Moving Without The Ball
Well, I knew that wasn’t going to work.
Now that the Fakers (I mean the Lakers) are officially out of the playoffs, a profound sense of doom has gripped our region. The mediaverse is saturated with second guessers, question-askers, and heartbroken denizens of LakerLand, all aghast that purple and gold are two colors that we won’t see in the National Basketball Association Postseason.
Part of me feels like Stephen A. Smith felt when the Cowboys lost earlier this year in the playoffs (watch here). Part of me is genuinely sad for Lebron James (whose skills on the court and contributions off the court are highly impressive), for this is the first time in his entire career that he will miss the playoffs. But part of me is wondering why anyone is surprised that this happened. I knew the acquisition of Russell Westbrook to the Laker lineup would go absolutely nowhere, as did many students of the game.
Students of the game knew it would not work because both Lebron James and Russell Westbrook are ball-dominant players. A ball dominant player is a player who is accustomed to having the ball in their hands. That means when they are on the court, they enjoy, prefer, and are accustomed to having the ball in their hands most of the time, to either shoot or pass. And both James and Westbrook are so good that you want them to have the ball in their hands. Unfortunately, neither of them seem to enjoy, prefer, or are accustomed to moving without the ball.
As someone who was not the star of his high school basketball team, and sat on the bench most games, I can provide expert testimony on how important it is to move without the ball. If you are not good enough to have the ball in your hands, the only way you are going to get to the ball is if you are open. And the only way you are going to open is if you move. So me and the lesser mortals on the Holy Trinity squad spent a lot time practicing how to get open. We learned L cuts, V cuts, back cuts and a whole host of schemes to make ourselves available, so if one of the stars who had the ball couldn’t find their shot, they could find us to get a better shot. Moving without the ball is a crucial skill that less talented players have to learn, which actually helps the team in the long run. While I’m sure both James or Westbrook learned this skill, they haven’t had to practice much during their professional careers, which is one reason why their pairing did not work. Two people can’t have the ball at the same time. And if I’m accustomed to having the ball and don’t get it, I either sulk, or just stand around.
Moving without the ball not only is a crucial skill in basketball. It is also a crucial skill in life. Once you stop moving the enemy can stop playing defense. We must all learn how to get open, even if we don’t have the ball. The “ball” is whatever you want but don’t currently have.
Your ball could be a relationship.
Your ball could be a job or a career.
Your ball could be a certain salary.
Your ball could be a dream house.
And sometimes we are tempted to envy the people who always seem to have the ball. Not only do they seems like they are “on the ball,” but they always seems to be “having a ball.” We all know people who are ball dominant. And far too often, when we don’t have the ball, we either sulk or just stand around.
Question: how long have you been sulking or just standing around because you don’t have the life you desire? Or dreamed about? Or prayed about?
Well, my friend, it’s time for you to start moving without the ball. You gotta make moves to get open. You must put yourself in a position to be blessed.
This is exactly what an unnamed woman did who desperately needed her body to be healed. She didn’t have what she wanted (her ball was healing), but she just didn’t sulk or stand around. Consider her strategy and the outcome of that strategy, both of which are outlined in Mark 5:26-29:
She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 29Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.
This woman moved without the ball for 12 years. She kept moving through disappointment, quack medicine and quack doctors, and false hope, But one day she heard about Jesus and made a back cut to get his attention. And she won.
Most observers assume that in order for the Lakers to win, someone is going to have to be traded, or one of their stars is going to have to change their game.
I don’t want to press the analogy too far, but someone reading this needs to change their game. You’ve been standing around and sulking because you don’t have the ball.
Get moving.
Get open.
Make it easier for God to bless you