The Platinum Age
With growing pains in the rear view, the league is in its best shape ever
Us humans, we gotta get things wrong before we get things right. Actually, before we get things right, we gotta get things wrong, feel some kind of pain or suffer some type of sanction…then we can get things right. That’s the way we are wired as an imperfect species – call it Human Nature. When I was Young Vince, I thought it’d be dope to take those little corn-on-the-cob holders and stick them in an electrical socket; thinking that I’d light up or, I don’t know, be able to do The Dolphin better. Problem was, some nice and serious watts surged through my idiot-body, leaving my fingertips burnt, black and steaming. I got that wrong. Pops, however, didn’t think that my steamy-black fingertips were enough negative-reinforcing pain or the vibration still rattling through my forearm like a pitchfork. So he loosened his 12-inch-thick leather belt and whipped me as I ran in a semi-circle trying to evade the lashes. I didn’t stick a corn-on-the-cob holder into an electrical socket again – ever.
Sports leagues, such as the NBA, behave like imperfect humans, because they’re operated and inhabited by imperfect humans. So the NBA – and the individuals within – essentially had to get a lot of stuff wrong before they got it right. The pain in between tested the league’s threshold. But these things had to happen. The dividends, however, are finally paying off and it’s a huge story for the NBA.
This time last year, the league was about to begin All-Star Weekend in Vegas. The weekend ended in controversy. Apparently, All-Star weekend naturally attracts a thug culture and the hoodlums had turned Las Vegas Blvd. from a tourist strip to an area with a safety quotient equal to a Hutu-Tutsi battleground in Burundi. At least, that’s what folks were saying.
Regardless of whether the reports were factual or exaggerated, it was another black eye for a league that was getting beat – like a Trailer Park Girlfriend – by bad publicity springing from a sometimesy product, periodic, degenerate employee-behavior, controversial rules, and an often ignorant public. Fans were sitting through games that tended to resemble rugby. There were Melees in Auburn Hills, brawls at MSG. There were controversies spawned from cultural divisions, things like Dress Codes and Age-Rules. Flagship stars faced rape trials. Team USA rosters full of All-Stars were relinquishing American bragging rights to foreign countries at international competitions. And it didn’t stop after Vegas. An imperfect rule soiled the Western Conference semis, which only served as an appetizer for a garbage Finals. Then came the off-season marked by two stories: Kobe wanted out of L.A. and referee Tim Donaghy was in bed with the mob. Schmoove.
But here’s the story of all stories for David Stern, team owners and fans, as we all collectively head to the Big Easy: After all that went wrong and the painful aftermaths, things are right these days. The smoke has cleared and things are looking good. This week’s big storyline from schmuck media types could be about a collective bracing for disaster in New Orleans as every southern thug and hoodrat descends on a recently devastated city like revel-ready locusts. They can bump their gums ragged, blow-harding about what could happen and what, allegedly, did happen. But the real story leading up to New Orleans is that the league is in its best shape since the Golden Age of Bird-Magic-MJ. Call it The Platinum Age.
In full disclosure, it’s not solely about lessons learned. Make no mistake; this era’s hallmark is its talent. Only a curmudgeon or blind man would debate against whether this current crop of NBA talent is the best the league has ever seen. That’s not even up for discussion. The harvest is full, my dudes. It’s conspicuous; the fruit is spilling out the baskets. You have All-Time Greats still in or just a smidge past their primes (Duncan, Kidd, KG, Nash); Kobe Bryant the Nadir; Precocious Youngsters (Wade, Bron, Melo, Chris Paul), cats waiting in the wing with dumb, stupid skills and/or promise (Durant, Roy, Bynum); Quirky Talents the league has never seen before (Josh Smith, Marion); The International Fleet (Yao, Dirk, Ginobili). There are 15 legitimately good squads – even if 10 are out West. Every squad, however, is essentially talented. The center is back. The point guard is back. L.A. is back. Boston is back.
But none of that is related to the “No Pain, No Gain” cliché. That’s mostly the product of good genes, Wheaties, a couple of good (or bad) deals and some other stuff that, often, just happens. What’s important to note is that The League and The Game are back – healthier than ever – expressly because they were hurting so bad for a while.
Remember when practically all of the games were ugly and low scoring? A lot of dudes just straight up didn’t know how to ball on a professional level. It hurt to watch them. Seriously, I would watch some teams play and catch eye-cramps. It probably hurt the game’s inanimate objects, too. Some stiff like Ervin Johnson or Dale Davis would shoot a jump hook and tear the rim’s ACL. Van Gundy’s teams were hurting the pace of the game; and by that I mean that the tempo was literally pulling groins. No lie. People stopped watching. So what happened? A few hand-check rules open things up, a bit. Point guard play returns, some “maverick” coaches start loosening the reins. Now there are 10 whole teams averaging over 100 ppg.
