Actually, Bobo, no it doesn't. I never said just because you're a great athlete, you're a great basketball player in this thread. All I said was there are great basketball players that aren't in the NBA. I also said there are better players on the playgrounds than some of the scrubs in the NBA. You weak Celtic. I don't mind good arguments, but I just don't expect them from a fellow Chat b*stard. ------------------ Falk that Mo Fo!!! [This message has been edited by Dr of Dunk (edited September 11, 2000).]
In my last reply to this silly thread, I would like to highlight Cabbage's statement How many times will it take to get this across to you? 'JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE CAN'T MAKE IT IN THE NBA DOESN'T MEAN THEY ARE LESS TALENTED THAN NBA PLAYERS'. That is the premise of my entire argument. Your premise leaves me speechless. How do we judge basketball talent?? Your premise says that you believe yourself to be a better judge of talent than the pros. The NBA employs the most talented players in the world. The best players yearn to play in the NBA because that is where the "monopoly money" is paid. The NBA teams spend millions each year to find the best players. I am done with this thread, so enjoy your argument. I have to say that I am flabbergasted by some of the arguments here, but we will have to agree to disagree. Once the season starts, we will all be on the same page again. ------------------ http://www.nba.com/theater/video/taylor_m_dunk_120299.mov
If he's not good enough to make it in the NBA, what does that make the 5 or 6 players he completely lit up? Hmmm... what a circular reference we have here. ------------------ Falk that Mo Fo!!!
Exactly. I don't disagree that an NBA team could and probably would destroy a group of playground all-stars. Does that make them any less talented? As an analogy, how many times did you see our NBA-player-loaded Olympics teams in the past get beat or get pushed hard by a team of college players? Does that mean the college team had greater talent? Nope. ------------------ Falk that Mo Fo!!!
some of you guys need to wake up and realize that some of these guys simply dont have the desire to go to the nba. Almost every nba player that has played streetball has said there was guys that were better than him that just for some odd reason never got a chance to make it in the nba and dont give me this crap about how if they were that good theyd be in the nba. Its not that simple theres only so many spots in the nba and many teams are not gonna pick up a no name streetballer with nba skills. Just face the facts.And please dont give me this crap about how bullard and maloney and the caucasian brigade could kill a rucker team , they would get killed. ------------------
RocketExpert: So you're telling me that when Matt Maloney was the starting point guard for the Houston Rockets for 2 and 1/2 seasons, it was because Rudy Tomjanovich couldn't find a more talented basketball player? He wanted a guy that fit his system and hit the open 3's. ------------------ Mo money, Mo problems...
This is what I can't understand. You have direct quotes from NBA greats that said there was talent equivalent or greater than theirs on the playground, yet people can't accept that. We have somebody that calls Gary Payton a liar for saying there were ballplayers better than Gary himself. In the immortal words of the Great One : Huh? Right. Get over it guys. The NBA is a team sport and the playground players usually cannot adapt to it simply because of their ballhogging skeelz. By the same token, if many of these NBA players went and played on the playgrounds (as they have), they'd find themselves in a predicament as well (as they have). Heck, how many more direct examples do you want before you take the blinders off? And for those that say "basketball is about...". Please. Basketball existed before the NBA, so what happens in the NBA isn't necessarily "basketball". People that say basketball is a team sport are only partially right. There are very few sports in this world that combine teamwork with individualism like basketball does. The NBA chooses to emphasize team play over the playground's one-on-one play. It doesn't make one right and the other wrong. It's all basketball. ------------------ Falk that Mo Fo!!!
Much like the way you state Gary Payton (a pro that actually plays in the NBA as opposed to scouts for it) is lying about there being better players than he on the playgrounds? That's a bit hypocritical, wouldn't you say? Eegad, I'm speechless just like you. Expert, no one here is trying to argue with you about who would win a game. Somehow we're trying to get across that there is better talent (albeit individual/scoring/whatever talent) out there than some of the scrubs that are playing in the league now. In doing so, I've provided quotes from a current NBA superstar, a former Rocket that runs Fonde and has watched NBA players get run by playground ballers, legends from the NBA's past, etc. But you still refuse to hear it. There's not much more I can say about it other than we're going to disagree forever on this one. ------------------ Falk that Mo Fo!!!
So let me get this straight. The more athletic players play in the playgrounds, while the less athletic, but smarter players play in the NBA? Hmmmm... ------------------ In order to be a success in life, you need 2 things: 1. Don't tell everything you know.
If that was directed at me, nope... I never said that. What I did say was that the playground is geared for one-on-one showmanship. That just doesn't work in the NBA. ------------------ Falk that Mo Fo!!!
I am confused ------------------ In order to be a success in life, you need 2 things: 1. Don't tell everything you know.
