KG: 'AAU has killed our league'

[140]

http://i.imgur.com/UEq3gvr.png


833875550120841217


Troofbombs, tbh

[Mitch]

He's right, tbh. AAU doesn't care about teamplay or fundamentals, part to blame for all the recent players looking good on paper but can't cut it on an NBA team.

[John Petrucci]

Awesome words from KG. Hope the kids are listening

[spurraider21]

KG has barely been retired and he already has old man "the kids these days are no good" syndrome

[Mr. Body]

The Caliparization of basketball.

[lefty]

Also, because of AAU, they guys have known each other since they were kids and are now good friends.

There is no competition, no rivalry.

[whitemamba]

Also, because of AAU, they guys have known each other since they were kids and are now good friends.

There is no competition, no rivalry.

Today's NBA? Soft tbh.

[ElNono]

:lol the NBA is at it's peak in popularity in years, maybe ever... wtf is this niglet talking about?

:lmao this skank ass talking about entitlement and talent, when he milked the Wolves for every penny they had and eventually pulled a Lebron, bolted to Boston to create a superteam so he could finally 'earn' (:rolleyes) a ring.

smh

[SAGirl]

I have heard the criticism fir AAU ans it goes more to how not ready guys are to play in the NBA... Garnett mentions having to teach and it does show when you see young lotto picks that look like they don't even know how to play the team game...

[djohn2oo8]

:lol the NBA is at it's peak in popularity in years, maybe ever... wtf is this niglet talking about?

:lmao this skank ass talking about entitlement and talent, when he milked the Wolves for every penny they had and eventually pulled a Lebron, bolted to Boston to create a superteam so he could finally 'earn' (:rolleyes) a ring.

smh

He is right. Most of these players don't even have basic fundamentals such as making a simple outlet pass.

[unleashbaynes]

One and done is a real problem too, both for college and the pros.


College basketball has turned into a shitty product. You can't keep a decent core together. Then those kids come to the NBA and suck because they aren't ready to play.

[140]

One and done is a real problem too, both for college and the pros.


College basketball has turned into a shitty product. You can't keep a decent core together. Then those kids come to the NBA and suck because they aren't ready to play.
I agree but on the other hand you can't really blame the kids (not saying you are). NCAA is a big fucking scam tbh

[Killakobe81]

I myself wasn't good enough to play AAU but did Coach in it a bit ...parents have some culpability. Putting their kids on stacked teams, bitching about playing time, playing kids at levels below Thier skill, lying about age so their kids can dominate ...spoiling them rotten...lots of issues in youth basketball.

[Chinook]

The lack of a worthwhile minor league to serve as an alternative to the NCAA. Can't blame people for wanting to have something to separate high-school players who have pro futures from those who don't. But they need to stop relying on schools to teach fundamentals.

[lefty]

:lol today's NBA

[140]

:lol today's NBA

[HarlemHeat37]

He is right. Most of these players don't even have basic fundamentals such as making a simple outlet pass.

Do you have proof of this, tbh? It's a really specific example..

I'd like to see some proof of yesterday's outlet passes vs. today..

[HarlemHeat37]

When somebody uses the "fundamentals" argument, they're essentially saying "white", tbh:lol that's all it is, if we're being honest..

[tenbeersbold]

No... its why someone like Matt Bonner could effectively guard Dwight Howard,

Athleticism yer born with,skills you learn from coaches or not

[DAF86]

Basketball in the US has always lacked on fundamentals tbh, but it's getting better. I'm surprised KG would say something like this when yesterday's NBA was known for having an alarming amount of "rugged" players that didn't know how to shoot, pass or drible, tbh.

[HarlemHeat37]

Basketball in the US has always lacked on fundamentals tbh, but it's getting better. I'm surprised KG would say something like this when yesterday's NBA was known for having an alarming amount of "rugged" players that didn't know how to shoot, pass or drible, tbh.

:lol you're wrong, my nigga..it had guys like Charles Oakley..

[lefty]

:lol you're wrong, my nigga..it had guys like Charles Oakley..

Exxellent defender, rebounder, passer, midrange shooter, good basketball IQ

But yeah, DeAndre Jordan dunkzzzz, weeeeeeeeeeee

[unleashbaynes]

I myself wasn't good enough to play AAU but did Coach in it a bit ...parents have some culpability. Putting their kids on stacked teams, bitching about playing time, playing kids at levels below Thier skill, lying about age so their kids can dominate ...spoiling them rotten...lots of issues in youth basketball.

