Playing ball with people who don't give effort.

[UK2K]

So last night in our company league game, we kept it close until about halfway into the second half. At that point, one of the guys on our team more or less gave up (even then, it was an 8-10 point game). The guy let his man beat him down the court three times in a row for an easy layup. That essentially made it a 14-16 point game with 10 minutes left, and it was basically over. From then on, it was lazy defense, giving up offensive rebounds, getting beat to every 50/50 ball.

The worst part is, his infectious attitude spread to others and then half the team gave up.

Now I know not everyone can be awesome at basketball, I can accept that. What I can't accept is not giving effort. It doesn't take basketball skill to play defense, and you don't have to be a pro to box out. You damn sure don't have to have ever played organized ball to get back on defense to prevent easy run outs.

Now I'm not saying I am perfect, because I have bad games too, but I can't remember the last game I played where I just gave up. When we first walked into the gym, I asked one of the guys on our team who their best player is, because I want to guard him. Yes, basketball is a team game, but I want their best player every time because I make it my mission to not let them score. That's not a basketball thing, its a mentality thing... It's a 'you may be better than me, but you aren't going to like playing against me' type mentality. Me against you, and in my mind, I am winning every time.

So after this guy gave up back to back to back layups to the same guy, I called a timeout, and blasted him. He was playing awful before that point, but that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Yes, this is just a company league, and yes, the games don't count for anything other than a plastic trophy at the end, but my competitive nature won't allow me to just admit defeat and allow someone, especially on the court, to get the best of me. Honestly, if you aren't willing to give the effort to, at the very least, be competitive, then why are you playing?

So the question is, was I wrong in doing that? Or was I justified in pointing out his lack of effort?

[9erempiree]

I think you are wrong in doing that especially since it is a company league. It means you have to see the guy at work and if you don't see the guy at work then you are going to be talked about. You're going to be 'that dude' that takes it way too serious.

You have to remember not everyone is competitive and some play for the fun. I am like you where I will be super competitive as well but you have to remember, there are guys playing because they want to fit in or be 'one of the guys.' I hope that answers your question on why they are even playing? Maybe they don't want to be at home or have nothing to do.

Should have just forgotten about it since you are playing for a trophy and not a cash reward or bonus.

Come to think about it you were out of line. Did you call him out in front of everyone -or- pulled him aside? There may be an apology coming unless you are in a higher position in the company than he is.

I would have just pulled him aside and say, "bro...something on your mind...you're not hustling out there and we're getting killed...you were doing good and that's why the game was close...but you let your man blow by you on a couple of plays and now the rest of the team is sloppy. Step it up so the team can step up their game...lets communicate out there"

The key to getting maximum effort from peers/teammates is to make them feel important. If they feel like they are letting others down then they give a better effort.

[dunksby]

Was he a Muslim or a liberal?
JK

[9erempiree]

Also, what format were you playing?

2 halves;10 minutes?

[UK2K]

I think you are wrong in doing that especially since it is a company league. It means you have to see the guy at work and if you don't see the guy at work then you are going to be talked about. You're going to be 'that dude' that takes it way too serious.

There are 500 people that work here. I have never even seen him before three weeks ago.


You have to remember not everyone is competitive and some play for the fun. I am like you where I will be super competitive as well but you have to remember, there are guys playing because they want to fit in or be 'one of the guys.' I hope that answers your question on why they are even playing? Maybe they don't want to be at home or have nothing to do.
If they want to be fit, jogging back on defense is not the answer. If you are tired, sub yourself out. If you are hurt, sub yourself out.

I guess he could be bored at home though.

To be honest, I smoke like a freight train and don't work out, but I have run myself to the point of vomiting in my mouth on the court every game this season. He is in much better shape than I am, but he was just being lazy.



Should have just forgotten about it since you are playing for a trophy and not a cash reward or bonus.

Come to think about it you were out of line. Did you call him out in front of everyone -or- pulled him aside? There may be an apology coming unless you are in a higher position in the company than he is.