I know. We're here to help. Just relax, take a deep breath, now repeat after me... The Celtics Suck... The Celtics Suck... The Celtics Suck... The Celtics Suck... ------------------ Falk that Mo Fo!!!
The original premise was nba all stars vs street all-stars. I believe that it was almost unanimous that the nba all-stars would win. How bout this team vs street all stars : Mark Jackson Brent Barry Glen Rice Othella Earvin Johnson That would be a below average starting 5 in this league. I still think this nba team would beat the street ballers handily. ------------------ "The road to hell is paved with Republicans."
GATER, If it's not basketball, then what is it? When I played it (albeit not at a very high level) it seemed like basketball to me. CriscoKidd, What is basketball "supposed" to be? RocketExpert, I hereby nominate you for having the most oxymoronic username on this entire BBS. Anyone second that? Maybe you're life is nice and easy and like a bed of roses, but for some it's not. You could be the most amazing basketball player in the history of the game, but if you're in the wrong places at the wrong times, you may not live up to your potential. There are just too many scenarios to even list as to why someone may not make it to the NBA. Some have already been stated in this thread. Again, I ask "Then what is it?" You know... I've heard names like "Jungle Ball", "Prison Rules", "Ghetto Ball", etc. That's not an accurate description of the game. That's a racially blurred perception. Have you even ever played ball at a playground? Have you played ball with a racially diverse, or racially different mixture than what you belong to? I have. I've been called just about every name in the book. But, why encourage ingnorance with more ignorance? Just play ball, and try to earn some respect that way. It usually works. Boy, I don't know where you get your information. I bet many street ballers are in just as good shape if not better as some NBA players. There aren't TV timeouts or half times on the playground. You win, you keep playing until you lose. Tell that to Stanford. When's the last time they won a NCAA championship? All that stuff is good, but when you have talent you can overcome many things. Phi Slamma Jamma may not have won any championships, but they did get to quite a few Final Fours in their day. I guess you've never watched Danny Ainge or Jalen Rose or JR Reid or Charles Oakley play, or maybe you missed Gary Payton and how he taunted Francis and crossed the line on national television in a regular season NBA game. Wrong again. DarkHorse, If you mean "quality" as most competitive over an extended season, then I might agree with you. But, that word can mean different things to different people. I agree that the NBA has a higher percentage of amazingly talented basketball players than any rec league and possibly the entire world. But, I think you could find a team of streetballers who would be very competitive against any NBAers. You mean like the NFL and "real" football? I think some of the rules are simply a joke: hand checking, 5 second rule, palming. While other rules like traveling are noticably unenforced. That's a pretty fair analogy. But, you might get some arguments from Jazz players (not the Utah kind). Another good point. But, hey there are plenty of NBA ballers who don't have it mentally either. Kelvin Cato, comes to mind. Derrick Coleman had all the potential and talent to be a great player, but he has a lazy work ethic and no burning desire to win. JR Rider, another great talent who is just a plain "bone-head". Vernon Maxwell, too, he may not be on the other guys level, but he was pretty damn good when he was on. DoD, Very well put. ------------------ I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem. DREAMer's Rocket Page
To add another note..... I have seen several great arguments and great points in this thread. Good topic by the way! I agree that there are streetballers that have every bit as much talent and/or athleticism as an NBA caliber player. I will also agree that most of the time, if you put together a decent team of NBA players against some playground legends, the NBA would get the better of the match up on either turf. Who in here has played a lot of organized ball, high school, college or otherwise? The reason I ask is this.....the game you play in a gym, with referees, jerseys, and a coach is a whole different world than the outdoor, cut off t-shirt, $hit-talking, one on one, in your face, no blood-no foul game. I have played both arenas. I will admit I do my best to stay off the street and off the blacktop. I cannot play well under those conditions, never have. Was I a lesser ball player talent-wise or skill-wise? Maybe, maybe not. But I was taken out of my element and was not able to perform like I could in an air conditioned gym with the stands full. The same can be said for streetballers in the reverse context. They may have every bit as much talent, athleticism, and game as an NBA caliber player, but just cannot acclamate themselves to the environment. You would be surprised at how unimportant money and fame becomes when your happiness and comfort level are taken away. ------------------ There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dreamer, my question was in response to this post. Basketball is a game. Games follow rules. Why does "streetball" need seperate set of rules? And why do most people feel it needs a rough, more violent connotation. I play pick up ball a lot. Usually when the word "streetball" is used, it is by dirty players who don't want to follow the rules. Someone throws a moving pick that flattens someone : no problem, it's streetball. I get elbowed in the face, and throat : that aint no foul, this is streetball. people palm the ball, and travel all over the place : so? they still scored? To me, yes, that is a degeneration of basketball. ------------------ I am so exasperated that I could expectorate.
