What about the dunk and 3-pointer????

[PantherGam]

Is too much being said about the dunk and 3-pointer? John Wooden said he doesn't like it and the dunk should be outlawed and so should the 3-pointer. What do you think? Are the other fundamentals more important to the game? What do you think????

[dcchoctaws1]

without the dunk and the 3 ptr the attendance would be too low to even think about basketball. there are many more fundamentals but the fans love dunks, 3 pointers and flashy passes. it is todays brand of basketball.

[Baseballerfb13]

fundamentals are the name of the game...if you arent solid in the basic areas,(i.e.,passing,layups,court awareness, defense, etc.)then there wont be any room for dunks and 3's. however, take away the 3 and dunk and you lose a huge chunk of the fan base of the game of basketball. thats what people come to see, barring any die hard, old fashionists(if thats a word) who say keep it inside the arc and stay away from the rim. sadly, if you get rid of three pointers and dunks, every game will look like a women's bball game

[dcchoctaws1]

the womens games are exciting. they have the three and you see the fundamentals of the game solely there. but never say women cant dunk. there are some that can and that my friend is pure excitement to watch that. michelle snow did for tennessee in a game a while back, i was watching the game and wound up jumping up and down. it was awesome!!

[cb56]

It's out of the question to take dunks and three-pointers out of high school basketball. Fundamentals are much more important and you cannot live or die by the three and win consistantly (I.E. look at Memphis State) but fundamentals are the coach's responsibility. Outlaw dunks and threes in practice, not games.

[mhalionboy03]

1st off, by mentioning Memphis State as an example, you totally ruined your credibility. When was the last time they were in the NCAA tourney?...uh-huh. And unless they beat Louisville they won't get in this year. Maybe it has something to do with relying on the 3 pointer. Probably more with bad coaching and lack of talent and too-big egos and bad attitudes, but possibly relying on the 3.

2nd off, the dunk is ridiculous, I would never let a player dunk. It's literally a waste of energy unless they can dunk without jumping and without holding on. I think it is so hilarious when someone slams a dunk and the ball bounces off the back of the rim. The 3 pointer is cheap. I've seen some tough fade-away jump-shots and lay-ups in traffic that should be worth 4 points. Defense and fundamentals win games. If a team can get consistant scoring coming in off the baseline, I like their chances much better than a sharp-shooting 40-50% 3point team. Instead of running to the outside, rush in for the offensive board. 3 pointers are just the easy way for short teams to compete with bigger teams. Go in and draw the foul.

[bigred11]

the dunk and 3 are so vital to the game that the pros have put aside a whole separate night on the all-star break to showcase them. they have become such a large part of the game taht their removal would not only deplete the fan base, but most likely the number of kids who play, but the point is moot because we all know that this will never happen.

[dcchoctaws1]

is this ridiculous or what???? these are things that are with basketball forever.... and for someone to say he would never let someone dunk is ridiculous, it get your team pumped up and ready when u get a big dunk in a big game. it gives you momentum... that was crazy, guess we know why you are not a coach now. you would never have a player over 5'9 to play for you.

[CoachT]

I don't think either the 3-point shot or the dunk will ever be taken out of the game. At the same time, guys like Kareem Abdul Jabbar would tell you that they would never have been as great as they were if the dunk had been allowed when they played. Young big men like him had to learn to play offense and shoot the jumper (or the skyhook) instead of muscle in, post up, and slam. Granted, dunking would have gotten harder as Jabbar moved up from high school to college to pro, as it does today, but he would have never learned to shoot the ball as well as he did at the lower levels if the dunk had been available.

[LordInfamous]

Right on Coacht., whats gonna help the league is big men like Duncan, Garnett, Nwintzsky (i cant spell), and Ming who are all over shooting everywhere and not just backing in and dunking. The 3pointer is good good good.

[mhalionboy03]

I know that they are forever attached to the game, but I can't stand either one. I like the 3pointer better, but it is just so cheap. I don't care if I ever see a dunk in my life again. And frankly, who cares about the fan. Real basketball players are out their because they love the game, not the attention from the crowd. How many fans attend cross-country races? or golf matches? What if we let the golfer, once on the green, push the ball into the whole with the putter instead of hitting the ball. That would be stupid. Why? Because it takes less skill. Basketball is about defense, ball-handling, passing, and shooting. If it takes a slam dunk to get a team excited, they shouldn't be playing. I saw MUS's Ryan Baum dunk the ball Friday night up in double digits on Harding mid-way through the 3rd. It backfired on them b/c it woke up Harding and they ended up in triple OT. Although I wish that the 3pointer wasn't in bball, I like to see it used wisely, but it rarely is. Too many 3 point shooters could step in about 2 or 3 steps and have an easy shot, but instead they blow the possession trying to fire up their teammates.

[JDub22]

mhalionboy...I'm pretty sure I disagree with everything you've said about this. The dunk is GREAT...for people who can dunk. I HATE to see people attempt a dunk in a game...when they know good and well that they can't dunk. The dunk is great for a team though...it can intimidate a team when they see a guy throw one down hard on them (especially a high school team). And as for the 3-point shot...you keep saying it's cheap. WHAT are you talking about??? You act like it's easy or something. You contradicted yourself by saying shooting was a part of basketball. Well....there you go...if you're a really good shooter..you can get 3 points a lot of the time. There's nothing cheap about it. If you're GOOD enough to make the shot and help your team...then you've EARNED those points. And John Wooden was a great coach...and is a great basketball person. But could some successful football coach from 30 or 40 years ago come back and be a successful coach? Probably not. Games change. The very basics of them stay the same...the basics that we all love. BUT...the games do change. Now...you can either complain about how the game is played and talk about how YOU would have it played. OR...you can go outside and work on your outside jumper..and maybe even on your hops. And I'm talking to everyone when I say that. The game IS what it IS...you either love it like I do...or you don't. And don't try to get on me by saying that I don't know how it used to be. I love watching tapes of Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Tiny Archibald, Jerry West, Pete Maravich (even though he's more like our times), Oscar Robertson. I grew up watching Bird, Magic, Isiah..and of course like everybody..Jordan. I love basketball how it was...and I love it how it is. You can't change it...you either love it..or you don't.

[Edited by JDub22 on 2-10-03 1:12A]