photo: ballinmycourt.com
Wow! That’s all I really have to say at this point. Kentucky’s freshman sensation, John Wall, is beyond special. He’s a once in a generation type of talent.
I can already see that, at this early juncture in the year, that he’s further along than Tyreke Evans and Derrick Rose, Coach Calipari’s two previous ashy-to-classy one and done’s who were the respective #1 and #4 overall picks in the last two NBA drafts.
The Legend began percolating years ago in North Carolina. As a kid, he was a talented, yet wild and undisciplined player around the playgrounds and recreation centers of his Raleigh hometown. When Wall was 9, his father passed away from liver cancer.
As he grew into his young teenage years, he developed a reputation for being rude and getting into fights. With his mother struggling to work numerous jobs, John sailed along on the precipice of trouble without the guidance of a strong male role model. At Broughton High School, he got cut from the school’s varsity team as a sophomore due to his anger and attitude problems.
Things seemed to turn around when he began playing for the D-One Sports AAU program. On the national travel circuit, his name began gliding up the rankings faster than Allen Iverson in the open court at Georgetown in ‘95. After dropping 27 against Brandon Jennings in the summer of ‘07, Wall began to become a household name to those who follow recruiting.
At the Word of God Academy, Wall distanced himself from the rough days following his father’s death, put together one of the most remarkable prep resumes ever, and is now giving the world a sneak preview of his preternatural genius. Enjoy his one run through the NCAA’s because he is, without a doubt, the #1 NBA draft pick this year.
Scouts will tell you that, as hard as this is to believe, he would have been chosen over Blake Griffin last year as the top selection if high school players were still eligible to go directly to the NBA. His size, speed, ballhandling, vision, ability to finish strong with both hands and Jordan-esque athleticism combine to make for an awe-inspiring conglomeration of world class talent.
This weekend, he toyed with North Carolina, like a kid playing with his new X-Box on Christmas morning. Despite missing most of the second half with muscle cramps, he finished with a sizzling 16 points, seven dimes and seven boards. And it looked too easy for him.
I’ve seen many of the recent marvels who played guard coming out of high school: Evans, Rose, Chris Paul, Kenny Anderson, Jason Kidd, Jimmy Jackson, Kenny Smith, Pearl Washington, Gary Payton, Penny Hardaway, Jameer Nelson, TJ Ford, Jacque Vaughn, Damon Stoudemire, Mike Bibby, Rod Strickland, Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson, etc. etc.
And I’m literally scratching my head as I watch John Wall, wondering if his package – with the dunk, the dish and the semi-automatic, just so much, so soon – is the best I’ve ever seen at this stage. The kid has the athleticism of Mike, the jets of TJ Ford, the ups of Dominique, the vision of Isiah Thomas and the slashing ability of a young Penny Hardaway.
Am I just buggin’ out, or is anyone else out there confounded by the crazy, George Jetson, futuristic style that he brings to the floor? I know one thing I can state with 100% certainty – we’re being treated to something very unique and special in the making. And we’re only at the beginning.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Trevor Kapp says:
there was real funny business with john wall not receiving an offer from unc. he’s from raleigh, which is about 30 mins away, and roy williams decided not to pursue him. i don’t wanna start rumors, but i can only think that roy knew something we don’t– maybe involving money and wall’s former aau coach (who was also an agent). it just doesn’t add up.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Mahjid (from Brick City) says:
yes i agree! i haven’t seen anything this exciting since allen iverson at georgetown. i called everyone after a few minutes of the NC game telling them that he can quit before halftime and easily be the #1 pick. i hope the knicks are smart enough to do what it takes to get him. how can the knicks not have a dynamic point guard?
December 7th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
illest says:
you sound like the media with tim tebow.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Sean Couch says:
Ali –
I just saw the highlights???!!! What tha… Amazing!!!
His rhythm is unlike any player besides Brandon Jennings and Kyrie Irving that I’ve seen in the past 10 years.
No diss to Chris Paul… Didn’t see him on the HS level like Wall and Jennings.
