Steve Francis arrested

Damn!!!!!!!!!!! That fool is trying to smoke the entire rock in one hit!!!!!!!!!! I knew Francis had talent.

 

That may be the most ignorant assumption I've ever seen from this BBS. All you trying to say all blacks are stupid?

 

Not at all. This has nothing to do with race. I think this discussion is quickly degenerating into personal attacks which is against the rules of this forum.

Some members made the statement that an NBA player's Basketball ability can be used as a measurement to predict real world ability. I argued this is false and people like Steve Francis, a two time All-Star, one of the most talented NBA players in recent times, demonstrates there is no correlation between athletic skill and real life skills and abilities. A 60% rate of bankruptcy among NBA players within five years of retirement is a stark tragic reminder of the reality these players face when they retire from the game.

I'm sorry if people are becoming offended, but I doubt Shaq and Kobe can multiply and divide without a calculator, which any normal teenager can do. These multi-millionaire athletes might be able to jump and shoot a ball into a basket but geniuses they are not.

 

I don't care where you get it from . . but . . I doubt they give Masters Degrees without being able to Multiply and Divide.

Rocket River

 

BTW - what do you have your master's in and from where?

Rocket River

 

I've seen much success around me and the biggest measure even above talent or some sort of innate ability, whether it be in the classroom, in the lab, in the office, or on the court, is work ethic. and the 300+ people who made it into the NBA out did millions who play basketball at a high level, I think you overlook seeing that htey are athletic or 6'6 or 7, truth is many high schools have their 6'5 6'6 stars, its only 300 that rise above. It takes an immense about work ethic, sacrifice, dedication to reach where many of them reach, that in itself is a skill somewhat intangible but can translate over elsewhere.

As for kobe speaking 4,5 languages....how many of the teenagers you talk abotu that can multiply divide can do that?

its easy for you to generalize and simplify and not understand what it takes to make it on teh court and anywhere else. Even at the ivy school with many overacheivers, I've seen many who consider themselves 'naturally' smart and like to take it easy, but the people who come out in front on the court and in the classroom are just the hardest workers not thte people it comes to the easiest, that is a skill that translates anywhere where the focus and dedicate that determination towards whatever they want

 

For the last time, the ability to shoot a ball into a basket has no real value outside the game of basketball. You can talk about work ethic and IQ all you want but if the NBA did not exist, people like Kobe and Shaq would not come close to the degree of success they have achieved. It is all a game, a fantasy come to life.

No one builds a nation founded on skills such as Free throws, and Dunks, and Assists. The NBA is nothing but a circus led by the Ring master Dick Stern and it's players are clowns paid well to entertain the masses.

All this talk about Shaq earning an MBA and Kobe being a genius is absurd.

Am I a fan of the NBA? Yes. Do I watch the games? Yes. But do I think Kobe and Shaq are admirable people worthy to inspire and serve as role models? No.

 

You want smart black guys? Battier. Obama. Bill Cosby. Thurgood Marshall. Oprah. lol. The list is endless.

But Shaq and Kobe are not smart. They're talented athletes. Let's not make them out to be more than they are! They're friggin' athletes!

That was my point. This was not an attack on black people.

 

I bet Shaq and Kobe don't give a crap what some average schmuck posting on a basketball bbs says, whether they are pro athletes or not.

 

1) Work ethic is a trait but talent is the differentiating factor for NBA players. How many millions of kids work "hard"? Logically, for NBA players you're looking at a subset of people starting with talent, augmented by those who work hard. I can appreciate your Malcom Gladwell liberal sentiment but the NBA is a particularly bad example since it's one of the things in the world where there's hard cutoffs for natural gifts (starting with height.) The hardest working 6'4" center in the world isn't going to make the NBA. And consider that even in regards to work ethic in today's NBA simply not partying before a game like Durant (as opposed to Lebron) can be considered "work ethic".

2) The guy who mows your lawn speaks a couple of languages. As does the weird old Chinese dude who owns the corner grocery store. Language is not correlated to intellect not the way yaomingyaoming defines it. Kobe speaks several languages as a result of having lived different places. He may or may not be smart but being able to speak Italian as well as English doesn't mean he can do math nor does it mean that he has a firm grasp on reflexive pronouns in his first language.

3) @Rocket River University of Phoenix is a diploma mill. Same as Kaplan college or any of the other McUniversities that have popped up to make profit off US Government loans for students.

4) @yaomingyaoming. that bankruptcy stat is accurate but keep in mind that the #1 factor for going broke among black athletes is getting divorced. it may be that they're naturally stupidier than other people but it's just as likely that they're socially/culturally ignorant largely because they've never been around money their entire lives. A lot of those guys could have held onto their money longer simply by requiring their favorite baby mamma to sign that prenup before marriage. It's not only dumbasses that lose their money as we saw in 2007-2008.

5) You think Cosby is smart? Seems like a bitter, evil, silly old man to me who hates the world.

 

bloop...dude..Bill Cosby is funny. I loved his stand up comedy. He's definitely an admirable human being in my book. :grin:

 

RV6 I've stated several times that I could be wrong. Don't confuse your failure to persuade me for valid arguments. I haven't seen any valid arguments from you.

Please list your logical reasons why Kobe and Shaq should be considered in the same category as a Thurgood Marshall.

Are you related to either Kobe or Shaq? You seem to take my opinions personally.

 

I didn't say they were not intelligent, nor did I say they didn't have life experience. You claimed I said that. I stated they did not have the necessary skills required in the real world.

I think you and others have this notion that the NBA is like any other occupation in the world. The smarts that it takes to throw and make a 3 pointer is the same smarts required to perform a successful brain surgery. Wake up. The NBA is a fantasy world where gifted athletes make millions from throwing a ball into a basket. That is not the real world. That's fantasy.

Why do you think ex-stars like Steve Francis make the headlines for arrests and other domestic problems? Because they can't adjust to the real world. It's not because they are dumb, but because for years, they only had to play a simple game that paid them millions. They are like spoiled children unprepared for what awaits them. Some never grow up, while a few successfully make that transition.

Shane Battier is probably the smartest NBA player. Kobe may be a brilliant SG who knows how to play the game of basketball but he never went to college. Is it off the wall to state Kobe is less educated than Shane Battier? There are more Kobes in the NBA than Shane Battier.

Black people are just like any other people. There are the good and the bad, the successful and the failures, all kinds of people. But NBA players generally are not as educated as the average college graduate. And the society we live in today rewards these athletes with millions while the average white collared professionals make much much less.

 

I could never picture anyone as tall as Steve Francis asking me, "Do you want fries with that?"

I would pay $100 to have Shaq ask me that question.

I can safely make two assumptions:
1) You are short.
2) You are Asian/(not black).

 

wrong on both counts.

Let me try. I can make two assumptions about you:

1. When no one's looking, you dance by yourself. Without music.
2. Your parents secretly wish you were aborted.

Am I right?

 

Without basketball Yao Ming would be a 7'6 nerd without a girlfriend playing Playstation all day.