The days and months after The Melee were wrought with questions of recovery. Some clowns even predicted some sort of demise. It seems that dudes weren’t aware that you can’t just decide to start punching people in the face and gaffling spectators. That’s basically a life maxim, unless you play in the NHL. It also never occurred to the league that it might want to think about cutting off the watery-beer taps at a certain point and employing more than some moonlighting rent-a-cops who were nothing more than big, surly lunch ladies wearing tight slacks and a maroon sports coat. The NBA needed Ron Artest and John Green to help galvanize them to these conclusions. Even if there were reasons to take presumptive action before that debacle, it wasn’t going to happen. Leagues, like humans, are only capable of reacting. The fallout hurt, for a while, but – warm beer to the chops or not – you won’t ever see an athlete even think to rush the stands. The arenas are all together safer.
The cultural divide was trickier. There was a disconnect between the players and much of the fan base, the players and the league sponsors, the players and the media…the players and much of America, really. Silly stuff like tattoos, throwback jerseys, jewelry and baggy pants were symbols of a culture that turned off Levi’s 501Joe. He could identify with these cats and their “Hip Hop Gear”. So Stern profiled and instituted a dress code. I hated this idea. Stern was “this close” to getting relegated to that box with the police and people that drive trucks with Confederate flag bumper stickers. But you know what? Stern was right. Was he bowing to pressure from ignorant judges? Kinda. But he reacted and did what he had to do. The league writhed in some public-relations pain and kept it moving. It was like getting stitches. The gash came from letting players run wild and dress with, sometimes, zero decorum. The NBA was bleeding, the wound needed tending and the dress code was the stitches. The league bit its lip and bore the pain. Now you have what is still the most fashionable group of players, except they’re more GQ than OZONE.
And so it went. The league, for instance, had allowed the High School to Pro trend to go unchecked and it became a near-epidemic. The Age Rule authored some civil rights backlash, much of it warranted. After decades of being the pioneer sports league for so many things that dealt with diversity and tolerance, the NBA was starting to look like a semi-fascist operation. But guess what? Now it’s two years later and the evidence is pretty clear that the league is better off, both in terms of quality of play and quantity of fans. There are far more Durant and Oden fans that have followed them to the league after watching them in college. Even the Donaghy Fiasco – a full-fledged scandal – has actually yielded benefits. This wasn’t an issue of play or image. It dealt with integrity. Pundits wondered whether the league could ever be trusted again. It forced the league to seriously assess the whole process surrounding referees, from hiring to performance-grading to off-court behavioral standards. The NBA winced and groaned for a while, but ultimately, Donaghy ain’t much of a potential topic in New Orleans this week. That’s saying something.
This is a special time for the NBA. All the figurative black eyes and ankle sprains of recent years were necessary evils. Systemically, the league righted a bunch of wrongs and weathered even more storms, just in time to house this historic crop of talent, playing the best league-wide basketball in years. That’s the story this All-Star Week – rehash and nitpick if you want.
Vincent Thomas is a columnist for SLAMonline and regular contributor to SLAM Magazine. He can be reached at vincethomas79@gmail.com.
96 Responses to “The Platinum Age”
Feb.13 at 9:26 am
Ken says:
Nice piece.
Feb.13 at 9:26 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
Great encapsulation VInce! We studied this in psychology, sort of. Pre-conceptual knowledge I think. You can’t just tell someone they are wrong and throw facts at them, you have to bring them along and let them see for themselves. The NBA is coming around…
Great piece!
Feb.13 at 9:30 am
Atrain says:
Can I get an invite to whatever party CP3 throwin’ this weekend?
Feb.13 at 9:41 am
arthur says:
Praise for sternbot? In slam? Really?
Feb.13 at 9:59 am
Tarzan Cooper says:
hey vincent, the malice at the palice was in 04. does anybody proofread the mag anymore? damn.
Feb.13 at 10:04 am
Jim Mora says:
hutu & tutsi slaughters actually happened in rwanda.
Feb.13 at 10:06 am
Pro says:
Great piece, nice take on Stern’s actions. Most usually bash him
Feb.13 at 10:15 am
Tarzan Cooper says:
BY NO MEANS IS STEVE NASH AN ALL TIME GREAT!!!! thats not hate, thats truth. and i realize and follow all the stuff mentioned, but that is for casual fans. do i give a fu(k what the nba’s “image” is? and saying the basketball being played in the league is the best ever is just insane; sh%t, you said yourself defense is softer now. and the most important thing to fix in the league now is not letting guys like lebron take 5 steps on playoff series deciding plays.
