God to retire, unless Battier intervenes

[BD80]

If anyone in the NBA is worthy of such a conversation, it would be Shane

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24506081/shane-battier-says-it-would-take-an-act-of-god-for-him-to-not-retire

My favorite:

For Battier, this will be his 13th season but you have to calculate those in Battier years. Because the guy throws his body around, taking charges, defending bigger players, diving for loose balls -- all that stuff.

[Bob Green]

All Things Must Pass

[Indoor66]

Battier is just a winner. No hops, no speed, no ESPN highlights, just a winner. Ask the Heat what they think - players or management. Ask them in Houston or Memphis. Battier is welcome back wherever he has been. How many can say that? We are lucky he is family.

[devildeac]

All Things Must Pass

It does kind of make me think of this:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebtC3ORg9fU

[chrishoke]

It does kind of make me think of this:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebtC3ORg9fU

Sunrise doesnt't't last all morning
A cloudburst doesnt't't last all day
Seems my love is up and has left you with no warning
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away

Sunset doesnt't't last all evening
A mind can blow those clouds away
After all this, my love is up and must be leaving
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away
All things must pass
None of lifes strings can last
So, I must be on my way
And face another day

Now the darkness only stays the night-time
In the morning it will fade away
Daylight is good at arriving at the right time
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away
All things must pass
All things must pass away

Love you Shane.

[roywhite]

Student of religion that Shane is, he no doubt knows the passage from Ecclesiastes:
**this from the King James version, which Shane has probably favored since being in Miami ;)

To Everything There is a Season

1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

[UrinalCake]

This block has to be my all-time favorite Duke play, ever


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BPWFQPrFLs

[devildeac]

This block has to be my all-time favorite Duke play, ever


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BPWFQPrFLs

That is pretty damned impressive/memorable, all things considered. Even better than his "gazelle on the horizon" block from behind on the Forte fast break.

[Son of Jarhead]

That is pretty damned impressive/memorable, all things considered. Even better than his "gazelle on the horizon" block from behind on the Forte fast break.

Here's your gazelle, DD: http://youtu.be/Om7y5MhhjXE

[Rich]

That is pretty damned impressive/memorable, all things considered. Even better than his "gazelle on the horizon" block from behind on the Forte fast break.

I'll leave it to someone else to find the clip, but the most impressive (and important) Battier play in the championship game against Arizona IMHO was his backhanded tip in near the end of the game.

[brevity]

Unsubtle reminder: the 2016 Iowa Caucus is in 646 days.

4043

(Source (http://blog.dukeblueplanet.com/2013/01/shane-for-president/))

[Rich]

I'll leave it to someone else to find the clip, but the most impressive (and important) Battier play in the championship game against Arizona IMHO was his backhanded tip in near the end of the game.

Found it myself. Check the clip here -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8uMlmc8xyA -- beginning at the 1:08:36 mark. And the replay at 1:09:35. Play of the game...and truly gazelle-esque.

[J4Kop99]

I'm not trying to derail this thread but I would love to know Shane's take on the whole "to pay or not to pay" NCAA v. "student-athlete" debate. Has he come out with an opinion on the topic? His opinion is one I would value greatly.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Unsubtle reminder: the 2016 Iowa Caucus is in 646 days.

4043

(Source (http://blog.dukeblueplanet.com/2013/01/shane-for-president/))
Shane is not allowed to enter politics. I enjoy him too much as a person to get into some argument either defending or fighting against his policies. Although, it would be fun to see some Tarheels out polling for him.

[Emerrick]

Found it myself. Check the clip here -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8uMlmc8xyA -- beginning at the 1:08:36 mark. And the replay at 1:09:35. Play of the game...and truly gazelle-esque.

Damn. I almost shed a tear watching that team as it sent chills down my spine. It seems just like yesterday. I doubt we'll ever be able to put another group of kids on the court that will be that good. Flat out amazing at every position. No wonder we won...

[Henderson]

Shane is not allowed to enter politics.

Count on it.

[bedeviled]

Here's the pic I made last year:
http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3235&d=1362506981
BUUUUUUUUUUT, this year I'm kind of hoping his next job will be helping to coach a college team that could stand to improve its defense.

[moonpie23]

i could definitely see "coach battier"…..

[JBDuke]

Interestingly, as we get closer to the date when Shane moves into his post-playing life, I was watching CBS's "Face the Nation" this morning, and without straying into public policy territory, one of the panelists (Gwen Ifill, maybe?) mentioned that she had been talking to some of the folks that try to draft prominent members of society into public service. She noted that folks who are looking to make a difference in people's lives are eschewing federal service due to the perceived inability to make a difference there. Instead, they are working through local governments and through private foundations to make their mark.

