http://espn.go.com/page2/wash/s/2002/0311/1349476.html this is a great article...i went to georgetown undergrad and would watch some of these guys play in the summer...the level of talent is SICK!
The question i always ask is Why are they not in the League? Rocket River if they have so much MADD GAME
I think the title of this thread is misleading. "Legends" connotates some kind of old guy who used to tear it up in the early 90's (think the old team from white men can't jump). The guy who scored 62 on Francis (and I guess you can call that being schooled, despite the fact that there was obviously no defense being played and Franchise scored 59 himself) seems like a current playground star, not a legend, and as such may still be in high school or possible future NBAer. If not, than as RR says, if they have such MADD GAME all the time, why arent they in the league? Good article though. You never hear of Houston playground legends! Has anyone ever been to Fonde to play - it apparantly has some of the best pickup games in the nation. I couldn't possibly match up with them though.
Fopnde is one of the playground sites in Sega's basketball game. To me, it's really not that noeworthy. There are definitely some athletic ballers on the playground who would whip Francis or Iverson one on one. Matter of fact, hasn't Allen readily admit that before?
I am sure there is. But a common misconception is that one on one BS (I am not saying you are fostering this misconception). I think I could beat Sean Bradley, Kurt Rambis, Luc Longley, Bill Wennington, Eric Montross, and a few others at one on one. I am not in the league. Basketball has little to do with one on one, there are 8 other guys on the court in a basketball game. It's great to have good one on one skills, but you need so much more to play at the NBA level.
I played at Fonde fairly often during the early seventies. I remember the time I dunked on.. oh, wait, no I didn't dunk on Moses. I remember one time though I jumped up and touched the bottom of the net!
A good playground baller may not have the "smarts" or the longevity to make it in the pro's. Pro is about a lot more than talent.
While they can play a good game and some have even been known to school many Nba players they lack in discipline and do not adhere to coaches designing plays for them. It is street ball shoot the rock or dunk it hard. everyone swoons. God bless the goat if he only would have been able to take criticism and listen to coaches. R.I.P Goat Greatest street ball player
Not sure about Iverson, but Payton has. But like others have said, it's a team game... Hot Sauce anyone?
Is it just me or does the name Francis' Hitmen crack anyone else up? Hmmm...I wonder if Jerome would like to come to come play with Stevie in Houston. He'd be a great player off the bench.
You're talking NBA right? Shouldn't it be 9 other players? Well, sometimes it feels like 5 on 4, especially when someone is complaining to the refs on the other end.
Who's that guy on the Bucks who hasn't panned out for a while now but people who like streetball still defend him? Rafer Alston I think? Yeah, well, that guy may school everyone one on one in a 29-team league, but he's never going to be an NBA player. I think he's the reason why other streetballers have been ignored, because people think they ALL don't have the smarts to play in the NBA.
Just goes to show you that talent alone does not guarantee success. I have no doubt that for every Francis, Kobe, Vince Carter, Garnett there are hundreds of guys out there who could hold there own or even dominate any of these guys. There's just the little problems of staying out of trouble, going to class, listening to instruction, playing hard, coming to practice, etc.
This is somewhat silly to imply that street ballers can't make it in the NBA. There is a huge collections of NBA players who grew up as street ballers. Absolutely HUGE. By comparison, how many World Cuppers in Brazil and Argentina played significant hours on end in "street ball competition." Street balling is called the love of the game and the love of competition. If you want to play 8 hours a day, signing up for Church League or the YMCA isn't going to get it done. There are rules against practicing with a coach, and shooting by yourself is for Matt Maloney. The only reason these stud NBA players don't go back to their playgrounds as much as they used to is because they are celebrities and someone is liable to take them out with a dumb attempt at "legend" status by blocking Kobe's Slam resulting in a undercut or a big bruiser trying to foster his own respect by teaching Francis a lesson for bringing it into his house, "You can't bring it in here on me," and ending up taking him out. I would bet NBA stars have to get the OK from their teams to return to their street ball upbringing and even still, they are run with the understanding to protect the NBA stars, unless they are an immovable force like Moses Malone...who's going to injure him? Are we labelling people as "street ballers" because they practice at playgrounds/rec centers, or because they can't make it in the NBA. Is it a cultural label or a label of success (or lack thereof). You can't say that people who practice at playgrounds can't make it in the NBA...that's silly. It would be totally dismissing an entire culture of basketball that has produced many of these greats we see in the all-star game. For Instance, Anyone here who claims some dude like "Goat" was the best street baller of all-time would probably call Vince Carter the best player in the NBA, unless you are rewarding Goat with a lifetime achievement award for cool dunks. If we are talking about winning, the best street baller of all-time happens to be the most unstoppable NBA scorer of all-time. ...Lew Alcindor... go figure and if you don't believe me, read some Jim Carroll. The point is not to say the Goat wasn't a legend, but rather to say street ball improves the NBA, because it is a great practice ground. "Street Balling" shouldn't be a bad label. It is a culture that produces unteachable NBA skills. Sure, it teaches bad habits too, but so can shooting by yourself. You can always learn sophisticated offensive schemes and defensives at team practices, but without a team to practice that with nor a coach (because that is against HS, College and NBA rules to practice year round) "street balling" is a legitimate way to practice, as well. Much better than shooting by yourself in the driveway, or practicing your dribbling against your frenetic dog, which is about all the practice I get nowadays. Actually, it works. If you have a dog who really, r.e.a.l.l.y. wants to take that ball from you, it is a great way to practice dribbling, much better than dribbling through stupid orange cones. Plus, it gets you used to dribbling while being fouled all the damn time. I swear, my dog fouls me everyone time I get the ball. grrrrrr
The Street 'Legends' can't play in the NBA cause: a. they play no defense b. they are ball hogs, can't play team ball c. all they care about is fancy moves If they could be in the NBA, they would. Look at Texas Ex-Reggie Freeman, he's a Rucker Park legend (I fogot what they call him), but he couldn't make it as a backup on the Mavericks when they sucked.l
