It seems to happen every other game, but often so quickly that the television cameras miss it.
The New York Knicks score and trot into the backcourt, except for Pablo Prigioni, who lingers. He lurks. Quietly, he stalks his man from behind. The ball is inbounded and Prigioni pounces, lunging to jar it loose and off the leg of the opponent. The ref signals: Knicks ball. It's the quintessential Prigioni play.
For two seasons, the wily Argentine veteran has been the best point guard on the Knicks. Granted, that means little on a team carrying Raymond Felton, but Prigioni earned the respect of the league as one of the best backups in the game. And yet he’s on the verge of losing his job to second-year pro Shane Larkin because of one factor: speed.
Ah, the allure of youth.
There’s no denying it: Prigioni is slow. Shane Larkin, on the other hand, is a blur. In a dead sprint, Larkin would blow Prigioni off the court.
But this isn’t track and field. Athleticism may be the most important asset in any basketball player’s arsenal, but it is far from everything.
What Prigioni lacks in explosiveness, ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Dennis Doyle
Age vs. Beauty: Why Prigioni Deserves the Nod over Larkin in Knicks Backcourt
October 28th, 2014 by Dennis Doyle Leave a reply »
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