I really want to like basketball again

[JBH3]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

To the OP, what is your definition of class anyhow? You mention Bird, Magic and MJ.. and I LOLed.

IMO, his example of class is probably a player who doesn't have sleeves tatooed on him and tatoos on his neck.

Bird - He obviously wasn't Bill Lambieer, but his indiscretions on/off court are a non-issue because he's white.

MJ and Magic - Team players who speak educated/eloquently.

Allen Iverson, the pre-imptive face of the 'thugush' NBA....

yea, not your prototypical 'team' player. He had some issues as a rookie w/ his 'entourage', and most of us know of his off court run-ins...Well in today's media age its even more in your face...the negativity.

However, I happen to know Iverson is a great guy being that I'm from his neck of the woods. The man stopped on Interstate 64 to help a victim of a horrible car crash which left the car over-turned. Iverson pulled his car over and turned the car ignition off, and helped the victim...But yet he gets a bad rap because he's got a lot of tattoos and is outspoken (to say the least).

Was that as widely reported as his domestic issues w/ his wife?

Nope.

People just need to be less prejudice and make up there own minds. The game of basketball is still the game of basektball. Like basketball for the game itself...

I mean for crying out loud, Phil Jackson admitted he once (at least once) used LSD when he was a player playing in an NBA game...

Jordan had more mistresses than scoring titles, MVPs, and rings combined...that doesn't speak of class?

I don't think Magic got Aids from a blood transfusion gone wrong. What really makes these guys better 'people' than say Gilbert Arenas or Lebron?

I'm just not buying into how things were so much better back in the day...If anything it was because most of the league was oppressed by the fact that they didn't get paid like the players do today...the owners got the big $$$. So they had to be on their best 'behavior'...

anyways...

[bkrich83]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

We hold our athletes to higher ethical standards than we do our politicians....

"50 Million Dollar Slaves" is a good book that deals with the perception of athletes and the "privilege" to play.

It was called 40 million Dollar Slaves.. Whether it was that good or not, is debatable.

[J.R. Locke]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

It was called 40 million Dollar Slaves.. Whether it was that good or not, is debatable.

Ah I guess it was....late night posting

But athletes have always been "overpaid" and we are always told that they should consider themselves lucky to be playing a game for a living.

[bkrich83]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

But athletes have always been "overpaid" and we are always told that they should consider themselves lucky to be playing a game for a living.

And as someone who would pay to play, but simply lacked the skills to play his chosen sport past college, I do not disagree with that sentiment.

[taylor34]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

I used to love the NBA, now I don't really care for it at all. Basically boils down to a few things:

1) Game becoming way more physical than it used to be. It doesn't even seem like basketball a lot of times, just big shoving matches underneath.
2) The players seem to go through the motions a lot, the effort just isn't there all the time it seems
3) Teams don't stay together very long, nobody can get along or else they chase money
4) Guys just can't shoot worth **** anymore. Everybody is 6'9" and can do 360's, ask them to shoot a free throw or mid range jumper and they're toast.
5) No college to pro relationship anymore, guys go pro way too soon to form any connection.
6) Horrible refs that all too often decide the outcome of a game
7) Guys just don't have any personality, or if they have any, it just makes you want to hate them most of the time. Regardless of how a guy like Iverson is in real life, he comes off as arrogant, 'bigger than the team', and lazy in his interviews with the press and actions.

The NBA is just a poor product in my opinion. I think there's one change that they should make though, let teams play whatever defense that they want. I think it's ridiculous that they just can't play a straight zone with a big guy in the middle all the time.

Taylor34

[Moses Shuttlesworth]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

I used to love the NBA, now I don't really care for it at all. Basically boils down to a few things:

1) Game becoming way more physical than it used to be. It doesn't even seem like basketball a lot of times, just big shoving matches underneath.
2) The players seem to go through the motions a lot, the effort just isn't there all the time it seems
3) Teams don't stay together very long, nobody can get along or else they chase money
4) Guys just can't shoot worth **** anymore. Everybody is 6'9" and can do 360's, ask them to shoot a free throw or mid range jumper and they're toast.
5) No college to pro relationship anymore, guys go pro way too soon to form any connection.
6) Horrible refs that all too often decide the outcome of a game
7) Guys just don't have any personality, or if they have any, it just makes you want to hate them most of the time. Regardless of how a guy like Iverson is in real life, he comes off as arrogant, 'bigger than the team', and lazy in his interviews with the press and actions.

The NBA is just a poor product in my opinion. I think there's one change that they should make though, let teams play whatever defense that they want. I think it's ridiculous that they just can't play a straight zone with a big guy in the middle all the time.

Taylor34

I disagree with that wholeheartedly. Players being more physical is not a bad thing at all, it actually makes the game better. This forces the offensive player, as well as the defense player to polish their game up, resulting in a more competitive game. While I do somewhat agree with the money arguement, what do you expect? This goes on in every sport and people get extremely greedy when they know others in same line of work as them can make millions more. The point you made about people not being able to shoot is just false. Look at Ray Allen, Michael Redd, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and other pure shooters. I don't even think this point is worth argueing. It's crazy how many amazing shooter/free throw shooters there are in the league, while many ATHLETIC people are able to 360 dunks.

I just don't see how your points take away from liking the game. To me, (from what I said) this makes basketball more enjoyable and worthwhile when you know each year the league gets better and better.

Obviously there have been some ref issues, and really controversial ones (the gambling scene) but doesn't every sport deal with that kind of thing?

