http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4718857&categoryid=2459788 Very interesting video discussing the decline of white Americans in the NBA. I had always wondered why Europe seemed to produce better quality white players than we do in the US and they provide some good discussion points.
This is actually quite interesting.. On the video, it talks about the past decaude's all-defense teams and how Kirk Hinrich is the only white-American on there... but it did list Jason Kidd.. Is Jason Kidd half?
That didn't make any sense. They were almost forcing race as an argument for why some players don't make it. The underlying issue throughout the piece was that players with size, athleticism, and exceptional work ethic are more likely to succeed in the nba. If you have neither, your are unlikely to have a chance.
I wonder if Larry Bird has that 8.0% of the white players on his squad.. I don't see why race is such an issue it's like the 1960s NBA where black people were trying to make it in a white dominated league but now it's like the reverse.
Interesting. It would be nice if somebody commissioned a more in depth study on why white Americans fail in the NBA. Seems like the 20 hour practice limit rule plays a huge factor. That's a little over the average amount of time a college kid spends in class. On the other hand, there are almost no black owners, so it sort of evens out
Very interesting video, great post. I hear both sides on this one, white americans are probably less talented as a whole etc but i gotta say i rekon Kyle (the main focus on this vid) would have at least made it further if he was black
Very interesting. It mentioned the zone defense and the white defenders. I didn't really see a link tough but it's really interesting.
Well i think it was carnesecca or someone said "if you to find guys that rebound, find the guys close to the railroad tracks." In a nutshell and its not really all just black or white, but it seems to me that alot of white american ball players have other options and doesn't have the same hunger for hoops, but when you see the former eastern block guys or the guys overseas, some of them were raised in terrible conditions. There is a ghetto worldwide and those war torn countries have alot of guys coming out that want to get out. Thats not to say all the guys with 2 successful parents cant be competitive, its just when you know you're only way out of poverty is hooping, then your level of hunger is different. If face the the prospects, i would take a international player over some of the white players if that makes any sense. BTW, when was the last american born all star white guy? Christian?Gugliotta?Wally? Then ask yourself, when was the last 1st team all nba? Probably Larry Bird which was a long,long time ago.
And people wonder why Chase was the 44th pick in the daft. I said it before and I will say it again. If Chase was any color but white we would have a lotto pick if not late first round.
That whole piece was pretty silly IMO. It was presented as if McAlarney is this incredible player who scouts won't take seriously because he's white. The reality is scouts don't want to give him a chance because he's 5'10". Its hard for anyone under 6' to make it in the NBA and those who do make it have to be freakishly athletic/quick. (Earl Boykins, Mugsy, Nate Robinson, Will Bynum) Guys like Reddick, Kevin Love, Adam Morrison, Mike Miller, Hinrich, Troy Murphy, etc. have been drafted despite their pigment deficiency and they all just so happen to have NBA size. **As far as Chase Budinger goes, the fact that his team sucked didnt help him but I'll admit there might have been some hestance b/c of how crappy Adam Morrison turned out. I was always impressed when I watched him at 'Zona. There were some mocks that put him in the first round though. We wasn't completey out of nowhere
