Paris Scout Tells All 

By Godofredo Parra 

I may get fired for this. In that situation I still get paid 4 million for the next three years. After weighing this potential outcome I would readily welcome a three year vacation.  

So YOLO! 

I am going to break down how I evaluate a player looking at certain key attributes in building a winning team.  

I have broken this down into a few simple takeaways. 

1) Don’t be a foul machine. Look up your players stats per 36 minutes. If the player is averaging more than 3 fouls per game. Trade him. All this guy is doing is handing the other team free trips to the charity stripe. You don’t want a moving screen violation with the game on the line. These players cannot be counted on. On the other side if a player is averaging less than 2 fouls per 36 minutes. Hold onto him like gold. Even if he is not the best defender on paper he can still play defense without fouling. Often times a simple defensive stop is just as valuable as a steal or a block. 

2) If you can’t do it well, don’t do it at all. My father used to say if you don’t do it right you’ll have to do it twice. That applies to most things but not to shot attempts. If the player can’t shoot please don’t shoot twice. This is especially key when it comes to three point shooting. Check the players percentage. If the mark is below 35% and the player is taking more than two 3 pointers a game. Trade him. This guy is simply giving useless possessions away like naughty brochures in Vegas. 

3) Have at least one elite defender and scorer. You really don’t need five elite defenders to play good defense. You just need to have one or two versatile elite defenders and put them on the other teams best offensive players. Conversely you don’t need five great offensive players to have a good team offense. Just make sure one of those guys is unstoppable. 

4) The more athletic team usually wins. This is sports not a chess club. Just as in any neighborhood park the more athletic team can usually run and jump their way to victory regardless of the other teams cohesion and fundamentals. Also the team with better stamina usually wins overtime.  

5) Pass the ball. Passing is the most prized possession. It is like magic. You don’t know where it came from but somehow a pass can find a player wide open. It is the most beautiful thing to see in basketball. Jervan Timmons is the prototype for what one single player can do for a team when the offense moves through his hands. But there are other guys out there sitting on the bench who could be the fulcrum for an elite motion offense i.e. Earrlle Jackson in Edmonton. They are out there. 

6) Experiment. Play a power forward at shooting guard. Play a center at point guard. Mess around. The regular season is your chalkboard to experiment. 

Good luck! 

Godofredo