Parents are literally the worst. I had a dad get all pissy at me because i had the audacity to tell him that if his little billy wasn't batting .500 and owning everyone in high school, he had no shot at a D1 baseball scholarship.

[Killakobe81]

Parents are literally the worst. I had a dad get all pissy at me because i had the audacity to tell him that if his little billy wasn't batting .500 and owning everyone in high school, he had no shot at a D1 baseball scholarship.

Oh even girls softball and volleyball parents all think their kids are D1 stars smh

[ViceCity86]

Garnett Billups, and McGrady already old grumpy men. :lolThankfully Tim Duncan hasn't turn into one.

Yesterdays Nba yelling At the clouds. :lmao

[ElNono]

When somebody uses the "fundamentals" argument, they're essentially saying "white", tbh:lol that's all it is, if we're being honest..

:lol definitely is an excuse, tbh... I still remember when det Team USA lost the gold, afterwards all the chatter was about ":cry lack of fundamentals :cry"... it really was a terrible system. Same guys went on to win gold multiple times afterwards, nobody is talking fundamentals anymore...

[Splits]

Exxellent defender, rebounder, passer, midrange shooter, good basketball IQ

But yeah, DeAndre Jordan dunkzzzz, weeeeeeeeeeee

:wow





:lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao

[SAGirl]

When somebody uses the "fundamentals" argument, they're essentially saying "white", tbh:lol that's all it is, if we're being honest..
I can't speak for anyone here. But this Having to teach guys came from Garnett... he's black.

I have heard the complaint b4 which is why it doesn't surprise me. He also talked about guys feeling entitled and that I really don't know what he's on about. I assume though that he means some guys don't put in the time to improve and think they just arrived and deserve the minutes etc.

[313]

When somebody uses the "fundamentals" argument, they're essentially saying "white", tbh:lol that's all it is, if we're being honest..

[Thread]

Thru rank ignorance & high bitterness anything the black man gets his ass scratchers on he ruins.

[Killakobe81]

Thru rank ignorance & high bitterness anything the black man gets his ass scratchers on he ruins.

That is not true ...how did they ruin Jazz music, boxing or dancing? I could point to other things like comedy or shoe shining:lol
But you need to chill on the ignorance. White men have ruined plenty including Native American cullture and millions of Jewish families...those in glass houses, Cully.

[Biernutz]

KG the voice of reason. KG how old were you when you came to the NBA?
KG was NBA ready when he hit the floor as a rookie.....LOL

[ambchang]

:lol getting ultra sensitive anytime there are any criticisms.
:lol today's generation

Why don't you go out buy a blouse and cheer yourself up?

[Chinook]

I can't speak for anyone here. But this Having to teach guys came from Garnett... he's black.

I have heard the complaint b4 which is why it doesn't surprise me. He also talked about guys feeling entitled and that I really don't know what he's on about. I assume though that he means some guys don't put in the time to improve and think they just arrived and deserve the minutes etc.

He's probably directly speaking about his Wolves teammates. They do seem to be underachieving in relation to their talent level.

So much for Rondo's " :cry muh vets! :cry" comment

[HarlemHeat37]

I can't speak for anyone here. But this Having to teach guys came from Garnett... he's black.

I have heard the complaint b4 which is why it doesn't surprise me. He also talked about guys feeling entitled and that I really don't know what he's on about. I assume though that he means some guys don't put in the time to improve and think they just arrived and deserve the minutes etc.

KG wasn't referring to "fundamentals", though, he's discussing entitlement, etc..KG'ss era was killed for lack of "fundamentals" and team play, as well, far more than today's generation(since it was the Iverson era that was spawned from Jordan's iso-ball)..

The "fundamentals" vs. athleticism argument has been going on loooooooonnnngggg before this era:lol it's been a debate since the early 90s, where the demographic of fans that prefer college basketball began hating the NBA because it became a league that rewarded athleticism, 1 on 1 ball, etc..

