All around Sports talk

[MeAndroo]

I remember Lisa Leslie was supposedly able to dunk. I watched the very first WNBA game, and she had it on a breakaway, gathered herself, leapt....and got hung on the rim. Pretty funny stuff.

 

[Flashjeff]

I remember Lisa Leslie was supposedly able to dunk. I watched the very first WNBA game, and she had it on a breakaway, gathered herself, leapt....and got hung on the rim. Pretty funny stuff.

Any fool, of either gender can dunk if the dynamics are right, but that's gotten boring anyway. What takes skill in basketball is the ability to consistently nail a midrange jumper or perform a smooth layup or pick and roll. The women shouldn't obsess over dunking, their game, college or pro isn't predicated on that, rather on executing the fundamentals which pretty much go down the toilet for the men when they get to the pros. And so endeth my sermon for today.

 

[Hideki_Matsui_Beast]

I agree with everything you said Jeff, but I LOVE a good dunk. I'd rather watch a good dunk than a good fundamental play anyday.

I guess the NBA is trying to gear itself more toward people like me. I'm happy about that, but I also understand why a lot of people aren't big on it.

 

[MeAndroo]

Any fool, of either gender can dunk if the dynamics are right, but that's gotten boring anyway. What takes skill in basketball is the ability to consistently nail a midrange jumper or perform a smooth layup or pick and roll. The women shouldn't obsess over dunking, their game, college or pro isn't predicated on that, rather on executing the fundamentals which pretty much go down the toilet for the men when they get to the pros. And so endeth my sermon for today.

You're right, of course, but the NBA and professional sports isn't about what's right. It's about what sells. There are players like Darvin Ham and Jelani McCoy who made the NBA solely based on their ability to dunk. The midrange game is boring. The pick n roll, before Nash/Amare, was boring. Watching Stockton/Malone or Bibby/Miller is not fun. The NBA knows the hardcore fan will watch basketball regardless. They want the casual person to tune in, and the casual fan understands two things about basketball: dunks and crossovers.

The greatest fundamental players are rarely the most exciting. Take Shane Battier, Tim Duncan, or anyone out of Stanford. The ones people love to watch are those that take risks, that change the game BECAUSE they don't follow the norm. The biggest stars today, Shaq, Kobe, Wade, Lebron, these guys have a foundation of solid fundamentals, but they have something extra: the highlight play. And the dunk is the easiest way to be a highlight.

I hate hate HATE watching purely fundamental basketball. A team can be fundamentally sound and still have a playmaking innovator, a la Parker/Ginnobli on the Spurs.

 

[Flashjeff]

A sound argument, MeAndroo. I guess I'm just too much of an old school kinda guy who appreciates the importance of fundamentals which can take a player far and thus enjoy a long career over the flashy types who live only for getting their faces on a Sportscenter highlight reel. Don't get me wrong, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the flashy types like Wade, Vinsanity, Kobe, LeBron, et al, but I enjoy the steady, unflashy types too.

I also understand that the casual fan wants, if not craves the flashy style of play. Take last year's NBA Finals between the Spurs and Pistons, two teams that steamrolled their respective conferences with steady though unspectacular play, put a heavy emphasis on team rather than individuals. Pundits and experts said it was the greatest example of fundamentals exhibited by two teams during the championship round----but it bombed in the ratings something awful because casual fans found it boring since there wasn't any flash or panache between those teams. Tim Duncan is perhaps THE most fundamentally sound player of our generation, and he's about as exciting as a CPA.

I'm glad that I can appreciate both styles of play, but the NBA doesn't cater its product to stuffy old farts like me. I don't particularly like it, but I can undertsand it.

[EDIT]
P.S.: Guess which two teams currently have the best records in their respective conferences and, barring a monumental upset along the way, could well face each other again in the Finals? That's right, the Spurs and the Pistons, those same two boringly fundamental yet totally dominating teams. David Stern will NEVER admit this publicly, but I'm sure he's scared to death of a Detroit-San Antonio rematch which would be stone cold death in the ratings on TV.

