The NBA Plays With Just One Ball At A Time
Sacramento Kings - breaking news for this holiday season! The NBA plays with just one ball at a time. And it's a good thing! Can you imagine two balls at the same time and the top two scorers on the same team?
Allen Iverson and Carmello Anthony on the same team - why? The top two scorers. The top two ball hogs (outside of Kobe Bryant). Both players average 24 shots per game. Tops in the league. Even more than Kobe right now. Can you imagine being one of the other three players on the floor? Will they ever get the ball? What about team chemistry? Not just one ball hog. But two!
Ask Charles Barkley if he would like to play for Denver with these two shooters.
It's really simple. A regulation game has 48 minutes - 12 minutes a quarter, four quarters a game. Each team, by definition will have only so many possessions. Even if the game is sped up, it's just a finite number - the number doesn't change (unless you're playing with Steve Nash). There's just one ball and one shooter at a time.
And another thing, the NBA has proven multiple super stars on the same team just doesn't work. Look at Kobe and Shaq. Furthermore, look at our "dream teams" in international competitions. Super star filled rosters don't win. Why? Because basketball is a team sport.
Proof - 2002 World Champions - Yugoslavia. 2006 World Champions - Spain.
Basketball is a team sport. Teams win. They always have. And always will.
Oh. One more thing. I only know one instance of two players on the same NBA team ever to each average 30 points or more in the same season - The Lakers in the 1961/1962 season. The players? Elgin Baylor with 38.2 points per game; and Jerry West (the all-time Lakers scorer) with 30.8 points. The results? The Lakers were beaten in game 7 of the finals by the Boston Celtics, 110-107.
Need I say more about the Nuggets chances of winning it all this year?
Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive.
Comments
Wait just a minute here!!! If memory serves, Kobe and Shaq won THREE Championships. In a row! While your overall point is right, and I agree that AI and 'Melo is a train bound for nowhere, your hate for the Esteemed and Mighty Lakers, shared by so many cowpunks in the Sacramento region, is clouding your analysis.
Posted by: scott | December 21, 2006 9:38 AM
Scott,
I don't have a problem with the Lakers. I have been a Kings fan for several years. I don't like Kobe's actions, but I respect his talent. My point is that multiple super stars on the same team most often ends in disaster. Kobe and Shaq could not peacefully co-exist. Everyone knows that. Get the fog out of your eyes and admit, Kobe ran Shaq off to Miami. It's a shame, because they could have won three more championships. But Kobe wanted the Lakers for himself. He has his wish. And I'm sure a fourth title is not in the cards for him this year.
Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive
Posted by: Pierre Cutler | December 23, 2006 5:26 PM