Published: December 23, 2009
Earlier this season Raptors fans may not have seen Marcus Banks break a sweat during games but following each game he would almost always walk through the locker room to the showers dripping with sweat.
Despite failing to see the floor in 16 consecutive games after playing five minutes against Dallas back on November 7, Banks continued to act like a professional by doing what he needed to be in case his number was called. He would bust his tail in practices and then after games he would retreat to the teams practice facility to get in some cardio work.
Not only that, but unlike some of his teammates, he’d keep his mouth shut and never complained about his role or not seeing the court as often as he’d like.
“He stays ready,” Triano told the media this weekend. “He works out all the time so he’s ready to go. He knew he was in a tough spot when Jose (Calderon) was healthy and he was playing behind two very good point guards yet he stayed ready. He obviously has an opportunity due to the injury to Jose and he’s a professional because he’s ready to play when he’s called upon.”
Banks’ humble attitude and hard work behind the scenes has paid off this month as he is averaging 4.7 points and 12.8 minutes of burn over his last eight games. Those are hardly the kind of numbers that will catch the attention of fans skimming stats, but they are a nice testament to the fact hard work and being humble can pay off.
“It was really tough,” Banks admitted when asked what it was like to enter the season as Toronto’s third-string point guard. “We’re all NBA players but we also understand this is a business and the only thing I can control is staying ready, being the first one in the gym, the last one to leave. That’s part of being a professional. I think I’ve been through some situations and now it’s kind of paying off.”
No player wants to see a teammate go down with an injury – let alone one of the faces of the franchises – but part of being a pro is stepping up when an opportunity presents itself.
“Of course, I don’t want anything to happen like that to happen to him (Calderon) because he’s a great guy, but from a professional standpoint, you have to be ready at all times,” Banks explained last weekend.
“First off, we’re a team. As long as we’re winning, everything’s great. I’m not a negative guy so of course, if it’s not broken, I don’t try to fix it. Of course I want to play but at the end of the day, this is Jose’s team. Right now, I’m being a teammate, we’ve got a guy down so I’m helping to hold up the ship.”
The truth is all of this hype over Banks will become nothing more than a blip on Toronto’s season once Calderon returns to action, but it’s also the reason why I felt compelled to write about this. As Doug Smith and other beat writers have reminded me on countless occasions, for professional athletes playing time is like oxygen. It’s their chance to ink another contract or convince another team they should trade for them. By not even suiting up for the majority of the teams games this season Banks saw his value to Toronto and other teams around the NBA plummet quick than Nortel stocks.
Despite having everything to lose by being the teams third-string point guard Banks never complained to the media about his role. Instead, he did what he needed to do in case a situation arose this season where he could prove he deserves minutes in the NBA.
While he’ll be hard-pressed to earn minutes behind Calderon and Jack, it’s become clear that some team in the NBA will have a need or desire for him to eat up some minutes for them off the bench. Because of that Bryan Colangelo now has a tradable asset and Banks has breathed life back into his NBA career.
This month looks like it has become the ideal win-win situation where both Banks and the Raptors are poised to cash in.
