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Manny & the Recruiting Process (formerly Earl Little Jr 1.0)

Ethnicsands said:
Just today was watching old Jordan games from the ‘84 US Olympic team’s practice games against NBA all stars. (Your avatar reminded me.)

Bobby Knight called MJ the GOAT before he ever played an NBA game, or even an actual Olympic one. Said he was the best athlete, most skilled player, most competitive player and some other stuff all rolled into one person.

I say he was right. Dude was goat from the minute he got to the nba. What say you?
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Yeah man, I definitely agree. Though I doubt MJ could've played for coach Knight full time. Aside from the fact that he was a stern disciplinarian, philosophically his system emphasized team principles, whereas Dean Smith allowed the individual skillset of his players to flourish. He was much more flexible & adaptable as a coach. That is one of the reasons UNC produced NBA ready players throughout it's history.

https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2020/04/30/michael-jordan-bobby-knight-1984-olympics/

The reason why I have MJ as my avatar has more to do with his mindset & approach to the game, than it does the greatness he achieved on the basketball court. He's one of the rare athletes along with Ali, and Brady that were so committed to winning that their individual greatness was an extension of that. This is in stark contrast to today's athletes who are more focused on personal brand promotion, and all of the ancillary things the game affords them, instead of simply trying to become the best they can be, because they want to win as much as possible. The game has certainly changed in many aspects, but who do you think was responsible for the explosion in popularity of the game globally? Prior to Magic & Bird the NBA was on the verge of financial collapse. MJ then took their mantle and made the game a globalized sensation. What these 3 players have in common, is that they are cut-throat competitors, willing to do whatever it takes to win. The discussion I have often, is people are under the impression, because today's players are more talented across the board, they automatically would win a matchup against players or teams from previous generations. What these people don't understand is that skillset is only part of the equation. The other part is how hard are you willing to try in order to win. Are you willing to die in competition because you refuse to lose, or is winning really not that important as long as you get paid? This is where the players from the 80's & 90's have a decided advantage over the current generation. Part of that has to do with the rules framework. Part of that has to do with the financial incentives. And part of that has to do with the fact those players were simply cut from a different cloth
 
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Ethnicsands said:
Just today was watching old Jordan games from the ‘84 US Olympic team’s practice games against NBA all stars. (Your avatar reminded me.)

Bobby Knight called MJ the GOAT before he ever played an NBA game, or even an actual Olympic one. Said he was the best athlete, most skilled player, most competitive player and some other stuff all rolled into one person.

I say he was right. Dude was goat from the minute he got to the nba. What say you?
Click to expand...
@Apex Predator


You ever hear the story Bobby Knight told about his conversation with the GM of the Portland Trailblazers? (Stu Inman?)

The Trailblazers GM was looking for info some college players in the draft and asked Bobby Knight for his input. Coach Knight told him to draft Michael Jordan. The GM told him they needed a center. Coach Knight told him to draft Jordan and play him at center for one year then draft a center next year. The GM laughed and told him to be serious. Coach Knight said, have you ever known me to not be serious? lol Again he reiterated, draft Michael Jordan and play him at center for one season and said it would be the best decision of his career.

Well we all know how this played out.
 
SFbayCane said:
@Apex Predator


You ever hear the story Bobby Knight told about his conversation with the GM of the Portland Trailblazers? (Stu Inman?)

The Trailblazers GM was looking for info some college players in the draft and asked Bobby Knight for his input. Coach Knight told him to draft Michael Jordan. The GM told him they needed a center. Coach Knight told him to draft Jordan and play him at center for one year then draft a center next year. The GM laughed and told him to be serious. Coach Knight said, have you ever known me to not be serious? lol Again he reiterated, draft Michael Jordan and play him at center for one season and said it would be the best decision of his career.

Well we all know how this played out.
Click to expand...

Lol, that's the 1st time I ever heard that story. Coach Knight was obviously right, but in Inman's defense the NBA back then was a big man dominated league. That 84' draft though was wild. It produced 4 hall of famers ( Hakeem, MJ, Barkley, & Stockton), & 3 other players that made at least 1 all-star or all-NBA selection ( Robertson, Willis, & Thorpe)
 
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Apex Predator said:
Yeah man, I definitely agree. Though I doubt MJ could've played for coach Knight full time. Aside from the fact that he was a stern disciplinarian, philosophically his system emphasized team principles, whereas Dean Smith allowed the individual skillset of his players to flourish. He was much more flexible & adaptable as a coach. That is one of the reasons UNC produced NBA ready players throughout it's history.

https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2020/04/30/michael-jordan-bobby-knight-1984-olympics/

The reason why I have MJ as my avatar has more to do with his mindset & approach to the game, than it does the greatness he achieved on the basketball court. He's one of the rare athletes along with Ali, and Brady that were so committed to winning that their individual greatness was an extension of that. This is in stark contrast to today's athletes who are more focused on personal brand promotion, and all of the ancillary things the game affords them, instead of simply trying to become the best they can be, because they want to win as much as possible. The game has certainly changed in many aspects, but who do you think was responsible for the explosion in popularity of the game globally? Prior to Magic & Bird the NBA was on the verge of financial collapse. MJ then took their mantle and made the game a globalized sensation. What these 3 players have in common, is that they are cut-throat competitors, willing to do whatever it takes to win. The discussion I have often, is people are under the impression, because today's players are more talented across the board, they automatically would win a matchup against players or teams from previous generations. What these people don't understand is that skillset is only part of the equation. The other part is how hard are you willing to try in order to win. Are you willing to die in competition because you refuse to lose, or is winning really not that important as long as you get paid? This is where the players from the 80's & 90's have a decided advantage over the current generation. Part of that has to do with the rules framework. Part of that has to do with the financial incentives. And part of that has to do with the fact those players were simply cut from a different cloth
Click to expand...
Agree with most of this 100%.

Re Knight / Smith / Jordan - I think Smith was a lot more team-oriented than you make it sound. The old joke is Dean was the only guy who succeeded in holding MJ below 30 points per game. He might have had a very different personality than Knight, but his team structure I think was less different than you say. If Jay Edwards could play and star under Knight in essentially the same era, than Jordan would easily have. Knight recognized the will to win in MJ, which he of course spoke about after coaching the Olympic team. Combine that with practice discipline and I think Knight would have loved having MJ on his team. The reason UNC produced more better NBA players is pretty much because that's who they recruited and their recruiting base was better. Knight had his share, though. Isaiah, Quinn Buckner, Kent Benson, Mike Woodson, Cal Cheaney, Alan Henderson.

I'm with you on the mindset though. MJ is probably the single best competitor in sports in our lifetimes. There's an Olympic athlete somewhere who should fit in. Dan Gable comes to mind. But his inability to accept anything below his standard at any time is absolutely why he became who he was.

I'm not as convinced athletes are so much better today, either. What's better is training and nutrition. But if you're going to imagine either sending a modern athlete back in time or a past athlete forward in time, you really have to account for better or worse training, whichever way you go. (In any case, there ain't many people anywhere who have a high vertical jump than MJ did at his peak.) Combine that observation with your point about will, and I'm not sure the modern guys would look like people imagine if you projected them backwards. Like you say, who's willing to die out there?
 
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Hoyacane1620 said:
Wiltfong put in cb for both today
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Donald Glover Reaction GIF
 
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