Feb.13 at 10:28 am
Jim Mora says:
I, up to a point , agree with Tarzan Cooper. It’s too easy for guys like bron and kobe to score. If you compare to the 90’s, guys were constantly handchecked.
You no longer find the likes of a pippen who would shut down his man by pressuring him.
On the other hand, it’s better for the show and therefore for the league
Feb.13 at 10:28 am
Jim Mora says:
I can’t wait for the spurs-pistons finals
Feb.13 at 10:35 am
Tarzan Cooper says:
timmy vs. sheed! GINOBILI!!!
Feb.13 at 10:36 am
Jim Mora says:
MATT BONNER!!
Feb.13 at 10:43 am
TADOne says:
Vince: great piece. Good insight. I’m loving your columns more and more.
Feb.13 at 11:01 am
Tarzan Cooper says:
actually, jim mora, horry will be taking bonners minutes in the playoffs.
Feb.13 at 11:29 am
Tariq says:
“I didn’t stick a corn-on-the-cob holder into an electrical socket again – ever.” I find that hard to believe.
Feb.13 at 11:32 am
white hot eboy says:
Vince is becoming “Tht” guy. Great insight to the past and the future.
Feb.13 at 11:33 am
white hot eboy says:
“That”
Feb.13 at 11:44 am
Tarzan Cooper says:
I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!
Feb.13 at 12:37 pm
matt the jazz fan says:
Great piece, but let’s reserve judgement on how the referee scandal plays out till the playoffs. Also before we call it a platinum age let’s start calling travelling (at least as of 4 steps!!) again. And stop giving stars benefit of the doubt on calls, now that the league’s overall talent is so good. Great piece nonetheless.
Feb.13 at 12:57 pm
Hisham says:
haha tear the rim’s ACL
Feb.13 at 12:57 pm
Hisham says:
My ACL has a torn rim
Feb.13 at 1:01 pm
Jukai says:
After first, I was about to loudly proclaim “WOW WAY TO BLINDLY AND WRONGLY PREDICT THE FUTURE VINCENT!” like I respond with most of your articles. I think you’re wrong, most of the time. This article is on the ball though, everything (except for the whole “best talent” ever part, which goes to the late 80s) is correct. Maybe I too will become a Vincent fan!
Feb.13 at 1:03 pm
Jukai says:
How is a two time MVP winner not an all time great?
Feb.13 at 1:13 pm
Allenp says:
What definition are we using for All-time great? Randall Cunningham has won three MVPS and he can’t even get considered for the Hall of Fame, the ending place for all-time greats. MVPs do not make you an all-time great, just like a lack of MVPs do not make you less than great.
Feb.13 at 1:14 pm
Allenp says:
If you really think about it, Steve Nash is not an all-time great.
Feb.13 at 1:15 pm
Young Chris #3 says:
I still think the 90’s weren’t so bad… MJ, Pippen, Grant Hill, Penny, Shaq, Shawn Kemp, Payton, Kidd, KJ, Stockton/Malone, Knicks, Zo… The 90’s were talented
Feb.13 at 1:15 pm
Myles Brown says:
Word.
Feb.13 at 1:15 pm
Jukai says:
Randall Cunningham is a football player, Allenp. This is Slam ONLINE, incase you’re confused.
Feb.13 at 1:17 pm
Myles Brown says:
On Nash of course. And the best talent is now, but the overall hoop IQ’s were better in the 80’s & 90’s. When the two finally collide, 2010 and beyond will be ridiculous.
Feb.13 at 1:18 pm
Jukai says:
Do you consider Bill Walton as an all-time great, Allenp? Nate Archibald? Pete Maravich? If you look at these guys careers, they’re pretty average players. But at their heights, they were career greats. Now, honestly, if you only look at a player careerwise, then yeah, Nash isn’t an all-time great, unless he can average 12 assists for another three years. I look at a player’s height and his impact on the game. If they have at least three great seasons and make a mark or lead a team, they are an all-time great.
Feb.13 at 1:18 pm
Myles Brown says:
Judge players on their overall games, NOT their awards and accolades, and the all time lists look distinctly different.
Feb.13 at 1:19 pm
Myles Brown says:
Three seasons? Really?
