Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

[jordan0386]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

1990-two...kukoc..***sconi
1991-one...tabak
1992-one...danilovic
1993-two...muresan...nicola
1994-four...Fetisov...rebraca...bruton...njoku
1995-three...zukauskas...bodiroga...tarlac
1996-four...peja...iigauskas...rentzias...murrsepp
1997-six...anstey...milic...drobnjak...digbeu...deunas. ..pepper
1998-five...nowitzki...nestorovic...turkcan...stepania. ..sundov
1999-five...radojevic...kirilenko...zhizhi...giricek... ginobili
2000-nine...turkoglu...baragic...tsakalidis...brezec... jaric...samake...oyedeji...sesar...rakocevic
2001-seven...gasol...radmanovic...lopez...parker...okur ...fotsis...javtokas
2002-14...yao...tskitishvili...hilario...nachbar...wels ch...krstic...vujanic...anderson...navarro...kasun ...fehse...Kammerichs...Sekularac...Scola
2003-20...miliic...pietrus...cabarkapa...pavlovic...dia w...planinic...delfino...barbosa...lampe...Schorts anitis...Szewczyk...vranes...pachulia...badiane... Becirovic..Morlende...Van de Hare...Sinanovic...Yuyang... Gliniadakis


from 1990-2003 in the nba draft 81 int'l players have been drafted...only 9 players have played on a nba team and have had a "significant" impact...only 11.1 percent of the int'l players who enter the nba have an impact


so explain to me...how this talent gap is closing...somebody...please

[fsquid]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

I would like to know what a country's league has to do with its national team in international play? Basketball is second fiddle (in some places third) in more European countries. This is like someone making fun of the US soccer team's run in the World Cup because the MLS is a sucky league.

[fsquid]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

I would like to know what a country's league has to do with its national team in international play? Basketball is second fiddle (in some places third) in more European countries. This is like someone making fun of the US soccer team's run in the World Cup because the MLS is a sucky league.

[TallTell]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

I would like to know what a country's league has to do with its national team in international play? Basketball is second fiddle (in some places third) in more European countries. This is like someone making fun of the US soccer team's run in the World Cup because the MLS is a sucky league.

I don't know? Maybe it's because the international teams are made up of a certain country's best players, who usually participate in a certain country's basketball league.

Soccer might be the most popular sport in many of those countries. More than half the time, basketball is #2.

Question: Is basketball the most popular sport in the USA? If the answer is no, than I'd like to add another question. What was your point?

[TallTell]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

I would like to know what a country's league has to do with its national team in international play? Basketball is second fiddle (in some places third) in more European countries. This is like someone making fun of the US soccer team's run in the World Cup because the MLS is a sucky league.

I don't know? Maybe it's because the international teams are made up of a certain country's best players, who usually participate in a certain country's basketball league.

Soccer might be the most popular sport in many of those countries. More than half the time, basketball is #2.

Question: Is basketball the most popular sport in the USA? If the answer is no, than I'd like to add another question. What was your point?

[fsquid]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

Question: Is basketball the most popular sport in the USA? If the answer is no, than I'd like to add another question. What was your point?

good point, the NFL is #1, however, only 3 countries in the world play that sport.

[fsquid]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

Question: Is basketball the most popular sport in the USA? If the answer is no, than I'd like to add another question. What was your point?

good point, the NFL is #1, however, only 3 countries in the world play that sport.

[bkrich83]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

so explain to me...how this talent gap is closing...somebody...please

Bronze medal in the Olympics. Sixth place finish in the World Championships. Loss to Italy, 20 point blowout loss to Puerto Rico.

Explain to me how the NBA people are wrong and you are right about the talent gap closing..

[bkrich83]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

so explain to me...how this talent gap is closing...somebody...please

Bronze medal in the Olympics. Sixth place finish in the World Championships. Loss to Italy, 20 point blowout loss to Puerto Rico.

Explain to me how the NBA people are wrong and you are right about the talent gap closing..

[driddy]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

I didn't read this entire thread, usually it degenerates into a bunch of people argueing why someone should make the ncaa rich.

I have two words to debunk all arguments regarding an age limit.


Tony and
Parker

Nuff said, here's a kid who played pro and entered the NBA at age 19 with fundamentals. I didn't hear about any college ball. I didn't hear about the French National team forcing him to slang burgers until he reached age. Instead he played on a championship team. He is an elite point guard in the NBA, and probably the only point guard in the whole league that didn't go to college.

[driddy]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

I didn't read this entire thread, usually it degenerates into a bunch of people argueing why someone should make the ncaa rich.

I have two words to debunk all arguments regarding an age limit.


Tony and
Parker

Nuff said, here's a kid who played pro and entered the NBA at age 19 with fundamentals. I didn't hear about any college ball. I didn't hear about the French National team forcing him to slang burgers until he reached age. Instead he played on a championship team. He is an elite point guard in the NBA, and probably the only point guard in the whole league that didn't go to college.

[NINJAK2]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

Bronze medal in the Olympics. Sixth place finish in the World Championships. Loss to Italy, 20 point blowout loss to Puerto Rico.

Explain to me how the NBA people are wrong and you are right about the talent gap closing..