I would have just pulled him aside and say, "bro...something on your mind...you're not hustling out there and we're getting killed...you were doing good and that's why the game was close...but you let your man blow by you on a couple of plays and now the rest of the team is sloppy. Step it up so the team can step up their game...lets communicate out there"

The key to getting maximum effort from peers/teammates is to make them feel important. If they feel like they are letting others down then they give a better effort.
That was what I said in the FIRST half. Obviously, the message didn't sink in. I was a hot head on the court when I was younger, but have mellowed out since then. It started out as me pointing it out to him, then blatantly telling him his man was killing us (his man led their team in points, and he's terrible). Then after 30 minutes of that, I couldn't take it anymore.

[UK2K]

Also, what format were you playing?

2 halves;10 minutes?

2 halves of 20 minutes.

[9erempiree]

Ok...large company...no worries about being 'that guy' that takes it seriously.

Now in regards to whether an apology is owed...is he going to playing with you again?

If he is then..."Look bro, I apologize for yelling at you but I feel we have a very good team and I believe we can win it all. I need you to show a little more effort. I need to show more effort too but only if you and the guys do the same"

If not....then forget about it....I wouldn't apologize.

[RepMe]

Was he a Muslim or a liberal?
JK
:lol

[Wiltside]

http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/It-Was-Me-Jim-Carrey-Liar-Liar.gif

[WayOfWade]

I'd say you were justified, I also give my best effort and only ever give up either after the final buzzer sounds or after I foul out, because then I literally can't do anything. You've got to try and decipher though what will get the guy going, i.e. what makes his motor go. As for me, if you get in my face and tick me off, I'm going to be angry but it will give me a ton of energy and I'll hustle. For some people that works, and for some they require a more soothing approach. I however think you're good, some people just deserve a good chewing-out

[AlphaWolf24]

So the question is, was I wrong in doing that? Or was I justified in pointing out his lack of effort?


man F@ck that shit......some people think everything is a F'ing Joke...

you did the right thing....( I don't care if you suck ....but at least try your hardest.....don't quit)

dude was prolly smiling and laughing too?.....I would have told him....

play hard or get the F@ck off the court.

[hateraid]

Because this isn't a competitive league I would have given a pep talk first. No sense in blasting someone who doesn't know where you're coming from. And it leads to animosity plus you have to work with him. Let that game slide.

After that take them for beers and ask everyone, are we in this to win or in this to have fun? If they want to win then guide them to how to win. After that point it's fair game to put anyone on blast.

[falc39]

It depends on the culture of the team and the expectations. I play in a league that has a mix of teams, some corporate and some not. A good portion of them are competitive while some of them are more team building and recreational. Some of the companies have a lot of type a very competitive people (like google). It's important to establish what the team's expectation is. It's not a good mix to have very competitive players with recreational players as they don't have the same mindset unless that is established beforehand.

[9erempiree]

Also, I want to be a virtual coach for the OP's team.

May I suggest implementing the Amoeba Zone defense? 113 Zone and since this is a company league, there are going to be a lot of missed shots, play zone and take advantage of the missed shots. Force them to shoot over you guys. Stay in front of a player with the zone and nobody will get blown by.

113 Zone is a very advance scheme but if implemented you can get a lot of steals and fast break buckets.

It's very deceptive and you can use it to throw the other team off guard.

[Bosnian Sajo]

Also, I want to be a virtual coach for the OP's team.

May I suggest implementing the Amoeba Zone defense? 113 Zone and since this is a company league, there are going to be a lot of missed shots, play zone and take advantage of the missed shots. Force them to shoot over you guys. Stay in front of a player with the zone and nobody will get blown by.

