Mark Madsen. The man went to Stanford. How many Championship rings does he have? 2? Two for doing what? Sitting on the bench collecting a fat guranteed contract. I'll also go with Matt Maloney. He went to an Ivy League School. The Penn Quackers. Look at how he is still collecting big ass money from the Rockets. Excellent Basketball IQs in my opinion, and damn Yao1134, how many threads have you started? eeeeeeasy buddy, eaaasy.
notice on the pacers game as soon as yao caught the ball he trew an incredible pass to rice.. and 2 over head passes which he had to not only throw backwards but downward too. he know where to be on the court..i mean the guy is a god
My Smart List: 1. Stockton (Hate him but he's really smart) 2. Kidd 3. Sabonis 4. MJ (The old one I must add. I remember that he was pretty dumb and relied on athleticism to jack up shots all day during his young days) 5. Yao Ming Honourable mentions: Reggie Miller, Davic and Nash
He still makes fundamental mistakes on the court. He's a very cerebral player, no doubt, but he's nowhere in the league of players like Magic Johnson and John Stockton.
My write-in goes to Bill Bradley. . . let's examine just a few of his credentials: 1. Presidential Candidate 2. Princeton Grad 3. Rhodes Scholar 4. Not a shabby ball player, either I know this is not exactly what Yao1134 was asking for, but I think he wins the all-around medal. By the way, I think of the list Jordan has the highest BBall IQ. However, I don't think his BB IQ is his strong point. It is his competative drive and instincts. He is also pretty well skilled to say the least. As you can see now, he takes some shots when maybe it would be better to pass the ball, an example of his competative nature, self-confidence, and desire to win. A player with maybe a higher basketball IQ would decrease their shots as they get older and look for the more open players with even better shots.
BTW, Stevie Franchise has to be on the list of the Most Stupid List. Quick, talented, athletic but stupid.
awww c mon now thats a little harsh on steve. he doesnt play the smartest always but he is a great player and runs the team well he is just a shooting guard trapped in a point guards body
That's a little harsh, CY. You can't just say the sky is blue... you have to explain why... Tim Duncan is the smartest out of this list because he knows when to pull up for js, when to dunk, when to rebound, and when to foul. Can you remember the last time he fouled out of a game? Hardly, says I.
Wow, it's either Jordan or Stockton. MJ has such a feel for the game that it's hard to take any credit away from him, but Stockton has been playing for so long and, at least in my opinion, has a few good years left in him. If I have to pick I'll go with MJ though.
My definition of basketball IQ is a player with less athletic talent, who found a way to be successful. Here is my list: Bird McHale Parrish Mullin Thomas Dantley Rodman Divac Stockton Horry University (Book Worm) Blue
Bill Walton. If in the near future ESPN Classic shows a Blazers game circa 1978, their championship year, don't pass it up. Other teams have had greater players, but no team ever got more out of themselves and the essentials of the game. It was, IMO, the most beautiful basketball ever played, and Walton was the guy who made it happen.<p> That's why so many of us, including Walton himself, are so excited about Yao Ming. Not just that Yao might be a player for the ages, or the Rox might win a couple more titles. Rather, that basketball might once again be the thing of beauty it was in the hands of the early 70s Knicks, the late 70s Blazers, the 80s Celtics, and has not been since the demise of the 80s Lakers.
This thread is great. I longed to watch Bill Walton a day but yet to see him. Why Sabonis is not on the list?
There are some pretty entertaining answers in this thread, but the smartest player I ever saw was Dave Cowens. The man was the size of a small forward, but he led Boston to 2 championships playing center. I still don't know how he did it.
