In Search of Yang...or Yin: Part 2

After reading this on my boy Mike Benjamin's, "Points Off Turnovers," (Side note: Seriously, Mike, I want in on this...man) I am compelled to probe deeper into my basketball yin/yang theory. I will avoid the obvious pairings and unearth various inverse/converse relationships within the important tiers of the Basketball Realm. After the picture, The Flash Green Lantern...


Being: Dwyane Wade

Yin or Yang?: Yin...too much yin.

Possible Yangs: Monta Ellis, J.R. Smith, Leandro Barbosa, Gerald Wallace

Actual Yang: Gilbert Arenas

I struggled mightily between either placing Wallace or Arenas as Wade's compliment, but I decided to go with The Hibachi; mainly because Wallace's star isn't as bright as Arenas' (and he falls a lot). Using Mr. Benjamin's form/function theorem, both Arenas and Wade use the other's element as a secondary-but-vital piece to the way he approaches Basketball. Wade, geometrically symmetrical with the backboard as his colleague, has flawless footwork when lining up his jumper. However, in his Iverson-like relentlessness to the rim, he employs whichever involutary bodily movement that is needed to score. Even in that mix, he demonstrates the fundamentals of the layup: off the glass.

Arenas, the exemplar of impulsive and whim, straddles the lines of consciousness—almost perilously. Yet, he is a tireless worker in the gym, as if he wants to elaborate on his impulsiveness through the rigors of structure. As Bethlehem Shoals said, "[Arenas] has atomized the game..." Though he sees the Realm of Basketball as a place to do whatever he feels, he is respectful of it, and a sage with quirkiness as his mystical arts. Both Wade and Arenas are masters of their craft, and need each other's basic ingredient to make their respective games whole.

Being: Brandon Roy

Yin or Yang?: A whole lotta Yin

Possible Yangs: Rudy Fernandez, Rudy Gay, Ben Gordon

Actual Yang: Nick Young

Brandon Roy will have his name among the Association heavens real soon. His game is stoic and disciplined. A microcosm of this is that as a right-handed player, he loves going to his left offensively. With silent confidence, he assassinates opposing wing players, and can still get the rest of his teammates involved down the stretch. Roy has underrated athleticism, and doesn't feel the need to display it unless it's necessary.

Nick Young may not ever reach the potential his game has set out for him to attain. Scoring comes naturally, and the Wizards have finally let him loose to put the ball in the basket. Plainly put, he gets buckets. As far as personalities go, Roy is mostly soft-spoken. He's not boring, but Young is definitely more of the extrovert. His nickname is, "Hollywood," and well, he does stuff like this for fun. Roy is certainly a better player than Young, but if Nick is allowed to ascend to his rightful plane, then their compatibility will come to fruition.

This is shaping up to be a long series, with more than just yin/yang relationships between players. Your move, Money Mike.


Peace.