 

[MeAndroo]

Well, it's funny because the NBA doesn't know WHO it wants to cater to. It imposes a dress code because it wants the players to look more "business-like." It's talking about outlawing the tights that have become so popular this year. It's quick to punish people who speak out against the refs. But their commercials (or maybe it's the fault of the TV stations) only talk about the flashy players. I guess they want a league of Lebrons and what Kobe used to be before the rape case.

I don't know how good San Antonio is because they haven't been healthy all year. Dallas has a great shot to beat them, particularly if they get guys like Howard, Griffin, and Harris back. Phoenix looks to be running out of steam, so I think it boils down to the Texas teams out West.

 

[Flashjeff]

Well, I for once can damn sure live without players wearing tights. That looks asinine as hell, not to mention hinky. I mean, where do they get that stuff? The hosiery section at Bloomingdale's? Makes my skin crawl. I for one like the dress code rule as too many players go around looking like gangsta rappers, call me an old fart, but I find that revolting. Nothing wrong with looking professional when out of uniform. As for San Antonio, I view them in the same light as the Atlanta Braves, a team you take lightly at your own peril because they ALWAYS find a way to win. So don't be surprised when you see the Spurs back in the Finals.

 

[Hideki_Matsui_Beast]

I think the tights definitely look stupid too, but I don't see why the NBA feels the need to make a rule about every single article of clothing. I think headbands and those Nick Van Exel-style socks look stupid, but who cares if the players want to wear them?

I think the dress code is just trying to win over White fans that are turned off by stereotypical "Black" clothes. I for one don't care if AI wears a retro jersey with his cap cocked to the side. I care more about how many points, assists, steals, etc. he gets. If he drops 30 points a game, he can do the press conference naked for all I care.

 

[DoctorP]

As for the tights: Some players are wearing what are called "compression shorts". These became very big with baseball players who would wear them under their pants. They protected the players from "strawberries" when they slide into a base or dive after a ball. The other benefit of these shorts are that they have a very tight weave to them. This tight weave keeps pressure on the hamstring and groin and actually helps to prevent many injuries to players of all sports.

I have two pairs of these shorts. They resemble biker shorts, but they have no adding padding. They fit just as tight as biker shorts, but the way the material is weaved, it puts a lot of pressure on the thighs, keeping muscles warm and limiting their movement. I really like them for sports and can see why players wear them...but they are a little uncomfortable to wear outside of sports!

This link will tell you a little about them:

compression shorts

 

[Flashjeff]

I think the dress code is just trying to win over White fans that are turned off by stereotypical "Black" clothes.

Of course that's what it's about. Anyone who says differently is either hypocritical or just plain lying. After all, it's white, corporate America types who pay the astronomical prices for superboxes and courtside seats in NBA venues, so David Stern has to cater to their stuffy, elitist attitudes since they pay the freight. Sad, but true.

Compression shorts, eh? Sorry, but they still look like L'Eggs to me. Well, if that's the case, then players who wear the damn thing should produce some sort of note or letter from a doctor to the Commissioner's office stating a official, medical reason for wearing the damn things, because you KNOW some players are wearing them for no other reason than because it looks good on them.

 

[MeAndroo]

Compression shorts have been around for awhile. I know Jordan used to wear them. The tights are sort of like compression shorts for the whole leg. I don't really care about the tights, I'd much rather see things like Lamar Odom's calf warmers banned. Those things are hideous.

 

[DoctorP]

Maybe I haven't seen the tights you guys are talking about.

 

[DoctorP]

UCLA was totally embarrassed by Florida today...they didn't even look like they belonged in this game!

 

[Flashjeff]

Maybe I haven't seen the tights you guys are talking about.

You're kidding, right? I coun't nearly a dozen players wearing the bloody things, including Kobe, LeBron and Lamar Odom. But yeah, UCLA embarrassed themselves last night. I went to bed at the half because I knew that game was over. Congrats to Florida.

 

[Hideki_Matsui_Beast]

Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos

That's what the tights look like.

 

[MeAndroo]

Here's a couple of links to pics of tights...

