How many perfect moments happen in life?

How many times do find yourself in those perfect situations, that go like this.

You’re a great shooter, the very best on the court, and the defense leaves you wide open on the wing.

or (for those non hoopers)

You and the girl/guy you’d love to talk to/date/marry just happen to be at the same place, at the same time, and there is no one around to interrupt you.

Those are just two examples, but If you’re really a great shooter and the person you’re pursuing is thought to be attractive by you, chances are neither of you will be left alone for very long.

So what do you do?

The Jordan Fadeaway

No coach in the world will tell you that taking a fadeaway jumper from 15 feet is a good shot unless your first name is Michael and your last name is Jordan.

Seeing MJ play in person multiple times, the degree of difficulty of said fadeaway was only magnified.

I would sit there in disbelief at how he contorted his body, leaning back so far at times that his shoulder blades seemed to run parallel with the floor.  Then with a flick of the wrist, the ball would more times than not finds its way safely to its home.

How many fadeaways did Jordan take in practice sessions before it became an unstoppable, go to move?

Surely thousands upon thousands.

A Trailblazer

Back in the late 90s, as a high school kid, my brother figured out something that very few ever learn and hardly any are ever taught.

He understood then, when he would go 42-of-50 from 3 pt land, that making 43 or 44 or even 50 would only give a marginal increase in percentages shooting the ball in the perfect situation.

He also understood that during the course of any game he might get three or four of those perfect situations at most.

So he asked the question most never will, why spend hours practicing for the perfect moment?

And hours upon hours he would spend.

During the summer after his sophomore year of high school, he’d routinely take 4,000-5,000 jumpers a week.

However, a nice slice of those were off the move or with his feet in weird positions.

He taught himself to makes shots under distress by preparing for the imperfect moments of the game.

He’d routinely stagger his feet the exact opposite way they should be, by placing his left foot far in front of his right foot and pull up for one jumper after the other.

He’d also spread his feet to uncomfortable widths and repeat over and over.

Keep in mind we were both self taught.  When the 90s were the freshest thing out, we wore out the rewind and play buttons on the VCR trying to learn the game we loved.  We came up before the days of Impact Basketball and Orlando Hoops training.

My brother was ahead of his time…make that IS ahead of his time.  I still don’t know anyone teaching this.

It’s unorthodox to say the least.

I don’t even do it myself despite his constant encouragement to do so.

He always tells me, “You don’t need to practice spot up shooting anymore.  You need to practice everything off the move.”

He usually continues with, ” we’ve made so many shots in our life, that we will always be the best shooters, at most any court, even if we don’t practice.”

In the context of most city courts, that is a very true statement.

Move Association

The Fadeaway, Killer Crossover, Dream Shake, Sky Hook.

If you’re a basketball junkie, then surely images of Jordan, Tim Hardaway, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, just caressed your memory.

They took something that most coaches, before them, would frown upon and made it something they feared and coveted.  

Through hard work Jordan, Hardaway, Olajuwon and Abdul Jabbar made the imperfect…perfect for them.

When Being Great at Something Isn’t Enough

Innovators who put thought to action have shaped, molded and changed our world since the beginning.

They’ve never just accepted the norm.  They pushed beyond it.

The asked why or rather, why not, and then offered a solution.

I’ve always wondered what the dialogue was like when Michael Jordan went to Phil Jackson and told him that he wanted to post up?  Sure more guards start in the post now, but then, it was very much big man land.  How did Phil not think, you’re freakin’ Michael Jordan, just Michael Jordan whoever’s guarding you and let’s let the big guys play the post.  Who knows, maybe Phil did push back at the idea.  Maybe MJ insisted.

He changed the game.

I believe we all innovate, but just a handful actually see it through.  The majority stop when the realization that success requires the innovator to get their hands dirty.  The majority fall back into what is comfortable and that’s why you only see one person doing the fadeaway efficiently (Kobe), and none doing the “dream shake” or sky hook.

God doesn’t make great shooters and legendary moves

If we’re talking just wide open shooting alone in a gym, there is no doubt in my mind that I can outshoot huge NBA names like LeBron James, John Wall, Dwight Howard and on and on and on.  (Due to my physical limitations, obviously that wouldn’t translate to NBA games or playing them one on one, but just the art of shooting the ball, I’ve got them.)

Making shots is something I’ve worked on my whole life.  It has more to do with the fact that I can’t do what James, Wall and Howard can do, than anything else.  And the reason they can’t shoot the ball like me, is because they can do what they do.

God blessed them with physical abilities and size.

But God doesn’t make great shooters and legendary moves.

