Pau criticizes modern NBA basketball

[Rastapopoulos]

Here:

 

[Rastapopoulos]

He's not wrong.

 

[riverman]

I sort of blame Mike D'Antoni and Steve Nash for this trend ….run and gun small ball. I also blame the trend towards not letting players play physical defense...a lot of teams have lost the art of clock management though.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

He's not wrong.

I totally agree with him. I get some of the changes and why things have changed, but basketball is not as aesthetically pleasing to watch from my perspective.

 

[riverman]

Great passing is what I like to see in a game...those 4 pass plays that end with a lob and a freethrow

 

[BlayZa]

it'd be interesting to see how a team that played like that, played near the full 24s, had lots of movement, post ups, outside in plays, etc would counter the fast run n gun style. as per its likely just a battle of FG% and attempts. if the quick team is hitting hard n fast, low n slow could be an issue.

in saying all that, i miss the older style of bball, hard blue collar PF's battling in the paint, hard earned buckets and/or hard fouls, PG's running the offense with lots of touches and movement, orchestrating the plays, post moves etc

now its bring it up, pass once shoot, run back.

its high scoring,but the interest is lower for me

 

[riverman]

Grizzlies were probably the last grind it out half court team in the modern era and they struggled against great shooting teams come playoff time...Chauncy Billups era Pistons and Bruce Bowen era Spurs as well

 

[e_blazer]

The three point shot ruined and saved professional basketball. The game was beautiful when ball movement and passing were supreme. Along came the fugly defensive era of Pat Riley’s Knicks and the NBA panicked as viewers grew bored with 89 point games and made a bunch of rule changes to increase scoring. The bean counters did their analytics and figured out that 38 percent shooting from three was more efficient than mid-range two point shots and the modern offensive game was born. Dame and Curry say thanks.

 

[julius]

He's not wrong.

Agreed, and not just because he's (currently) a Trail Blazer.

Don't @VanillaGorilla either!

 

[Labinot41]

He's the opposite of CJ

 

[Hoopguru]

I sort of blame Mike D'Antoni and Steve Nash for this trend ….run and gun small ball. I also blame the trend towards not letting players play physical defense...a lot of teams have lost the art of clock management though.

i agree. Back in the mid 80's when the game wasn't high scoring enough they started the trend of giving the offensive player the advantage, simply could guard guys tight.
At that time the three wasn't as big as it is now , couple that with stretch bigs & advantage offensive player, and you have todays game.

 

[riverman]

Pete Maravich was built for today's game...so was Drazen Petrovic or Mark Price

 

[theprunetang]

It's an analytics thing.

It's actually really similar to college football. Remember when Chip Kelly first started the no huddle, go for it on 4th down, kind of analytical approach at Oregon. Everyone thought it was a gimmick. But now, pretty much all schools do it.

Very similar to what has happened in the NBA.

 

[riverman]

It's an analytics thing.

It's actually really similar to college football. Remember when Chip Kelly first started the no huddle, go for it on 4th down, kind of analytical approach at Oregon. Everyone thought it was a gimmick. But now, pretty much all schools do it.

Very similar to what has happened in the NBA.

The downside is that load management shows injuries increase and come playoff time, Steve Nash can't play or Amare Stoudamire...like Nate used to play his best players into the ground...football as well..how many first downs can your best qtr back run for before you carry him off the field.

 

[jlprk]

Everything sucks now--basketball, music, hair length--except this board, natch.

 

[BlazerWookee]

When and where did he say it?

 

[BigGameDamian]

I sort of blame Mike D'Antoni and Steve Nash for this trend ….run and gun small ball. I also blame the trend towards not letting players play physical defense...a lot of teams have lost the art of clock management though.

I blame the Golden State Warriors.

 

[Stumptown14]

Pau 100% right. The game has changed dramatically over the past 10-15 years and not nessessary for the better. I think Mike D'Antoni's 7 second offense is when small ball really took off. A few years later Curry and Thompson's shot making ability mixed with Draymonds defense perfected it and now that's just how the game is played.

I don't know if there is data to support this but it seems like that style of play takes a toll on guys and they become more injury prone after a while. It seemed like towards the end of their careers Nash and Stoudemire's bodies were literally falling apart.

 

[Orion Bailey]

Hmmm. I say yes and no.
There are still alot of teams running picknroll options, us being one of them (when our bigs are healthy).
Just like anything in life, it all changes. The key is adapting to the changes.
Embiid, kac, nurkic, jokic, etc, can all be game dominators.
Its not like back in the day there were no jordans, stocktons, drexlers, etc...

the game has changed. But no era is without its faults or “lack of interest” regarding certain aspects. quicker shots means more rebounds. Perfect opportunity for centers to assert themselves.

i miss the defense of the past, but do not miss the isolation ball that shaq used to do.
Even stockton/Malone ball was soooo predictable.
Respectable? yes.
Interesting aNd enjoyable? Not so much.

 

[mook]

Hmmm. I say yes and no.
There are still alot of teams running picknroll options, us being one of them (when our bigs are healthy).
Just like anything in life, it all changes. The key is adapting to the changes.
Embiid, kac, nurkic, jokic, etc, can all be game dominators.
Its not like back in the day there were no jordans, stocktons, drexlers, etc...

the game has changed. But no era is without its faults or “lack of interest” regarding certain aspects. quicker shots means more rebounds. Perfect opportunity for centers to assert themselves.

i miss the defense of the past, but do not miss the isolation ball that shaq used to do.
Even stockton/Malone ball was soooo predictable.
Respectable? yes.
Interesting aNd enjoyable? Not so much.

Absolutely. Even the greatest of all time seemed to make half his points on turn around fadeaway jumpers. I mean, it's an impressive shot, but once you've seen it 30 or 40 times the aesthetics of the same post plays wear thin.

I'm 46 now. I've really come to accept that every generation just looooooves shitting on the generations that follow. It makes them feel better about their own memories, which is mostly what you have left when with the prime years fade away.

 

[TorturedBlazerFan]

Absolutely. Even the greatest of all time seemed to make half his points on turn around fadeaway jumpers. I mean, it's an impressive shot, but once you've seen it 30 or 40 times the aesthetics of the same post plays wear thin.

I'm 46 now. I've really come to accept that every generation just looooooves shitting on the generations that follow. It makes them feel better about their own memories, which is mostly what you have left when with the prime years fade away.

Theres definitely some of that, but I think with the rule changes that put defenders at such a disadvantage and 3 pointers + analytics the game really has lost something for me. Its different and some of thats good.

 

[mook]

Theres definitely some of that, but I think with the rule changes that put defenders at such a disadvantage and 3 pointers + analytics the game really has lost something for me. Its different and some of thats good.

A lot of the appeal of baseball is the complete lack of change. Which I get. It'd be nice to make apples to apples comparisons of teams across generations.

One of the things I really like about the NBA, though, is that it does adapt over the years, favoring certain aspects over others. When it does, there are always winners and losers. Big men are definitely the losers. A guy like Skal might be considered a top prospect 15 years ago, and Damon Stoudamire (as much as I hate him) would be pretty amazing in the current era.

I guess I'm not disagreeing with you. I just happen to be a big fan of the dynamism. What Pau Gasol sees as a bug, I see as a feature.

I suspect the NBA 10 or 15 years from now will look different than the current style. I like that the game evolves.