When players regularly mess up fundamental plays it clearly states ONE thing: It has NOT been practiced enough to make it automatic. These kinds of plays rely very much on muscle memory. Your body tends to react in the same manner as what it is used to doing often. If you don't do it often enough, then your body doesn't automatically do it. In short, lack of fundamentals is a black mark on coaches for not drilling the players properly on things that should be automatic and it is a black mark on players for lacking the desire to be excellent by continually practicing these plays even without being prompted to do so. Excellence is the quality that makes Reggie Miller shoot 1000 free throws every day, Larry Bird take hundreds of jump shots a day, or Wade Boggs take extra batting practice sessions or even Albert Pujols run to the video room after an out to see what he did wrong. Practice cannot make you perfect, but it can get you really really close.