[EWRMETS]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

I used to love the NBA, now I don't really care for it at all. Basically boils down to a few things:

1) Game becoming way more physical than it used to be. It doesn't even seem like basketball a lot of times, just big shoving matches underneath.
2) The players seem to go through the motions a lot, the effort just isn't there all the time it seems
3) Teams don't stay together very long, nobody can get along or else they chase money
4) Guys just can't shoot worth **** anymore. Everybody is 6'9" and can do 360's, ask them to shoot a free throw or mid range jumper and they're toast.
5) No college to pro relationship anymore, guys go pro way too soon to form any connection.
6) Horrible refs that all too often decide the outcome of a game
7) Guys just don't have any personality, or if they have any, it just makes you want to hate them most of the time. Regardless of how a guy like Iverson is in real life, he comes off as arrogant, 'bigger than the team', and lazy in his interviews with the press and actions.

The NBA is just a poor product in my opinion. I think there's one change that they should make though, let teams play whatever defense that they want. I think it's ridiculous that they just can't play a straight zone with a big guy in the middle all the time.

Taylor34

This seems like a criticism from 2000, not today.

[taylor34]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

Here's an article back in 2003 on the same issue. It certainly hasn't gotten any better since then.

http://www.insidehoops.com/shooting-121503.shtml

I can't find the league shooting percentages by year, but the article mentions that they've been steadily dropping.

Taylor34

[Brankles]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

Here's an article back in 2003 on the same issue. It certainly hasn't gotten any better since then.

http://www.insidehoops.com/shooting-121503.shtml

I can't find the league shooting percentages by year, but the article mentions that they've been steadily dropping.

Taylor34

2003 was actually a pretty horrible year. I'd say the league is twice as good now as it was then.

Here's league shooting %s by team in 2007-2008
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/statis...r=true&split=0

In your article, it stated the league average in 2003 was a little under 43% shooting and scoring under 91 ppg.

In that league breakdown by team in 07-08, not one team was shooting under the league field goal average of 2003. No team was scoring under 91 ppg, either.


Basketball has gotten a lot better, you just have to give it a chance and stop reading 5 year old articles lol

[jmood88]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

I used to love the NBA, now I don't really care for it at all. Basically boils down to a few things:

1) Game becoming way more physical than it used to be. It doesn't even seem like basketball a lot of times, just big shoving matches underneath.
2) The players seem to go through the motions a lot, the effort just isn't there all the time it seems
3) Teams don't stay together very long, nobody can get along or else they chase money
4) Guys just can't shoot worth **** anymore. Everybody is 6'9" and can do 360's, ask them to shoot a free throw or mid range jumper and they're toast.
5) No college to pro relationship anymore, guys go pro way too soon to form any connection.
6) Horrible refs that all too often decide the outcome of a game
7) Guys just don't have any personality, or if they have any, it just makes you want to hate them most of the time. Regardless of how a guy like Iverson is in real life, he comes off as arrogant, 'bigger than the team', and lazy in his interviews with the press and actions.

The NBA is just a poor product in my opinion. I think there's one change that they should make though, let teams play whatever defense that they want. I think it's ridiculous that they just can't play a straight zone with a big guy in the middle all the time.

Taylor34

It's hilarious that so many people complain that the NBA is softer now but you complain about it being too physical.

[23]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

2003 was actually a pretty horrible year. I'd say the league is twice as good now as it was then.

Here's league shooting %s by team in 2007-2008
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/statis...r=true&split=0

In your article, it stated the league average in 2003 was a little under 43% shooting and scoring under 91 ppg.

In that league breakdown by team in 07-08, not one team was shooting under the league field goal average of 2003. No team was scoring under 91 ppg, either.


Basketball has gotten a lot better, you just have to give it a chance and stop reading 5 year old articles lol

but they did change the rules to "increase scoring" then again to "increase ball movement"

LOL

I remember Isaiah Thomas saying its nothing wrong with the game. I dont think you need to tweak the game you need to tweak the players.

[GSW]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

I always find it funny when people say the guys nowadays cant shoot.

from what i saw "back in the day" was more of a uptempo run up and down take the first availble shot game, liek the cletics used to do, and other teams.

well when your getting layups and wide open jump shots, your goign to make those at a fairly higher clip then a contested shot from either the post or the perimiter.

the truth to that whole argument is the players nowadays are way more athletic, and BIGGEr and able to cover space quicker so those same shots more then half of them wouldnt have even been a open shot

add that that some guys can shoot at a decent clip even when being contested then you even have a argument that guys shoot BETTER now then then.

[23]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

Who said guys can't shoot?

They obviously cannot score as well overall how things used to be, even with the rule changes, but bigger means jack if the ball aint going in the bucket. I dont care who you are.

[Rocky]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

But I'm not gonna lie... It does make college basketball more fun to watch

Probaly the biggest myth going. March Madness was bigger than the NBA with or without HS stars. In fact, you could say the "one and done" trend hurts many programs.

What many people don't realize is that making kids go to college is about much more than basketball skills.

[Primerica]

Re: I really want to like basketball again

"Hip and Gangster" are basically the new vogue words for being too.....well you know....same thing the game had a problem with in the 70's.

The fact that the basketball is a culture is what makes it so appealing to me. You go on any court in any part of the country and you just kind of feel it.

In the NBA I wish guys didn't lobby the officials after every play and complain about every foul and flop. I also wish the NBA had hard fouls again (just like baseball used to have inside pitches!!). I also wish coaches didn't call every play from the sideline.

J.R. Locke is easily my favorite poster on any website I post at. Simple as that