It also became a talking point when team USA stopped sending its best players and the world caught up, which was blamed on lack of "fundamentals"..it's not a real thing, it's a word they use to mask their true feelings:lol

Reminds me of this track from Shad(white fan vs. Black fan discussing 80s and 90s basketball):

Fr-jKSWGEhI

:(I miss how they used to play in Cous' day:(

[lefty]

:lol getting ultra sensitive anytime there are any criticisms.
:lol today's generation

Why don't you go out buy a blouse and cheer yourself up?
It's called the Kevin Durant syndrome

[SAGirl]

He's probably directly speaking about his Wolves teammates. They do seem to be underachieving in relation to their talent level.

So much for Rondo's " :cry muh vets! :cry" comment
Well he has a fame for being terrible as a coach but last season I read this statement from Lavine's former coach Mitchell:

Cleveland is just going one on one. The last three possessions they got two layups and a 15-foot jump shot and they didn’t run a single [set] play. So everybody thinks offense is easy, but the thing that Zach and them have to learn is how to cut, how to set your man up.
You know I took Zach out of the game in Philly, because for three possessions in a row he couldn’t get the ball. Now, he was the point guard, right? But he just walked out there. What about setting your man up? What about taking two hard steps away, then stepping into your guy, holding off, then [claps his hands] burst! You would think that’s just natural. But who coached him? I don’t know his high school coach. I don’t know his AAU coach. I know who his college coach was, but he didn’t start or play but 18 minutes a game in college.
People think that learning is easy. But if it is not a habit — OK, you watch Kyrie Irving. Every time he goes to get the ball, he steps into his guy and then breaks off — every time. That’s all he knows. It is a habit. I learned it when I started going to basketball camp. But back then, that was professional coaches at those camps, high school and college coaches teaching us. It wasn’t some guy that owned a car wash and had some money and decided he was going to start an AAU team and he was gonna be the coach because he read a book or he watched basketball, and thinking he can coach. No, I had professional coaches.
So, we’re trying to teach him and others about spacing; about timing; when to cut; finishing your cut

https://www.minnpost.com/sports/2016/01/qa-sam-mitchell-weighs-zach-lavine-andrew-wiggins-and-wolves-season-so-far

It's a generally interesting article and maybe I wish other coaches were that forthcoming... but we just get Pop's "family business"

Basically Zach was horrendous his first couple of seasons in the NBA bc he didn't know how to play period, according to his coach. By the way, Mitchell? also black.

[HarlemHeat37]

^^ Those articles have been around since the late 90s/early 2000s..I just did a quick google search and found 3 from 1999, 2000 and 2004 on the first page(citing lack of fundamentals in the NBA and how they miss the whiter days) :lol

[lefty]

The GOAT is white tbh

[Chinook]

By the way, Mitchell? also black.

Yeah, but Mitchell is a former player and thus has the :lol Today's NBA vibe going.

I don't think that "fundamentals" are usually stated as a white thing. I do think they are stated pejoratively though. You hardly see it attributed to athletic players. "Heady" is much more often associated with Euros though.

[HarlemHeat37]

Y7YeUUoY90M

[SAGirl]

Yeah, but Mitchell is a former player and thus has the :lol Today's NBA vibe going.

I don't think that "fundamentals" are usually stated as a white thing. I do think they are stated pejoratively though. You hardly see it attributed to athletic players. "Heady" is much more often associated with Euros though.
TBH
I am not trying to go against Harlem's schtick.
I am latino and do not give a f*ck about the white stigma or not, nor do I know about old school NBA and I am a girl I didn't play even in elementary school.. and I sam not even much of an athlete... Anyways the point is I don't get these "race" issues. Not trying to go against some shtick or anything I just don't see it.

Anyways, maybe this does go way back.. I don't know, but both men talking about it are black and they are under the impression that this "today's NBA kids:lol" still have a lot to learn and are coming in feeling quite entitled. I had seen comments of that nature elsewhere and when it's talked about so openly by players/coaches there is some truth to that.

Not every player comes in with holes, etc. but some do and some are very talented (Zach certainly is) but you saw early his too many mistakes. It's probably nothing that cannot be fixed with coaching.. heck why are NBA coaching staffs so numerous and what's their job right?.. but probably the kids don't change their mentality until they get humbled getting curbstomped in the league.

[Chinook]

TBH
I am not trying to go against Harlem's schtick.
I am latino and do not give a f*ck about the white stigma or not, nor do I know about old school NBA and I am a girl I didn't play even in elementary school.. and I sam not even much of an athlete... Anyways the point is I don't get these "race" issues. Not trying to go against some shtick or anything I just don't see it.