113 Zone is a very advance scheme but if implemented you can get a lot of steals and fast break buckets.

It's very deceptive and you can use it to throw the other team off guard.

stfuuuuuuuu

[gigantes]

It depends on the culture of the team and the expectations. I play in a league that has a mix of teams, some corporate and some not. A good portion of them are competitive while some of them are more team building and recreational. Some of the companies have a lot of type a very competitive people (like google). It's important to establish what the team's expectation is. It's not a good mix to have very competitive players with recreational players as they don't have the same mindset unless that is established beforehand.
excellent response IMO.

i'm typically intense and focused in any sport i play, but i long ago learned to try to let most behavior go for rec-level stuff. not to mention, there's usually such a weird mix of different player-types that it seems best to view it more as a chance for exercise and comedy than anything else.

tournaments and serious leagues are a whole different game, of course.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Count_von_Count_kneeling.png

having said that, i've found it useful and socially acceptable to sometimes channel my annoyance at teammates in to running facetiousness / mockery, like saying loudly in his direction: "OH! and there's bill playing matador defense TWO TIMES in a row! can we make it THREE TIMES in a row...? YES!! hahahaha"

[imdaman99]

:biggums: Aren't you a James Harden fanboy? :roll:

[Rake2204]

It depends on the culture of the team and the expectations. I play in a league that has a mix of teams, some corporate and some not. A good portion of them are competitive while some of them are more team building and recreational. Some of the companies have a lot of type a very competitive people (like google). It's important to establish what the team's expectation is. It's not a good mix to have very competitive players with recreational players as they don't have the same mindset unless that is established beforehand.^^Yep. Rec. leagues are a super mix bag when it comes to knowing what you're going to get from surrounding personnel, especially if it's a crew made up of people you never really knew beforehand.

I've played with some rec. clubs whose goal was to win above all else, no matter what. I've also played with some rec. clubs who clearly wanted to win, but fully understood/embraced the relative un-importance of the result, acknowledging they were just a bunch of random adults playing random games of basketball for fun.

It's kind of tough to accurately comment on the situation at hand in the original post though. Sometimes it's just going to be tough to find other recreational players who want to push themselves to the verge of throwing up each game. I love basketball and I love hard work, but pushing so far, all the time, to the point of feeling I'm going to be sick is a little too much for me at this point in my life (i.e. the rec basketball point of my life).

To be honest, even in recreational leagues featuring former NBA and DI players, the full-game defensive effort (and other effort things) is a step or two below from mostly anything I saw while playing true organized basketball.

Also, will sound super obvious but... giving effort on all those in-between basketball things (getting back on defense, filling lanes even if you know the ball's not coming to you, helping on D) is the hardest stuff to do on the court. So as people get out of basketball shape (even skinny guys who jog or play a little ball here are there can still be out of basketball shape), that's often the first thing to go.

[TheMan]

Depends on what you call chewing him out.

Like did you literally yell at him like a mad man? If you did, that ain't good IMO. Grown men shouldn't be screaming at other grown men. Personally, I don't take to well being yelled at and I've quickly let the dude trying to dog me that I ain't his bitch, that he could take that show somewhere else :lol

I would've taken a different approach, I would've told the dude in front of everyone "bro come on, you gotta hustle out there, your man is making us all look bad"...something along those lines.

I agree with 9er, you don't want to be that guy who tries way too hard though. When I was single living in California, I worked at family run business, about 40 people in all and we played friendly pickup games after work and there was this guy who for some reason would make it his mission to play verrrry hard against me, bodying me up, always hand guarding me very aggressively, I've no idea why. I was among the better players but he always went extra hard against me. He later got a bad rep from that because he also gave me dirty shots when I'd beat him to the rim or made a jumper in his face :oldlol: Co workers would tell him to chill the fvck up. You don't want to be that guy.

[Lebron23]

Who picked the players? I learned from my mistakes And only picked good and hard working players for my team.

