The 2014-2015 NBA Season Thread. Lock It Up Please: The Golden State Warriors Are The Champions

[osh kosh bosh]

I hope the Lakers draft Mario Hezonja can he fufil his desity and become Euro Kobe.

 

[offset pow clow]

The team revolved around his defense and the fact he was a constant double team which led to all those open 3's.


Without Dwight that team doesn't even make the playoffs you're joking.


That was the best season we've seen from a center since.

I dont do hypotheticals so idk what that team wouldve done without him but dont deny turk,shard & skips contributions to that team

You acting like he was shaq

 

[dman14]

does nba.com replay gms with out the commercials where the video/audio is on throughout the telecast where you can hear the announcers during the break?

 

[cj003]

Why must there always be an excuse for players not developing?

First it was leaving college too early, now it's aau. The elite players usually have a personal coach that works with them on their footwork and skill moves in hs. Some guys work harder. Some guys just don't have "it". The "it" to pull of those moves in the game. Some of our most skilled bigger players were in aau (durant, Aldridge, bosh, love, Monroe, etc). Why were they able to develop?

In the 80s and early 90s you had bigs who couldn't dribble, pass or shoot. Their only job was to knock people around. Are we blaming that on aau? Not staying in college?

Everyone isn't going to be a skillful player.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Leaving college early is a serious issue in some cases though. It's why guys like Omar Cook never fulfill their potential.

 

[pums]

The drug game is another reason why Caesar might not ever be able to cook on the world stage.

 

[phillyzphan]

 
I just don't understand how high school coaches don't get blame along with AAU for teaching poor fundamentals

Why are you blaming AAU for Dwight's non diversified skill set

AAU by nature is more of a supplement to high school ball.. guys are remembered for what they do for their high schools not their AAU teams

100% agree. Its not just a basketball issue but it happens in all sports. Look at Tebow, he went through high school and college playing QB but can't accurately throw a football.

Coaches don't teach fundamentals anymore because they don't have time. They have to win immediately or they get fired. You're a high school coach with players that can get in the lane and hit circus shots, dunk, or draw fouls and you keep winning games. Or you can try to teach them the fundamentals, look for the open man, more mid range shots and more team ball instead of isolation. But now you're not winning as much at first. You try to go the fundamental way and you'll be looking for another job cause everyone has to win right now, while the winning coach keeps his job and probably gets offers to be a head or assistant college coach.

 

[offset pow clow]

Maybe kobe is saying aau is taking away from offseason training which is the reason why nba players get better

Look at the dudes who play pickup all summer, they arent the best in the league

 

[frshstunna]

Having been involve in both AAU n high school ball they both have their benefits IMO ...AAU gives a player a chance to play against good competition on the regular , but for the most part (except for a few elite tournaments) the results don't really matter as long as you play well ...high school on the other hand , you def gon be playing against some bums more often but you r more focused on winning which is important in the next levels

 

[nelson999]

OKC vs GSW monday 

 

Wish they could play like 15 times this year

 

[duba169]

Kobe got you guys quite upset. Yikes.

 

[Gz UP]

 

[shoeking2101]

Unless you play high school ball in LA or NY or something, if you're an elite prospect with aspirations for D1 and the NBA, HS ball is virtually useless until the city finals and state finals. From that perspective, AAU serves a huge benefit, for it allows true prospects to get a chance to face each other in a competititve setting while giving talent curators a more adequate chance to get a more accurate opinion on a player.

High school ball is just as bad as AAU if you wanna go down that route. It's a myth that AAU corrupts basketball and HS ball doesn't, they are essentially the same with the only difference being level of competition and as stated, if you don't go to a Westchester, Fairfax, some of those NY schools, or even a Dorsey, or Crenshaw high school it's child's play for players who have legit aspirations of playing professionally.


IMO the state of youth basketball isn't in the greatest of shape, but it's definitely overblown. Then people like Kobe, or Barkley or someone go and spew nonsense about other players from overseas who are more "fundamentally sound", as if they haven't been pros since 14, as if they would be as fundamentally sound if they had the athleticism and size that the U.S.'s elite prospects have.

 

[dman14]

This is pure gold, especially the bolded

"AAU basketball," Bryant said. "Horrible, terrible AAU basketball. It's stupid. It doesn't teach our kids how to play the game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up and they do all this fancy crap and they don't know how to post. They don't know the fundamentals of the game. It's stupid."

Bryant was born in Philadelphia, but when he was 6, his father, former NBA player Joe Bryant, moved the family to Italy to continue his playing career. Kobe spent his childhood in Europe until Joe retired in 1991 and moved the family back to the United States.

"When you have limitations and you understand your limitations and you stay within yourself, you can be great," Kobe Bryant said. "You know what you can do and what you can't do. In America, it's a big problem for us because we're not teaching players how to play all-around basketball. That's why you have Pau and Marc [Gasol], and that's the reason why 90 percent of the Spurs' roster is European players, because they have more skill."

Kobe must not be very good at geography (or math) if he thinks 90 percent of the Spurs roster is European. Manu and Splitter are from Latin America, Kawahi, Danny Green and Bonner are all American, Timmy is from the Virgin Islands, Patty Mills is Australian. I think the only "Europeans" are Parker and Diaw.

I don't want to speak for him but I think his statement was alluding to International players in general. Doesn't make his comment correct but I think we all know what he was getting at

and playing in euro league. the brand of basketball there is more team oriented instead of giving your best guy the ball and isolate him.