Anyways, maybe this does go way back.. I don't know, but both men talking about it are black and they are under the impression that this "today's NBA kids:lol" still have a lot to learn and are coming in feeling quite entitled. I had seen comments of that nature elsewhere and when it's talked about so openly by players/coaches there is some truth to that.

Not every player comes in with holes, etc. but some do and some are very talented (Zach certainly is) but you saw early his too many mistakes. It's probably nothing that cannot be fixed with coaching.. heck why are NBA coaching staffs so numerous and what's their job right?.. but probably the kids don't change their mentality until they get humbled getting curbstomped in the league.

:lol Harlem's Canadian. That should always be something to consider when he gets into the nitty gritty of American racial history.

As I said, I don't think that this is a racial issue, especially directly. I do think it's an issue looking back at an NBA that wasn't as athletic and focused much more on shaping the philosophy of the game. That does have a large racial element (because you pretty much had to go to college to get into the league, and athletic scholarships weren't as easy to get back then). The game having higher accessibility to a "poorer" demographic definitely started changes we are still seeing play out today.

To wish for a long-passed, "fundamental" NBA very much can be wishing for a league where only the privileged or very lucky got to play, where Ivy schools were actually power-houses, where people were able to boo Russell and cheer Bird and have no one call them out on it. Obviously, AAU has some drawbacks, but the benefits of the changes over the last few decades have many more benefits that I don't know Mitchell and Garnett really understand.

[HarlemHeat37]

It's not a "shtick", tbh:lol it's very evident when you hear fans refer to "fundamentals" and can't provide any proof or evidence(which should be very easy in the YouTube age) of their assessment..for example, djohn cited "outlet passes", yet can't provide an example of his point(which was probably his intention by mentioning such a specific aspect of basketball)..the demographics of NBA fans have probably changed dramatically since the '80s IMO..

I doubt I could find data from the 80s and 90s, but I bet the difference in white conservative NBA fans in the 80s vs. today is substantial..

As for ex-players, that's just typical behavior..every era has plenty of guys who bash the previous generation..the 60s/70s players did it to the 80s/90s guys, the 80s/90s guys did it to the 2000s and now some of the 2000s shit on today's era..it's a microcosm of life, though, not just an NBA mentality(although it's probably worse in the NBA, since these old guys have to watch all the $ being thrown around today)..

A quick google search will yield you articles where ex-players are shitting on the KG/Duncan/Shaq/Kobe/Dirk era..

[SAGirl]

:lol Harlem's Canadian. That should always be something to consider when he gets into the nitty gritty of American racial history.

As I said, I don't think that this is a racial issue, especially directly. I do think it's an issue looking back at an NBA that wasn't as athletic and focused much more on shaping the philosophy of the game. That does have a large racial element (because you pretty much had to go to college to get into the league, and athletic scholarships weren't as easy to get back then). The game having higher accessibility to a "poorer" demographic definitely started changes we are still seeing play out today.

To wish for a long-passed, "fundamental" NBA very much can be wishing for a league where only the privileged or very lucky got to play, where Ivy schools were actually power-houses, where people were able to boo Russell and cheer Bird and have no one call them out on it. Obviously, AAU has some drawbacks, but the benefits of the changes over the last few decades have many more benefits that I don't know Mitchell and Garnett really understand.
Hhhmm
good interesting point. :tu
I suspect there is more talent than ever, and places like the dleague allow a youngin to work on deficiencies without costing you a game. The situation with Mitchell last season and that article I cited was interesting to me bc he was blamed obviously for the team not playing well. I think the coach is going to be tougher on the guys he thinks have the potential to be more than they are and who, with adjustments here or there, have a lot of room for improvement, but it can be frustrating for the player and if you are not used to tough coaching... a player can get combative about the criticism... I can see a guy like KG being the dude saying no, no young fella, you got to do this and that, etc. I see value in a veteran playing with a few youngsters for that reason.

All this discussion reminded me of Dijon. Pop is never going to be as open about a youngin as Mitchell was in that interview concerning his young team, but I suspect Dijon also came in with still a whole lot to learn.

[SAGirl]

It's not a "shtick", tbh:lol it's very evident when you hear fans refer to "fundamentals" and can't provide any proof or evidence(which should be very easy in the YouTube age) of their assessment..for example, djohn cited "outlet passes", yet can't provide an example of his point(which was probably his intention by mentioning such a specific aspect of basketball)..the demographics of NBA fans have probably changed dramatically since the '80s IMO..

