Bogdan Tanjevic disses Kanter, Corbin, and the NBA

[RJM]

I hate seeing coaches playing players out of position. Kanter is a PF, and should not be a center. Simple as that. Utah doesn't really have a center, and Al Jefferson has been playing out of position since he was traded from the Celtics in 2007.

[Tave]

It's a little more than that. The point is that modern day NBA really favors athleticism over technique. It's a matter of how the game is called, and what the rules are rewarding. Just compare Jordan and Lebron. Jordan had perfect technique, poetry in motion. Lebron is a beast. I simply think that Americans are focusing less on techniques, nowadays, because technique is not rewarded anymore as it used to be in the past.

Lebron is one of the most technically skilled players in history at his size: PG handles, elite passing, comfortable finishing with either hand, can score from anywhere on the court, etc... The two "flaws" in his game are his post play (not elite yet), and his shot (probably will never be pure). Despite those relative shortcomings, he manages to score on amazing efficiency, not unlike an Oscar or Magic, neither of whom had great shooting mechanics yet nevertheless dominated the league and were always considered extremely "skilled" ballplayers.

Jordan is an impossible standard for anyone to live up to. There's a reason why he's the GOAT.

When I look at the previous recent Finals MVPs (Dirk, Kobe, Pierce, Parker, Wade, Duncan) I see a whole lot of skill and technique, and other than Wade and Lebron, not much dependence on brute force/athleticism.

[carbine23]

It's a little more than that. The point is that modern day NBA really favors athleticism over technique. It's a matter of how the game is called, and what the rules are rewarding. Just compare Jordan and Lebron. Jordan had perfect technique, poetry in motion. Lebron is a beast. I simply think that Americans are focusing less on techniques, nowadays, because technique is not rewarded anymore as it used to be in the past.

Lebron is one of the most technically skilled players in history at his size: PG handles, elite passing, comfortable finishing with either hand, can score from anywhere on the court, etc... The two "flaws" in his game are his post play (not elite yet), and his shot (probably will never be pure). Despite those relative shortcomings, he manages to score on amazing efficiency, not unlike an Oscar or Magic, neither of whom had great shooting mechanics yet nevertheless dominated the league and were always considered extremely "skilled" ballplayers.

Jordan is an impossible standard for anyone to live up to. There's a reason why he's the GOAT.

When I look at the previous recent Finals MVPs (Dirk, Kobe, Pierce, Parker, Wade, Duncan) I see a whole lot of skill and technique, and other than Wade and Lebron, not much dependence on brute force/athleticism.

06 Wade didnt depend on brute strength. But yeah, it takes a LOT OF SKILL Just to play in NBA. That should be common sense.

[SunKing]

For the same reason, a Spanish team coached by an Italian almost upset one of the best teams ever. Same for Lithuania. Evidently, even the Europeans are doing something right, aren't they?

Yeah almost, almost, almost... at the end of the day they had a bad tournament (2002) and 2 two subpar performance (2004 and 2006 which ended up as bronze medal) everything else is gold.

Don't get me wrong this spanish team is something else, one of the best international team of all time. But if they can't beat a Howard&Wade-less Team USA with just one center while having Gasol brothers and Ibaka... I don't know if a team will be able to beat them in 2014 and 2016, Spain golden generation will get older (Argentina one is already almost dead) and will have a clearly old Gasol while it's scary to think Team USA pool of talent is so big that they will be able to incorporate improvated and matured Greg Monroe/Demarcus Cousins, Andrew Bynum, Kyrie Irving, Durant will be even better than now and will hit his prime and LeBron will be just 31. While this time you can see in the whole europe 4 young players as talented as the 4 firsts that I named ? It's not even fair

If they stay serious I don't see anyone beat them in the mid-term futur.

It's a little more than that. The point is that modern day NBA really favors athleticism over technique. It's a matter of how the game is called, and what the rules are rewarding. Just compare Jordan and Lebron. Jordan had perfect technique, poetry in motion. Lebron is a beast. I simply think that Americans are focusing less on techniques, nowadays, because technique is not rewarded anymore as it used to be in the past.

Tave responded to you...

If you don't think that in order to be the clear cut best player in the world head and shoulder above the rest, you aren't a skillful player... Well... I don't know what to say.

Just watch a random game that I picked up, without watching the highlights previously or anything of his last year play off run and it's not a 45pts garden performance or a 40-18 in Indiana :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH6VIdFOoYU[/youtube]

If you don't see one of the most skilled player in the word in that video... then I don't know what to say.

[Sedale Threatt]

It's a little more than that. The point is that modern day NBA really favors athleticism over technique. It's a matter of how the game is called, and what the rules are rewarding. Just compare Jordan and Lebron. Jordan had perfect technique, poetry in motion. Lebron is a beast. I simply think that Americans are focusing less on techniques, nowadays, because technique is not rewarded anymore as it used to be in the past.

This is the exact silly-ass stereotype I've been posting about over the last few pages. As SK and Tave already noted, if you can't look past the dunks and the physical power to see the immense skill level LeBron has, you either have no clue what you're watching or you're not paying attention. Either way, it's a shame. I'd also add Chris Paul and Kevin Durant to those who have already been mentioned; both are among the most highly-skilled players to ever play their position.