Now I’m not saying those guys don’t work – so save the hate comments.  But there is a reason LeBron isn’t killing people in the post.  There is a reason Wall isn’t killing teams with jumpers.  There is a reason Dwight can’t make a 12-15 footer and shot 49% from the free throw line this year (and it’s not big hands or his height – all you excuse makers need to give that one up [see Dirk]).  There is also a reason all I can do well is shoot.

We fall back into what is comfortable.  We fear failure and yearn for success, so we do what has got us to wherever we are.

When I go to the gym I practice shooting.  I don’t work on moves off the dribble or going to the basket hard.  I try to get better at what I already do well because every time that ball swishes through the net, I’m getting positive reinforcement to do another.

I love watching LeBron, John and Dwight.  I love what they’re able to do on the court.  They routinely leave me in disbelief.  But imagine IF LeBron worked on his footwork and post moves.  Imagine IF LeBron, John, and Dwight could shoot the ball as well as me.

Against 90 percent of the teams/players they face, they will have their way, but the other 10 percent is the problem because that is where champions are found.  It’s a somewhat similar tale for me on a much different level of course.  Against everyday people like myself, my ability to make shots is almost unstoppable, until I face a higher level of competition (see the people I’ve played for this site*) or someone who just knows my game extremely well (see my brother).

The difference between them and me is that it’s not physical limitations keeping them from getting better, it’s a lot of hard work at something God didn’t give them.

The legendary ones are just as gifted as the above mentioned, but they chose to focus on the weakness rather than the strength.

They chose to create a solution before there was a problem.

Michael Jordan wanted to be prepared for any and everything the defense threw his way and he was, maybe not a first, but over time for sure.

That’s why he’s the greatest. 

Time for Change – me vs. the Pros

I’m not getting any younger.  Later this month, I’ll be every bit of 35.  Still young by life standards, but in the basketball world, well not even Kobe is moving the same these days (still elite though).

I’ve spent my entire basketball life working on making a high percentage of shots in the perfect situation.

I know I can shoot the ball well.  Pros know I can shoot the ball well.  Mark Cuban knows I can shoot the ball well.

That’s kind of the blessing and the problem at this point.

It’s too predictable.

It’s time to try something new.  It’s time for change.  It’s time to prepare for the imperfect moments.

How I’ll Prepare for the Imperfect Moments

“I always wanted to be comfortable in any situation.  Playing against bigger or quicker guys doesn’t always afford you an open look.  You gotta make an open look.  Shooting at unexpected times or with imperfect foot positioning makes you unpredictable.  From there what used to be predictable (spot ups) become second guesses for the defender.  Taking the defense off guard creates chaos in love and war.  I want them to panic when their best doesn’t stop me.  I want them to know it’s over before the score says so.  Your jump shot won’t leave you.  It’s just looking to grow.” – Bob Eller

So with that said, over the next month, I plan on introducing the following to my workouts to see what effect it will have on my game.

• Shooting with my feet in weird/uncomfortable positions
• Shooting at least 50% of my attempts off the move
• Working on my floater (both hands)

Will it make the difference against the pros?  Am I just over matched?

Time will tell, but it’s worth the work to find out.

**Please note that I only support the foot positioning drills once a firm foundation of excellence in shooting has been established.

What Will You Do?

So that’s what I’m off to do.

How about you?  What are you doing to make yourself more prepared for those imperfect moments in life?  Are you focusing on improving upon a weakness like Michael Jordan did often in his career or will you just continue lowering your head and running to the basket until father time catches up with you?

Share your story of success or struggle in the comments section below.  I’d love to hear from you.

me vs. MJ…the journey continues.  As always, thank you so very much for following along.

And remember ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE with FAITH and HARD WORK!

####

Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

####

If you’re new to the site, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

During my time out at Impact Basketball’s Competitive League, I was once again shown the power of social media and in particular Twitter.

During my layover in Phoenix, Arizona, I sent a challenge out to 11 year NBA veteran and three point sharpshooter Damon Jones.  I knew Damon would be at Impact’s event in Las Vegas, but I didn’t really expect him to respond.

Yet he DID!

What ensued was three days of playful trash talk and challenges as shown below in my twitter feed.  While it may not have ended the way I would have liked, the experience still left me thankful.

September 20, 2011 (The Challenge, Response and Initial Meeting)

I honestly couldn’t believe it when I looked at the notification on my phone and saw that Jones had taken the challenge.  It was early afternoon and I had just checked into my hotel room in Vegas last Tuesday.

Beyond excited, I packed up my gym bag with a change of clothes and my Jordans and then let the world know that Me vs. Damon Jones was on!!