Feb.13 at 1:29 pm
Jukai says:
Well, yeah… I mean, maybe my definition of all-time great is different than yours, Myles. I mean, if Nash is throwing down 20/12, crossing out the best point guards in the game while leading his team to the conference finals every year no matter what talent he has while shooting 50/40/90 for three seasons, I’d say he’s legit. If he did it for one season, I’d say it’s a fluke. Bill Walton had three earth shattering seasons before going out. I don’t know, I pulled three out of my ass. I just wanted to get the point across that I don’t add one season wonders to my “all-time great” list.
Feb.13 at 1:33 pm
Myles Brown says:
Theres still something inbetween one hit wonders and all time greats. Actually theres lots of things in between the two. Is Tim Hardaway an all time great? I guess it starts with ones definition of great and goes from there. Cause the more guys people call “great” the less the word means to me. Personally, Id only pick ten “greats” for every position. Everyone else after that is gonna have to settle for “pretty f*cking good” or worse…
Feb.13 at 1:36 pm
Jukai says:
I mean, Bill Walton, to me, is one of the top ten best centers to ever play the game. The guy averaged 13 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, less than a steal… Career wise, he’s half average. But at his prime, he truly was amazing. of course, if the Nash hate has nothing to do with looking at someone’s career, then I don’t know. They’re idiots.
Feb.13 at 1:37 pm
Jukai says:
Top TEN at every position? Does that mean Dirk is an all-time great…?
Feb.13 at 1:41 pm
Myles Brown says:
I think Nash gets hated on cause those MVP’s that were questionable have unquestionably catapulted him into this type of discussion when three years ago, people laughed that he got a max contract. Three years in the middle of your career, with a coach and teammates talior made for your game doesnt make one an all time great. To me at least. But it does get you a seat at the “pretty f*cking good” table. And nah, Dirk isnt an all time great. You think he makes top ten PF’s? Duncan, Malone, Garnett, Barkley, Rodman, off the top of my head are in there. I cant imagine not being able to find four more guys better than Dirk all time.
Feb.13 at 1:44 pm
Jukai says:
Whoa, Myles. Rodman…? Everything you have ever said has totally become irrelevant, Brown. Rodman could rebound and dunk. That was it.
Feb.13 at 1:44 pm
Jukai says:
Is Horry on your top ten too, buddy?
Feb.13 at 1:48 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
Great column Vince….uh no, Dirk is not an all-time great. He’s not even a top 10 player right now.
Feb.13 at 1:48 pm
Myles Brown says:
Dennis Rodman is an All Time great. Hes the best rebounder since Wilt and could defend any player on the court. Effectively. He was basketballs Deion Sanders. Shut down whatever side of the court he was on. If he wouldnt have completely abandoned his offensive game he wouldve been an absolute terror. I would keep going, but eventually Russ is gonna read this and bite your head off for hating on the Worm.
Feb.13 at 1:53 pm
Jukai says:
Rodman couldn’t score. He couldn’t handle the ball for jacks**t. He had the court vision of a chicken with a head lobbed off. He would constantly get suspended or thrown out of the games, making him a liability. Rodman was the ultimate role player: he played sick one-on-one defense (rarely ever played the passing lanes, though I’m not sure how many steals he would get) and he’d stick under the net and get rebounds. And yes, pound by pound, Rodman is the best rebounder of all time. Nineteen rebounds at 6′8 is EARTH SHATTERING. But that’s all he did. I mean, jesus, the guy COULDN’T SCORE.
Feb.13 at 1:56 pm
Jim Mora says:
michael jordan is on my top ten
Feb.13 at 1:57 pm
Cheryl says:
“The harvest is full, my dudes.” What about us dudettes?
Feb.13 at 1:58 pm
Jukai says:
I just remember watching him chuck up random three pointers when the game was too close for that s**t. It was the equivalent of how I feel when Amare does that stuff. My all-time list is Duncan, Barkley, Garnett, McHale, Malone, Petit, McAdoo, Hayes, Haywood and Nowitzki. I just can’t place Rodman and Nowitzki. Really, the Rodman thing is laughable.
Feb.13 at 1:58 pm
Jukai says:
Michael Jordan is in my fav five.
Feb.13 at 1:59 pm
Myles Brown says:
Steve Nash cant play defense. You have him as an all time great. They were both equally effective at what they excelled in. Whats the difference?
Feb.13 at 2:00 pm
Jukai says:
Nash’s defense is better than Rodman’s scoring. C’mon, dude. There isn’t even a comparison.
Feb.13 at 2:01 pm
Myles Brown says:
Actually there is. Rodman could score ten a game off of putbacks if he wanted to. How is Nash gonna compensate?
Feb.13 at 2:02 pm
Myles Brown says:
And Rodmans skills translate to any team in any era. Nash? Not so much.