I doubt I could find data from the 80s and 90s, but I bet the difference in white conservative NBA fans in the 80s vs. today is substantial..

As for ex-players, that's just typical behavior..every era has plenty of guys who bash the previous generation..the 60s/70s players did it to the 80s/90s guys, the 80s/90s guys did it to the 2000s and now some of the 2000s shit on today's era..it's a microcosm of life, though, not just an NBA mentality(although it's probably worse in the NBA, since these old guys have to watch all the $ being thrown around today)..

A quick google search will yield you articles where ex-players are shitting on the KG/Duncan/Shaq/Kobe/Dirk era..
:tu
that is why I said I can't speak for others.
I was talking about Garnett and my examples came from others within the game. I am not talking about my personal evaluation or observation of anybody. I wouldn't have come up with this on my own. lol I have no frame of reference for yesterday's NBA:lol :toast

The coaching comments are interesting to me. From that interview from Mitchell I learned to watch for things that sometimes I wouldn't even notice, like someone not setting a screen properly or coming to get the ball without faking his man out thus leaving himself open for a TO/steal.

[JoeTait75]

^^ Those articles have been around since the late 90s/early 2000s..I just did a quick google search and found 3 from 1999, 2000 and 2004 on the first page(citing lack of fundamentals in the NBA and how they miss the whiter days) :lol

Terry Pluto wrote a book in the mid-90s about how bad the NBA had gotten in terms of fundamentals.

http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Grace-Can-Basketball-Saved/dp/0788166263

So yeah, these sentiments have been around for a long time.

[HarlemHeat37]

Terry Pluto wrote a book in the mid-90s about how bad the NBA had gotten in terms of fundamentals.

http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Grace-Can-Basketball-Saved/dp/0788166263

So yeah, these sentiments have been around for a long time.

How old are you, Joe?

[JoeTait75]

How old are you, Joe?

41. I'm an old fart. I actually think the level of play in today's NBA is an order of magnitude better than it was in the mid-90s.

[Mark Celibate]

It's not a "shtick", tbh:lol it's very evident when you hear fans refer to "fundamentals" and can't provide any proof or evidence(which should be very easy in the YouTube age) of their assessment..for example, djohn cited "outlet passes", yet can't provide an example of his point(which was probably his intention by mentioning such a specific aspect of basketball)..the demographics of NBA fans have probably changed dramatically since the '80s IMO..

I doubt I could find data from the 80s and 90s, but I bet the difference in white conservative NBA fans in the 80s vs. today is substantial..

As for ex-players, that's just typical behavior..every era has plenty of guys who bash the previous generation..the 60s/70s players did it to the 80s/90s guys, the 80s/90s guys did it to the 2000s and now some of the 2000s shit on today's era..it's a microcosm of life, though, not just an NBA mentality(although it's probably worse in the NBA, since these old guys have to watch all the $ being thrown around today)..

A quick google search will yield you articles where ex-players are shitting on the KG/Duncan/Shaq/Kobe/Dirk era..

Yeah, I'd have to agree with you on pretty much every point.

The one thing I'll add, and this is from personal experience playing AAU and I've been saying this forever, is that AAU played a huge part in killing the 'big man' in the NBA.

Over the past 15 years, younger post players are easily brainwashed into thinking that, by adding the unnecessary glamour of shooting threes, that they're really improving as opposed to mastering a specific skill set. I cringe everytime I see Bougie Cousins try to shake and bake and jack up a three. Even though he's a surprisingly decent shooter, he's not lethal like Steph Curry and whenever he's in the post, he is consistently bullying people.

[HarlemHeat37]

Ya, I agree with that..they were discussing this on a podcast with JJ Redick the other day IIRC..

The reason you're getting all these new bigs with versatility that had never been seen in the past(Towns, Porzingis, Jokic, etc) is because they adapted to handling the ball, shooting 3s, etc due to the AAU PGs constantly ignoring them in the post..nobody even looks to make entry passes, etc..the new era of young, promising bigs that play a different game spawned from the death of the C position in the 2000s(where it was just Shaq + flashes of Yao Ming for years) IMO..

Part of it is rule changes in the NBA, though..Jordan's influence changed the league..