Greyhound wrote:SNPA wrote:Ballerhogger wrote:
I love it when people do this.
I watched the first two minutes. Some really good passes. But throwing lobs to AD, dive and kick to where the double comes from and long outlets while you are unguarded and facing forward (even on point) aren’t in the realm of Bird. It’s just not. It’s mistaking high quality and quantity for genius. James sees the floor really well, especially later in his career, but he simply doesn’t have the same chip in his brain as Bird. LeBron learned to be a great passer, Larry was born a legend at it.
So now it’s an “intelligence” thing.
You don’t see “genius” in LeBron’s ability to pass?
This subject always seems to strike me as a bit subjective (and in some cases suspect).
Whenever people start rattling off their “genius” tier passers there always seems to be a few overarching traits common amongst the entrants.
Magic
Bird
Jokic
Nash
Manu
Sabonis
Why is this?
Why are Chris Paul, Isaiah Thomas, Oscar Robertson and LeBron James not considered genius level like the others?
I think it has to do with the bias that exists against athleticism. If a player is athletic it is assumed that the only reason they are able to do what they do is because of their athletic gifts.
A player who is not recognized as being athletic (who is able to do the same as another player who is athletic) is just assumed to be compensating with their genius level intellect. I think this view is simplistic and wrong.
Just because a player can aid their passing with their natural athleticism, it does not take away from their ability to read defenses, anticipate situations and make incredible passes at a genius level.
Making a high volume of flashy, hot dog passes does not necessarily make your passing better than an individual who tends to make safer more logical passes either. The key is being able to make the read and get the pass on time and on target. Whether you were able to get it there in the most flashy manner possible, or with a simple well timed bounce pass makes zero difference on the score sheet.
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I actually think that John Stockton is a great passer (a genius level floor general). Nobody reads him as such because he was no a hot dog. He is not flashy and he makes the simple basic pass with high accuracy. Tempo control and game management are utilizations of “genius” that provide greater impact then simple, spur of the moment improvisational passing.
That along with the passing impresses me more then just technical passing ability and improvisation.
...
On the topic at hand I choose Bird.
I use genius because it’s beyond making the right read. It’s seeing what no on else does.
