Brent Price broke three knees in two weeks - what could suck more than that? His knees folded faster than Superman on laundry day.
I refrain from discussing Rudy's coaching, not becauseI don't care for his methods, but rather because I haven't a clue what it's like at that level. It's simply not for me to decide. That being said, I agree that today's NBA star is severely lacking in the basics of the game. My teams (I coach 3) range in age from 6-13 yrs. old, and I preach fundamentals because that is what works at this level. My games are slow and boring, but we win by playing defense, rebounding, and sharing the ball. However, it really helps to have a star or two on your team. Once you get them to buy into the sharing the ball game plan, the rest is easy. But they are stars, and fastbreaks and layups are easy for them. I don't know where the breakdown begins, but somewhere between rec league and the pros, these stars forget what they were taught. Maybe it's the competition to shine above the other stars, to get the big scholarships to the big media schools, or the ever excessive "highlight reels" being shown on TV. I don't know. All I know is that I'm gonna stick to my rec league coaching. It is easier to get a 7 yr old to listen to you than a 21 yr old millionaire.
The NBA isn't like any other level of basketball. The players are the stars and get paid far more than the coaches. In this world, the inmates run the asylum. That having been said, the key to getting teams to play together is trust of each other and their coach. The great coaches have the trust and respect of their players. IMO, the reason fundamental skills have diminished is basically twofold: 1. Lack of competition on lower levels. When a kid is 6'9" on a team of 6'1" players, it is ridiculous not to take advantage of that. Unfortunately, kids who have tremendous athletic ability are often exploited for that. Coaches can make their names off of kids who can jump through the roof. Who cares if he can't shoot it outside of 5 feet or hit a free throw. His job is to dunk it and no one can stop him doing that anyway. 2. Jump shooters don't make the big bucks. With all due respect to the shooters of the world, it wasn't Michael Jordan's jumper that made him a superstar. The more athletic and spectacular you are, the more you get paid. Plain and simple. If it were me and I had those kinds of skills, you can bet I would try to exploit them. Now, if you can hone your game, by all means. But, it isn't surprising that so many kids come out of college the way they do. Hell, guys that play the 2 guard in the NBA sometimes play center in college. It's no wonder they can't shoot or dribble the ball.
Jeff, good insights on the skills issue. I wish we could reverse the trends, but the deck appears stacked against the purist perspective. Is there anything that money can't corrupt? Answer, NO.
It's stupid comments that people on this BBS make about how every player sucks that has stopped me from posting here more often. It just gets lame after a while, I'm with you Jeff!
How can there not be a "Buck Johnson Sucks" thread? He might be the worst starting SF in NBA history.
Let me add my team to this: PG- Maloney/Price SG-Rhodes/Breaux F- Pippen(great ball player but terrible attitude) F- T. Morris/Massenburg C- T Ham/Cato/Jones/Colllier 6th-Brooks 7th- Bullard 8th- Langhi
From what I hear, Hamilton is playing fairly well in the NBDL and from what I've seen, 2 Sandwiches has cut down to 1 sandwich. I'd guess he's lost 25-30 pounds.