As I took a cab ride over to Impact Basketball’s facility, my buddy DJ got in on the Twitter action and spoke a little trash for me!

Damon’s response had me smiling from ear to ear!  I had come out to Vegas to spread the mevsMJ.com word and minutes into the experience something amazing was already happening!

I watched the two games prior to Jones’ 5:30pm game and awaited his arrival.

As Damon warmed up prior to his game, I walked out on the court (THANK YOU Impact for the VIP passes) towards Jones, and was greeted with a huge smile and warm handshake.  I could tell he recognized me from our online conversation.  He asked in a challenging tone, “You ready?”  I responded, “Always, when are we going to do this!?”  Jones replied, “Right after this game!  I’ll come find you and we’ll do it!”

In the first half of the game Damon was 4 of 6 from downtown.

As he began warming up for the second half he walked right past me and I said, “I see you!” (A modern day way of acknowledging someone’s success)

Jones very sure of himself responded, “Did that make you nervous!?  You still think you want some of this!?”

I told him, “Of course!”

With a puzzled look he replied, “Really!?!?”

Almost laughing I said, “Yeah, because you thought two of the four you made were off!”

Then in what would turn out to be classic Damon Jones fashion he confidently told me, while shooting a three at the same time, “Naa, I just say ‘that’s off’ to throw the defender off!”  With the ball halfway to the rim, he had now turned back completely to me until he heard it swish through and then said, “See!”

I laughed, appreciated his confidence and knew I’d have my hands full after the game.

The only problem is there was no shoot off on Tuesday.  Midway through the 4th quarter Jones had his knees iced and I was almost positive then that he wasn’t going to shoot with me.

He left pretty much immediately after the game.  I of course proceeded to get my shots in and went back to my hotel room to get some rest, but not before calling him out!

September 21, 2011 (The Response, More Trash Talk and a New Shootout Date Set)

Fairly early on Wednesday morning Damon responded to his whereabouts after the game the night before.

30 minutes before Damon’s 3:30pm game on Wednesday, I saw him sitting on the other side of the court a few seats from Chauncey Billups.  Never one to shy away from a challenge (Remember:  I am trying to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. Michael Jordan), I made my way from my courtside seat, on the other side of the court, over to Jones and we had a good laugh as I sat down next to him and we began to talk.

Damon Jones can flat out shoot the ball!  I know that, he knows that and he’ll tell you so in a playful way if you don’t know that!  I’ve watched the guy for years make shots in the NBA, teamed with the likes of Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.  I asked him about his shooting practice and if he counts shots or makes.  As I thought, he said he only counts makes and depending on the schedule would get in 500 makes three to four times a week from various areas on the court.

He told me with a large smile that turned into a laugh, “It takes a lot of work and a lot of trash talk to be as good as me, but keep working and maybe you’ll get there some day!”

Amused and enjoying the verbal jabs, I responded, “I hear you talking, but I don’t see you doing anything!  I’m here!  I’ll be here!”

Jones then asked me, “OK, how long will you be here?  How about we shoot tomorrow at 11am!”

I said, “It’s on!  I’ll be here!”

I then wished him luck and watched the next two games!

September 22, 2011 (The Day of the Shootout and What Could Have Been)

I woke up at 5:42am Thursday morning and while I wish I could say it was nerves about the upcoming shootout, it was not.  That was actually the longest I had slept during my time in Vegas, apparently thrown off by the three hour time change from Florida.

Still, I jumped out of bed, ordered a nice breakfast and sent out a tweet in an attempt to confirm my upcoming shootout with one of the NBA’s best!

I arrived at Impact’s training center around 9:35am that morning.  I caught the last few minutes of Coby Karl’s workout and watched the first few minutes of Eric Bledsoe’s workout before deciding to see if I could go get some shots in on the open half court prior to Damon’s arrival at 11am.

My buddy Karol got in on the action and based upon Jones’ response, I wanted to be as ready as possible!

With the guys at Impact being cool with me using the court, I grabbed an NBA ball, headed down to the other end and began shooting around 10:45am or so.

Then around 11:30am I got the following message from Damon.

Disappointed for sure, I continued to get my shooting work in, changed clothes and then enjoyed the day’s games and DJ’s Twitter response.

Could I have beaten Damon Jones in a shooting contest?  Who knows!  All I knew was that the experience would have been great and I would have without a doubt done much better than Damon ever would have expected.  I know I can shoot the ball!

I ran into Jones as he was leaving Thursday evening, having just made 10 three pointers in his game.  He wished me the best on my journey and told me to stay in touch.