While Kyrie isn’t the runner like them, he has the reverse lay-up finishing ability and sudden scoring prowess…
but back to Wall…I was saying to myself, maybe this is why the Knicks passed on Jennings??? and then I smacked myself and said again to myself – They don’t have a number #1 pick…
Man, two talents that have the ability to break records as rookies not coming to NYC. Let’s hope LeBronski or Wade-o-rama makes it right in NYC next year and maybe a trade or sumthin’ for Rubio…
December 7th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Back in the states… Ali, I like how you snuck Jacque Vaughn in that list… Funny.. Yo, this kid is serious. He really did toy with UNC (that backcourt is shaky man) on saturday.. He’ll be in the garden on Wednesday night!!! Wall is dope (I like Bledsoe too) and I know its early but man I really like that Kansas team.. Collins, Taylor, Morris(both), Henry, and Aldrich..
December 7th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Jon says:
I was an instant fan & witness when I was priviliged to check out Wall go directly at Lance Stephenson at the 2008 Elite 24. He pulled off what he made look like a light windmill in traffic. Bananas!!! I don’t know about the comparisons to all those Hall of Famers this early in his career, but he’s definitely my favorite player in the country right now.
On a separate note, Rubio can’t mess with Jennings or John Wall.
December 7th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
funkalot says:
john “off the wall” has ridiculous raw abilities, but he must hit the jimmy consistently to ascend to the pantheon of greats. I am sure he will develop that skill in due time, like Ason Kidd did (aptly dubbed by G-Payton and his father because he had no”J”).
December 7th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Dre says:
I can tell u in all honesty UNC was going to offer him just before Dexter Strickland accepted the scholly offer. UNC recruited John very hard but I can tell u Clifton was a major reason that he didn’t finally offer to John. I know John and he is a UNC fan… have been all his life. Roy is a hall of fame coach and he knows what he’s doing and Clifton made John a big risk.
December 8th, 2009 at 9:44 am
illest says:
sean couch….the knicks arent that smart to even think that far. this kid is nice but he aint even chris jackson in college. not even close.
December 8th, 2009 at 9:45 am
illest says:
i do like his game though. its all about the next level. i want to see what he does next year. he obviously is too good for the college game.
December 8th, 2009 at 11:22 am
ali says:
some folks were scared of wall’s association with brian and dwon clifton and some expense money that got tossed the kid’s way surrounding recruiting visits and such. there was also the specter of one of the clifton brothers being a sports agent during wall’s junior year, the thought that they were steering him to certain schools and situations that were representative of the ugly underbelly of the sport. rerember when one of them got hired on the b-ball staff at baylor and everyone thought wall would go there, similar to mike beasely when his aau guy got hired at kansas state. i’m sure roy looked at situations like reggie bush at usc or the myron piggie fiasco and figured it wasn’t worth the risk, especially considering the foregone conclusion that as soon as the season is over, the kid is gone.
you blk caeser, good to have you back. i snuck jacque vaughn in there because he was a monster coming out of john muir hs in pasasena who crushed it at the prep level and the mcdonald’s all american game. and as a freshman pg at kansas, he ran roy williams’ break as good as anyone ever has or will. and that kansas crew is Dy-no-mite! the addition of xavier henry is just bananas. they’re strong at every position and i really like cole aldrich, he’s a true throwback.
and i’m not comparing him to those greats, i’m saying that there are elements that are already present in his game dna. and i’m just cramming to put him in the context of the other great guards that came into the college game and housed it from the jump.
as far as the knicks, we can’t get the kid in the draft. gotta pull off that mega three-way deal to get chris paul in the garden. sean, when i peeped him in high school, i saw more of a point guard prodigy than the athletic freakiness that wall has.
i’m not saying john wall is ready for enshrinement in springfield just yet. but if this is just the beginning, i’m salivating to watch his body of work unfold.
i knew money was nice. i did not know that it would stretch to this extent so soon. although he doesn’t have that consistent jimmy yet, his speed and floor game, along with the dish game to elevate his teammates w/ easy buckets and mike-like athleticism is just bananas.
and off the subject, harden, durant, jeff green and russell westbrook in oklahoma city got next. word!