[imdaman99]

http://i66.tinypic.com/np2qg0.jpg

We are the champions my friends... we'll keep on fighting till the end :djparty

Just won a chip in a 30+ league :oldlol:

[pastis]

http://i66.tinypic.com/np2qg0.jpg

We are the champions my friends... we'll keep on fighting till the end :djparty

Just won a chip in a 30+ league :oldlol:

congrats dude. this is indeed a nice trophy. lol, seriously, do you won an important league or so?

when i was young, i remember that we got just little trophys for winning football tournaments/leagues :biggums:

[dunksby]

http://i66.tinypic.com/np2qg0.jpg

We are the champions my friends... we'll keep on fighting till the end :djparty

Just won a chip in a 30+ league :oldlol:
Lmfao @ your right arm getting extended by your friend's.

[Lebron23]

http://i66.tinypic.com/np2qg0.jpg

We are the champions my friends... we'll keep on fighting till the end :djparty

Just won a chip in a 30+ league :oldlol:


Congrats Brah

[Clifton]

After that take them for beers and ask everyone, are we in this to win or in this to have fun? If they want to win then guide them to how to win. After that point it's fair game to put anyone on blast.
Great advice.

[UK2K]

:biggums: Aren't you a James Harden fanboy? :roll:
Yes, but P Bev is my favorite player in the league.

Perfect example of someone who wasn't all that great at basketball, but gave 100% effort every second on the court. That's commendable.

[Godzuki]

honestly i get the feeling you were being hard on the guy because you're competitive where effort wasn't the issue as much as his lack of athleticism. i've seen it all too often where some super competitive dude is yelling at some clumsy dude getting abused by someone better. and the competitive guys always think its a lack of effort when iin reality you're going to get abused if you aren't quick against someone quick or not tall against someone tall in bball.

super competitive people have a false sense of reality thinking everything equates to effort when in reality a lot of it comes down to athleticism.

[UK2K]

honestly i get the feeling you were being hard on the guy because you're competitive where effort wasn't the issue as much as his lack of athleticism. i've seen it all too often where some super competitive dude is yelling at some clumsy dude getting abused by someone better. and the competitive guys always think its a lack of effort when iin reality you're going to get abused if you aren't quick against someone quick or not tall against someone tall in bball.

super competitive people have a false sense of reality thinking everything equates to effort when in reality a lot of it comes down to athleticism.

That was the reason I went off. We are the same height, same weight, except I am about 6 years older than him and smoke like a freight train.

This is our third game, so I know he is absolutely capable of getting back on defense. He obviously wasn't tired, cause if he was, he should have checked himself out.

It's not even about athleticism in this case... when I say his man beat him down the court, I mean his man jogged slightly faster than he did. As we set up on defense, these two would be the last ones down the court, and once his man had him behind him, he could basically slow down and walk straight to the basket to receive a pass over the top.

Switching wasn't an option, because I make it my job to guard the opposing team's best player, regardless of size or speed.

I mean, the truth is, when 80% of the team is going 100% and one person isn't, they stick out like a sore thumb and there's no way to hide it.

[Rake2204]

http://i66.tinypic.com/np2qg0.jpg

We are the champions my friends... we'll keep on fighting till the end :djparty

Just won a chip in a 30+ league :oldlol:Wow, that's a heck of a rec. league trophy. I'm supposing you just get your team name stamped on the front there and it stays in-house?

Pretty cool either way. Our rec. league trophy was really, really wack by comparison.

[CavaliersFTW]

If ANYONE tries to give up on a play it had better be on the offensive end. I'll chew out, or at the very least call out anyone who gives up on the defensive end - no you're not wrong, doesn't matter what level of competition is. If you can't compete in a sport then don't play in it period. I always tell people on our team if you're tired or frustrated sub out. If you can't sub out, hang back to stop fast breaks and protect the basket. That's the last place where effort should decline. Same with rebounding - even if you're too tired to jump body up and BOX OUT. I would hate to have teammates do what you said in OP it'd ruin the game for everyone.

[plowking]

I'm guilty of this. A lot.