Feb.13 at 2:05 pm
Vince says:
Who the heck cares about Top Ten this and that or whether Nash’s defense is better than Rodman’s scoring?! Let’s stay on topic here, people. This is an important subject, at least in my opinion. We are in the midst of the NBA’s second Great Generation and few people out here are noticing this.
Feb.13 at 2:06 pm
Myles Brown says:
My bad. And agreed.
Feb.13 at 2:06 pm
Jukai says:
If he WANTED too? You think an ego the size of Rodman’s is gonna hold himself back? How many times did Rodman average ten points a game? Did he ever? Nash could easily play in any era. Phoenix is tailored made to run, but when the team stops running, that’s when Nash starts getting thirty points. Nash is the team leader, he controls the floor and gets guys open, he has an incredible clutch shot and can get it to anyone else so they can hit that incredibly clutch shot. Rodman dressed up in women’s clothing.
Feb.13 at 2:07 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
Vince putting the smack down..I agree man, we are in the midst of something potentially great. I’m glad……Let me slide this is real quick tho. DIrk is not only NOT top 10 but struggles to be top 15
Feb.13 at 2:07 pm
Jukai says:
Bah, I was writing that before Vince posted. Vince, who is in YOUR fav five?
Feb.13 at 2:08 pm
Jukai says:
Damn Khlaid, I gotta ask… who would you put above Dirk in all-time power forwards?
Feb.13 at 2:13 pm
Jim Mora says:
kwame brown
Feb.13 at 2:29 pm
TADOne says:
Vince McMahon with the smack down!
Feb.13 at 2:30 pm
TADOne says:
Honestly though, Vince is right. This generation could potentially be one of the greatest, if not THE greatest. Everyone says how LeBron, at only 22, is considered among the greatest already. So any era he is a part of has to be among the best.
Feb.13 at 3:00 pm
what says:
Great article. People need to stop whining about how Magic and Bird and Jordan ain’t walkin through that door and appreciate what we got, which is a damn good league (even if it has a few too many teams) full of talented players and exciting teams. Now if only TNT and ESPN would choose to show more than 4 of those teams on a regular basis…
Feb.13 at 3:09 pm
Alex says:
Did you guys forget that 9 people watched the flagship NBA event of the season, The Finals?
Feb.13 at 3:23 pm
John E. Sanford says:
Alex, are you the Devil’s Advocate or something? The league is obviously better this season. The Celtics are relevant again, the Lakers are legit, the West is ultra competitive, a better brand of ball is being played. The Platinum Age is upon us, great post Vince.
Feb.13 at 3:53 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
example
Feb.13 at 3:58 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
I feel sorry for Dirk fans
Feb.13 at 4:17 pm
davidR says:
vince, i agree with you. the level of current and potential talent on teams.. almost every team has/will have at least one legit star. when this era is done, you guys think the top players from the 5 positions can beat out the top players from any other era, except center (paul, kobe, lebron, duncan, ???)?
Feb.13 at 4:25 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
It’s cute how everyone thinks their generation is the greatest. It really is.
Feb.13 at 5:07 pm
Sparker says:
i followed the nba religiously when i was a wee lad. i got in w dr j’s sixers (pre-moses) and lasted until mj retired. i still knew who was winning afterwards, the top players, etc., but i would not have been checking this site daily, if it existed, in the post-mj era. that is, until lebron, d wade and (yes) melo gave me a sense that something new and exciting was cookin.’ they brought me back, and i doubt i’m alone; so i’m with vince 100% on this one
Feb.13 at 5:13 pm
ciolkstar says:
Jukai is retarded.
Feb.13 at 5:18 pm
ciolkstar says:
There’s no way Dirk is a top ten “All Time” PF. He may be able to compete for purest shooting PF, but thats really the extent of his impact on the game.
Feb.13 at 5:26 pm
white hot eboy says:
To echo, Jukai is retarded.
Feb.13 at 7:25 pm
thasam says:
Great article vince. Now if only stern could force ABC to a) show more regular season and playoff games, promote the league and its games, and c) air the All-Star Game. I love to TNT crew, but Stern did the NBA a huge disservice when he left NBC for ABC. NBC was still willing to provide the same coverage (30+ games/year, wall to wall playoffs including games on prime time from Memorial Day weekend to the end of the Finals), and he left them for a network providing half the coverage and showing little interest or enthusiasm in promoting the NBA, while making the league practicly a cable only product which has wound up dwindling the viewership of his core fanbase without gaining any new fans. And while I’m at it Stern needs to get rid of Mathew Dowd, who was hired to give the NBA more of a “red state” appeal (aka white guys who fallow NASCAR). Dowd was part of Karl Rove’s PR firm and ran Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004
Feb.13 at 7:32 pm
Reggie Evans says:
If Kobe is the Nadir, does that make Kwame the Zenith?
