Word of the Day: Black Hole

Why pass when you can shoot?

Black Hole, noun: A Black Hole is a basketball player who never passes the ball and always shoots.

Usage Example: Luol Deng was a Black Hole last night for the Chicago Bulls shooting 7-for-16 with 24 points and 0 assists.

Word Origin: Black Hole has been used for years to describe ball hogs on the basketball court. The first time it was used to describe a NBA player was for Kevin McHale. McHale was known as somewhat of a ball hog. He was always a shoot first, pass second player. The first person to call McHale a Black Hole was Danny Ainge.

Ainge called McHale "The Black Hole", joking that when the basketball was passed inside to McHale it disappeared because he rarely passed it back.

Since then, players such as Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant have been described as Black Hole's.

Modern Examples: The biggest Black Hole so far this year resides in Charlotte. Gerald Wallace has made 18 field goals in 54 attempts with no assists on the season. So in four games this year, Wallace has attempted 54 shots, and no assists. Maybe if Wallace passed the ball more, the Bobcats wouldn't be 2-2 including a 33 point loss to Boston on opening night.

I already talked about Luol Deng's performance last night, but Deng has been a Black Hole for the entire season so far. Deng has attempted 58 field goals and only has 3 assists on the season. It's not surprising that both Deng and Wallace lead their teams in Points while both of their teams are .500.

But both Wallace and Deng are not point guards. Their not expected to pass the ball. They are reallied upon to score to keep their teams in games. Now point guards are expected to pass. And the worst Black Hole point guard has been Indiana point guard T.J. Ford.

Ford has attempted 24 attempts with only five assists on the season. No wonder the Pacers are the worst team in the league. In one particular game, Ford played in 20 minutes, attempted 8 field goals with no assists and 2 turnovers. Look on the bright side though Pacer fans, Tyler Hansbrough is expected to make his professional debut on Friday.