Lego

Rockets' GM Daryl Morey calls Shane Battier "Lego", because when he's on the court, all the pieces fit. This and many other insightful tidbits about Battier can be found in an article by Michael Lewis of the New York Times. It is called "The No-Stats All-Star" and is one of the most in-depth articles I've ever read about a basketball player. Lewis explains why Battier always seems to be in the right place on the court at the right time and how he goes about preparing for games. I highly recommend it if you have the time.

Physically and athletically, Shane is considered a 'borderline NBA player', but mentally he is head and shoulders above virtually everyone in the league. He has the initiative to learn his opponents tendencies, the willpower to stick to a gameplan, and the intelligence to react during the game based on his knowledge rather than just instinct. His stats, at least the ones in the box score, would not earn him much playing time on many teams. But the Rockets' GM is one that looks past the box score. Morey will not describe many components of the system he uses to analyze teams and players, but he saw things in Shane's game that led him to convince Les Alexander to trade the 8th pick in the 2006 draft to acquire him.

Shane Battier doesn't sell basketball tickets by himself, but he creates winning basketball teams that sell tickets. Shane can't carry a team, but every championship team has a man like him. If the Rockets are to get deep into the playoffs this year, they need him badly.