[GETOFFMYDICKERSON] Body language in sports isn’t mystical. It can win or lose the next play

Yup, it's what fans of teams who've had him have pointed out as one of the most frustrating things about the guy.

 

time to trade katie and sultan of spin for wempie.

 

Superstars have huge egos.

 

He is who he is at this point, someone who needs another dude to drag him over the finish line.

 

Excellent article -- I believe psychology is a dramatically under-utilized discipline within athletics. Athletes work on form, they get in reps, they work on nutrition, they work on their physical fitness... but comparatively they spend a tiny percentage of time on their mental approach and their psychology/brains.

While many athletes are taught not to "think to much" when performing (which ironically benefits athletes who aren't real good at thinking to begin with), there are pivot points and situations in games (what the author calls micro wins/micro losses) where a thought improvement or body language improvement can have a meaningful impact on what comes next.

This is definitely an evolving area of study. There are mental coaches out there today, Brandon Guyer being a good example for baseball, that have programs. But these aren't 100% rooted in science. I'd love to see a Driveline equivalent (baseball) for the mental side of the game.


GOOD DAY

 

Mental toughness and body language say so much about you. Thank you for sharing the article.

 

The trade ****ed up the team chemistry, which was amazing a year ago. It's not hard to see...

 

Well we better ask KD’s mom to tell him to fix his body language, because he sure af isn’t going to listen to us..

 

Who on the team has solid body language when things don't go their way?

IMO, Amen, Reed, FVV, and Adams all do.

Of course half of those guys are out for the season.

 

What about when you throw your arms up, finger twirl, don’t get back, is that good body language?

 

He comes across just too entitled, all the fire from his 1st season is gone tbh. Another one who you could see from his body language whether or not he was going to suck or look like the second coming was Jalen. That kid needs to be studied for how wide a swing he has in ability based on his confidence. Some shrink could make their career with a case study like that lol.

 

imo... we have chemistry issues all over the place... and lack good communication.

Twittergate is a chicken or the egg scenario imo...
i understand KDs frustration....

We dont have a unifier... we dont have someone that can bring the guys together and help them work past issues.... I believe Adams is one of those guys... prob FVV too... but they aint playing....

I would hope that Ime could be that guy - but i dont think so... he's more of an authoritarian than "lets explore our feelings" - lol.

These guys dont even communicate to let their teammate know when someone is coming up to pick their pocket...

 

Eric Gordon was his only vet mentor. He never had a chance


my comments on KD in his first game with us lol

This is something our FO should have been aware of, I don’t think KD is great with a young team / non established stars. He’s supremely talented but doesn’t play with the intensity or demeanor you need from a star.

 

It's wild when you think we could also just superimpose the early posts of the Sengtards finding tiny little slights in every single decision and turning them into massive "issues" in their minds over that gif and it'd work just as perfectly...

 

Missing Adams is a huge problem for us. You don’t come any more solid than Aquaman when it comes to stoicism.
I also hate KD’s body language when he turns the damn ball over. The dude is kind of an enigma.

 

I don't think Kevin Durant is a leader, and while that's not ideal it's also okay. The best player on your team doesn't necessarily have to be its leader. Actually the very best players often have trouble relating to guys who aren't on their level.

But your coach must absolutely be a leader, and here we have a problem. Ime may be a great drill sergeant, but there's more to leadership than just badgering people. For me, the most fascinating part of the article was its focus on PGs as leaders, but here we have a coach who doesn't even use a PG - instead he forces Amen, KD, and Sengun to play that position instead of playing to their strengths. He doesn't put his team in a position to succeed.

It is well-recognized around the league that the Rockets punted at the trade deadline because Stone and Ime don't think this team can win it all - that they think the championship odds reduced to zero once Fred was injured. But I ask you, do leaders surrender? Do leaders make excuses? Or should they instead reorganize, adapt, and inspire?

Watching the Warriors whip us the other night, I was struck by the difference between Ime and Steve Kerr, but not just from an Xs & Os perspective. Watching Kerr beat us down with 36 year old Draymond Green, 39 year old Al Horford, and a bunch of nobodies, I was convinced that he believed in every single player he put on that floor and that they all believed in him. Can Ime and his players say the same of each other? Or are they just not good enough without Fred and Steven?

This team does have a lack of leadership, but KD's body language is the least of it I assure you.