dankok8
07-25-2016, 04:30 PM
I am tired of seeing people judge players based on skill. Enough with "Hakeem is better than Shaq" or "Kobe is better than Jordan"... Enough already. Skill doesn't make you a basketball player. Skill helps you maximize your physical attributes to get results on the court. It is but a means to an end. Results matter not how you obtain them!
Let me explain with a personal story. I have been playing basketball since 14 years old for what is now 14 years! I am 5'11'' 170 lbs, an excellent sprinter with a good first step but little jumping ability and raw strength. I have been through a few basketball camps and put in thousands of hours in the gym and on the courts. I can shoot 70-80% from the free throw line, I can dribble the ball pretty well, I can finish well around the basket, and I have been called a pesky hard-nosed defender with a lot of competitive drive and excellent endurance.
I have a buddy who I sometimes play pick-up games with. He is 6'1'' 250lbs with decent speed and athleticism though nothing extraordinary. He is actually a bit fat and out of shape. He played maybe one tenth as much as I did over his life and his dribbling, shooting etc. are nowhere near my level. When he's out playing, his effort is inconsistent and he kind of wings it. When we play one-on-one I can beat him but I have trouble with it. His strength and size is overpowering and even with all my advantages it's tough.
Now imagine we both go to 3-month basketball summer camp. At the end of it, I have no doubt that he would crush me if went up head to head. His skills would improve to a point where his size and strength would completely take over the game. I would still beat him in a game of H.O.R.S.E. or 21 or Around the World but in a straight up one-on-one duel I wouldn't stand a chance. Would I be a better basketball player in that case even though I am still a better dribbler, shooter, passer, teammate etc. ? Of course not. He is the better basketball player in that case because he produces better on the court. And I have played plenty of guys in my time who are better than me even with far inferior skills.
I know people love the little guy. Fans are more inclined to like a smaller, less athletic guy who worked hard and became an NBA superstar thanks to his amazing ball handling, great jumper, excellent footwork, strong defensive fundamentals... He spent thousands of hours in the gym, always arrived first and always left last.
Sorry but a big lazy guy who eats cheeseburgers and parties with his homies four nights a week... If he comes on the court and beats the first guy, he is the better basketball player! Skill is the great equalizer but only to a certain extent. If it lets you produce more on the basketball court, then you're a better player. If it doesn't, you are not.
Kobe Bryant is a guy who is truly a "master" of basketball. Immaculate footwork, so fluid with every move, perfect shooting form, guru of fundamentals... He is the guy that every kid learning to play the game should watch and try to emulate to maximize their own potential. I know I did. Kobe clearly took the basketball repertoire of Michael Jeffrey Jordan (the GOAT!) and improved it. He is the most skilled guard of all time.
BUT he's not the best and it's not even debatable.
Michael Jordan would beat Kobe Bryant. Mike had a quicker first step, Mike could jump higher, Mike had huge hands with which he could palm a basketball like a grapefruit and control it better... Jordan's athleticism allowed him to pull off things that Kobe simply cannot do. Jordan would grab the basketball 20 feet from the basket, take one bounce, make two quick steps, take off from either one or two feet just inside the free throw line and dunk the ball. It is so simple and yet completely unstoppable and better than anything Kobe can do! Kobe has the skills but he's still limited. He can't dunk from the free throw line. He can't palm the ball so easily. He can't leave a defender in the dust with his burst of speed. Jordan simply didn't have these limitations and despite having slightly less developed skills he could be more effective on the basketball court. Whether you get past your man with a lightning fast first step and score a simple lay-up or make a spin move and a behind-the-back dribble and lay in a reverse finger roll, the end result is the same. TWO POINTS! It's always two points. And if you don't get the two points you're not the better player.
Let me explain with a personal story. I have been playing basketball since 14 years old for what is now 14 years! I am 5'11'' 170 lbs, an excellent sprinter with a good first step but little jumping ability and raw strength. I have been through a few basketball camps and put in thousands of hours in the gym and on the courts. I can shoot 70-80% from the free throw line, I can dribble the ball pretty well, I can finish well around the basket, and I have been called a pesky hard-nosed defender with a lot of competitive drive and excellent endurance.
I have a buddy who I sometimes play pick-up games with. He is 6'1'' 250lbs with decent speed and athleticism though nothing extraordinary. He is actually a bit fat and out of shape. He played maybe one tenth as much as I did over his life and his dribbling, shooting etc. are nowhere near my level. When he's out playing, his effort is inconsistent and he kind of wings it. When we play one-on-one I can beat him but I have trouble with it. His strength and size is overpowering and even with all my advantages it's tough.
Now imagine we both go to 3-month basketball summer camp. At the end of it, I have no doubt that he would crush me if went up head to head. His skills would improve to a point where his size and strength would completely take over the game. I would still beat him in a game of H.O.R.S.E. or 21 or Around the World but in a straight up one-on-one duel I wouldn't stand a chance. Would I be a better basketball player in that case even though I am still a better dribbler, shooter, passer, teammate etc. ? Of course not. He is the better basketball player in that case because he produces better on the court. And I have played plenty of guys in my time who are better than me even with far inferior skills.
I know people love the little guy. Fans are more inclined to like a smaller, less athletic guy who worked hard and became an NBA superstar thanks to his amazing ball handling, great jumper, excellent footwork, strong defensive fundamentals... He spent thousands of hours in the gym, always arrived first and always left last.
Sorry but a big lazy guy who eats cheeseburgers and parties with his homies four nights a week... If he comes on the court and beats the first guy, he is the better basketball player! Skill is the great equalizer but only to a certain extent. If it lets you produce more on the basketball court, then you're a better player. If it doesn't, you are not.
Kobe Bryant is a guy who is truly a "master" of basketball. Immaculate footwork, so fluid with every move, perfect shooting form, guru of fundamentals... He is the guy that every kid learning to play the game should watch and try to emulate to maximize their own potential. I know I did. Kobe clearly took the basketball repertoire of Michael Jeffrey Jordan (the GOAT!) and improved it. He is the most skilled guard of all time.
BUT he's not the best and it's not even debatable.
Michael Jordan would beat Kobe Bryant. Mike had a quicker first step, Mike could jump higher, Mike had huge hands with which he could palm a basketball like a grapefruit and control it better... Jordan's athleticism allowed him to pull off things that Kobe simply cannot do. Jordan would grab the basketball 20 feet from the basket, take one bounce, make two quick steps, take off from either one or two feet just inside the free throw line and dunk the ball. It is so simple and yet completely unstoppable and better than anything Kobe can do! Kobe has the skills but he's still limited. He can't dunk from the free throw line. He can't palm the ball so easily. He can't leave a defender in the dust with his burst of speed. Jordan simply didn't have these limitations and despite having slightly less developed skills he could be more effective on the basketball court. Whether you get past your man with a lightning fast first step and score a simple lay-up or make a spin move and a behind-the-back dribble and lay in a reverse finger roll, the end result is the same. TWO POINTS! It's always two points. And if you don't get the two points you're not the better player.