Wednesday, June 4, 2014

The Players' Poll: #15 Smo

The Brat's preamble: As you would imagine, every spot from here forward had plenty of variance, with the exception of no. 1. Smo's 15 spot no doubt hurts, but he did capture perhaps the most valuable of all the superlatives voted on by his peers. 

Voting Breakdown: highest vote: 11, lowest vote: 16

Lifetime PCTI record: 2-1, wins in the even numbered PCTIs with the one loss being the KD (kittens disaster)

Lifetime PCTI stats: 3.7 ppg (T-14 with his brother in arms at FreshPoint), 4.6 rpg (T-9, right square in the middle of the logjam in the battle for the title of PCTI's most average rebounder), 8 steals (14th), 12 blocks (3rd and behind two guys who have played all four PCTIs), 44 percent shooting (T-3, tied with Bruiser, kind of interesting since the two are often compared), SMO HAS NEVER ATTEMPTED A 3, NOT ONE! (for some perspective, the second lowest attempted threes is 21), and the all important Sabin Productivity Rating: 106 (12th)

Lifetime bests: 14 points (KD: PCTI 3, game 2), 11 rebounds (PCTI 2, game 4), 3 assists (several times)

Other notes: The fact that Smo hasn't even considered jacking up a three at any point in PCTI, especially in the dumpster fire that was year three, game four may be the greatest display of self discipline this side of A.C. Green's virginity. I hope if the time is right this year Smo lets one fly on a pick and pop, although I'm not holding my breath.

Smo was largely looked over when it came to the basketball related superlatives. He did get a vote for the guy who has played most above his skill level, which comes as a surprise to me. He also got one vote for being a favorite teammate. He probably deserved more here considering he passes constantly and is willing to sit on the bench for long periods of time. In my mind, that puts him well on his way to being the perfect PCTI teammate.


The biggest accolade here is that he captured perhaps the second greatest honor in this entire project (with being voted number one player obviously being the top.) He was chosen as the guy who most excels at the off-court activities. Smo got 23 percent of the vote and he probably deserved more considering there's not one part of the stuff outside of the hoops – big or small - that he doesn't dominate. Considering how much PCTI has evolved to be a social event, I think this is quite an honor and I'm not just saying this because he came in next-to-last in the rankings, though it does make it a less bitter pill to swallow. 

6 comments:

  1. I fully expect Smo to come out firing 3's like Manute Bol this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45czWPhWQOI&feature=kp

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  2. A bit surprised to see Smo at 15. I remain a big fan of his game and his personality. Willing passer, unselfish teammate, only takes good shots. A lot to like here. One of my favorite moments in PCTI is listening to BC and Smo hold a conversation about absolutely nothing. Bus driver swag, boy!

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  3. We didn't factor in that he got his braces off, he's probably riding a social high which might arguably make him more fun off the court. And he's got a girl too?! What can't this guy do? Besides shoot a 3. Or make it past 9pm. Or eat.

    Nevermind, still flawed.

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  4. Love Smo as an entertainer. He is a great entertainer but this spot does not surprise me. What we have to realize is this ranking is basically saying, who is the most skilled (mainly offensively). He is very valuable because he fills a role as a defender and rebounder and is a good chemistry guy.
    Similar to a Tiago Splitter, he can be more valuable to a particular team, than someone more skilled (ie Dwight Howard). Luckily, Smo has me to play the part of Tony Parker. Also, Smo is much sexier than Tiago.

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  5. A HOP crushing his boy per usual.

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