Michael Jordan the great and the bad…

Michael Jordan was the NBA superstar who appeared at the right time to propel the league to new heights.

Everybody knows when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird came to the NBA in 1979 they help elevate the sport–they were the 2 best players on the best teams. Multiple times the Lakers and the Celtics met in the NBA Finals.

In 1984, when Jordan was drafted, the NBA needed new stars to take over from the Magic and Bird show. Jordan became the savior immediately. He was in the slam dunk contest in 1985 and lost to Dominique Wilkins. In 1986 Jordan scored 63 points in a playoff game against the Celtics.

The NBA league exploded with the emergence of Jordan. He was great for the increase in player salaries, players were now getting lucrative basketball shoe deals and television rating went through the roof. Players like Shaq and Iverson had shoes named after them because of the popularity of the Air Jordan’s.

The dunk contest meant something because Jordan and Wilkins would compete yearly for the title. The two were great scorers who also happened to be great dunkers. Last weekend’s dunk contest was filled with bench players that nobody really knew.

The problem with Jordan’s success was that the NBA marketing was geared towards individual players instead of teams. Now games were be marketed as Jordan and the Bulls against Isaiah and the Pistons. The team aspect slowly eroded.

Many fans knew that Magic and Bird won their championships because of their teammates–not only because of them. People knew Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish were also All-Star and Hall of Fame players.

The Bulls team was all about Jordan. Scottie Pippen’s role during their 6 NBA Titles wasn’t appreciated enough by the fans and the media. He never received any big commercial deals and was not mentioned as one of the great players in the NBA. The media would always refer to the team as Jordan and the Bulls.

I blame the media for creating the selfish attitude that many players have now. Everybody believes they are ‘Da Man’ and no one wants to be second fiddle to anyone. Unfortunately, this has now gone to the extreme with 1 player taking twice as many shots as their teammates. Every good player believes they should be highest paid player on the team.

The quality of the team game concept is non existent; sharing the basketball and thanking your teammates for their contribution to victories is minimal. Many small-market teams were destroyed because the second best player didn’t want to be Pippen or Robin to Batman. The Orlando Magic team cornerstones’, Shaq and Penny, feud was over shoe commercials that pitted the players against each other. Shaq left through free agency and the Magic still haven’t recovered.  The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Stephon Marbury was upset after Kevin Garnett got a twenty-million dollar-a-year deal. Timberwolves had to trade Marbury. The Raptors’ franchise hasn’t been the same since Tracey McGrady didn’t want to play with his cousin Vince Carter because he wanted to be ‘Da Man’. Tracey McGrady left through free agency.

The Celtics were able to merge 3 aging stars to win a championship. It worked because at that point in their careers it was more important to win a NBA title than to score a lot of points. Garnett, Pierce and Allen made 2 NBA finals appearances and won an NBA Championship with the Celtics.

The Miami Heat players took a slight pay cut to be together and won a championship. LeBron, Bosh and Wade are working well together again this season.

Some players understand now that it takes a very good team to win an NBA Championship. An individual who shoots and scores a lot isn’t enough to win a title. Bryant was reminded of that lesson when he forced Shaq out of Los Angeles Lakers so he could be Da Man. Kobe didn’t win another title until Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum joined him and Derek Fisher.

The social media discussions to decide who’s a better one-on-one player between Kobe and Lebron are irrelevant. This also a negative aspect of Jordan’s rise to fame because Magic and Bird always talked in terms of NBA Championships they won not who was better one on one. Basketball is a team game. Kobe’s Lakers won’t make the playoffs this year. We shouldn’t care.

The NBA organizations need to go back to building very good teams–not have a franchise player who is being paid maximum contract while the team only wins 30% of their games.

What is your take on Jordan?

Enjoy your day!

 

The Raptors’ playoff hopes are…

The Toronto Raptors’ playoff hopes are still alive, but barely.

The Boston Celtics are without Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger for the remainder of the season. The Celtics usually use only an eight-man rotation. They don’t really have anybody to step up in place of their injured players. Now Jason Collins, Chris Wilcox, Fab Melo and Leandro Barbosa will have to play more minutes.

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will have to play 35 minutes a game, which, due to their age, could lead to injuries.

The Celtics are presently 24 – 23 with 35 games remaining. All they need to do is go 16 – 19 to get to 40 wins, which should be enough to hold onto 8^th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors have to pass the 76ers and the Pistons before they can worry about catching the Celtics.

