Foreign Players are "fundamentally harder-working" - Popovich

you talk about parker and dirk, but they are exceptions.

 

He didnt say college. He said the high school years.

Yes you can say that most US players arent into the books. Derrick Rose didnt cheat on his SAT for nothing. But there are academic requirements and that DOES deserve SOME study time

What he says makes sense. Most everyone knows Yao Ming attended a sports school practicing several hours a day in his youth, different than traditional US school setting. You don't think sending US kids to a whole different sports vocational school and having them play in PROFESSIONAL leagues at age 15 would have any fundamentals effect?

Its not to say its like that in EVERY country. (And yes, depictions about Greeks using barn settings for makeshift facilities). But is to show some differences overseas than the US..

 

EXACTLY.

In another thread here, a bunch of people here were laughing and laughing and going on about how Spanoulis was Euroleague MVP, after averaging 15 points and 6 assists.

They just went on and on and on about it. And someone even said it means Spanoulis in Euroleague is no better than Jameer Neslon in NBA, because "the stats prove it".

NBA only fans really have no clue. European players are trained their whole lives to NOT care about individual stats. American players are trained their whole lives to CARE about individual stats.

European players are trained their whole lives to PASS the ball and play TEAM basketball. American players are trained their whole lives to SHOOT the basketball and play INDIVIDUAL basketball.

It's amazing how clueless the average NBA fan is about how European basketball works. But just open up a Euroleague discussion and you very quickly see how totally clueless the vast majority of NBA fans are about anything non-NBA basketball related.

It's why most NBA fans usually get called "NBA only fans" everywhere else in the world.

 

I hate to break it to you, but in the European club system, when a player signs with a youth club, he HAS to also go to school.

In Greek youth basketball clubs for example, all the players must learn to read, write, and speak fluently in 3 different languages.

I am not sure what your point is.

 

Yup, that's true. And no one here even thinks about cheating on tests. That's pathetic, even though the high schools are much harder than the average American ones.

 

i agree with pops...the best players from 80s and 90s are fundamentally sound plus their the athletic or has size during their era...basketball nowadays are a lot of 1 on 1, me first attitude...everybody trying to be on espn, youtube.

there are still some old(er) schooled american players out there that work hard on their fundamentals....grant hill, kidd, tim duncan, garnett, kobe to name a few

 

also i think because the TOP american recruits or athletes are so good and athletic that they can get away with not getting their fundamentals right.

whereas the lower recruits or international players have to WORK harder just to make a team, lack of athleticism so they make it up with hard work and hustle and learning the fundamentals of the game to have an advantage.

look at our center asik comparing to dwight howard...i dont think you guys would argue with me that asik works/plays harder than howard but yet howard still is the better player because of his athleticism. some players just dont have it, but they work harder and are more fundamentally sound.

players like blake griffen, howard, westbrook, john wall, even james harden are so talented but yet so flawed.

just my observations and opinons