December 8th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
funkalot says:
Ali,
Fo sho, the kid is arguably the most athletically gifted Frosh PG in NCAA history. There is no denying his combo skill sets. Chibbs and Chris Jackson are still the standards and this kid is just under them.
December 8th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
ali says:
i feel you funk. he’s got a chance to insert himself in that company. what about derrick rose? as a freshman, he took memphis to the precipice, then went #1 in the draft? john wall reminds me a lil’ of rose, but he’s more explosive in the open court. and that’s saying something because rose has got some hella explosion. when we talk about the best freshman point guards, i have no problem saying kenny, mahmoud and derrick rose, in that order.
December 8th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Ricki Lutes says:
Those few highlights from the UNC game were crazy! unlike you Ali I have only seen john wall in these highlights in this article, which means that you have way more justification for your opinions. but i’d still like too disagree on the jordan-esque athleticism cause too me his athleticism resembles the one of derrick rose or d-wade… but as you said he is a great player and seems to become even better.
A very interesting article
December 9th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
i’ve announced the elite 24 every year since its inception in 2006, and can tell you if i had to pick the #1 highlight of all four games, it’d be john wall aka “ammo” breaking through a triple team at the hash then taking two dribbles and jumping from the dotted on two big men underneath yamming it wiht his left! that was bananas!
December 9th, 2009 at 10:33 am
ali says:
i hear you ricki. check out the game tonight on espn, kentucky against uconn to get a nuanced glance at the kid. great matchup with two future nba point guards in john wall and kemba walker. there’s a lot of talent that will be on the garden floor tonight, but those two guys have enough electricity, in and of themselves, to fill the building. wade and d-rose can ride the elevator to the top floor when they go airborne, but wall hits the rooftop.
and KBL, his lefty slam game, for a kid that’s right handed is indeed scrumptious. wish i could’ve seen that one up close and personal.
December 9th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Hopefully tonight’s game will be a nail-biter.. Yo, Ali I laughed b/c I knew you would put Jacque Vaughn on that list after that lengthy convo we all had on this site in the summer about Vaughn. Wall is the real-deal so far and he is living up to the hype.. I suspect he may try to put on a show tonight at MSG. Oh and I am with you on that OKC team.. I peeped them a couple of times on League Pass and they are fun to watch.. I completely forgot that Shaun Livingston was on that squad too.
December 9th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
ali says:
hey cease, you in the garden tonight? that’s a matchup worth the price of admission.
if durant was playing in a mjaor market, doing the things he’s doing, people would be losing their everloving minds. he should only be a senior in college, yet he’s putting up numbers that suggest he’s there with lebron and kobe: the cream.
if westbrook can be harnessed, they really gonna put some fear in people. i like what james harden gave them off the bench the other night, a nice 26 to go w/ 9 boards and 5 dimes. jeff green is really solid player who averaged close to 17 a game last year.
and word, shaun livingston is still holding on. he caught a cup of coffee with them at the end of last season. shame he’s so far from what he could do before, but maybe he can hang around and become a serviceable role guy. he caught a donut against the warriors the other night, but did snag 7 re’s.
i’m mad amped up for kentucky-uconn tonight. should be a sizzler.
December 9th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Yesssss siiirrrr I am in the building tonight for that game.. I may skip the first game and just come for the 9:30 banger.. Yo KD is a monster and you are dead on b/c if he was in a bigger market his face would be plastered everywhere. They have a nice nucleus but with all teams like that you have to hope they can keep them together and build it into a winner. The foundation is there though. Yo I am hyped for this game tonight too man.. I hope it delivers! but what I really have on my mind these days is where that Mayweather/Pac Man fight is going to be??? Dallas or Vegas?
December 9th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
ali says:
yo cease,
i’m buggin’ right now b/c i was thinking kemba walker v john wall is the bball equivalent of pretty boy v pac man. you already trying to make your reservations? my bet would be vegas.