Feb.13 at 7:50 pm
Jukai says:
UNTIL I hear nine power forwards who are better, stop telling me I am wrong and prove it. There haven’t really been many talented power forwards in the NBA.
Feb.13 at 8:10 pm
ab_40 says:
nice piece but, although the talent is at an all time high the fundamentels of the players are preaty low. Seeing lebron or shawn marion shoot just hurts, your eyes start bleeding you know that kind of stuff. Experts that don’t live in the media hyped country of the us think that the euroleauge has higher skilled players then those walking in the nba and yes the nba have the best athletes in the world in any leauge worldwide but after watching the dream team you know the REAL dream team doing their thing again and last years euroleage final and the sweep that the spurs (a kind of euro team in the nba don’t act like you don’t know) it gave to the cavs. I have to say that the skill level in europe is now higher then in the US. So untill the skill level and the athletic level in the us are the best in the world I will call that the platinum age for NBA basketball. PS although i’m from europe I can’t stand Dirk he’s too soft. See boston dallas last minute rondo rebound?
Feb.13 at 8:14 pm
ab_40 says:
PS put VC in the all star game, let rasheed go on his family holiday and put ray allen in. With the two best pg’s in the west the only way the east could win if they would start playing a real game. David west=2008 Jamal Magloire
Feb.13 at 8:21 pm
Jukai says:
And ab_40 says, for chrissakes, stop posting. Lebron has one of the nicest releases in the NBA.
Feb.13 at 8:27 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Any discussion about bad shooting form should start and end with Desmond Mason. And if you want to talk about lack of fundamentals, the biggest problem is the death of the mid-range jumper.
Feb.13 at 9:12 pm
Dacre says:
…and two steps then a layup. ON THE RODMAN FRONT. The guy could put the ball in the basket. He just didnt need too. Clutch free throws in the 97 finals against the Jazz? He finished alot of Kukoc’s well placed passes and he made as many fine outlet passes as any rebounding bigman ever. He’s top 20. Horace Grant was better, top 15.
Feb.13 at 9:13 pm
Sesa says:
Sweet piece Vince. “An imperfect rule soiled the Western Conference semis, which only served as an appetizer for a garbage Finals”, Pops needs to hear your quote. Haha
Feb.13 at 9:16 pm
ab_40 says:
I ain’t talkin bout releases but form. you know elbow in ah you know the drill. ah the mid range game 70% 2 point shots gotta love it. The only thing you see now is pick&rolls and 3’s. It’s a crying shame. And desmond mason and a whole lot of jaw dropping athletes who are just that with some handles or some even without. If they could just catch and shoot mid range jumpers, that’s what anouncers call it in between games right in between a dunk and a three. I love the game with all my heart. The mid range game and this move wich some guy scored a lot of points with called a sky hook are serious ting that are missing with a lot of players. Last season I watched Dwight Howard and I started feeling sorry he had all this athletic ability and no moves of course now that is (a little) different but the only thing he had was offense board dunk or dribbls spin move and dunk. And Jukai abour releases Silk Wilks?anyone he had one crazy looking jumper but it went in… a lot. Ohw yeah I heard this from Ganon Baker a few years back that the shot nba players have the most difficulty with is the lay up. just a normal lay up. I was amazed by that but good day for the people in the states I’m off to sleep. PS isn’t a 35 second clock a little too long in college ball?
Feb.13 at 9:19 pm
Dacre says:
Jukai……………………….
Mitch Richmond, Spud Webb, Larry Johnson, John Starks, Christian Laettner, Rony Seikley, Sean Elliot, Penny Hardaway, Mark Jackson, Vin Baker, Jeff Hornacek, Danny Ainge, Cedric Ceballos, Glen Rice, Michael Adams (the GREATEST single season superstar ever).
Surely I’ve just listed other “all time greats” by your general pre-requisits?
Feb.13 at 9:22 pm
Dacre says:
FOR THE RECORD: Nash is MY favourite player….I cannot call him an all time great however. An “all time great” would have to be at the height of the league over the VAST bulk of his career for that label. ie: Terry Cummings, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Karl Malone…. Never won a championship - but DOMINATED in the league throughout their careers…
Feb.14 at 12:57 am
TC says:
Nash is not an all time great? He won the MVP twice and he has been playing at this level for 4 seasons now and show no signs of slowing down. He will be a HOF when he’s done, u can bet on that. And how are u gonna blame him for having good teammates around him? How about Magic? Sure he isn’t a great defender but he can’t be worse than Barkley guarding the low post.
