Don Nelson has been discussed in another thread. I suppose we could draft more Euros, but they still don't always come over. That dude the Magic drafted turned down the chance to make lottery pick money, in Orlando, while playing alongside the next great center (Howard) and the consummate pro (Hill). And Steve Francis, so there's that.
I keep hearing about these great Euro defenders, but I'd still only consider AK-47 a real defensive stopper, and I don't even know that there are many adequate Euro defenders. A lot of people like to point to Peja face-guarding his man all game as good defense; I think it's terrible. Do any of the Pistons or Spurs face-guard their man all game? No, because it's not true defense. You need to be available to help and make rotations.
Yes, the And1 style of ball has permeated our game at the youth level, but is typically stamped out by the time they reach the NBA. For every Marbury or Franchise who slip through the coaching cracks there are 2-3 kids who come from a Duke, UNC, or Louisville. Kids who go to top programs learn the team game, which is great, because the new CBA mandates kids spending at least one year at the college level.
I keep hearing about these great Euro defenders, but I'd still only consider AK-47 a real defensive stopper, and I don't even know that there are many adequate Euro defenders. A lot of people like to point to Peja face-guarding his man all game as good defense; I think it's terrible. Do any of the Pistons or Spurs face-guard their man all game? No, because it's not true defense. You need to be available to help and make rotations.
Yes, the And1 style of ball has permeated our game at the youth level, but is typically stamped out by the time they reach the NBA. For every Marbury or Franchise who slip through the coaching cracks there are 2-3 kids who come from a Duke, UNC, or Louisville. Kids who go to top programs learn the team game, which is great, because the new CBA mandates kids spending at least one year at the college level.