Dwyane Wade

Kobe Bryant

Michael Redd

UCLA didn't look anything like the team they were last weekend. Their offense looked terrible, and they seemed to be double-teaming at the wrong times and from the wrong places on defense. The interior passing of Florida was impressive, and their outside shooting was huge. Farmar was their only consistent offensive threat early, and they went away from him. Affalo was a non-factor and Hollins was looking like Kwame with his ineffective attempts in the post. Credit to Noah and Horford for big inside games, and the whole squad for playing hard and out-hustling UCLA even when up big. I give UCLA credit for getting there, but they didn't show up last night.

 

[Mitsuo]

Yeah, the championship game was a joke. UCLA didn't even look like they belonged there. I am pretty disappointed in them. Florida has great players. So, to me, it was expected for them win. But not that bad.

Now for College Football season......

 

[Flashjeff]

Even Florida coach Billy Donovan admitted that he didn't have the best team in the tournament, but UCLA just plain didn't show up and rolled over like dogs in the second half, or at least the first five monutes of same before I gave up and went to bed. Hell, from what I read this morning, the women's final game was more exciting than Monday's horror show!

 

[DoctorP]

Now I see what you mean by tights...yeah they've gotta go! Looks ridiculous!

Back to UCLA. UCLA played several bad games leading up to the championship. They were lucky to make it that far...but they deserve credit for making it there. That is the good thing about college basketball. Everyone truly has a chance. UCLA caught a few good teams on bad nights and made it to the finals.

 

[Mitsuo]

Now I see what you mean by tights...yeah they've gotta go! Looks ridiculous!

As long as they're not wearing musketeer hats with a feather in them, I don't have a problem with them.

 

[MeAndroo]

As far as the tights go...I don't mean to make this into a racial thing, but black guys wearing black tights just doesn't stand out to me. What stands out more are things like Samuel Dalembert's single white tight, Lamar Odom's purple calf warmers, and Allen Iverson's arm sleeve. Ban those things if you're going to ban tights as well. This is just Stern and his cronies being hypocritically retarded again.

 

[Flashjeff]

As far as the tights go...I don't mean to make this into a racial thing, but black guys wearing black tights just doesn't stand out to me. What stands out more are things like Samuel Dalembert's single white tight, Lamar Odom's purple calf warmers, and Allen Iverson's arm sleeve. Ban those things if you're going to ban tights as well. This is just Stern and his cronies being hypocritically retarded again.

Well, I'm with Stern on this, one hundred percent! Watching the low quality of NBA basketball these days is hard enough, but seeing players wearing the tights is almost too much for me to take. It's a STUPID look, regardless of what color they wear. Not to sound racial since I'm black myself, but at least white players have more sense than not to sport those idiotic things.

 

[MeAndroo]

I just don't want to see the NBA turn into the NFL, where players are fined for not having the right color socks, or for having hand towels that hang 3 inches too low. You ban one form of clothing, and it's a slippery slope.

edited:

Speaking of the NFL, USC's pro day went well for most of the 19 draft prospects. Bush and Winston Justice were stellar, Bing, Lutui, Matua and Leinart were good, but not great, and some of the DBs may have helped their questionable draft status. Unfortunately, I'm hearing word that Lendale came in about 260 (!!) and ran in the 4.6s. Not good for the USC TD record-holder.

 

[Hideki_Matsui_Beast]

The most idiotic dress code issue I have ever heard of came from the NFL.

After former NFL safety Pat Tillman was killed in combat, all of the NFL players wore a small decal on the back of their helmets with his old number on it for one week. The Arizona Cardinals were allowed continue wearing them because they were the last team that Tillman played for.

Jake Plummer from the Denver Broncos kept wearing his decal because he had also played with Tillman for several years while he was with Arizona and was a close friend of his. The NFL fined him for every game that he wore this SMALL sticker because it was violating the uniform dress code.

Now I'm not terribly crazy about the military, especially under the current administration, but if that small sticker was how Tillman's friend and former teammate wanted to remember and pay tribute to him, I think the NFL should respect that.

I give Plummer all the respect in the world for keeping the sticker on his helmet despite getting fined every game. He eventually took it off after he was allowed to make a commercial in Tillman's honor to be shown at NFL and NCAA games across America.

 

[Mitsuo]

That's awesome that Plummer stuck to his guns. That's too bad that they fined him for that. At least Tillman was honored in the commercial, and I will always honor him for being so damn brave.