The Raptors’ current record is 17 – 31 with 34 remaining. If they want to reach 40 wins they must be 23 – 17 the reminder of the season. It is not going to happen.

The Dwight Howard injury will now force the Los Angeles Lakers to keep Pau Gasol. I can’t see them trading Gasol to the Raptors for Andrea Bargnani. The presence of Rudy Gay makes it plausible for the Raptors to go after Gasol. In a weak Eastern Conference, Gay and Gasol can elevate the Raptors to contenders immediately.

Colangelo will attempt the Gasol trade once again in the summer. Bargnani fits the Mike D’Antoni offensive system which encourages the power forward to shoot three point shots.

Do you believe the Raptors’ playoff hopes are still alive?

Enjoy your day!

Dwight Howard or Pau Gasol…

The Los Angeles Lakers have lost their minds. Coach D’Antoni has benched Pau Gasol to play Dwight Howard.

Pau Gasol, as a member of the Lakers, participated in 3 NBA Finals and won 2 NBA Championships. Gasol had no problem playing with Andrew Bynum in the triangle offense. Gasol has a multitude of post moves that Howard should be asking Pau to teach him. Gasol is a great passer from the post or foul line position.

The reason why it is not working with Dwight Howard is due to Howard’s low basketball I.Q. Howard is a physically dominant force that never had to learn the intricacies of basketball. He participated in 1 NBA Finals and lost. He is one of the most popular players in the NBA because of his victories in a dunk contest. He has been in the NBA 8 years–yet his fundamentals have not improved. Howard doesn’t have any go-to post moves, and his free throws percentage is pathetic.

Maybe Coach Phil Jackson’s triangle offense would have forced Howard to improve his game by becoming a good post player, passer, and pick setter.

Coach D’Antoni seemed to have been asked to use an offense Howard is familiar with from his Orlando Magic days. That was a terrible mistake and now the Lakers are paying the price.

The NBA has had a multitude of teams that won many games with two big men playing together. The offense is called a high-low, meaning 1 person is at the foul line area and the other player is posting up. They would read what the defense was doing and move the ball accordingly to score baskets.

I remember watching Tim Duncan and David Robinson, Chris Webber and Vlade Divac and recently Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. All those combinations include 2 seven footers who were able to be successful together. Only Chris Webber and Vlade Divac didn’t win an NBA Championship.

Howard will be a free agent at the end of the year. The Lakers should just admit their mistake and trade him. The NBA game is not a dunk contest. A player needs to score in a variety of ways, set up teammates for easy baskets, make their free throws, defend without fouling and rebound.

Gasol is a much better player than Howard in every facet of the game. Don’t be fooled by the media or Howard’s athletic ability.

Who do you think is the better player: Howard or Gasol?

Enjoy your day!

The Los Angeles Lakers are 9 – 12 …

Coach Mike D’Antoni’s dream turned into a nightmare. The roster he is presently coaching has on it the youngest player in history to reach the 30 000 plateau, a former 2 time NBA MVP award winner, 3 time defensive player of the year, 4 time rebounding champion, players who have made the all-star team a multitude of times, and multiple members who won at least 1 NBA title.

Kobe Bryant is scoring 28.6 points a game. Steve Nash has been hurt. Dwight Howard is scoring 18.4 points and 11.7 rebounds a game. Pau Gasol is scoring 12.6 and 8.8 rebounds a game. Gasol has been put on injury list due to knee tendinitis.

Despite the injuries, there is enough talent on the team to win most nights. What is wrong? Howard doesn’t have a post game, which means the perimeter players are not getting open 3’s. Gasol should be the number one post option because he can score with his back to the basket and is a good passer.

The Lakers’ defense, which is anchored by Howard, World Peace, and Bryant, hasn’t been good. The team defense has been atrocious. They never replaced Matt Barnes or Trevor Ariza, who can defend against quick players on the wing on a nightly basis and hit a three-point shot when necessary.

The Los Angeles Lakers would be making a huge mistake if they traded Gasol to the Raptors for players who have never won anything in the NBA (Andrea Barganni and Jose Calderon). A healthy Gasol and Nash will help the Lakers dangerous in the playoffs.

I have no doubt that the Lakers will make the playoffs.

Will the Lakers win a playoff round?

Enjoy your day!