Feb.14 at 1:09 am
Tom says:
Great article as always Vince. I think we’re finally reaching the stage where the players basketball IQ’s are almost on par with the athleticism and thats why we’re start to see these all these amazing players at once. BTW to just lump Ginobli into the International Players category isn’t fair, dude is incredible, when this generation is done people are gonna talk about Manu the sameway people talk about Nique and Bernard Kind today.
Feb.14 at 1:24 am
B_Easy24 says:
Well i don’t know about all that, but I think that this season is shaping up to be one of the greatest seasons in al long time. Long live the Mamba
Feb.14 at 2:08 am
tealish says:
I would’ve liked this artcle a lot more if Nash was replaced with Iverson when you listed all-time greats. C’mon, have you forgotten the Answer already? The barely 6 foot guard is 3rd all time in ppg. That alone quantities greatness. Nash? Yes, 2 time MVP… but an all time great? Eh…. if I’m feeling generous, but over AI - never.
Feb.14 at 5:17 am
Jeter says:
Applause.
Feb.14 at 9:12 am
Tarzan Cooper says:
tim duncan…chuck…kevin mchale…..bob pettit…kg…boozer….al jefferson…gus johnson….karl malone…..bob mcadoo…..pau gasol…..all these guys are better than dirk
Feb.14 at 11:32 am
Jukai says:
To Dacre… I said if you judge a player by his career, than yeah, Nash will not make your all-time list. But then Bill Walton, Tiny Archibald, Hall Greer, Jerry Lucas, Wes Unseld, Earl Monroe, Kevin McHale… they better not be on your list either. Those guys had a buncha great years samwhiched between lackluster careers.
Feb.14 at 11:33 am
Jukai says:
And Tarzan, your list, much like your entire existance, is a joke. Pau Gasol… Al Jefferson… Gus Johnson…. GUS JOHNSON…. Kid, how old are you?
Feb.14 at 11:42 am
Jukai says:
Whoa there Dacre… did you say Terry Cummings is in your all-time list…? 16 points, 7 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, no block Terry Cummings…? That guy? The guy who played decent for about HALF his career? Dude, I was gonna give you the benefit of the doubt before you said that!
Feb.15 at 1:47 am
Josh says:
Nice. I liked that. Surely we will have more reasons to watch if the NBA is stuffed with that much talent.
Mar.12 at 2:58 pm
SLAM ONLINE | » Gil Doesn’t Get It says:
[…] Today, however, we’re in The Platinum Age and you can carry it one of two ways: either you’re dope enough to pull a Chris Paul/Deron Williams and put up a good amount of points and dish it out like crazy; or you pull a Chauncey Billups and reign in your game, working within the structure of your offense. Gil may say, “I do work within my offense,” but that’s not necessarily the point. Since Gil has been with Washington — as a playoff squad — he’s taken about 20 shots per game, making a low percentage and sporting an assist-to-turnover ration well below 2-to-1. That means that Gil takes about one-fourth of his squad’s shot, misses more than he makes and — as the Wiz’ point guard — turns the ball over twice for every three assists. Honestly, that is why the Wizards are stuck in neutral as a middle-rung circus show that gets bounced by less talented teams. […]
Mar.12 at 5:39 pm
stevie says:
That was the most stacked the NBA has ever been in the 80’s-early 90’s, but right now is easily the most stacked with GREAT BASKETBALL PLAYERS at all ages from 19 yr old Durant to 35 year old J-Kidd and everywhere in between since then. From the Rudy Gays and Aldridges to the Ben Gordons and Monta Ellis’s to the B-Roys and the Bosh’s to the D-Wades and Joe Johnsons to the Redds and Caron Butlers to the Yao’s and Carlos Boozers, to the B Davis’s and Amare’s, to the TMacs and Kobes to the KGs and Billups’s to the Grant Hills and Sam Cassells and many more in between… the NBA is in a great state that is STACKED with great players at all phases of their careers, young talent, talent entering their prime, talent in their prime, talent goin into the end of their primes, talent a little past their prime… its a great time for a fan.
………………………………………………… I also think that this years Jazz would smoke those Blazers, teams like the Magic or Nuggets or Wizards (When healthy, 24-13 with Caron until he got hurt and they lost 8 strait missing him and Gilbert), or Cavs, or Rockets, or Hornets, or Warriors, or Raptors, or Blazers ………………………………………………………………………………
Each draft is stacked, more n more good players enter each year, and itll continue to while 95% of the great players got plenty of ball left. This is easily the most talent and highest level of great players, the most stacked/talented the league has been since 1993. EASILY!
