WSJ: Gangstaball, the death of the NBA

So,

If Jason Williams was called part of that Gangsta group it would be ok?

Too sensitive....

DD

 

There is no question that there is a racial undertone to the complaints about the NBA. The same exact complaints were levelled against the ABA because of their "flashy" players like Julius Erving and David Thompson. What is now "street ball" or "gangsta ball" was then "playground ball." Critics said that the slam dunk contest, three point line and red-white-and-blue ball were examples of disrespect for the game. Nevermind that the NBA eventually adopted two of those three.

And, I'm not saying I disagree that there has been a decline in overall talent level but, to boil it down to "gansta ball" is overly simplistic and, for the most part, innaccurate.

- Part of that is due to the lack of collegiate ball being played by draftees.

- Part of it is a "be like Mike" mentality that caused an entire generation of players to want to dunk from the freethrow line and not care so much about a good medium-range jumper.

- Part of it is a HUGE lack of fundamental basketball education at the middle and high school levels because coaches would prefer their kids to dominate. Who cares if they can hit a jumper if they can get 50 a night on dunks?

- Part of it is the dramatic shift in emphasis on defense over offense since the early 90's as well as the influence of coaches calling every play down the floor.

- Part of it is the incredible micro detail available through video, computers and scouting. It is how JVG takes away the game of the other team's best player.

- Part of it - a part RARELY mentioned - is the fact that there are nearly 1/3 more teams in the league than there were in the mid 80's. When you add that many teams (and another on the way next season), you start putting guys on the bench that may never have played in the league if not for expansion.

Maybe it is just me, but I don't paint the same doom and gloom scenario some do. The reality is that, depsite the propensity for "gansta ball," the guys that are most notorious for playing it - Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Vince Carter, etc - are the guys selling the most jerseys and getting the most votes for the all-star game. So, while the game has shifted, so has the core audience and I just don't see it as nearly as dire as some suggest.

The league does need to work on making changes to keep itself competitive, bring in the best talent and encourage the kind of basketball folks want to see, but assuming the league is in the tanker because of some perceptions about the style of play clearly comes from someone who didn't live through the nightmare that was the NBA of the late 70's and early 80's.

 

What does gangsta ball mean oh non-sensative one since its so tasteful to use in this column.

 

Let me just add one other thing.

It hasn't helped that sports is now defined by highlight packages and "plays of the night" or week or month. Instead of showing a solid routine grounder play, they show the short stop diving and backhand pitching the ball to second. Instead of a solid 15-foot jumper, we get a posterized dunk.

But, on the "gansta" issue, that term is clearly used to define "black men with corn rows and tatoos who play a one-on-one style of basketball found on the playgrounds of places like New York." I don't think there is any debating that.

Personally, I don't care that the term is derrogatory. It makes little difference. What is annoying to me is that it is wholly inaccurate. If you want to discuss the REAL problems in pro basketball, great. If you want to just blame it all on "gangsta ball," you clearly know nothing about the game.

 

There are two overlying themes that you can look to that explains the lack of fundamentals in all four major sports, as well as the lack of truly great teams.

Free Agency/Salary Caps

and Overexpansion.

Every league has expanded since the late eighties, the NBA has added the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Raptors, Heat, and the Hornets. That's 60 new roster spots and next year they will add 12 more roster spots that have to be filled in an already watered down league. Free Agency keeps teams from staying together but the lack of talent can be directly linked to the addition of teams in every sport. Its not Rocket Science. Its the greed of the owners, not the selfishness of the players that is killing the golden goose.

 

Pgab,

Interesting viewpoint about the greed of the owners.

It certainly has merit.

DD

 

And the Magic.

 

Exactly. And Madmax and Mario were all about DEFENSE! They had pride and it wasn't a deal of "oh you scored, now let me score." We all knew the players that Horry (RTR!) and Cassell would become, yet they sacrificed to become an integral part of a championship team that I loved.

Now, as for today, there is far too much trying to embarass your defender and trying to ham it up for Sportscenter. I appreciate the fact that Iverson is one of the toughest players in the league.
But all this flash with no substance, plus a truncated playoffs, spells disaster for the league. I said as much on my radio show.

 

Mid-range jumpers? Art of rebounding? Pure team play? Substance over style?

Sounds a hell of a lot like the Detroit Pistons to me, but they're always slagged on by these crap pieces. Richard Hamilton has as good a mid-range game as there has been in the last 20 years or more. Ben Wallace is a phenomenal rebounder. The Pistons had 4 guys in double figure scoring on the season and 3 other guys averaged 9.5 or more per game. Whoever is hot gets the ball. None of that matters...

Because they play defense, so it's the end of the world. The defenses and athleticism of today's players make it extremely difficult for the high scores of the past to happen. The court has shrunk because the players are longer, quicker, and taller. Everyone knows exactly what everyone else's strength is.

If the NBA is about the fancy plays, then you'll be disappointed with today's game, but if it's about the competition, then you should revel in the playoffs as they progress. Scratch, claw, bite, win.

 

Jason Willliams exemplifies why race and racial stereotyping matters and is a factor....you don't need me to tell you why.

It's funny, it seems like middle aged white males like yourself and bamaslammer bring up racism more frequently than anybody on this board. Talk about being sensitive......

 

Well, I just didn't want to sound like I was putting a racial component on to the argument that NBA play, as I see it, sucks. Folks, it's not Rucker Park or and And1 mix tape.