caeagle16 Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 Everyone, I would like you to read some words from a MSNBC article and the all-time great after his loss to the New York Knicks by one point this weekend. It was his last game at Madison square garden. Just read: The loss wasn˜t for his lack of trying. But when it was over, Jordan, impeccably upholstered in a dark plum-colored suit and starched white shirt as crisp as a January morning in Montana, took no pleasure in what he had done. His team, the Wizards, had lost by a point to the Knicks, one of several teams they are battling for the final playoff spot in the NBA East, and, when you lose, stats mean nothing. ˜It˜s very disappointing when a 40-year-old man has more desire than a 25-, 26-, 27-year-old,˜ he said, in one sentence damning his own supporting cast. It has been a mystery to him throughout this, his final year in the NBA. ˜If you make a mistake in October, you can˜t make the same mistake in March.˜ ˜A perfect ending is when things just happen because you˜re playing hard and doing the things you need to do,˜ he tried to explain. He played hard against the Knicks. His teammates didn˜t. It˜s not age that makes the difference, he said, it˜s the way you play. Here's the most important part, folks: He said his teammates are too consumed with being ˜macho and cool˜ to risk losing their dignity diving after balls and rolling around on the floor. You knew from listening to him that he has preached his gospel to them, but the lesson hasn˜t been taken to heart. It˜s time to kick it up a notch, and he˜s the only one kicking. I (caeagle16) feel this is a huge problem with today's players. Like Jordan said, his teammates are too consumed with being "macho" and "cool." Whatever happened to teams working together to get to the playoffs and then fighting for their lives to get to the finals? Look at the great Bulls teams of the 90's. Jordan knew where to push his teammates and when. How come high school players can't play as a team anymore? (I know there are many that do, but it seems the trend is heading away from team play) Why do we go to the high schools to find the next great? I'll tell you-- because there are very few great basketball leaders left. The great players, yes they can score, however, they make their team great too. Those players are getting less and less. Coaches, players, and fans, if we want to see basketball return to its glory days and its greatness, lets focus on this generation (our high schoolers) learning to play as a team, and learning to lead the team at the right places at the right times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcchoctaws1 Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 amen!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesVLT Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 caeagle, a good mark for you. That was a well-written post about Michael, and indeed about teamwork as a whole. Shows that even the best player in the world can't do it by himself. That is certainly a valuable lesson for ANYONE to learn, whether on a team or not. Good post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avillehoops Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 greast post....preach it man,.....jordan the greatest ever only because of the teams around him. to many kids today want to be like kobe bryant, the worst role model in the history of role models, he wants the spotlight , thinks he can will his team a win, sure he can score 50 without shaq and the team lose. he has said that in 04 he will enter free agency to pursue his own team, what an idiot he is winning championships because of his current team, he is too selfish, i hope he goes somewhere away from shaq and jackson and ends up like the denver nuggets, a nobody scoring champ that never makes the playoffs, team effort is where the game is won. at aville, in 95 matin gave us all tshirts that said my toughest opponent is me....so true we were the only ones that could beat ourselves and today soo many teams beat themselves because of lack of teamwork, no one has any chemistry, you rarely hear chemistry used anymore , everyone depends on one or two guys and not 7-8 like we did. i vote for the old school way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threeball Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 Great post...good mark to you. What you can accomplish as a team/a single unit, is 14 times more than you can accomplish on your own...(for use with a 15-man roster) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtymer33 Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 you know i also hate to see people get on here and talk bad about a good remark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedevilfan56 Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 WEll i wud give agood makr but i dont have enought but ya know what kobe is suffering from the press cuz i have heard SEVERAL CONVOs and interveiws where kobe has said i cant do it by myself i need my team ... hes not as selfish as it seems ... BUT!!!!! ALSO he is still too young im sorry i cant wait til they make the rule you cant come out of highschool i mean theere areplayers with awesome talent that are better then half of the nba but its not about talent its about maturity and kobe does not have MATURITY YET hes gettin there and is A LOT better then when he started but even tho his maturity shows when he throws up some STUPID shots when he should pass it ... no one can deny the fact that THEY DO go in ... but neway hes not even the next michael yet hes almost there MJ is the greatest role model you can have for ne sport hes da man!! and players today try to hard to be like Kobe instead of Mj .. and not all just some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokomo Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 Have you seen White Station or Dobyns-Bennett play? There are teams out there that play team ball. Also Elizabethton has a great team chemistry. You can't play a match-up zone the way they do it and have "ME" players. Although your own assumption, the comments you made about today's players and esecially Kobe Bryant are not valid. I can think of a lot worse players than Kobe......maybe Dennis Rodman, Latrell Sprewell, Glen Robinson, Rasheed Wallace and all of the Portland Trailblazers, Shaq, Antuan Walker & Paul Pierce (at the All-Star game), and the baddest right now......Ron Artest. All Kobe has done is keep the team attitude during his scoring streak and even said he was glad it was over when he didn't score 30. That is not a selfish player. Remember that Michael Jorfan went through his stages to become the greatest player. He didn't start out like he is now. And Jordan even went to college first. Maturity comes with experience. So I guess with more posts, your comments will get better. P.S......Blue, MJ might not be the greatest role-model of any sport. When I think of the greatest player ever, YES! But there are way more ethical players in all sports that are perfect role-models. Examples are Mark Jackson, John Stockton, Allan Houston and Ray Allen. [Edited by Stokomo on 3-11-03 1:40P] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avillehoops Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 first of all, i shouldnt have compared apples to oranges. it was once told to me at a junior pro camp when i was 8 not to watch the nba, the nba is not fundamentally sound, college basketball at least is where the desire and real love of the game is, the nba is for profit and just a show. second of all, my opinions are just that, my opinions, and yours are well... yours, the mark of a good post, lots of fiery replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokomo Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 A mark of one-sided posts yields fiery remarks. The mark of a good post yields "GOOD MARKS". You talk about comparing apples to oranges....well.....you brought it up by comparing in the first place. I do, though, totally agree with you on the NBA and the showness business approach of it. I have always said for players to pattern themselves after anything fundamentally sound. Not the high-flying acrobatic acts you see on TV. I like your thoughts but the bashing is a little nerve-wrecking, mainly because there is too much talk about negative stuff and not enough positive stuff to help bring up the high school players' aspirations to be the best they can be. For that! is the reason for this site!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booboodafoo12 Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 Pretty sure if u cant talk about UT Basketball...Then u cant talk about Michael Jordan and the NBA basketball either...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNBballMan Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 Basketball is meant to be a TEAM sport...along with football, baseball, hockey, or what have you. If you want to be the one man show, join the PGA tour. I think it is ridiculous to see all these players trying to play in their own little world. You can't base a team on one player's performance, it is on the TEAM'S performance. I think a prime example of this is the Arizona Wildcats in the NCAA. They don't have the one man shows, and by that, you always see them in the top of the polls. They are together. I think coaches should take a stand on the showboating and teach playing together. Also, I agree that jumping from high school to the NBA is ridicule. Look at Lebron James. He is a definite baller, but if he ever had a career-ending injury, he wouldn't have anything to fall back on. I think college should be a requirement for the NBA, I am talking about getting your degree and not leaving early. I commend Jason Williams from Duke/Chicago Bulls is a prime example. He went during summers and all because he wanted his college degree before he went pro. That is a good role model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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