Mar.12 at 5:49 pm
stevie says:
I’ve been a diehard fan since I was 13, which was 23 years ago…… this year has been great. …………………………………………………………………………………..Allen, LeBron, Howard, Wade, Chris Paul, JKidd, Bosh, Boozer, Amare, Carmelo, Billups, Brandon Roy, Pierce and Dirk were all GREAT in the allstar game…………………………………………………………………………………………….. that was a Great weekend for the NBA, from the rookie game/celebrity game, the charity work the day prior, GREAT ALLSTAR SATURDAY NIGHT, and a GREAT GREAT ALLSTAR GAME! GREAT FOR THE LEAGUE AND US AS FANS! WE SHOULD BE PROUD OF THESE GREAT GUYS AND PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE NOW, Super amount of talent, very proud as a fan………………………………………………………………………………………… its been a great season, GREAT trades since the Iverson deal last season (All these star players being traded is fantastic for a fan…. this never happens and it is AWESOME that it has in the last year: Iverson, Rashard Lewis, Garnett, Gasol, Marion, Shaq, Zach Randolph, J-Rich, Ray Allen, Stephen Jackson, Bibby, and J Kidd and Devin Harris… still 3 days til the deadline too with possibly more big names moving!!!)…………………………………………………………………….
its been a great season and its gonna be a GREAT playoffs (West playoffs are gonna be unreal, East playoffs from 2nd round on will be great and east finals will be unreal…. should be 2 good series in the 1st round too… …………………………………………………………………………………. And it will ESPECIALLY OUTSTANDINGLY GREAT NBA Finals!!! I CANT WAIT!!!
…………………………………………………………………………………….
Awesome stuff for us fans! AWESOME stuff!!!
With great stars like Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Brandon Roy, Chris Paul, Joe Johnson, Luol Deng, Monta Ellis, Deron Williams, Al Jefferson, Rudy Gay, Iguodala, Al Horford the great young talent to the Sam Cassells, Steve Nash, Sheed, Shaq, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Mcdyess, Finley, Chris Webber, Alonzo Mourning, Stackhouse the great veteran players and the deep veteran players that were great and may be past their prime but are still loving the game and playing hard/contributing….. and all the great players of all ages in between in all different phases of their career, great character, great guys (Those real young’ns like Durant and Oden and many others, the youngsters like Monta and Aldridge and many others, the ones a few years from entering the prime like Lebron or Melo and many others, the ones a year or so from entering their prime like D Wade or Joe Johnson and many more, the ones entering their prime like Yao or Caron Butler and many others, the ones in the first half their prime like TMac or Shawn Marion and all others, the ones in the middle of their prime like Kobe or Paul Pierce and others, those entering the 2nd half their prime like KG or Tim Duncan and many others, the ones in the 2nd half their prime like Iverson or Ray Allen and many others, the ones in the last part of their prime like Nash and more or the ones bordering on ending their prime like JKidd and more, and the ones a bit past their prime but still doing it like Shaq or Grant Hill and many more……)……………………………………………………………………..
with all that it makes me VERY VERY PROUD to say that I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY AND PROUD TO BE A FAN OF THE NBA AGAIN!!!!!
Mar.12 at 5:57 pm
stevie says:
THE NBA RECOVERED FROM THE BRAWL AT THE PALACE, BUT THE INDIANA PACERS NEVER DID.
———————————————————————- WENT FROM A 61 WIN YOUNG TEAM ON THE RISE THAT LOST IN 6 TO IN THE CONFERENCE FINALS TO THE EVENTUAL WORLD CHAMPIONS, AND WERE PLAYING THEIR 10TH GAME OF THE YEAR WHILE STOMPING THOSE SAME PISTONS THAT BEAT THEM THE YEAR BEFORE AND WERE 30 SECONDS AWAY FROM FINISHING THAT STATEMENT GAME AT 9-1 RECORD, BASICALLY SAYING TO EVERYONE “THE LAKERS ARE GONE, SHAQ IS IN MIAMI, AND THIS IS OUR YEAR”….. …………………..
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the whole core was young, they were VERY TALENTED, they had the Bigman and lowpost presence in Jermaine Oneal (2nd team all-nba, 3rd place for MVP the year before, was only 25 years old 20/10 on 49% shooting with 2+ blocks a night, mark it down.)……………………………………………………………. And ever since that night theyve progressively gotten worse and worse to the point theyre at right now, with the lowest attendance in the league in route to another trip to the lottery…… all that instead of a potential dynasty and what AT LEAST wouldve been 5-10 years of contention and a great team…….. OUCH!