As I’ve learned with this experience that is mevsMJ.com, sometimes the journey outweighs the final destination.  Even though Damon had backed out, I couldn’t help but feel thankful for the experience.

September 26, 2011 (NBA Ball and More Damon Jones)

One of the first things I did this past Saturday morning when I got back from Vegas was look into getting an NBA ball.  When I got waxed by Garfield Blair in 1-on-1, we used his NBA ball and I was thrown off a bit by the different feel (not that the ball would have mattered in our two games).  Then at Impact I got to use the ball the pro’s use on two seperate occasions for extended periods of time and decided that if I’m going to be playing NBA guys, I need to get used to their ball!

I sent a quick text to one of my contacts and Monday I had my official NBA ball!

I of course had to let Damon know and assure him that we WILL have a shootout ONE DAY and I will be coming for his self proclaimed, “World’s Greatest Shooter” crown!

Thank you Damon Jones!

I want to thank Damon for his kindness and availability.  Sure he backed out twice (Damon, did Rudy or OJ text you that I was popping those nets Thursday morning?? Haha! :-D), but he could have easily done what so many others do and never even responded to my initial challenge.

Will we ever have a shoot off?  Only time will tell!

What I can assure you is that if there is a next time, I will be even more prepared and ready!

LET IT RAIN!

me vs. MJ…the amazing journey continues!

Congrats to the Mavs and their first Championship!  Well deserved!  Superbly played!

So many were beyond excited by the outcome of Sunday’s game and many weren’t even Dallas Mavericks fans.

No doubt the Mavericks bandwagon was filled beyond capacity here in the NBA Finals.  When there was no more room, not even one inch of space, people were still clawing and scratching just to get on board.  I have no issue with that whatsoever, as bandwagon jumping is a part of sports.

What I have an issue with is the WHY.

Typically teams attract “so called” fans late in the year based upon their play.  They pick up the sports fans who want to have a dog in the fight, as well as, some people who don’t even watch sports, but fall in the love with the drama that makes athletic competition at the highest level so fantastic.

All of that is cool.

What isn’t cool or acceptable is when HATE for another is the sole reason for which cheers and support are cast and given to the other team.

The Mavs had a lot of people in the “I HATE LEBRON JAMES, SO I WANT DALLAS TO WIN” category this year and that’s sad.

This series unfortunately became more about LeBron losing than Dallas winning.  More people were excited that LeBron didn’t play well than they were that Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and JJ Barea played SO WELL.

Facebook and Twitter were ablaze with Mavs support from many that could tell you very little at all about the game of basketball, yet they all had one thing in common:  They HATE the Miami Heat and more importantly they HATE LeBron James.

When did rooting for someone to fail become acceptable?

When James did the decision?  When the Heat held the preseason celebration?

I would bet almost every one of us has left an employer for what we thought was a better opportunity.  We didn’t do “the decision” of course, but then again we don’t have the voice.

You know, I can’t recall one letter of hate mail or even one negative comment thrown my way when I went from one bank to another over eight years ago.

The preseason celebration, not the best idea, but it is what it is.  The city of Miami and the fans were ecstatic!  They held a celebration because the city, players and organization were excited!

Shame on them I guess.

We don’t do such things of course, unless you count tweeting and facebooking (including pictures) every single great thing that happens in our lives.  We don’t hold an official “celebration” because again we don’t have the voice, but if we did, well just look at your “facebook wall” and tell me what you think would happen.

FACT:  LeBron James is not perfect.

But guess what, neither are we.

I know if I had to endure what James is going through, the good days and for most of this past year, the bad.  If I was followed around with cameras and asked tough questions over and over again.  If every little thing I did or didn’t do was judged by the masses, it would be tough, and I would MAKE MISTAKES.

Honestly, I make mistakes all of the time.

TRUTH:  We ALL make mistakes.

Matthew 7:5 of the Good Word says,  “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

###

Sunday night, amongst family and friends, I was rooting for LeBron James like never before.  I was rooting for the 26 year old young man with the weight and hate of the majority on his shoulders.  I wanted to see him smile, because I haven’t in quite some time.  I wanted him to feel joy, but more importantly I didn’t want him to feel anymore hate.

Enough is enough.

LeBron James has shown he isn’t perfect.

Unfortunately, we have also shown how equally imperfect we are as a society.

It’s time for us all to grow up.

####

me vs. MJ aka Michael Jordan Update:

MJ has yet to agree to play me 1-on-1 (if anyone reading this knows Mr. Jordan, please tell him I’m looking for ’em…haha), but I’m still working hard and getting better every day.  I’m really hoping that all of the work translates to the court when I play my next opponent, professional hoopster, Andy Gebru later this week.