I could see Shane doing something similar. His home town, Detroit, could use strong leadership in helping to forge a path out of their current situation.

[Henderson]

I could see Shane doing something similar. His home town, Detroit, could use strong leadership in helping to forge a path out of their current situation.

Shane was born and grew up in Birmingham, MI, not Detroit, and he played his high school ball in Beverly Hills, MI. Both Birmingham and Beverly Hills are nice suburbs of Detroit, not Detroit. I mention that only because the "current situation" you mention regarding Detroit is not the situation being experienced by the suburbs.

The current mayor of Detroit, Mike Duggan, only recently moved in from the suburbs (Livonia), reportedly so he could run for mayor. But he attended Detroit Central Catholic High. As far as I know, Shane has never lived, worked, or gone to school in Detroit. And one of the biggest most important challenges for that metro area is figuring out how to meld the city of Detroit with the suburbs that flourished in the late 1950s and 1960s for reasons that we all understand. People in the city need the suburbs, and the suburbanites need the city. But they are wary of one another.

Still, you might be onto something.

Edit: I should have pointed out that Detroit Central Catholic is also located in a suburb: Novi.

[CameronDuke]

Thanks for the memories, Shane. To this day, Shane remains my all time favorite player to suit up in a Duke uniform and the standard by which the coaching staff judges leadership on the floor. He will be successful at anything he chooses to do the rest of his life. He exemplifies what winning is.

[dukelifer]

Damn. I almost shed a tear watching that team as it sent chills down my spine. It seems just like yesterday. I doubt we'll ever be able to put another group of kids on the court that will be that good. Flat out amazing at every position. No wonder we won...

You forget how much talent was on the floor that night. Shane was amazing. Just did all the little things. Lebron owes his legacy to Shane - he did all the little things needed to bring two more titles to Miami.

[fuse]

While I do have a sense of humor, I find the thread title objectionable.

[BD80]

While I do have a sense of humor, I find the thread title objectionable.

Title didn't start that way. Even my sense of humor has some boundaries.

(of course I did posit that Shane was of sufficient stature to converse with the Almighty)

[Mike Corey]

Given Battier's looming retirement, I thought this would be a good time to revisit this piece on Battier from Michael Lewis, "The No-Stats All-Star (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)."

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/02/15/magazine/15battier.1-500.jpg


Battier’s game is a weird combination of obvious weaknesses and nearly invisible strengths. When he is on the court, his teammates get better, often a lot better, and his opponents get worse — often a lot worse. He may not grab huge numbers of rebounds, but he has an uncanny ability to improve his teammates’ rebounding. He doesn’t shoot much, but when he does, he takes only the most efficient shots. He also has a knack for getting the ball to teammates who are in a position to do the same, and he commits few turnovers. On defense, although he routinely guards the N.B.A.’s most prolific scorers, he significantly I'm a real wanker for saying this.reduces their shooting percentages. At the same time he somehow improves the defensive efficiency of his teammates — probably, Morey surmises, by helping them out in all sorts of subtle ways. “I call him Lego,” Morey says. “When he’s on the court, all the pieces start to fit together. And everything that leads to winning that you can get to through intellect instead of innate ability, Shane excels in. I’ll bet he’s in the hundredth percentile of every category.”

[CameronBornAndBred]

Given Battier's looming retirement, I thought this would be a good time to revisit this piece on Battier from Michael Lewis, "The No-Stats All-Star (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)."

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/02/15/magazine/15battier.1-500.jpg

Since he'll have extra time on his hands now, maybe he can go do a photoshoot with me, he'd make an excellent portrait. All my models are volunteers though, I don't pay, so he'd have to settle for a free painting in trade. ;)

P.S. Love the Lego nickname, haha

[Mike Corey]

Shane may not be interested, but I bet NDotSmitty is game:

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--QBfCK3qf--/c_fit,w_320/18j5i1ol8p9lajpg.jpg

[CameronBornAndBred]

Shane may not be interested, but I bet NDotSmitty is game:

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--QBfCK3qf--/c_fit,w_320/18j5i1ol8p9lajpg.jpg

That would work too, haha. And I do nudes! But I only work from my own photos, so he'll have to strip again. I actually have already painted Nolan though. Too bad I never took any of Battier playing.
4050