I think we want whatever system works, and the aesthetics of the system or "principles" of the system, as if they exist in basketball, be damned. At least when it applies to a system which is inherently neutral -- a system is not "principles", you put that on it from the outside.
You have a bunch of unathletic guys with poor ballhandling skills and little if any one on one ability? Sure run the Princeton. Won't win you a title, but will give you a chance to win more games than playing it straight will.
You have Shaq, or Kobe, or A.I. or LeBron, or any other brilliant ballhandler or creative one on one player, then you run something to take advantage of those abilities. Taking the ball out of their hands so that you can sing kumbaylah and let some scrub feel good about himself with a few extra touches a game isn't good basketball, or smart basketball, or anything else but stupid dogmatism. "Good" basketball is whatever wins, at least in any competitive setting. This isn't a daycare, and we're not trying to teach children traditional values like sharing and selflessness. We are trying to win.
(I will withhold only my ******* execption. Rather lose than be an *******. Rather lose than sacrifice pride & dignity. But there is absolutely nothing prideless or undignified about employing the best system to win games.)
You have a bunch of unathletic guys with poor ballhandling skills and little if any one on one ability? Sure run the Princeton. Won't win you a title, but will give you a chance to win more games than playing it straight will.
You have Shaq, or Kobe, or A.I. or LeBron, or any other brilliant ballhandler or creative one on one player, then you run something to take advantage of those abilities. Taking the ball out of their hands so that you can sing kumbaylah and let some scrub feel good about himself with a few extra touches a game isn't good basketball, or smart basketball, or anything else but stupid dogmatism. "Good" basketball is whatever wins, at least in any competitive setting. This isn't a daycare, and we're not trying to teach children traditional values like sharing and selflessness. We are trying to win.
(I will withhold only my ******* execption. Rather lose than be an *******. Rather lose than sacrifice pride & dignity. But there is absolutely nothing prideless or undignified about employing the best system to win games.)
Last edited:
