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McCallum on Stern's 25 years as commish

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Beaker, Jan 30, 2009.

  1. Some Guy

    Some Guy Active Member

    It doesn't seem to be much of a problem so far.
     
  2. Boomer7

    Boomer7 Active Member

    The first part is nonsense--if a player is captivating as a pro, what he did before turning pro is irrelevant. And as for the second part, how many of these guys actually don't speak English?
     
  3. Some Guy

    Some Guy Active Member

    Shit ... even Yao can say "Can I write check?"
     
  4. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    The NBA has always had a huge race problem.
     
  5. exmediahack

    exmediahack Well-Known Member

    Stern does get too much credit for his early years as the game was already turning itself around. He was commish a few months when MJ came into the league. Talk about great timing. Still, Stern's greatest call was getting all 23 teams, originally, working as one rather than collective entities. Two years before Stern took over, seven of the smaller-budget teams were on the verge of calling it quits because they were broke (Indiana, Kansas City, New Jersey, Utah, San Antonio, Denver). However, the days of tape-delayed finals were also a few years in the past.

    It is definitely a different game than in 1984. Basketball is far more athletic now. Here's my 'go to' evidence for why this is...

    I'm a geek in that I collect Kansas City Kings games on tape/DVD. They're extremely hard to find but, hey, that's my 'thing'. Anyways, the Kings had Phil Ford, former UNC point guard. Ford was/is considered one of the greatest college point guards ever and he also won the 1979 NBA Rookie of the Year.

    In some of my games from 1981, Ford was considered one of the best point guards in the NBA. Yet he's 6'2", 180 pounds, not quick, not a good shooter, can't drive.

    If you put this exact player in the 2009 NBA, he doesn't make a roster (well, maybe Minnesota or Oklahoma City). And this guy was a former NBA ROY, 1976 Olympic star, #2 pick in the draft, etc. And those Kings teams were halfway decent. (In fact, only Otis Birdsong and Scott Wedman could make a roster from those 12 guys. However, both were good shooters but I'm not sure either could get their shots off in '09).

    What makes basketball, from solid high school cities up to the NBA, so amazing in 2009 is the speed of the players, especially side-to-side coverage of the 50-foot width of the court. The game is just SO much faster than 20-25 years ago. Very few really just 'bring the ball up' anymore.

    Being a good shooter isn't enough anymore. You have to be able to drive and create your own shot -- against defenders who are quicker than ever. Even with the improved offensive skills, it's damn near impossible to get off good shots.

    That wasn't the case in 1981.
     
  6. steveu

    steveu Well-Known Member

    Was an NBA fan during the 1980s glory days and into the 1990s. Now? Selfish players, people in the news off the courts for stuff other than basketball (hi, Tim Donaghy!), the officials' refusal to call anything, especially traveling... the league has become more of an individual league than anything else.

    What isn't mentioned here is the Palace brawl. I think that finally woke up Stern to the realization that his league had a major, major image problem. The jury's out on how well he reacted to it, but it seems like the last few years the product has gotten better.

    Whatever the case, I still love the college game best.
     
  7. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    I agree Stern has been both lucky and good. He came along when Magic and Bird were in their prime and Jordan was just coming on the scene.

    But he also had the marketing savvy to capitalize on that. The marketing of the sport was built around individuals. He was actual able to do the unthinkable and make a predominantly black man's sport marketable to a predominantly white, middle-class audience.

    I do think the street thug image has hurt the league in the last decade. And the emphasis on all-around athleticism over shooting and other fundamentals has begun to phase the white players out of the league, which could hurt in the long run.

    College basketball has been absolutely killed by the large number of players either skipping college altogether in the 1990s and 2000s or leaving early. Fans can't build identities with teams anymore. No more Jordans, Patrick Ewings, Ralph Sampsons, etc.

    Heck, only the diehards even recognize names on the roster at the start of a season. Guy has a good season (Kevin Love, OJ Mayo, Derrick Rose, etc.) and he's GONE!! The one-year rule was a good start, but it's not going to save college basketball. Agents and the burdensome NCAA rulebook have ruined the game.
     
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