CALL ME SNAKE

It's the middle of summer, with the All-Star Game fast upon us, so thoughts naturally turn to basketball. In extolling the virtues of a player, pundits often talk about his (or her) ability to "move without the ball." That's something I never understood. Or maybe I understand it all too well. I never had much of a basketball career, but when I did play (back in junior high school), the thing I did best was move without the ball. In fact, I can't remember ever touching the ball in a game situation. Maybe my teammates didn't trust me (what we now call a "trust issue"), thinking perhaps that I'd grab the ball, run out of the gym, and never look back. For whatever reason, I became pretty accomplished at moving without the ball.

I'm confident, moreover, that if I ever made it to the NBA, I could make a name for myself with that same skill. You can be sure that Dwyane Wade and Shaq would never pass the ball to me. With some practice, I'm sure I could be the best there ever was at moving without the ball, possibly earning a Hall of Fame berth. I realize the NBA draft is over, and my number has not been called, but Danny Ainge and other league executives ought to know there's another player ought there dying to break into the bigs, and unlike other show-offs lusting for their big shot, this guy promises not to hog the ball. In fact, if it comes toward me, I'll run.