Why I'm Not in the NBA Right Now

I played basketball in the elementary school league in the second-through-fifth grades, in the league for players not good enough for the school team in seventh and eight grade, and in the B and C intramural leagues in college. (My team won a C-league championship my senior year.) Every season, with every new team, my coach or team captain took a look at me and decided, "Tinley's overweight and he's the slowest guy on the team, so there's no way he can play guard."

Thus I was always a forward (and occasionally a center when I was in elementary school). I had to dart in and out of the lane trying to get open. In the very rare instances when I could actually shake a defender, I had to spot up and shoot, kick the ball back out, or post up and get my shot blocked.

Lately, after playing several pick-up games with people at work, I've discovered that I am a guard—I'm a two guard. I create my own shots. Don't make me run inside and out; and don't make me post up. Just give me the ball on the perimeter and let me do my thing. I can take you off the dribble, or I can shoot the ball in your face. I may be slow, but I have moves and a sweet jumper.

I really think that, if my coaches recognized my guard skills early on, I'd be in the league right now. But alas, I'll have to be content playing pick-up games after work.