I don't think the talent gap is closing(as far as pure athleticism is concerned), but I certainly think the USA has been lapped by the world in the fundamentals category. Passing in the U.S. is perceived nowadays as something to do only when you are not able to dribble. A mid range shot is a shot only taken when you can't get a three or a dunk/layup off. The U.S. practices creating shot opportunities for the talented individuals. The world practices creating shot opportunities for the team in general anyway they can.

Not everyone will be able to dunk in their lifetime, but with practice and dedication to helping your teammates succeed you can hit wide open j's, free throws, set a GOOD pick, pass. This is what the world did, but the U.S. didn't.

These factors coupled with the rules of the International game also had a part in the U.S. inability to bring home the gold. The NBA is a much more physical game than the Intl' one IMO. Those tactics that are used and go uncalled in the NBA don't fly overseas. Great defensive players like Bowen and Artest may not have been as effective if the refs called the game the same way.

I am always in awe when I see Sac-Town playing at their best on the offensive end(cutting, passing, knocking down the mid range j, constant player/ball movement). Unfortunately this is not representative of the NBA's offense as a whole.

The NBA and their marketing also plays a key role in the type of play we see today. They market players not teams. It's always KOBE and the Lakers or A.I. and the Sixers. Players come into the NBA wanting to be the best they can be as individuals in order to benefit more financially, it's about looking good first, winning second(I felt LeBron was the exception this year to that). It should be the other way around. Some people over the air waves were labeling the Pistons style of play as unentertaining and a step back for the league if they won the title. ESPN Radio personality Colin Cowherd was one of the Pistons major disputers. Winning basketball isn't always pretty or flashy.

The NBA's mentality doesn't really support the team concept IMO. That's why I am in awe whenever I see a good display of team play with everyone touching the ball or digging in defensively as a collective group.

As far as the support they got from the American public in general, those players deserved a heck of a lot more support than they got. Like them or not they are wearing the U.S.A. jersey on their chest and that's what it's supposed to be about-supporting those who represent your country.

I'm sure if our cream of the crop went over we would have had a better showing. The fact is that those people were asked and refused(T'Mac, Kobe(4 obvious reasons), KG, Shaq, Kidd,Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Ray Allen). The committe sure could have done a better job of building a TEAM, but these our the guys that excepted the invitation.

[NINJAK2]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

Bronze medal in the Olympics. Sixth place finish in the World Championships. Loss to Italy, 20 point blowout loss to Puerto Rico.

Explain to me how the NBA people are wrong and you are right about the talent gap closing..

I don't think the talent gap is closing(as far as pure athleticism is concerned), but I certainly think the USA has been lapped by the world in the fundamentals category. Passing in the U.S. is perceived nowadays as something to do only when you are not able to dribble. A mid range shot is a shot only taken when you can't get a three or a dunk/layup off. The U.S. practices creating shot opportunities for the talented individuals. The world practices creating shot opportunities for the team in general anyway they can.

Not everyone will be able to dunk in their lifetime, but with practice and dedication to helping your teammates succeed you can hit wide open j's, free throws, set a GOOD pick, pass. This is what the world did, but the U.S. didn't.

These factors coupled with the rules of the International game also had a part in the U.S. inability to bring home the gold. The NBA is a much more physical game than the Intl' one IMO. Those tactics that are used and go uncalled in the NBA don't fly overseas. Great defensive players like Bowen and Artest may not have been as effective if the refs called the game the same way.

I am always in awe when I see Sac-Town playing at their best on the offensive end(cutting, passing, knocking down the mid range j, constant player/ball movement). Unfortunately this is not representative of the NBA's offense as a whole.

The NBA and their marketing also plays a key role in the type of play we see today. They market players not teams. It's always KOBE and the Lakers or A.I. and the Sixers. Players come into the NBA wanting to be the best they can be as individuals in order to benefit more financially, it's about looking good first, winning second(I felt LeBron was the exception this year to that). It should be the other way around. Some people over the air waves were labeling the Pistons style of play as unentertaining and a step back for the league if they won the title. ESPN Radio personality Colin Cowherd was one of the Pistons major disputers. Winning basketball isn't always pretty or flashy.

The NBA's mentality doesn't really support the team concept IMO. That's why I am in awe whenever I see a good display of team play with everyone touching the ball or digging in defensively as a collective group.

As far as the support they got from the American public in general, those players deserved a heck of a lot more support than they got. Like them or not they are wearing the U.S.A. jersey on their chest and that's what it's supposed to be about-supporting those who represent your country.

I'm sure if our cream of the crop went over we would have had a better showing. The fact is that those people were asked and refused(T'Mac, Kobe(4 obvious reasons), KG, Shaq, Kidd,Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Ray Allen). The committe sure could have done a better job of building a TEAM, but these our the guys that excepted the invitation.

[TallTell]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

Bronze medal in the Olympics. Sixth place finish in the World Championships. Loss to Italy, 20 point blowout loss to Puerto Rico.

Explain to me how the NBA people are wrong and you are right about the talent gap closing..

The media has been wrong before regarding certain sports

Hell, they were wrong about the Lakers beating the Pistons.

[TallTell]

Re: Okay. I'm Starting To Change Mind

Bronze medal in the Olympics. Sixth place finish in the World Championships. Loss to Italy, 20 point blowout loss to Puerto Rico.

Explain to me how the NBA people are wrong and you are right about the talent gap closing..

The media has been wrong before regarding certain sports

Hell, they were wrong about the Lakers beating the Pistons.