We have a Whole Generation of American players who grew up watching Michael Jordan.. all practice only one thing! flashy driving to the hole (Jordan was the best defensive player & a amazing shooter..I guess they ignore that part of MJ ) BUT it is one big scam.. These American Players know what sells.. but that doesn't do anything for you at the highest level (the NBA). They know how to get the hype.. but can't shoot AT ALL, They only drive..and hopefully get fouled..but miss their free throws.. BUT hey it looked good on the 2 second ESPN clip last night huh! WE have a whole generation of Kids/NBA Players who grew up on Michael Jordan.. and ONLY practice driving! THEN they get to the next level and we have 75% of the 2 & 3 Guards in the League clogging up the middle TRYING to drive to the Rim. NO one has a outside shot,mid-range shot, or 3 pointer in the USA! Jordan is the DEATH of the league!... and it isn't his fault in the least! But all these wannabe Jordan's that get the praise in highschool & college.. but can't do anything else in NBA.. WE have a whole generation that do the samething. There is NO spacing on the floor, everyone wants to get to the rim. Anyone can clearly see the WHOLE Generation can't shoot! They all FOOL The Media by exploding off the dribble against lesser High School Kids & College Students.. THEN get to the NBA .. and the middle is clogged.. MOST of them wont shoot open shots, then look to pass. BUT I guess it doesn't matter because the "Hype Machine" & Huge Contracts have been signed! * Darrius Miles is the POSTER CHILD for this!!! As for Michael Jordan he practice what is sucked at and then what his weakness used to be IS NOW his strength! Jordan realised all the flashy crap ment NOTHING if you want to be a Legend! But these little "clones" who practice only their strengths.. which is Driving to the hole.. doing flashy dunks. I think the #1 thought in "most" American NBA Players is "Hey I hope that dunk got me on ESPN's Top 10 List" * What Happened about 10 years Ago The USA Dream Team was killing every country like some Globetrotters sh*t.. NOW most of these same countries have AMAZING Young Talent?? Kids that practice every part of the game! While our Kids practice the same crap they practice the day before.. trying to look like Michael Jordan from 1985.
it is true that many american NBA ballers cant shoot, atleast compared to european ballers. But look at Kobe, hes got a great shot, and he probably watched jordan. And I can say that the most I have seen of Jordan, is his shots. I think a game winning buzzer beater is much cooler than a dunk.
I understand what you are getting at. The problem with many players now is that they don't have commitment to the game. They don't try hard enough to learn. That is why so many Europeans are getting drafted now, they practice and they LIKE to practice. Here, only some players try to better their game and devote extreme amounts of time. People such as Kobe and Ben Wallace. They work harder than almost everybody else in the league. The others just want to be on SportsCenter and be hyped up by the media. They don't care about skills. That is the problem.
Kobe .. Ray Allen .. T-Mac .. Vince .. Sprewell .. Finley .. Rasheed Wallace .. Mike Bibby . ..etc ! .. those all grew up watching Jordan .. and were big fans of his ( according to them or their relatives ) .. and all of them are excelent shooters .. what's your point ?
Loco arts is right, although i don't agree a 100 % but he is somewhat right. I'm 14 and know what is going on with kids my age, they all want to get driving moves like AI, drive and dunk or do a crazy a$$ lay-up. I don't know but 3 kids who practice jumpsjots, I don't even one person who can rely on their jumpshot, except Sebastian Telfair,(we play in same division). Every other kid works on dribble and crossovers. People forgot about the midrange jumpshot, instead started working on their floater, thank god over summer 2003 i was practicing my basketball with an ex professional basketball player, and i can say he taught me well, Next summer i hope we practice on the same thing, we do conditioning drills, shots, shots and lots of shots, in motion too, not just simple shots. And rebounding, boxing out, and a lot of defense.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Air Canada:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe .. Ray Allen .. T-Mac .. Vince .. Sprewell .. Finley .. Rasheed Wallace .. Mike Bibby . ..etc ! .. those all grew up watching Jordan .. and were big fans of his ( according to them or their relatives ) .. and all of them are excelent shooters .. what's your point ?</div> I think his point is that a lot of players don't take the time to have a more-rounded game. Kobe, Allen, Finley, Bibby and Vince are all known for their attitude towards the game. T-Mac is great player but he is selfish, however he wants to be a great player on offense and thats why he has such an excellent offensive game. I'm not going to comment on Sprewell and Rasheed Wallace though. They have talent but throw it away with stupid rants.
How can you blame MJ for this? How can you blamer anyone in the NBA for this? They do what they are good at. Some are quick as hell so they drive to the basketball every chance they get. Some aren't as quick so they shoot. Kids see the flash and that is the ONLY thing they focus on. They want to see who could jump the highest. Blame it on the kid's coaches...not the NBA.
