Archive for the &;NBA&; Category
The Decline of Style in theNBA
July 20, 2009
I&;m a big time pro basketball fan and I coach basketball to children at my local recreation center. I love the Lakers, even though I can no longer afford to go to the games and think Kobe is a terrible role model to youth.
As a coach, I preach the team game, particularly defense. Nonetheless, I enjoy the style of the game, which is sadly declining. From Kevin Porter (the &;Little Drum Major&;) to Darryl Dawkins (&;Dr. Dunkenstein&;), who named his dunks, to the incomparable Dr. J and Clyde &;The Glide&; Drexler, players played with style in the past. Even Earvin Johnson got his nickname Magic for the things he could do with a basketball, like no-look passes.
Before he was Earl the Pearl, people watching the young Earl Monroe at Philadelphia playground games chanted &;Black Jesus&; as Monroe pulled off one of his signature moves. In high school, teammates called Monroe &;Thomas Edison&; because of the many moves he invented.
Now, it&;s just about effectiveness, not entertainment; Kobe Bryant is celebrated as the killer &;Black Mamba&; while LeBron James is the king of power. Style hardly appears in the All-Star game or even in the slam-dunk contest. Dwight Howard showed some style last year, style he failed to show against the Lakers in the Finals.
But this time, they let the little guy win.
Today&;s race to have the most tattoos, or the fastest car, (driven by a gawky Polish center) is hardly about style.
So does style equal selfishness? Perhaps&;but Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier, two of the most stylish guards ever to play together, combined for a pair of NBA Championships 35 years ago.
Tags:Darryl-Dawkins, Dwight-Howard, Earl-Monroe, Magic Johnson, NBA, NBA-loss-of-style Posted in Lakers, NBA, Sports, Uncategorized | 2 Comments &;