I've complained on here before about SF, CM, and MN playing too much 1-on-1 "And1" style iso-ball. Problem is, this was before I had ever actually taken the time to really watch an And1 mixtape. After watching all 5 mixtapes **cough!** (kazaa) *cough!*, it looks like And1-ball has gotten an unfair bad rap from a lot of ppl on this site (including myself). The real problem is not that our guards play too much And1 ball. SF, CM, and MN got nothin...and I mean NOTHIN'...on HotSauce, Skip, and the rest of the And1 ballers, when it comes to sick handles. No, our guards can't touch the handles of hard core streetballers like HotSauce, but the problem is they think they can. Watch the mixtapes. Then, if you can find clips of it (*cough!*hack!*(kazaa)*cough!*), watch our own SF at a recent EBC (Entertainer's Basketball Classic) at Rucker Park. On offense, compared to And1 legends, SF's handles are average at best. In one clip with SF on defense, he gets punked by another baller with better handles, who hits a helpless SF in the head twice in a row with the ball. SF, CM, MN are WANNABE And1 ballers, and that was their problem under Rudy. Damn. So what the hell is this post about anyway? I guess it's two things. 1) Streetball is pre-judged too harshly around here (CC.net) 2) Our guards are not streetballers, but they try to be. If they were as quick and in control with the dribble as streetballers, that would be a GOOD thing, not a bad thing. And check this out. HotSauce's moves have made it all the way to Canada and even England. In Canada (Vancouver): http://thenotic.ca/ (no free clips here, *cough!* you know where to get the clips *cough!*) In England (check the video section for FREE clips): http://www.streetball.co.uk/ Anyone feelin what I'm sayin here?
There's a streetball competition in Venice tommorow and I'll be sure to be there (I live in LA). I am very interested in seeing how these players compare to Francis and Mobley and Norris.
Venice Beach, I mean... I think that Steve Francis needs an old school mentor, like Oscar Robertson or, hate to say it, but...John....Stockton. He needs to learn that streetball moves arent going to win NBA games and smart basketball is.
And one more thing. (get it?) We should send Eddie Griffin on the tour with And1. He has zero handle. Who better to learn from than the best? For those of you that say "But the last thing we need is to encourage our guards, much less our young PF, dribbling out the shot clock even more than they do!" That misses the point. From what I've seen, And1 is not about dribbling out the shot clock as much as it is about having so much control and so much quickness and creativity with the dribble as to elevate ball handling to an art form. Those dudes are that good. Have a nice day.
You've got to be kidding me. Just about every play in a streetball tournament has either a travel or double-dribble. Our boys do that well enough already.
DoD said it all. I don't bash And1 ball. It's fine for what it is, which is almost it's own sport derived from basketball, and not actual baskteball itself. But trying to play And1 style in the NBA isn't always the wisest move.
True, but that's because they sometimes take the time to dance or wiggle their hips for show. Take away all that extra stuff, and these guys have got some serious handles that our guards, or any other NBA guard, can't compete with. Now the fact that they spend so much time on their handles at the expense of everything else (passing, shooting, etc) may be why you don't see many streetballers in the NBA (Rafer is one), but that doesn't mean that having more handle is bad if you can work it in to your game. EDIT: And you can't tell me that EG couldn't learn a thing or two from HotSauce! Sure, he's got the flashy moves, but to be able to execute his sick moves he undoubtedly had to first master basic control of the ball.
I catch myself laughing about this subject matter quite frequently. Steve Francis, NBA All-Star, wants to be like Hotsauce. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Somebody should slap Steve in the back of his dome to wake him up!
There is something for everyone. Streetball is one thing and NBA Basketball is another. Thats why most of the great Streetball tricksters dont even make it to the big time. Two different games that require different attibutes.
So true. A perfect example is Skip. The man has the sickest handle on the planet, yet cant even think about playing "street" in the NBA. Skip would either get called for traveling every time down the court, or he would get raped by defenders who wouldnt sit back and admire his handywork like the folks on the mix tapes. Let me put it this way, if they could play in the league they would. I got nothing against the And1 crew, they are damn entertaining - but that's it. They are better suited for halftime dribbling exibitions, commercials and mix tapes than competing on the biggest stage in the world.
