it is there. it is inevitable. but, it is often true. ...I have never seen a white player do the things Francis/Marbury/Iverson do. ...Nearly every white guard in the NBA is a pure shooter. I tend to favor saying it is about culture and upbringing. I can tell you growing up in a small midwest town, much of us dreamed of being pure shooters, turnaround Js, coming around picks, etc. We shot often by ourselves, hundreds of shots per day from all angles, all distances. I'm sure there are several here from the urban playgrounds who can tell you how they played pick-up for hours on end, in more of a group social game. To talk in stereotypes, I'd say the difference is jumping and spinning all day versus shooting all day. In HS and college, the shooters can hold their own. In the NBA, getting off your shot is much harder...dribbling, spinning, jumping, slashing, quick releases are essentials. So, what did you practice when you grew up?
Excellent post Hey Partner. Here's my two cents worth .... $0.01 Lenny Wilkins says the best and the worst of the "new urban-city era" of the NBA pro (he doesn't divide by races) is that they learn their craft as a flash on the playground/street court, a flash on the college court and as a flash in the NBA. They only begin to learn the team game at the end of their college tenure. Same knock on a very white Jason Williams as the very black Allen Iverson .... Maybe the comparisons should be the culture in which they learn their game ... as you suggest. $0.02 My hero was Bob Cousy. He learned the game in YMCA's, pick up games, "boys club"-like league play, and was schooled earnestly in the team effort. He learned to control the ball, to threat inside, have court eyes and that an "assist is always as good as a shot" type-of-school. Although Steve Francis is off his game a bit now, he arguably falls within that "solitary-soldier flash" urban role ..... but he reminds me more and more of the "cooze", and less and less of Iverson as the season has progressed. So, maybe it is merely a question of a man (black or white) learning the importance of team play. A maturity thing. A student-teacher thing. Maturity and learning, like cultural diversity, reaches accross race lines. So, maybe the answer is somewhere in between the two theories. Cheers.
this is not a gripe on my part ... merely a question open for, i hope, some good discussion. comparisons are part of the game. this player has the skills of that player. he's gonna be the next so and so. and on and on... for the most part some very valid points are made. but here's what i don't understand: why do we feel the need to class players according to their race? if bryce drew becomes the next john stockton... pistol pete... mark price... if chris mihm becomes the next john koncak... shawn bradley... gheorge mhuresan... if steve francis becomes the next allen iverson... stephon marbury... mookie blaylock... if kenyon martin becomes the next shareef abdur-rahim... chris webber... etc etc i'm guessing it's a natural comparison of players: you see bryce drew and think of jason williams, both white, and it makes sense. but why is this? any ideas.... answers.... what draws us into these comparisons? are the skill levels of these players naturally similar to those of their race that these comparisons only make sense?
i think you're on the right track about the race thing. but comparisons like francis/ iverson are based on similar styles and playing abilities. I think the race thing is slowly fading away. I believe that some have compared mihm to brad daugherty, which i think is very accurate. ------------------ "Don't they get cable in Canada ?" Keith olbermann, after watching hakeem block terry catledge's shot 5 times.
It is so much easier to compare prospects to players than to talk about their attributes in other ways. Saying he is Barkley-esk in his play is just a concise way to express of lot of things at once (see the "Will Shadon be left out post" for the full argument). I do agree we maybe too often think for players with the same race when thinking about comparisons however. [This message has been edited by sir scarvajal (edited March 14, 2000).]
Atlanta -- Good question ... in my opinion people just want an expectation level. They generally find 2 or 3 similar characteristics, based off playing the same position, and go with it. Hurts the player because the bar has been set on where he needs to be, but someone out there has to love the hype comparisons create.... probably the NBA. Skin color, sadly enough, actually has become a basis for comparisons with current players to past greats. Rarely (if ever) do you hear Glen Rice being compared to Larry Bird, or Jason Williams to Magic Johnson. It's strange... always have wondered why on that.
ooh....Rice vs Bird... Let me start: When is the last time Glen Rice has gotten an assist. 1997 or something.
