Here is a short YouTube video about dunking ability decreasing as you age. Let's see if determination can overcome the inevitable aging process.

 

The New Top 75 Greatest NBA Players

The 2022 All Star Weekend just finished and it was a pretty memorable event full of great highlights... except for the dunk contest. I've been a broken record for 10 years complaining and making suggestions how to improve the contest. Just type "dunk contest" in the search box of this blog and you will see what I mean. As much as I'd like to continue whining about that, I'm going to cover a different event from the weekend which is the NBA's new 75 Greatest players list. I know this list came out months ago, but the official presentation was yesterday so I'm covering it now.

Many things have changed over the last 25 years when the NBA released their original 50 greatest list. So many great players since then have developed and contributed to the game. Back when the original list came out, I was shocked that Dominique Wilkins and Bob McAdoo were omitted. I also couldn't believe Shaq was included after only 3 years as a pro. I know some people were surprised that Luca Doncic, Klay Thompson, Joel Embid, and Nicola Jokic were not on the new list, but I am ok with it since they are still young players and will definitely be on the 100 list down the road. I'd rather see that than a premature appointment like we saw with Shaq. By the way, Jokic and Derrick Rose are the only 2 MVPs who did not make the list.

I have to admit I am biased when it comes to who I think the best players are. I didn't start watching the NBA until the early 80's so many of the players who have black and white highlights didn't do much for me. I think it would be in bad taste to remove them from the updated list but it's also hard seeing some of their names up there while there are other players I feel are better and more deserving.

I mean no disrespect with these comments. Anybody who plays in the NBA is obviously good to begin with but the ones nominated to these lists are the most elite ballers of all time. That being said, there were about 10 players on the original list I don't think belonged. I'm not going to name names here, but I will do another post later where I rank the top 100 and you will see who they are.

There were surprises with the new list. I don't think Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Damian Lillard, or even Kawhi Leonard who I love deserved the honor at this point, especially if we can't remove any old timers from the original list.  The biggest snubs for me were Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, and T-Mac. I'd also like to see Alex English, Joe Dumars, Bernard King, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili make the list. 

Congratulations to all the new additions to the list. Fans will always disagree with each other as to who the greatest players are, but we can all agree we have been blessed for a long time being able to watch so much talent.

The Lakers Follow Up

Back in October I posted about L.A having so much talent on their team. Well, they have been on a losing streak and are currently in 9th place in the West. Who would have thought? I'm also surprised to see the Brooklyn Nets only in 8th place in the East. 

Like I said before, regardless of how much talent you have on a team, if you can't develop the right chemistry and keep egos in check, you are in trouble.

Congrats to Miami and Phoenix for having a great year and leading their respective conferences!

The Lakers Are Stacked

I haven't been paying too much attention to the off season trades and acquisitions so I was shocked when I saw what the Lakers squad looks like for the upcoming season. They are now stacked with Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, and several other veteran players.

I know there is much more to winning than having big names on your team, but if they can develop the right chemistry and keep all the egos in check, they should have a dominant year.

NBA Dunk Contest...Come on Man!

I'm sorry, but it's that time of year again and I have to voice my concerns yet again about All Star Weekend. Apparently the NBA has not read my previous complaints on this blog about their Dunk Contest format. 

It's been a tough year for basketball fans. Covid kept spectators out of the arena, the NBA went Woke last year and now I hear they have decided to narrow down the participants in the slam dunk contest from four to just three. Why on earth?

I may be opinionated but I am also humble. There are few things I brag about and I think most people do most things in life much better than I can, but I could do so much better at organizing the NBA dunk contest than whoever made the decision to allow this lame format. 

I will still watch the highlights and look forward to it but I just don't understand why they would put such restrictive limits on the main event from Friday night All Star Weekend. Are they also going to limit the 3 point contest to just 3 participants?

Maybe they should invite a couple professional dunkers like Jordan Kilganon or Jonathan Clark to participate to motivate the NBA players to really bring it. This was a great series to watch a couple years ago and it offered a more in depth look at a long-term dunk contest. I really enjoyed this show and I'm sure any dunking enthusiast would too.

Old School NBA Toughness

I can appreciate the safety protocols that professional sports implement these days but when I look back at old NBA footage I am reminded how tough the sport used to be. I'm sure there are tough players today, but the game has definitely changed. Big men don't bang under the basket like they used to. They stretch out beyond the arc, play with more finesse, and shoot the 3. 

When I see current video highlights entitled fights, they usually end up being pushing matches or just technical fouls. When players "fight" these days they push each other then run away or wait for their teammates to quickly restrain them before anything can happen.

This is a big contrast from the basketball toughness of the 80's and 90's. Names like Charles Oakley, Rick Mahorn, Kenyon Martin, Xavier McDaniel, Darryl Dawkins, Maurice Lucas, Bill Laimbeer, Charles Barkley, and others come to mind. When those guys threw a punch they actually connected. Even the guards were much scrappier and physical back then. I can't blame today's players for not being as physical, they have no choice since the game has just evolved.

I don't advocate dirty play, but I still remember so many flagrant foul plays between the Lakers and Celtics. I remember seeing the Pistons and Knicks go after Jordan, especially during playoff times.  Back then you could block someone's shot or dunk on a guy and stare them down and talk smack to them. Today you get a T for even thinking about it.

It's been interesting to see the evolution of the game and how it has softened over time. I am all for clean play, sportsmanship, and safety, but I still miss some of the hard nosed, physical, old school basketball from the past.