I only really play as hard as the other team. The only time I'll really give an effort is if there is someone on the other team that is halfway decent.

[UK2K]

I'd tell you to "go f*ck yourself", and laugh in your face if you tried that shit around me.

You're some piece of shit in a work tournament, not a basketball player. You have no authority to tell me or anyone else how to play.

You're not getting paid. You're not a professional. Get f*cked.

Why? If you don't want to give effort, then simply don't play. What's the motivation in ruining everyone else's game because you want to be lazy?

You act like me telling someone to put effort into a basketball game is some sort of giant insult.

How do you make it in the real world? "Insert DVD now? Who the **** do you think you are Redbox? You can't tell me what to do".

[CavaliersFTW]

Why? If you don't want to give effort, then simply don't play. What's the motivation in ruining everyone else's game because you want to be lazy?

You act like me telling someone to put effort into a basketball game is some sort of giant insult.

How do you make it in the real world? "Insert DVD now? Who the **** do you think you are Redbox? You can't tell me what to do".
This.

There are situations where the competitiveness is toned down. Playing against girls, kids, older players respectfully trying to avoid injury (40+) people who are clearly not as good and are sort of learning to play. Most of these situations are pick up style games, not reffed, often not full court. There are definitely situations where it's obvious criticism and competitiveness coming out isn't appropriate.

But most any sort of reffed full court 5 on 5 with grown men ages 20-35 tends to become a real competition. If it's that kind of game you can't be out there giving up on defense and rebounding when down by 10. At least try, otherwise why are you trying to play against other grown men who wanted some competition? Just ruins it for everyone on the floor.

[Jameerthefear]

A couple of tryhards in here :oldlol:

[CavaliersFTW]

A couple of tryhards in here :oldlol:
You're a child what the hell do you know about trying :oldlol:

[Jameerthefear]

You're a child what the hell do you know about trying :oldlol:
What kind of weak ass response was this dude? :oldlol: Go back to the drawing board. I'm sick as **** of bullying the hell out of you.

[highwhey]

https://www.tacomaworld.com/attachments/img_3963-jpg.829802/

[CavaliersFTW]

What kind of weak ass response was this dude? :oldlol: Go back to the drawing board. I'm sick as **** of bullying the hell out of you.
You're ISH's resident Barney Fife

http://www.jeffs60s.com/images/barney_fife.jpg

Fiesty, meek and harmless.

[Jailblazers7]

Only thing worse than not trying is being the petulant child throwing a tantrum with his team because he is losing.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Some new girl has been playing at our gym. She's kinda cute but horrible at ball. Big liability as a teammate but she does put in effort. She's trying to learn the game, I respect that more than the dudes who think they can shoot every time they get the ball (those dudes who shoot like insanely deep 3s but feel they have to take a 1/2 way to halfcourt after they made one of them :rolleyes:). My gym is full of these fools.

[CavaliersFTW]

You started a thread bitching about it, so you clearly think it's insulting to not play 100% in a stupid game. Then you tried to shit on a dude because of it. I highly doubt you're diving for loose balls.

It's a game that doesn't matter, you chode. You cannot tell someone how to play and enjoy themselves in an after work basketball game. Maybe the guy has fun just being on the court, jogging around, and hanging out with people from work?

Go f*cking play tennis or golf where you can take it as seriously as you want. You're just an inadequate buttmunch who's trying to assert dominance in a meaningless basketball game.

You're not getting paid. No money is on the line. You're not getting scouted. You're not a professional. You're not a student athlete who's education comes from playing well.
OP clearly described the type of players who AREN'T out there having fun, the antithesis of fun actually they're out there having a miserable time which is exactly why they gave up and as a result are poisoning the well for everyone else by throwing in the towel prematurely. In a team game where 4 other people are still playing and relying on them to at least try until the end.

People who deliberately poison the well deserve to be called out.

[Lebron23]

Besides this is a company league. The talent levels of good players is kinda rare.