Pray for me! I may need every single one of your prayers!

me vs. MJ…the journey continues!  As always, thank you for following along!

I could have been on my way to meet and have lunch with one of the biggest stars in today’s NBA.

This morning I could have been on my way to meet LeBron James.

The Opportunity

Last Wednesday evening, almost as soon as I got done playing basketball and jumped in my car, I received a text message from a close friend.

He had forwarded me a message that he had just received from the Centurion Club of American Express. You know the ultra exclusive AMEX black card that everyone says YES to. The card that you can’t apply for, instead AMEX finds you.

Here is what it said:

“Centurion members are exclusively invited to learn from two-time NBA MVP, LeBron James, alongside his hand-chosen coach, as they put you to the test during an on-court skills session. This unprecedented basketball experience will be hosted at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Miami, featuring a state of the art basketball court. Following the on-court skills session, enjoy a private lunch with LeBron James, where he will host a Q&A.

Go home with an autographed item and a photo with LeBron!

Limited Availability.

$2500 per person.

Date: 11/18/10.”

The Decision (minus ESPN and Jim Grey)

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

After a couple hours of back and forth discussion with my entrepreneurial friend, a guy who’s middle name could easily be success, I decided not to do it.

I decided to pass on meeting LeBron.

It wasn’t an easy decision for me though.

Initial Thoughts

Initially, I let the dollar amount of $2,500 make my decision for me.

I had just come back from a week at Impact Basketball training and hadn’t planned on really spending anymore money, anytime soon.

The thought of dropping $2,500 to meet a guy and get a picture seemed crazy!

It frustrated me that my first concern was the money!   Even though it’s quite a normal thought process for the majority of people, especially in these economic times.

On top of that, I had little time to think about it.  The event would be just one week later and spots were extremely limited and going fast!

I slapped myself with, who has ever been great without some sort of risk!  Who has ever accomplished great things without making decisions that are a bit uncomfortable!  It’s Not Going To Be Easy, Nor Should It Be!!!!

Plus, it was Lebron!

OK! Yes, Let’s Do It!

After weighing the opportunity quite a bit, I ended the call with my friend and made the walk from my office to the living room.  I had to discuss this with my wife.  I went in thinking, she is going to think I’m loosing it.

We do OK for ourselves financially, and feel very blessed, but we are in no way even within shouting range of having AMEX look for us, if you know what I mean.

So to spend another $2,500 that wasn’t budgeted for, with holidays fast approaching, just isn’t something we would typically ever do.

However at this point, I was thinking about the exposure meeting LeBron could bring to me vs. MJ.  I was thinking this is too convenient, being a 3.5 to 4 hour drive to Miami, to pass up on.  I was thinking that maybe LeBron, if he liked me, could make a call to Mike on the spot and set it up.  I was dreaming big time!

My wife sensed that I wanted to do it and gave her blessing.

Why I’m Working Today Instead of Having Lunch with LeBron James

The more I thought about it, I just couldn’t see LeBron doing much with a group of wealthy guys.  Would he really risk injury with, to put it nicely, a group of people past their athletic primes?

Logically, I also thought that it couldn’t be all that involved if we were going to be having lunch after, so I made the final decision to pass on the opportunity.

Almost simultaneously to my decision, I received a text from the friend who forwarded the opportunity and another buddy of mine, concurring that maybe now wasn’t the right time.

Did I Make The Right Decision?

I woke up yesterday morning second guessing my decision.  I was afraid I had made a mistake in passing on such a unique opportunity.

Last night I made a call to the Centurion Club, just to check availability.

The just 20 spots, were no longer available.

No Regret

Life is too short to live with regret, especially when it comes to basketball.

I admit, the “what ifs” have been attacking me the last two days, but I’ll stick by my decision and who knows, maybe another opportunity will come a knockin’ at a later time.

Why Tough Decisions Are Good

Life is filled with decisions and paths that don’t always have an arrow pointing, telling you which way to go.

If I were a wealthier individual, there is no doubt I would have gone to see LeBron.  I would also probably not have left Impact Basketball and still been training there.  I would have already sent in my Jordan Camp money.

Everything would be too easy.

There would be no reason to even have me vs. MJ, because there would be no struggle.  There would be no true journey.

Instead, I, like many was forced to consider things.  I had to really think about it.  I had to weight it for all the good and the bad.

I had to make a tough decision.

Thinking has never been a bad thing though, right?  It helps each person grow.  It helps each person truly put a value on what it is they want to do.

I chose to spend those funds on future training with Impact.  I chose to spend those funds on making me better.

me vs. MJ.  I hope you’re getting ready for me Mr. Jordan!