December 9th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
funkalot says:
Fellas,
I think Uconn will put Dyson on Wall and let Kemba matchup defensively with Bledsoe, who ain’t bad. Sorta like Roy williams did after diminutive Larry Drew got burned, he switched assignments and put longer Marcus Ginyard on him. So don’t be surprised if the matchup is not head to head.
It should be special, b/c that is what MSG does to kids, like Wes Johnson form the ‘Cuse.
Speaking of which, who are the top college players now for the 2010 draft?
December 10th, 2009 at 12:13 am
LowerEastScribe says:
Wall is a complete guard. I’d like to see a little bit more range on his jimmy but he does really have it all. To keep it real though, this years Kentucky team almost seems unfair. They might finish off where the fab five (I know that was all fresh and Kentucky aint) left off. I can’t recall a team that had that many big men, who were soooo mobile and talented. They got 3 lottery picks in their starting 5. Not even right fam.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:20 am
Ricki Lutes says:
Thanks for the heads-up on the game ali, wish i could have seen it… and i just have to say that your metaphor about d-rose, d-wade and wall was great!
December 10th, 2009 at 8:10 am
funkalot says:
he’s the realest and his jimmy is improving, which portends for greater things in the near future.
UConn was noided early and then settled. I was glad to see Off the Wall and EZ-Pass go up and up. Kemba gave him the two step and hit the “j”, showed me something about him. But he’s got to develop a consistent jimmy too.
Oh, anybody paying attention to NYC streetball up’n’ comer Dwight Hardy at St. John’s. He is impressive, but Norm needs to play him more and sit littleman, Malik Boothe, more. When they get Burrell and Mason back, they might make some noise.
December 10th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Blk Caesar says:
Yooo.. So I was going to jump on this after the game, but I had a sore throat from yelling at the refs especially on that one play where Kemba straight up took Wall’s cookies at halfcourt but they called the foul.. All in all the game lived up to its billing and I can’t be mad at the L we took b/c it was a great game. Funk, I am with you.. Kemba clearly has to develop a jimmy especially since he does not have big dudes that cancatch the rock when he penetrates. There were so many dishes that our big guys fumbled. Yo and ons ome real ish.. I was impressed with the UK fans. They had the garden on lock. I thought I was in Rupp arena a few times.. OK so now to Mr. Wall.. Dude scored 12 of UK’s last 15 points to ice the game. He is serious and they will only go as far as he will take them. He is talented enough to pull a Carmelo this year.. I did like that Wall and Kemba guarded each other.. Kemba had him on skates on one play in the lane, but they went at it. If this is the kind of action we may possibly get in the tourney this year.. Ohh baby we have a goodie coming this March then! Oh and Ali, yes man I am trying to get the reservations on early for that pretty boy/pacman fight.. I think Vegas too but apart of me wants it to be in Dallas b/c there will be more tickets to go around.
December 10th, 2009 at 10:37 am
ali says:
good game last night. the defensive intensity, challenging and blocking shots and severity of subtle warfare in the paint on rebounds was tourney-esque.
patrick patterson is a monster and demarcus cousins’ potential is gi-normous. did ya’ll see the drop step, spin move crazy dunk move he did? wowsa. kentucky is good, but john wall makes them a national championship calibur team. he’s the best college hoops player in the country. and his propensity to make it happen when all the chips are stacked high and on the line is impressive. when he’s on the court, the wilcats are spectacular. when he’s sitting down, they’re just a regular crew.
that opening 5 minute burst at the start of the game, 6 points, 2 dimes and 2 steals was impressive. kid had 25 and only played 9 minutes in the first half. and despite the turnovers, he’s very much in control and smooth. he looks for his teammates but when it’s time to take over, he’s ready to go. money scored 12 of their final 15, dominating the game’s final 7 minutes.
kemba did his thing as well w/ 12 joints, 8 boards and 6 assists (should’ve been closer to 10 but cats missed or fumbled some bunnies)but uconn lost the game at the free throw line. can’t miss 10 freebies. dyson and gavin edwards came to play.
people better be very afraid when uconn gets ater majok on the court. he’ll bump them up to that elite status, but they gotta get some consistent perimeter shooting and make free throws in order to make major noise. the ebb and flow of the game was crazy, like a boxing match where one fighter gets kocked down early, gets up, steadies his legs, then knocks the other dude down. after that, they’re just exchanging jabs, hooks and uppercuts while also showing some jazzy ring generalship and good defensive tactics. both of those teams are gonna be hellified come march.