[Jameerthefear]

You're ISH's resident Barney Fife

http://www.jeffs60s.com/images/barney_fife.jpg

Fiesty, meek and harmless.
Do you like everything black and white? You incompetent f*ck

[JohnFreeman]

You are not in the NBA, and you are not making it to he NBA

chill

[Rake2204]

There are situations where the competitiveness is toned down. Playing against girls, kids, older players respectfully trying to avoid injury (40+) people who are clearly not as good and are sort of learning to play. Most of these situations are pick up style games, not reffed, often not full court. There are definitely situations where it's obvious criticism and competitiveness coming out isn't appropriate.

But most any sort of reffed full court 5 on 5 with grown men ages 20-35 tends to become a real competition. If it's that kind of game you can't be out there giving up on defense and rebounding when down by 10. At least try, otherwise why are you trying to play against other grown men who wanted some competition? Just ruins it for everyone on the floor.With complete absolute respect, and I don't mean this as some kind of condemnation by any means, but I've seen a fair amount of footage from your rec. league games and while I really like the effort you put in individually, your league as a whole seems to be comprised of a lot of guys doing lazy things for a large portion of the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD1GMeezNpg

A lot of standing around idly on offense, one defender standing at mid-court not even 10 seconds into the video, only one player (kinda two) bothering to box out on the play after that (followed by a teammate casually walking upcourt as a halfcourt set unfolds at the other end), followed by another guy walking back on defense following the turnover (as a dude from the other team walks as well), so on and so forth. And that all appears to be from the game's opening minutes.

But you know what? That's okay, because that's the nature of a loooooooooooooooot of rec leagues out there.

It doesn't mean players aren't competitive and it doesn't mean people don't want to win really badly. But when you're dealing with adults who no longer play and practice for high school or college teams on a day-to-day basis, you're often going to get a drop in a couple of things 1) Teammates that are in great basketball shape and 2) Teammates who still hold the discipline and mental training to push themselves when they start feeling fatigue.

I think I said this already but the honest truth is, even when playing former DI guys and even a few former NBA guys, there still tends to be some slacking at various points of the game. I'd like to think our games always ended up in the 70-90 range because we were offensive killers, but it's more likely due to the general skew toward one side of the ball in rec games.

Obviously, that doesn't mean outright quitting or giving up is acceptable, because that's kind of lame, but sometimes full effort from everyone in a meaningless rec. game just isn't going to happen. And I say that as someone who called out a friend for a lackluster effort in a pick-up run the other week.

[stalkerforlife]

If you're playing...play. Don't be a bitch.

But dude may just be really out of shape and incapable of getting up and down the court. Even skinny dudes can be really out of basketball shape.

[Rake2204]

But dude may just be really out of shape and incapable of getting up and down the court. Even skinny dudes can be really out of basketball shape.^^True words, and I say that from experience.

My weight tends to stay pretty consistent but if I'm out of the game for a few weeks, I'm pretty much dead 10 minutes in on my first night back. And the first thing to go in that case, most often, is my ability to push myself through the agony.

After falling even slightly out of shape, it takes a lot to convince myself to do the super small things in that case, like filling the lane after every turnover, even if my teammate appears to have a wide open layup. So I can understand how random rec. leagues are going to be filled with folks who struggle to push themselves over that edge - it's one of the hardest parts of the game.

I think I tend to expect a certain level of effort, nothing outrageously egregious, but I can't say I expect and demand 100% from everyone at all times in random leagues. It'd be nice, but rec. league is rec. league. Even high school games contained an infinite amount more discipline, consistent effort, lockdown, energy, etc.

