TNT Halftime

[Bornindamecca]

Re: TNT Halftime

International players is a factor, but not the biggest reason. You can't overlook the outstanding talent of the 2004/2005 drafts, and some good GMing. Most of the high impact int'l players have been in the league and effective for several years, going back further than just 3.

Those drafts brought us:
Lebron
Wade
CB4
Melo
CP3
Deron
Howard
Devin Harris

and I'm sure many others.

When you look at the 3 best teams in the league, you're talking about the acquisitions of Gasol, KG, Allen and Mo Williams drastically changing the complexion of those teams.

A big influx of talent from all areas made the league better, not just int'l players. If I had to rank the factors, I'd put those drafts first, and GMing second.

[Tmacattack]

Re: TNT Halftime

It's hard to compare era's, I mean teams of 90's would of dominated teams of the 70's early 80's. The NBA has evolved so much, take James and Dwight, they're phenomenal athletes.

Barkley's generation is largely responsible for bringing the NBA to a global audience. The impact Jordan, Magic, Bird etc... had on the international community will never be matched.

Most great players that come through the ranks, are always compared to his Airness and their is not one player yet, who has eclipsed his shadow.

I think the NBA going to a global audience might have had to do a lot with general media and technological advances in that same time, not just the talent of the league.

And abour Jordan, yes, but you never know. In 20 years, will players be compared to Kobe? James? Player X? 20 years ago every gaurd was compared to Julius. Maybe someone who watched Julius in their prime would say that he's very close to MJ while someone who watched MJ in their prime might say that MJ is way above anyone else. It's about who you grew up watching and who "your" generation is that's going to determine who you think is the greatest. When Jordan was at his best, I was a 7 year old kid, so I can't talk about how great he was because I just don't know. I've seen some NBA classic games and I can look at stats but I'll never know. Someone who's born today might never see Kobe in their prime so they might think that James is the best player, and because they haven't seen Kobe, when they compare the stats, they'd see that those stats back up James way more, even though stats are half the story.

[DC]

Re: TNT Halftime

Like Bill Walton said, there is only ONE REALLY bad team in the East. (Wizards)

So the East is competitive aside from Cleveland and Boston.

While the west isn't as deep as it was a few years ago

[JBH3]

Re: TNT Halftime

Kenny Smith said at halftime that he thinks the league is better now than it was 3 or 4 years ago. Chuck disagreed.
Who do you agree with more?

Personally I believe Kenny more. I think there are more good to very good teams now then there was 3 or 4 years ago.

People should be very excited for the state of the league right now.

The league right now from a player standpoint is at the best its been since maybe the early 90's. Every position goes ridiculously deep right now even center is pretty good (just not in the east). PG goes atleast like 7 deep with all stars, SG and SF go very deep and is really top heavy with megastars, PF and center are both deep and getting deeper every year. The NBA is really in fantastic shape with all the star players and has only gotten better since they put in the age limit.

Chuck couldn't be more wrong. I love Charles, always have, but I gotta go w/ the Jet.

3-4 yrs my interest in the league was minimal, but over the past season and this one I've really REALLY gotten back into the NBA...to the point where I've got a League Pass account to watch the games WHILE I play NBA 2K9.

Taur is right too that every position is deep w/ talent which makes for much more competitive games.

All of the player movement over the last 2 years has really sparked a BIG interest for me too.

[Jukeman]

Re: TNT Halftime

Agreed...3-5 years ago the NBA was so bad that I didn't even watch it..just followed the sixers....

Oh yea the era of now was not better than the 90's cuz teams actually played deffense.... In your face defense too!

Age limit has nothing to do with the improvement...

[J.R. Locke]

Re: TNT Halftime

The 90's was the worst era as far as talent level. That mid 90's era was brutally bad with all those young players coming into the league and not having a clue.

The problem with the NBA is coaches have preached defense defense defense that the flow of the game is terrible. The defense of sophistication is 10X what it was in the mid 90's. This has killed the natural flow of the NBA and created a lethargic defensive oriented league.

I think the talent level is fine right now. But there are a lot of specialty players instead of all around players. But that is what happens when basketball becomes a half court game.

[The 24th Letter]

Re: TNT Halftime

I agree w\ you guys.....

I really really miss the good phx\dal games from a couple years back though

[fluent2332]

Re: TNT Halftime

I really really miss the good phx\dal games from a couple years back though

those games were massive. the start of that 'era' was good too. when van exel was killin it as sixth man

[J0nnD0ugh]

Re: TNT Halftime

The league is watchable now. I consider fall 1993-spring 2006 the NBA's Dark Ages. Jordan's return masked the dire straits the league was in. However, until the NBA does something about the officiating, I don't think the Association will ever give me the same feeling it did pre-93.

[Eton Rifles]

Re: TNT Halftime

I'm interested to see what happens when Brandon Jennings comes back from his year in Europe. From what I read, he's not playing a lot but is practicing 2 times a day(normal in Europe) to improve his skills.

[X*Cell]

Re: TNT Halftime

I knew I wasn't sure about him. He just plays like a gritty european big man I suppose.

you shoulda mentioned Scola for your Rockets

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: TNT Halftime

@ Chris Webber throwing shoes at Charles Barkley ala Bush-style.

This crew is great.

[ryanm1058123]

Re: TNT Halftime

never laughed so hard. that was great. TNT #1

[madmax17]

Re: TNT Halftime

The peek of the league was probably in the 80's with the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, today we have a similar one and it doesn't get any better then that especially if the Lakers can up their defense a little. International players bring a lot to the table with quality but more so with variety and the more variety you have the better, it's a different style of basketball from Okur who is shooting 3's like he is a 6'2 guard to Parker who plays more like a 'local' then European, the league is really doing great and of course half the world watches it now thanks to international stars and Yao who is very popular in China.

[dossier]

Re: TNT Halftime

The greatest thing about the league today is there has never been so much focus on team mates. LeBron has always preached TEAM play and they are playing like it.

The move from the ball handlers to the supremely skilled players is what makes this year one of the leagues golden years. Too bad it had to happen in a recession.