SF is no question a thousand times better all around player than HotSauce, but handles? Not even close! And it seems like in streetball, sick handles (along with hops) is king. SF likely considers himself a streetballer, so it's understandable (in a way) that he would want HotSauce's skeelz. That being said, an NBA regular season game is no place to work on your ball handling skills and do dribbling drills to try to catch up to HotSauce, like our guards do.
Didn't you see the cross over-spin dribble Skip did that froze James Posey when we played the Raptors? Does having sick handles have to = having no all around game? EDIT: I'm not saying our guards should go out there and do the boomerang or the hypnotizer (both violations), but I'm saying that the skills that these guys have, minus the violations, are definitely useful in any basketball game, including the NBA.
EG can barely dribble the ball. If he hasn't learned dribbling skills better than that in his 2 seasons with Rudy and the coaches, Hot Sauce can't teach him anything. And DoD is right. Even without the dancing stuff, half of And1 is traveling and carries. They palm the ball on every play, and focus all their efforts on embarassing the other player, rather than just making a good play that will help them score. It is that 1 on 1 mentality that is percolating through the NBA that I hate, and blame streetball for. Also, who cares if Steve has handles as good as Hot Sauce or others? He has good enough dribbling skills to do fine in the NBA. Few people have complained about his dribbling. I'm thinking if Hot Sauce had practiced his other basketball skills as much as he must practice his "handles", then HE might be in the NBA along with Francis. Also also (wik), how does a streetballer bouncing the ball off Steve's head prove anything about Francis's dribbling skills?
yeah Yettie, a professional athlete in an a pro competition expends a great more amount of energy than a guy involved in a street balling spectacle that sells itself with fancy dribbling skills and moves but has low intensity competition. The enviroment of a professional basketball game is a completely different thing on the mind and body. moomoo, your right, a professional sport is not the place for a basketball showman.. but, I will say this, the Rockets guards, in the right enviroment, with the fresh stamina and legs, would make those cats in the bronx look silly.
HAHAAHA, did you just say Steve has average handles? I think he was EBC Tourney MVP man... Do you even know what the EBC is? You don't know what the hell you're talking about. Anyone can be crossed by anyone, bouncing the ball off someone's head is a punk move. Hot Sauce doesn't even have the best handles on the And1 team, he's been doing the same most of the same moves for the last few years. Don't watch a few tapes and come out with some proclamation like Steve has average handles. He can more than hold his own. Streetball has it's place as entertainment, but most of those players do not have the skills necessary for the NBA, although I think more of them should at least get the chance to come to camp if they invite a scrub like Saul Smith.
Steve used to play up in Rutgers, one of the major hotbeds of 'streetball'. Steve has awesome handles and gets much respect at any gathering. I've been watching And1 tapes since they came out. Those guys admit they couldn't play like that in the NBA. They all believe they could play in the NBA but none of them will tell you that they'll be bouncing balls off other peoples heads in the NBA. There is a reason why none of those guys make it. They do occassionally get a try out for NBA teams but they don't make it. Most aren't smart enough in basketball terms, many aren't nearly strong enough and very few have any kind of resume to show they can play organized basketball. The And1 is a chance for them to make some money and work on their game, its not pro basketball, its not even college basketball. Traveling, carrying over, up and down, etc etc would kill them..
Steve has unlearned the "carrying style" street ball. But he tries to go back to that style and is a little rusty compared to the other "ball carriers." But, Francis is still able to take any of them off the driblle using normal dribbles. And Francis's shots goes in the basket more often than not against that level of competition. One of the problems with Steve is that he has small hands and he's not able to control the ball as well as other players.
Yeah, I'm sure Steve can light the boys at Rutgers up. But then so can my grandmother. After all... it's Rutgers.
lol.................this is funny. Anyways..."Streetballers" think they are too good for the NBA. They say they can beat anyone 1on1 or whatever. I love And1 streetball. It's cool!!!!!!! Well....I watched "Streetball". And Rafer Alston.....Skip To My Lou......all of them were too busy streetballin......and Rafer chose to go to college.....and now he made it to the NBA. So he has two jobs. And the other guys are sad cuz all they have is Streetball..... Well anyways....GO HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS.....they are real basketball entertainers!
