Rashad McCants: Actor, Teacher, D-Leaguer (Where Are They Now Edition, v. 1)

I thought I saw a ghost yesterday: Rashad McCants was playing professional.

Earlier this month, Shaddy took his talents to Texas, joining Dallas Mavericks D-League squad the Texas Legends. Yesterday’s game, against the Erie Hawks, was televised on NBATV.

The scouting report, and much much more, are below the fold.

How’d he look? It’s hard to scout based on one game, but we’ve seen enough of Shad in the past to see the patterns: Shad is Shad, he do what he do.

For Shad, that means hanging an inefficient 19 points on 14 FGAs and a team worst -19 plus-minus score.  It means NEVER moving without the ball. It means tunnel vision with the ball. It means a Permascowl.

Physically, Shad didn’t look as thick as he did as a Wolf, and kind of in a bad way. Possibly he backed off the whole “weight lifting” thing – or even the whole WORKING OUT thing – in Hollywood pursuing his acting dreams.

Two words: BOOSTER CLUB(!)

It goes without saying, Punch-Drunk Wolves is offering endless swag to anyone who can produces the wig Shad is wearing at 0:32. (Eds. Note: If that wig ever gets removed from whatever evidence locker it’s probably in and gets put up for auction, PDW might end up in a bidding war with Mike Beasley for it.)

Back to Rashad. Did you know he has a basketball instructional video? That’s right.

Here’s DAY ONE, dedicated to pick-n-roll.

Wait, did I use the singular up there where I said Shad has an instructional vid? Looks like I did. Oops, my bad. He has SEVERAL (!) instructional videos.

Here, on *Day 2*, Shaddy takes you through the intricacies of the jab step and various spin moves.

But for Shad, pick n rolls and jab steps are just appetizers. The main course is a Cheesecake Factory-sized portion of 1-on-1. ( I can confirm this is still his favorite dish after seeing him play yesterday.)

Shad’s way of giving back to the young bloods on Youtube is so emblematic of how he rolls on the court in real life – all his attention is focused on offense, none on D.

Truth is, it’s too bad Rashad McCants is such a head case. Both for him, and us. He could’ve been a decade-long starter/fringe All-Star type if he weren’t so, well, Shaddy-like. And I won’t lie: Andy G and I loved his swagger, ability to get shots anytime he wanted to, and the thuggish-ruggish persona he tried so hard to cultivate in Minneapolis. (Eds. Note: Is it a coincidence that your co-bloggers here remain huge Michael Beasley fans despite all of his flaws and frustrations? I think not.)

For Shaddy, it’s still a case of pure talent, fatal flaw.

Oh, but before I sign off: apparently this was a thing for a minute. (At a loss for words to describe how much drama there must be in any Shaddy McCants-Delonte West locker room, but a D-LEAGUE locker room? You’ve gotta be kidding.)

God I love basketball.