December 10th, 2009 at 10:47 am
ali says:
yo cease, dallas is dead but the staples center is throwing some major cash around. i know the enrgy in msg last night was off the hook. ay yo funk, i think the top college prospects to go high in the next draft are wall and patterson at kentucky, wes johnson at syracuse, derrick favors at georgia tech, greg monroe at georgetwon, brackins at iowa state, ed davis at unc, cole aldrich and xavier henry at kansas, ebanks at west virginia, al farouq aminu at wake and a couple of lesser known bigs like moultrie at utep and larry sanders at vcu.
December 10th, 2009 at 11:49 am
illest says:
the fight should be in vegas and only in vegas.
the first few minutes of that game was serious. kemba needs a jumper or he is going to be taliek brown. and i like kembas handle and quickness and his finishing around the basket. kembas is a better scorer than brown but he needs that jumper to get in the legue. thats the problem im having with the youth of today’s game. where are the 12-18 foot jumpers? its ridiculous and i dont understand how these kids can play ball for at least 12-13 years and not be able to shoot. they will never be accurate 3 point shooters but they can be accurate midrange shooters.
all of these kids should bum rush the draft after one year. hell with the godfather stern and his racist rule. the kid from oklahoma needs to go to.
December 10th, 2009 at 11:51 am
funkalot says:
Ali,
I would add Manny HArris, Evan Turner, Willie Warren, Korie lucious, Kyle Singler, Tyler Smith, Damion JAmes and Sherron Colins to the list. POssibly the Zags’ Matt Bouldin, too. The WEst is very weak this year, for prospects.
December 10th, 2009 at 11:56 am
illest says:
wall is very nice. definite 1st pick. nicer than rose or evans already. i wont go tim tebow like ali did but son is must see right now. did he take his own S.A.T?
December 10th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Hilarious… Did he take his own SAT!!! wow Dallas is dead.. So its definitely Vegas then.. I can’t see it being anywhere else if Cowboys stadium is a no go. Yo, the energy was crazy in MSG Ali.. I swear my whole section stood up for most of the game.. I miss the garden being packed like that. Can we get some NCAA tourney games at MSG??? a regional final maybe?
December 10th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
ali says:
no doubt funk. those guys are up there, though w/ the exception of manny harris, they’re a lil’ bit lower on the draft totem pole. still definite first rounders in my opinion though.
illest, i’m gonna respectfully disagree w/ the tim tebow comparison to my histrionics. they made tebow out to be the greatest college QB ever and we’ve seen that he’s an excellent college player, but he was never the best player in all of college football, even when he won the heisman.
ummmm, mr wall is the best college basketball player in the country son. bar none!
December 10th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
fan says:
The thing I see with Calhoun is he kills your confidence & holds some of his players back. He totatlly ruined Tyliek’s career. He want’s his PG to almost be a robot. I’ve seen Kemba play way more free willed than that. He seems to look over his shoulder or doubt his own jumper. Calhoun kept Tyliek from shooting in games. It seemed as Wall had the Keys & was comfortable. Same for UConn they only go as far as Kemba takes them. After that Kobe/Phantom steal call. YOu could tell he was afraid to play D. Refs shouldn’t put you in that predicament.
The hardest thing to do is curb someone’s game like a Kemba,Corey,Sosa it like telling a passive person to be agressive. Not going to happen. Wall is special and Kemba is right there. I can’t wait to see both of them in the league. Both 2 mature young men to enjoy.
