all the way back in high school. Since entering the NBA he’s had many incidents of bad behavior to both his organization as well as his teammates. There’s many things to look at from his body of work. Thing like fighting with teammates in practice, altercations with broadcasters, leading the NBA in technical fouls since he was a rookie, or altercations with team staff have all had a negative impact on his career.
Like most player Cousins thinks people are all out to get him and they don’t know the real him. Even though that is very unlikely that he is right how can he defend himself with all of that checkered past put there for everyone to see? One or two mild episodes from a player and you can live with it, but when it’s an ongoing thing how can you go to bat for him.
This article isn’t about Cousins, but he is a great example that many should live by. See what is sad about basketball at all levels is that teams will deal with radioactive players if they can help them win. Instead of making examples of them and passing on their ability to show them that they are not above the game they continue to get second chances from teams.
What is sad is players don’t understand that schools/teams will deal with their bad attitudes until the microsecond when their skill level starts to diminish. In the past few years you have seen many players out of the NBA in their early 30’s. There always comes a time when the last team finally has enough with certain players and their shenanigans. Allen Iverson(34), Steve Francis (30), Isaiah Rider(30), and Stephan Marbury (31) were all examples of players that were on top of the NBA but after years of wearing out coaches, teammates, and team executives they were shut out of the NBA and never to return.
On the way up through high school, college, and early pro years talented radioactive players are passed from level to level. Very rarely do they take into consideration that their negative energy and attitude will cause their destruction, as it will only be a matter of time until people quit on them. Coaches and inner circle members that don’t want to deal with them head on about their issues rarely understand the hurt they are putting on them.
This article isn’t about the NBA and only for elite players it is for players at all levels and all genders. Sports are a great way to learn great life lessons. It isn’t about just learning the sport, but learning how to get along with teammates to work as a team. It is also about being able to take instructions from a coach and get along with them. For 99.99% of players playing high school they will never come close to professional basketball. The teammates that they play with through middle school, junior high, and high school will be the same as dealing with coworkers in the real world when they eventually get a job. Their coach will be a boss that they will be taking instructions from. If they can’t learn how to deal with both levels of people to make things work it will be very hard for them to make it in the real world.
As a player you have to understand that perception is so important. Coaches and schools are so image conscious and don’t want to invest time and resources on players that will be impossible to deal with. As some programs will take chances on players to change their ways, most of the elite ones will stay clear of anyone that is even close to a problem. What you put on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, or in any public forum is scrutinized so much these days. Even id DeMarcus Cousins is right and people don’t really know him there is just too much evidence against him which points towards him being radioactive. I wish more people got to him at a younger age to thoroughly explain to him what his negative actions and press would do to his career. If the Kings eventually get rid of him in one form or another there will be no shortage of teams that will try to get what they can out of his talent before it’s too late.
There is a major respect problem with young people in our world today. Sure most of what I write about is basketball related, but a lot of times in sports you can notice things in the people you coach. Not only do players with bad attitudes become bad for the sport, but they go into the real world and can’t hold a job, can’t keep a meaningful relationship, or function in society. There are some major events that are taking place in our country that are very frightening. We need to continue to hold our young people accountable and communicate with them. Don’t pass them off to someone else for them to deal with as the later they get in life the more impossible it is to help them.
As coaches we need to do a better job of teaching respect or accountability. Don’t worry about X’s and O’s or drills before you deal with any attitude or chemistry issues that you have with your team. Don’t overlook them as they need to be dealt with ASAP. We are role models that have a lot of influence on young people and we need to take advantage of that. Winning championships are nice, but it’s the development of people that should be your calling card not your win/loss record.
