Basketball from a fans perspective

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Changes

The game no matter which one we speak of undergoes change. As an example if we look at the NFL teams still utilize running backs however the role has changed. Running backs are still employed in the offense the task has been reduced. If we look at basketball, particularly the NBA, we could look at post play, it’s no longer key to the success it once held. How about shooting the basketball, there are offensive shots no longer or rarely used anymore. Kareem Abdul Jabbar did not shoot the first hook shot in basketball however he perfected it to a point it was given a name.

At the time Abdul Jabbar played for the Bucks the broadcast crew set in the upper level of the arena not along the sidelines as today. Doucette claimed when Abdul Jabbar shot the ball from where he was seated the ball appeared to be “coming out of the sky.” Naturally, Doucette began referring to the Abdul Jabbar shot as a “Skyhook.” No one shot it with the perfection of Abdul Jabbar and for unknown reasons few attempted to copy the shot…it’s a shame. The Granny Shot, if you check out video of the 1940’s up through the early 1950’s players would often shoot the ball with two hands sometimes almost between the knees. As the jump shot became more popular granny shooting disappeared except in one instance…free throw shooting. Hall of Famer Rick Barry was a master at shooting the underhand granny shot on the free-throw line. How good was he, in the NBA only portion of his career Barry shot .900 from the line, for his NBA/ABA career it was .893. Wilt Chamberlain a notorious poor free throw shooter tried the underhand granny shot but gave it up after a time.

Shaquille O’Neal refused to try it and he continued to struggle throughout his NBA career. What was laughable Shaq once claimed when questioned “I make em when it counts” which wasn’t exactly true. Nobody shoots the bank shot much anymore, maybe because the geometry of it is too difficult. A number of ole skool players shot it, Sam Jones of the Celtics perfected the bank shot. More recently Tim Duncan of the Spurs utilized it among his arsenal of shots. There you have it three shots no longer in use in basketball, I believe because they required far too much practice to master.

Who are these guys   

I don’t know if this to be a fact but here goes, will Reed Shepperd have a successful NBA career? I’m bringing the subject up again because of circumstances locally. The NBA draft was to be held that evening, two co-hosts on sports talk radio in Kansas City made this statement. “If Reed Shepperd is the third pick in this draft I’m going to know something.” He went on to state his belief the Kentucky guard was rated (in his opinion) too high in the draft. I thought for a moment, “All these guys talk about daily is the Chiefs, I’ve never heard them discuss NBA basketball.” On the other hand they could have held a discussion at a time I failed to listen although I don’t believe that to be the case.

By the way Shepperd was made the third pick by the Houston Rockets. The above crew was the evening drive time, the morning team held a discussion regarding how terrible it would be with no Inside the NBA. One of the hosts said, “I watch the program to see what Barkley has to say, I then turn off the game.” I thought to myself, “90% of the discussion centers on what is going on in the NBA, this guy is informing his radio audience he doesn’t follow the NBA.” There is no NBA in Kansas City that’s understandable but my statement is this, why discuss a subject you know or care so little about as a space filler? A friend claims I become too excited about this stuff, he declares all they are trying to do is create controversy. That might be well and good however I would prefer fact not stuff thrown against the wall hoping it will stick.

He didn’t work

If you’ve read much of the same material I have you are aware of this fact. It was said Wilt accomplished his basketball prowess with his athleticism, he didn’t dominate the game as he did in college. We have read and heard all types of stories indicating the basis for Wilt’s domination of the NBA. One account claims “He didn’t face tough competition,” this view is totally off base. This is mentioned because the NBA during most of his tenure contained a smaller number of teams. 

I have an argument to counter that, it would seem with a smaller number of teams the talent pool was not as thin as it is with 30 teams today. I decided to check some of the centers who played against Wilt during his career. Some of the names are going to surprise you while others you might be unfamiliar with.  Get this, one cynic claimed, “Wilt dominated against 2nd and 3rd string centers during his career.” You might not be familiar with all the names but certainly dwell on one single fact. I counted 11 outstanding post players Wilt competed against during his time in the NBA, of that number 7 are in the Naismith Hall of Fame while others earn College Hall of Fame honors. The most well-known battles for Wilt occurred against the Celtics and their Hall of Fame center Bill Russell. Once Kareem Abdul Jabbar entered the NBA they often found themselves matched against one another in numerous contest. 

Nate Thurmond was a teammate first and later competition on the court and then we have Willis Reed, Walt Bellamy and Bob Lanier. There were also battles which found Wilt matched against Jerry Lucas, Clyde Lovellette and a host of other centers of the time. All the centers named are now enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Can I state all were outstanding talent of the period…yes I could say that. Because there is little video evidence available don’t believe it didn’t occur, it did.

Montverde

This should not be considered an endorsement by me, I’m simply looking at Montverde Academy in Florida and the talent it’s produced. We are well acquainted with Cooper Flagg now at Duke. The talent train didn’t suddenly begin with Flagg it goes back several years. I’m only going back to 2011-12 team. Among the roster members was Joel Embiid the following season witnessed Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell on that year’s team roster. The 2015-16 team contained Anfernee Simons and RJ Barrett. 

We can add the names of Jalen Hood-Schifino, Cade Cunningham, Moses Moody and a host of others who have graced the rosters of NBA teams. What about its history someone might ask, Montverde is a private college preparatory school that is PK-12 in Montverde a town in the greater Orlando metro. Those of us reading this blog are familiar with Montverde due to its rich basketball history. Although Montverde is considered a national basketball power the school conducts athletic programs in a number of other sports. This is but a brief history of one of the most well-known basketball academy in the nation.