Why doesn't Scott Skiles require all his players to shave their heads??

That haircut makes him look like he's got about six days to live.

 

The idea of Scott Skiles, an infamous cocaine blower and inveterate drunk driver, laying down rules of discipline, is just ludicrous.

And fucking anal-retentive control freaks like Larry Brown, and specifically and especially Larry Brown, is why the game of basketball itself has gone to complete fucking shit over the last 15-20 years.

 

I think it's clear no one's going to change your mind that black players are all that's good and white coaches (and commissioners) are all that's evil, but you're a dumbass.

Basketball has gone to shit? Really? And it's the coaches fault? it's not high school players entering the league far too young, watering down the level of play and taking it down?

Now that they aren't allowed to do that anymore, you see an NBA where the quality of play going up and its popularity continuing to rise.

Basketball has gone to complete fucking shit? Funny, I don't see that.

 

Um, how about the shift in coaching philosophy that began with Don Nelson, and has continued with Mike Dantoni and others that have teams playing up-tempo basketball and the philosophy of "we're going to outscore you."

When Pat Riley figured out "Showtime" wouldn't work with the Knicks, so he slowed the game down, made it incredibly physical, found success, and everyone else followed suit. Now the Mavericks, Suns and Warriors are finding success playing run-and-gun, and other teams are following suit.

How that has nothing to do with the coaches, I really don't know.

By the way, did you catch any of the North Carolina-Ohio State game last night. The freshmen and sophomores were dominating the upperclassmen.

 

I'm not sure who's side you're on, because your argument is all over the place. Larry Brown ruined the game, but these other guys are resurrecting it? Wouldn't Skiles be in the camp with an athletic team that runs the floor?

And you're saying that Tyler Hansbrough and David Lighty are ready for the NBA? Uhhhh, sorry.

 

What I'm saying is that, yes coaches have an influence on the way the game is played now, as they were during the Pat Riley dark ages. You can't blame players for the horrible style of play that Riley began and every other coach imitated. The style of play was the reason for 82-77 games, not the players being poor.

Now that teams are out playing up-tempo basketball, you can't pin it on the new rule that's been in place for one draft. If the age rule had been implemented five years ago, you would have an argument. All it did was keep the current group of high-schoolers from jumping, not those that ha gone before. And since we're on the subject, how about those players like Andrew Bynum of the Lakers who are making a solid impact on their teams in their second year in the league.

Sure there have been high schoolers that didn't make it, but the last time I checked, neither did a lot of players who spent four years in college.

You know if Hansbrough had come out last year he would have been a lottery pick. Florida's underclassmen would all have gone in the first round. To say they wouldn't or NBA team's didn't think they were ready then, as they are now, is just disingenuous.

Last night was a great game of basketball played primarily between players who are in their freshmen and sophomore years. If you don't see the talent or get excited watching it, you don't have a pulse.

 

One of the points that's lost in all this is that the headband is a part of the NBA uniform. This situation isn't about discipline, responsibility or team-building either. It's a stupid rule and could easily be revoked -- if not for someone (Skiles, Paxson or whoever) trying to make a point.

It's just what it looks like and that's something inherently D-U-M-B.