@Funk
It will never happen. Norm is to stubborn and I don’t know why Hardy isn’t starting. He’s a juco transfer. If they press more and allow stith,lawrence to play more they have a chance. Norm seems to overvalue Kennedy he’s okay. You could tell he has the green and feels he’s the teams best player. That coming from the coach. I hope when Mason comes back he gets on his Earl Smith LOL. If Mason only had a point guard like Fisher or Wall he’d be the black Chase Budinger. LOL. His upside is scary. Don’t say I didn’t tell you. I don’t think Boothe is Big East or starter ready. He’s solid but hasn’t showed anything.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
illest says:
ali….a little tongue and cheek with the cry baby tebow. wall is definitely the best in college and should of went to the nba out of high school if it werent for the godfathers rule.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
ali says:
i’ll have to make sure to peep st john’s soon. that statement bugs me out b/c they used to be a staple, like steak and potatoes, on the network and cable tv diet. being outside of new york, you really have to be on some indiana jones stuff to find a st john’s game being televised.
fan, i have to disagree with your assessment of calhoun. he yanked dyson in the first minute for some lackadaisical stuff and sent him back in with something to prove. calhoun definitely has a short hook, but he elevates his teams, a superb coach who can coax greatness and hunger out of his squads.
taliek brown was a great high school guard and a decent college floor general. if anything, calhoun kept him within the confines that would make the team special. in the college game, he was not a capable finisher in traffic and had no jimmy, but he was a good leader, who played with hunger and spread the ball around to some special guys.
calhoun didn’t ruin taliek’s career, the kid just plataued. how do you ruin someone’s career when you’re the starting point gaurd on national championship team. he was the heart and soul of that title team in ‘04, but not an elite college talent. his career can be encapsulated in his final two games. in the final four against duke – horrible shot selection, silly turnovers, very iffy. in the national championship – good floor generalship, great defensive job on jarrett jack, nice all around performance w/ 9 points, 6 boards and 4 assists.
we gotta be realistic guys. taliek = great high school player, decent college player, not a pro. calhoun didn’t assinate the careers reggie lewis’ (he coached him at northeastern), marcus williams, charlie villanueva, ben gordon, emeka okafor, ray allen, hilton armstrong, josh boone, kevin ollie, cliff robinson, caron butler, rudy gay, donyell marshall, etc. and he will be a big reason why ez-pass and dyson come into the pro game ready for whatever.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Fan,
I have to respectfully disagree with you.. Speaking from experience, Coach C does break you down, but he builds you up as well.. First, he did not ruin taliek’s career and he did not keep Taliek from shooting. Taliek couldn’t shoot and that was the bottom line.. I remember so many practices in Gampel when he would yell at Kevin Ollie to shoot the ball more b/c he believed that KO needed/could hit the open shot. If you can shoot the rock Coach C will give you the green light. Kemba can’t shoot that well and even if you look at his free throw shot. Its basically a knuckleball so he still has to work on that. My dude just think back to last year with AJ price.. You think Calhoun held him back? AJ would jack up shots! So much so I would cringe at some of them. Yo man Coach C is my dude.. I gotta stick up for him..
December 10th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
fan says:
I know Tyliek personally and saw the same thing from Marcus Williams. Short leashes don’t always work. Not saying he isn’t a great coach. As we’ve seen some of the things that make you great keep you back. The team Tyliek played for had enough talent to win more than 1 ring. Calhoun and Boehim & Jay Wright are stacked enough each yr to contest. Shooting is just believing. A lot of times great coaches want things done their way or the highway. It wont always work. Im saying that due to me knowing what Kemba is capable of doing and the same for Corey Fisher. Some players just so happen to be bigger than the coach at times. Calipari can’t & know better than to curb Wall. Just the system. He would lose recruits. The difference is it’s Wall’s team and It’s Calhoun’s team. Any player could learn to shoot it’s just how you deal with it. I’ve seen players like Vince,Gerald Wallace,Brewer just to name few get better as the years went on. I’ve seen some players lose their jumpers and some I’ve seen with no belief in themselves. It has something to do with the coach. Good & Bad. Kemba doesn’t play with the same confidence he had at Rice or in Summer against top tier talent. Aside from sticking up for Calhoun just keep an eye on it.