 

[shoeking2101]

and playing in euro league. the brand of basketball there is more team oriented instead of giving your best guy the ball and isolate him.

Right. However, they play that brand of basketball because they have to, relative to the U.S., who are flat out superior in virtually every aspect of basketball. If they were as talented as some of the elite prospects that are on Draftexpress and Rivals, you probably would see a more narcissistic and ego centric brand of basketball too.

I don't understand how we can even compare our prospects to prospects overseas, when they turn pro before their 16th birthday. Meanwhile, in the states instead of making sure prospects are the best they can be, we force them to go to school and balance the two.

America in general loves everything young. We love youth culture, we fret at growing older, and we damn sure love our prodigies which is why we cater to the Lebron's and OJ Mayo's at an early age. I can see why this is a bad thing, but it hardly is the reasoning behind why amateur basketball "is suffering" in the states.

 

[everysingletime]

I agree about the lack of fundamentals being taught in american youths but doubt it hardly matters

The best players in the world are still Americans, the best national team in the world is still the USA

The best league in the world is still the nba, which is still what, 70 percent Americans?

 

[shoeking2101]

I agree about the lack of fundamentals being taught in american youths but doubt it hardly matters

The best players in the world are still Americans, the best national team in the world is still the USA

The best league in the world is still the nba, which is still what, 70 percent Americans?

The United States are so far ahead of the rest of the world as far as basketball goes, that people start to perpetuate this myth that Grassroots basketball is in a terrible state and that international players focus more on fundamentals which is why they are flourishing more. Basically a bunch of ******** tbh.

 

[everysingletime]

I think over the past 14 years, the only three foreign players you could've counted in the top 10 at any one point in the nba would've been Yao, Nash and Nowitzki

 

[octobersveryown]

 

and playing in euro league. the brand of basketball there is more team oriented instead of giving your best guy the ball and isolate him.

Right. However, they play that brand of basketball because they have to, relative to the U.S., who are flat out superior in virtually every aspect of basketball. If they were as talented as some of the elite prospects that are on Draftexpress and Rivals, you probably would see a more narcissistic and ego centric brand of basketball too.

I don't understand how we can even compare our prospects to prospects overseas, when they turn pro before their 16th birthday. Meanwhile, in the states instead of making sure prospects are the best they can be, we force them to go to school and balance the two.

America in general loves everything young. We love youth culture, we fret at growing older, and we damn sure love our prodigies which is why we cater to the Lebron's and OJ Mayo's at an early age. I can see why this is a bad thing, but it hardly is the reasoning behind why amateur basketball "is suffering" in the states.

murica

 

[mister friendly]

You can't blame HS coaches they don't get work on the fundamentals in the summer with their players

Maybe a AAU coach could be a better coach but it's hard to work on the fundamentals when are playing all the time. Also HS coaches profession is to teach, it's not a hobby like the AAU coaches

There should be a balance between competition and the offseason

 

[sea manup]

of course HS basketball is going to be worse than AAU basketball, one is an after school activity and the other is dedicated to all things basketball. developing basketball players should be priority #341 in the public school system, focus on teaching kids english, maths and sciences. while AAU only deals with basketball so thats where kids should be getting professional training and skill development.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

of course HS basketball is going to be worse than AAU basketball, one is an after school activity and the other is dedicated to all things basketball. developing basketball players should be priority #341 in the public school system, focus on teaching kids english, maths and sciences. while AAU only deals with basketball so thats where kids should be getting professional training and skill development.

yeah it's not an "after school activity" in big time us HS ball.


most programs that big time prospects go to are basketball factories that partner with a local high school.

Findlay, Huntington, Montverde, basketball's is the primary focus, and getting just enough aducation to get into college.

 

[sea manup]

at the end of the day a player cant blame the system for his lack of skill, there are so many ways to look up drills and guides for proper fundamentals so if you really want to get better you are able to get better. the reason some guys just end up better than the rest is because they worked harder and smarter than everyone else, some people just get it and others dont. if you dont make it to the league because you didnt have a coach telling you how to play, sucks but its still your fault 

 

[shoeking2101]

of course HS basketball is going to be worse than AAU basketball, one is an after school activity and the other is dedicated to all things basketball. developing basketball players should be priority #341 in the public school system, focus on teaching kids english, maths and sciences. while AAU only deals with basketball so thats where kids should be getting professional training and skill development.

HS basketball is not just an after school activity to schools like Westchester, Fairfax, campbell hall, mater dei, etc.

And contrary to popular belief, basketball fundamentals are taught on the aau level, its just these guys who are bound for the league and high level college ball are just far superior than everyone else so it gets disguised a bit.

 

[sea manup]

 

of course HS basketball is going to be worse than AAU basketball, one is an after school activity and the other is dedicated to all things basketball. developing basketball players should be priority #341 in the public school system, focus on teaching kids english, maths and sciences. while AAU only deals with basketball so thats where kids should be getting professional training and skill development.

yeah it's not an "after school activity" in big time us HS ball.


most programs that big time prospects go to are basketball factories that partner with a local high school.

Findlay, Huntington, Montverde, basketball's is the primary focus, and getting just enough aducation to get into college.

its something kids do outside of going to classes, quite literally an after school activity 

the focus of any highschool should be to give kids an education, not basketball