What in the blue hell are you talkin about? Blame MJ? Half his shots were fadeaways... I think your high on somethin or you are really oh so loco.
I wouldn't blame it on MJ though. That is just stupid. If you have to blame somebody, then make it the media. They are the ones that hype players up and show all the highlights.
...I've never watched MJ, because i never really got interested unitl he retired. Well, he came back as a Wizard. But, I watch all the others, and they all drive and do mad crazy **** driving to the rim. But i still DO practice my shot, because I realize you are not going to get a chance to drive if u cant hit your shots. They just lay off you and dare you to shoot.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting McGrady^1:</div><div class="quote_post">...I've never watched MJ, because i never really got interested unitl he retired. Well, he came back as a Wizard. But, I watch all the others, and they all drive and do mad crazy **** driving to the rim. But i still DO practice my shot, because I realize you are not going to get a chance to drive if u cant hit your shots. They just lay off you and dare you to shoot.</div> The reason why people drive is because the shot percentage raises... its like, whats a better chance of scorin... Jump-shot Free-throws Lay-up
I don't think he blames MJ, i think what he is saying is after MJ retired no one in league was left with a shot to rely on 24/7. Mj was so succesful because of hisjumpshot, its the jumpshot that creates driving oppurtunities. Also the things MJ was weak at doing during his start were defense and shooting, and those became his strenghts later on. Although i do believe some players these days are shooting great, like Kobe, T-Mac, Ray Allen of course, and few others. (I may be wrong at trying to say what he means, but i think he wasn't blaming MJ)
I thinking Loco has a good point in players nowdays kids are just focusing on the "flash" element of the game. I however do not think we can blame this on Michael. Michael was truly a special player who had a great all-around game. he had remarkable speed and could get into the paint almost as well as anybody could. You cannot blame him for doing something, that he was better than anyone else at. If you are better at someone in something, you need to exploit that advantage and that is exactly what Jordan did. I blame society in general for the fall of true "American Basketball". Its just like peer pressure. Nowdays all kids see on the highlights are no-look passes, crazy dunks and such. When did you see a good screen set and as a result you got your two-guard a wide open jumpshot? I see way to many people working on the flash rather than on fundamentals. Most people nowdays don't know how to shoot the ball with proper form, and the ones that due are the ones who will make it big time. Just look at JJ Reddick, this kid has absolutely no-athletic ability. He does not have a 40+ inch vertical, he doesn't run a 4.4 forty, however he can shoot the ball. Because of that , he will be a high first round pick and he will make a lot more money then some kids who can just jump. When you get into the higher levels of basketball(College and Pro) everyone is athletic. Everyone can jump with you, and you must have something that seperates you from the rest. Peja can shoot better than anyone, Kidd has the vision and brains, Duncan has the fundamentals, and Jordan had the complete game. You shouldn't be blaming Michael for the fall of basketball, you should be blaming the media, And 1, and coaches. Most coaches at the lower levels don't teach the fundamentals necessary to be successful at the higher levels. If people would stop listening to the Media, stop looking at And 1 players as basketball icons, and start watching the fundamentals that college players and former pros used, then they will be successful. Then adn only then you will see the rise of American Basketball once again.
If I had to choose between someone shooting a jumper or someone shooting a layup, I'd definately go with the latter.
yeah, but whats the easyest, go for the shot or go for the layup? (regardless if it will go in or not) Answer: taking the shot. If your gonna go for a layup there probably will be help defence and stuff, but it probably wont be if you take a shot (we played a game a few weeks ago. A dude on the other team made 8/11 3-pointers.)
I think a lot less Americans are getting training at a young age. I mean, they may play on rec teams and stuff, but that's not quite the same. Coach's these days don't work on fundamentals enough, and i guess kids don't practice fundamentals on their own as much. If you're playing streetball, and you shoot 40% of your threes/jumpers but 60 % of your layups/dunks, what are you gonna shoot, if it means losers walk? The layup/dunk. But that doesn't improve your game. It keeps you on the court. And that's how a lot of players learn to play these days, on the street court or in a driveway, instead of with a coach who works dribbling drills through cones, countless shooting drills, boxing out and rebounding, etc. Post moves, hook shots, proper passing and stuff have to be taught: you don't say "Man, I think it would be cool if I did a bounce pass to my homey who will then get an open layup." Without being forced to work on fundamentals, you don't repeat it. And thus, without some kind of repetition, learning doesn't occur. I think Loco was referring to the fact that Jordan was an athletic anomaly in an era of high socks, short shorts, and even shorter hops. Not many players were great leapers(though some were-the Hawk, Dr. J, Baylor, etc.) so Jordan stuck out more and got noticed, but the fad of practicing these moves at the expense of fundamentals is probably as old as the game itself. So I think its more the collapse of proper coaching at the youth level that is to blame than the freakish ability of Michael Jordan.