[CavaliersFTW]

With complete absolute respect, and I don't mean this as some kind of condemnation by any means, but I've seen a fair amount of footage from your rec. league games and while I really like the effort you put in individually, your league as a whole seems to be comprised of a lot of guys doing lazy things for a large portion of the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD1GMeezNpg

A lot of standing around idly on offense, one defender standing at mid-court not even 10 seconds into the video, only one player (kinda two) bothering to box out on the play after that (followed by a teammate casually walking upcourt as a halfcourt set unfolds at the other end), followed by another guy walking back on defense following the turnover (as a dude from the other team walks as well), so on and so forth. And that all appears to be from the game's opening minutes.

But you know what? That's okay, because that's the nature of a loooooooooooooooot of rec leagues out there.

It doesn't mean players aren't competitive and it doesn't mean people don't want to win really badly. But when you're dealing with adults who no longer play and practice for high school or college teams on a day-to-day basis, you're often going to get a drop in a couple of things 1) Teammates that are in great basketball shape and 2) Teammates who still hold the discipline and mental training to push themselves when they start feeling fatigue.

I think I said this already but the honest truth is, even when playing former DI guys and even a few former NBA guys, there still tends to be some slacking at various points of the game. I'd like to think our games always ended up in the 70-90 range because we were offensive killers, but it's more likely due to the general skew toward one side of the ball in rec games.

Obviously, that doesn't mean outright quitting or giving up is acceptable, because that's kind of lame, but sometimes full effort from everyone in a meaningless rec. game just isn't going to happen. And I say that as someone who called out a friend for a lackluster effort in a pick-up run the other week.
^Well I do agree - during the flow of a game you pick your moments when to exert effort and not everyone exerts their effort in the same way. Particularly if you have little to no subs and need to conserve energy.

However, OP described a sort of end of game scenario. I feel like in the last few minutes of a game that you have a deficit that seems winnable (down by 10 with 4 to go seems winnable to me), everyone sharpens up, tries to communicate more about rebounds and defense, and exerts more effort. Maybe I'm giving too much credit though.

[Draz]

I'm skinny and I'm out of shape. I've seen out of shape skinny guys all the time who can't even play full court. With proper training and shit sure they can change that faster than anyone else.

I'm just that guy that shoot threes. I'm pretty great at it, especially corner threes I'm automatic. That's what I was known for.

[Rake2204]

^Well I do agree - during the flow of a game you pick your moments when to exert effort and not everyone exerts their effort in the same way. Particularly if you have little to no subs and need to conserve energy.

However, OP described a sort of end of game scenario. I feel like in the last few minutes of a game that you have a deficit that seems winnable (down by 10 with 4 to go seems winnable to me), everyone sharpens up, tries to communicate more about rebounds and defense, and exerts more effort. Maybe I'm giving too much credit though.Yeah, there's a lot of variables at play. There's obviously a chance the defender mentioned in the original post was just being a lazy ignoramus. But then maybe he just got beat by someone better (and out-working someone is, in fact, a basketball skill).

As for sharpening up in end-of-game scenarios, yeah, that's definitely a thing, even in random pick-up games. But without knowing how deep the roster was, how good that defender really was, how badly he was beat, the tone of the league, and so many other things, it's hard to tell what the answer is for a moment when a team is down 10 with 10 minutes left in the half (assuming 20 minute halves). And tougher still to know whether chewing him out was the right call.

Either way, to be honest, even when I watch and participate in rec. league games where there's a 9-man bench, people still do the occasional walk-back-on-defense stuff, the poor helpside, and all the other things in your video to a degree. And those are bad, unacceptable habits. So much of that stuff in your vid would never, ever fly in even prep ball, but it's the strange nature of the beast for most rec. stuff. It's serious competition with mutually accepted spats of laziness covered with "picking one's moments", haha.

[dunksby]

I'm just jelly of y'all who can play team ball every now and then, I haven't been able to find peeps to play with for a year now.

[imdaman99]

congrats dude. this is indeed a nice trophy. lol, seriously, do you won an important league or so?

when i was young, i remember that we got just little trophys for winning football tournaments/leagues :biggums:
Thanks bro :cheers: Well, they take it seriously but like I said, it's 30+ age league. That doesn't mean everyone is 30 or over, our best player is 27 but it's based on salary cap. Everyone is given a rating and we can't exceed a certain amount. We are losing our 2 best players :lol No dynasties happen.