Same could be said for Hardy. Why do you think he averages lots of points in the summer (Outdoor at that) and can’t start or kill at St.Johns? Coach. Why did Villanueva play sparringly at UConn????? Why would the masses think Scottie Reynolds is a better guard let alone better prospect than Fisher??? Why did Sosa lose his confidence???? Why can’t half these kids shoot 3’s let alone a midrange???? You get the point. I respect both of you guys opinion & thorough basketball knowledge. Just my opinion in following the game. Hey Ali why do you think our main Man’s production is down. Takeover. Watch everygame like Clockwork. Has a lot to do with what the coach & a young player trying to please everybody???? Coaches& Assistant coaches play a big part. It’s such a luxury to have a player like Rod Strickland or Shaheen Holloway on your sideline.
Even Calhoun who’s the last Syracuse great PG. With all of Flynn TALENT. The kid has so much potential,physique,tools,springs. He just doesn’t seem to get it. You remember the little guard josh wright from the cuse. His confidence was ruined by the coach. Tyliek was a great high school player and it should have transfromed well. It had a lot to do with him as a player or person. Coahces can make or break some players.
@Ali
All those players you mentioned were great before Calhoun. Calipari didn’t make Wall and so on. A lot of the times its the players who build the coaches lore. Kids follow talent and past success(Draft Status & NBA Success or turnaround) then coaching. Just not a fan of coaches who make it more about them than the player. You could play a game w/o your head coach. You wont win w/o your best player. I also hope the great wise scouts don’t keep Kemba back due to his free throw shooting. He help the Knicks & a few franchises right know if he hadn’t miss those shots in the tournament. I still think Tyliek Brown,Daryll Hill,Yatta Gaines,Quinton Holsey,Omar Cook,Barrett,Cota would have had very good N.B.A careers given the chance. Duhon,Kevin Ollie,Shaun Livingston,Lindsey Hunter,Eric Snow, are not. I repeat or ever will be better than those mentioned above. The sad part is that a terrible coach will be given 9 lives. Those players might as well forget about making the politically Stern driven league. The fans of each of those players know exactly what I mean. If you ask every player in the league who their favorite player outside of the league & if their better than them. I’m sure you’d be suprised. Al Harrington’s brother Jerome Holman would give Chris Duhon trouble now outta of shape. He could of came out of High School with Al. Played like Khalid El Amin. Antifreeze Dobie is better than Juan Dixon.
Please don’t say you can’t say that. People think Speedy Claxton is bad. He made the league from HOFSTRA AND IS BIG REASON FOR JAY WRIGHT’S SUCCESS. One of his 1st big recruits who almost got 2 other starters in the league. Due to injuries his career was cut short. Ask Chris Paul or Lamar Odom about Craig Claxton. #’s do lie. Just venting a lil bit. Mad blogger son. Telling you why I’m mad. I call myself the fan because I really really love this game. Each night I know & we all see what’s missing. Just the thrill of that mathcup last night Wall vs Kemba felt old school. The garden should be like than nightly. The Nba Season shouldn’t be relegated to the N.B.A playoffs and finals. It’s to much disparity. We have to challenge some of the greats. It only makes the legend that much greater. We sold on mediocrity. Why do you think players stop getting better. Their not challenged.
The BEST aren’t all in the N.B.A. some our guys on this blog. Some are dead or rotting in jail. Some for whatever reason didn’t get a chance to acheive that dream. For people that don’t live in a major city where high level ball is played. They only know what they see. We have to get that balance back of old & new. We’re all up against one & another. Too much criticsm of the new game. Those that want to help are sometimes blackballed from the game. If you listen to some of the commentators or college analyst you’d believe their word is fact or biblical. It’s all opinions at the end of the day. Just wished some of the people in POWER knew & cared more about the game than money.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
ali says:
fan, w/ all due respect (i followed taliek throughout high school and college and he was one of my favorite players), taliek was no john wall. trying to compare how calipari treats wall w/ calhoun’s work w/ taliek is like comparing mo’nique w/ keyshia cole.
