The Decision Era

[Dice]

Quote: Originally Posted by ProfessaPackMan

They've done a good job of making it sound like half of the league doesn't even exist. That's the one thing I can say the league has underachieved in for a while.

Half of the teams in the league doesn't need to exists.

[wwharton]

Quote: Originally Posted by The 24th Letter

I can understand the "feel" aspect, as I grew up watching 90's ball, but if I had League Pass back then, I think I would be saying the same exact thing I'm saying now...I would've really enjoyed watching about 20 or so teams in the league...while the others I wouldn't have really been interested in...no matter how much I enjoyed the style of play of the 90's. I think there's a big difference between enjoying that time period and there being actual parity. What's funny is, with all the bad talk of the 2000s, it was a league high time period as far as league parity goes.... On a side note: the one thing I really do miss about the 90's is that there weren't so many "specialists"....no Joel Anthony's or Ryan Hollins out there taking up space...for the most part, if someone was left open, they could convert a jump shot. That, and so many more players had a back to the basket game...not even just the big men...made offenses so much more fluid..

That's actually a better way of explaining what I mean. As been mentioned, there wasn't more parity so looking at the numbers and teams that won it all don't tell the story. Growing up in Baltimore, I watched more Bullets games than anyone else and they were enjoyable despite the teams being pretty much a joke. I could just enjoy watching... basketball. Today, I enjoy watching NBA games for different reasons but other than teams like the Spurs, it's not just watching good basketball to me. I can (and have) just as easily watched college women play, HS games and even middle school AAU.

I'm speaking for myself but just trying to explain where I'm coming from.

[The 24th Letter]

Got you, I think were on the same page.

[slimm44]

Somebody a few posts up summarized it pretty well (can't remember who). If the players in today's NBA knew how to play more effectively as a team and had higher basketball IQ's, the product we would be seeing would be the best ever, IMO. This reason is why I'm really excited about MIA and OKC this year. This is the 3rd year for MIA's core and the 4th for OKC. Both teams seem to have clear understandings of their roles which lends to working more effectively as a cohesive unit. Both teams also have amazing athletes. Combining the two is where it's at for me as a fan.

The league is full of players who have incredible athletic and one-on-one ability but it is difficult for them to translate it into a team game. To me, even the most talented ISO-heavy players get boring to watch at times because everybody else stands around and the refs still bail out the superstars. ISO ball slows down the game in a half-court set, which is where the beauty of the game unfolds. The excitement is in the transition game, the beauty is in the half-court sets.

For example, I'd rather watch the Cavs from the late 80's early 90's than the Hawks from last year. The Hawks were easily more athletic (especially if Ron Harper was post-knee injury) but the Cavs played much better as a team and knew how to fulfill team-oriented roles more efficiently.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dice

Half of the teams in the league doesn't need to exists.

And you're basing this on what?

[Dice]

Quote: Originally Posted by ProfessaPackMan

And you're basing this on what?

Fan base? Popularity? Record? Bad Ownership? Take your pick.

[ProfessaPackMan]

1 of those will never go away and 3 of those fluctuate every year to the point where we(Fans)can/will ignore it.

So basically, getting rid of those teams won't making of those problems go away because they'll still be there one way or another.

[DukeC]

I don't know. It'd be intriguing if 2-3 teams were contracted (Say...Raptors, Kings, Bobcats). The quality of the average NBA bench would improve drastically IMO.

It'd be interesting to see where guys like Derozan, Bargs, Calderon, Tyreke, Thornton, Cousins, and Kemba end up. Maybe the Bulls get that 2 guard they're looking for in Derozan, Tyreke, or Thornton? Maybe the Celtics get a guy like Cousins to come play for them. Maybe the Nets manage to entice Bargnani.

It's interesting to think about none-the-least.