Commentary: Young stars don't impress Heat vets
By Chris Perkins
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 06, 2005
MIAMI — Center Alonzo Mourning and guard Gary Payton undeniably are the go-to guys for the Heat.
Not on the court, because those days are gone for Miami's resident graybeards. But off the court, when it comes to basketball issues, Mourning, 35, and Payton, 37, are money.
You can include 33-year-old center Shaquille O'Neal in that group, too, but to a lesser extent. He's not always as outspoken as his fellow old-heads.
Anyway, on this day, the topic was the young stars of the NBA, the so-called "Next Generation."
And it's unanimous. Mourning, Payton and O'Neal are unimpressed. There's almost no one playing today whom the future Hall of Famers enjoy watching.
"I come from the era where you get your numbers and you make everybody look good," O'Neal said. "Now these guys are just worried about their numbers, their fame and their commercials and all that. Guys that do all that And-1 (stuff). I'm not impressed. I won't let my sons watch it. At all."
If you think this is just another episode of old guys reminiscing about the old days, you're wrong. They simply prefer players with complete games.
Mention players such as Cleveland's LeBron James, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire and Miami's Dwyane Wade, and Mourning literally laughs.
"Those guys, come on, man," he said, partly amused, partly offended. "They still have a long way to go. They've had a couple of good seasons. Longevity. That's when you earn respect in this league. When you do it for long periods of time."
It's not that Payton, Mourning and O'Neal don't respect today's players. They play alongside Wade, who many believe is the most talented youngster in the game, and acknowledge his skills. They just don't think many of today's players measure up to their contemporaries.
"I've seen the Michael Jordans, the Larry Birds, Dominique Wilkins, Magic Johnson — they put on shows," Payton said. "The young guys have a lot of talent. There's a lot of them that can put the ball up and score and stuff like that, but it was different with those type guys because they did everything.
"Jordan did everything, Magic, Bird. You've got some of these young guys out here that are one-dimensional. There's only about three or four that can do everything. LeBron is one. Dwyane is starting to put that in his game. But the rest of them, the Tracy McGradys, they're the scorers."
It's strange that the NBA has arrived at such a spot. None of the other major sports does a better job of keeping today's stars in touch with yesterday's stars. At All-Star Weekend and the NBA Finals, it's common to find the greats from the past visiting with wide-eyed young players, handing down knowledge and passing on secrets.
But maybe the young guys aren't taking the words to heart.
O'Neal said he likes to watch James, Wade, Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett and San Antonio's Tim Duncan, who O'Neal refers to as "Mr. Duncan." On the other hand, Duncan and O'Neal are the only players Mourning enjoys watching.
"I've played against the best, some of the top 10 players ever to play this game," Mourning said. "I don't think any of the players in this league right now can compare to any of the players I've had experience playing against."
As Mourning speaks, you get the feeling there's more going on here than just a generation gap. He seems to be speaking partly out of pride, partly out of defiance and partly out of old age.
Perhaps O'Neal, Payton and Mourning all look in the mirror and see the inevitable end of their careers. And as the phrase says: "Objects in mirror might be closer than they appear." Still, for the most part, they don't like what they see with the NBA's next generation.
"You've got a bunch of damn scorers," Mourning said with disgust. "Which is fine, but show me something else. Show me what I haven't seen. I've seen all that."
By Chris Perkins
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 06, 2005
MIAMI — Center Alonzo Mourning and guard Gary Payton undeniably are the go-to guys for the Heat.
Not on the court, because those days are gone for Miami's resident graybeards. But off the court, when it comes to basketball issues, Mourning, 35, and Payton, 37, are money.
You can include 33-year-old center Shaquille O'Neal in that group, too, but to a lesser extent. He's not always as outspoken as his fellow old-heads.
Anyway, on this day, the topic was the young stars of the NBA, the so-called "Next Generation."
And it's unanimous. Mourning, Payton and O'Neal are unimpressed. There's almost no one playing today whom the future Hall of Famers enjoy watching.
"I come from the era where you get your numbers and you make everybody look good," O'Neal said. "Now these guys are just worried about their numbers, their fame and their commercials and all that. Guys that do all that And-1 (stuff). I'm not impressed. I won't let my sons watch it. At all."
If you think this is just another episode of old guys reminiscing about the old days, you're wrong. They simply prefer players with complete games.
Mention players such as Cleveland's LeBron James, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire and Miami's Dwyane Wade, and Mourning literally laughs.
"Those guys, come on, man," he said, partly amused, partly offended. "They still have a long way to go. They've had a couple of good seasons. Longevity. That's when you earn respect in this league. When you do it for long periods of time."
It's not that Payton, Mourning and O'Neal don't respect today's players. They play alongside Wade, who many believe is the most talented youngster in the game, and acknowledge his skills. They just don't think many of today's players measure up to their contemporaries.
"I've seen the Michael Jordans, the Larry Birds, Dominique Wilkins, Magic Johnson — they put on shows," Payton said. "The young guys have a lot of talent. There's a lot of them that can put the ball up and score and stuff like that, but it was different with those type guys because they did everything.
"Jordan did everything, Magic, Bird. You've got some of these young guys out here that are one-dimensional. There's only about three or four that can do everything. LeBron is one. Dwyane is starting to put that in his game. But the rest of them, the Tracy McGradys, they're the scorers."
It's strange that the NBA has arrived at such a spot. None of the other major sports does a better job of keeping today's stars in touch with yesterday's stars. At All-Star Weekend and the NBA Finals, it's common to find the greats from the past visiting with wide-eyed young players, handing down knowledge and passing on secrets.
But maybe the young guys aren't taking the words to heart.
O'Neal said he likes to watch James, Wade, Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett and San Antonio's Tim Duncan, who O'Neal refers to as "Mr. Duncan." On the other hand, Duncan and O'Neal are the only players Mourning enjoys watching.
"I've played against the best, some of the top 10 players ever to play this game," Mourning said. "I don't think any of the players in this league right now can compare to any of the players I've had experience playing against."
As Mourning speaks, you get the feeling there's more going on here than just a generation gap. He seems to be speaking partly out of pride, partly out of defiance and partly out of old age.
Perhaps O'Neal, Payton and Mourning all look in the mirror and see the inevitable end of their careers. And as the phrase says: "Objects in mirror might be closer than they appear." Still, for the most part, they don't like what they see with the NBA's next generation.
"You've got a bunch of damn scorers," Mourning said with disgust. "Which is fine, but show me something else. Show me what I haven't seen. I've seen all that."
Comment