a player’s magnificence in high school and outdoors at the park does not always translate to the college and pro game. antoine “the judge” joubert was one of the greatest high school players ever. a certified beast in detroit back in the early ’80s. he was the lebron james (in terms of pre internet and espn hype). he was a very good college player who didn’t pan out in the nba. he’s my man, great dude, but the truth is the truth. some guys get better, some guys become role players, some are exposed. some guys progress, some level off and some regress when confronted with more elite levels of comp.
fan, taliek could not shoot the ball nor finish with consistency at the rim in college. it’s a different game. and i didn’t mean to say that calhoun made them great. but he did not assassinate their careers, as you suggested he did with taliek. reggie lewis, though, was not a great player when he went to northeastern but, rather, blossomed into one at the end of his college career.
i’ve seen teams win plenty of games without their best player. why? because coaches devise strategies that play to the strength of the team without the star player and get everyone else to reach a lil’ higher toward their potential, all within the team construct. do you really think if you just rolled out the balls and played without a great coach, that a team would go through the rigors and challenges of a full season and win the whole shebang?
coaches that are in the hall of fame are in there for a reason. because they take disparate parts, meld them together and produce a compilation that is better than the sum of its parts. dell harris couldn’t win in LA with Kobe and Shaq, but what happened when phil jackson got there. his coaching took them from good to great. that’s what the best coaches do.
ummmm fan, did you see shaun livingston when he came out of peoria high school? not nary a one of those players had the kind of potential he had. did you see how he was embarrasing some of the nicest players in the league when he was 19 years old?
you think omar cook is better than lindsay hunter? c’mon B. did you see lindsey early in his career in detroit in the early 90s as a defensive savant who hardly turned the rock over, or when he was banging in 44% of his three’s in ‘99, avg’ing 13 points a game on about ten shots per game?
hahahahahaha at the mad blogger – “tell ‘em why you mad son! these cats got mermaids swimming around in their living rooms!” LMMFAO!
Speedy was the truth, ten times better than omar cook or taliek brown. kemba is a pro, don’t sweat that. but some of the guys that we see killing it in high school and in the parks are not.
there’s a thin line that separates some players. some could make a roster but don’t get the shot. and quite honestly, when others get up against that elite level of comp, their deficiencies are fully exposed.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
funkalot says:
Fan,
Part of what you say about coaches controlling players and their games is correct. The power dynamic in college ball tilts to the Coaches, while in the “L” the pendulum swings slightly more in the players direction. As such, Coaches and their jobs are always tenuous and so, they must be in control of their futures and ultimately fortunes. So, my way or the highway persists throughout the NCAA game.
However, plain and simple, if you can not keep defenses honest, it is tough to get a job in the “L”, other than a cup of coffee. What I mean is, you have to be able to shoot. Omar, Taliek, D-Hill and Ed Cota could not do so consistently. The exceptions are only afforded to those with exceptional skill sets which allow them to develop a viable jimmy over time, ala – Payton, Kidd, Magic, Worthy, Barkley, etc.
As for T2 and Yatta, they do not have a true position for the “L” and Barrett is a victim of politics. The “L” is representative of real life , in that equality does not exist and it is who you know, most often, which supercedes talent.
Oh, Antifreeze is my dude, but he developed late and has not beasted overseas or in stateside minor league professional basketball leagues, to merit a tryout. Those are the breaks.
Also, remember, the playground and the “L” are two different games and therefore, it is difficult to make straight up comparisons.
The other reality is that the game is about money, serious money and less about ball. We have to thank Larry and Magic for this transformation of ball into a major marketbale entity and its continued propagation.
In the end, I just like to be entertained, because that what sport was really about in the beginning, a creative distraction to the drudgery of regular work, hence the term ” Pastime”. And I agree, “more chedda , don’t always make it betta”.
Stay funky and I am a Fan, too.
December 10th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
ali says:
great points funk. ya’ll brothers are all educated and passionate and stuff. that’s alright, boy, that’s alright. you get your friends, they can get with my friends and we can do this like every weekend. keep banging! “Yo, the ish that feds me up, is the _ tryna rap now!!!”