Lmfao @ your right arm getting extended by your friend's.
Lol just noticed that now. Optical illusions :oldlol:

Congrats Brah
Couldn't have done it without ya :cheers:

Wow, that's a heck of a rec. league trophy. I'm supposing you just get your team name stamped on the front there and it stays in-house?

Pretty cool either way. Our rec. league trophy was really, really wack by comparison.
Yeah, we get our name stamped in. It's kinda like the Stanley Cup, it will stay with us for a season and there are 2 seasons a year. I think our captain took it home. We all get to keep the little ones that the guy in the front is holding... small but I don't need a big trophy :pimp:
These guys were all in and committed. 1 dude took 3 charges last night in the championship game and his defense in the regular season sucked. We all made sacrifices. I was just a 3 and D guy. Put a bunch of stars on my island and on milk cartons in the playoffs, 3 to be exact :rockon:

[UK2K]

Besides this is a company league. The talent levels of good players is kinda rare.
The guy who runs the league is a former Purdue PF.

Not your average company, there's plenty of dudes who played college ball. There's also a lot of guys who are complete ass, but the games have been competitive for the most part.

Wouldn't you know it, for some odd hall reason, I actually ran into the guy at work on Friday (literally never knew where he worked until yesterday). We didn't mention the game, but he was friendly. I don't think he took it to hard, because I'm pretty sure he knew I was right.

[UK2K]

You are not in the NBA, and you are not making it to he NBA

chill

You should have a desire to excel in everything you do. I won't play in the NBA, but if I make a commitment to a team, I'm giving 100% every time.

I feel like that same attitude should be more common, and should be present in everything you do in life.

[dunksby]

You should have a desire to excel in everything you do. I won't play in the NBA, but if I make a commitment to a team, I'm giving 100% every time.

I feel like that same attitude should be more common, and should be present in everything you do in life.
You expect too much from civilians.

[Rake2204]

You should have a desire to excel in everything you do. I won't play in the NBA, but if I make a commitment to a team, I'm giving 100% every time.

I feel like that same attitude should be more common, and should be present in everything you do in life.I respect your approach, but I don't know if going 100% in every single thing in life at every single moment is advisable for all people. It sounds like it'd have potential to set up a life full of non-step stress, always having to go 100% and striving for greatness no matter how trivial the matter. In my experience, those are sometimes the folks I'd rather not play Monopoly with.

Anyway, in terms of rec. ball, yeah maybe that guy was just being an over-lazy tool. But I think that's always going to be present to some degree when you're playing a game for fun. If you break it down, there's really not a lot at stake beyond the artificial means of superiority over the strangers you're competing against on the other side. And as the games become more and more meaningless (i.e. most games played beyond high school and college) people oftentimes focus on the joy of playing the game itself, as opposed to punishing their bodies to 110% exertion and whatnot.

Even if CavaliersFTW's case, when he came in saying he expects his team to give a full effort, their effort still fell wayyy short of full (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD1GMeezNpg). Getting 100% even out of former college ball players often just isn't going to happen at that level. Even when I'm in tip top shape, there were still moments each game, if rare, where I could honestly say to myself, "If this were real basketball when I played for a real team, my coach would have never let me not hustle back that last play."

TL;DR - No matter how hard people say they want to play in rec. ball, 99% of folks cut corners a lot of the time.

Either way, I have my limits when it comes to teammates not working hard or playing like phonies (jacking up 30 footers to no avail, zero effort, etc.) I just know better than to try to push for 100 percent effort for the entire duration of the game, including every single facet (peerless rotation, never jogging during transition, never passing then standing idle, all four guys sprinting down behind me when I'm en route to a wide open breakaway layup) since recreational situations are undoubtedly more casual than formerly more official settings.