Sports Illustrated Coaches Of Decade

[Enigma869]

Garnett's not a superstar yet Boston went from being a scary defending champ to being a pretender with his injury last year and now they are right back to scary status with his surprising return to form.

Spot on there dude. Garnett doesn't even belong in the conversation, because he's an old school player with VERY solid fundamentals. Even in his old age, he is still one of the most dominant defensive players in the NBA. On another note, Paul Pierce is out for at least two weeks, so it might be time for the Celtics to come back down to earth without him.

[Ehwmatt]

Where's Tressel??

He should be on there for sure.

Peace and Love everybody!

lolz, not a chance

[Ehwmatt]

Garnett's not a superstar yet Boston went from being a scary defending champ to being a pretender with his injury last year and now they are right back to scary status with his surprising return to form.

Spot on there dude. Garnett doesn't even belong in the conversation, because he's an old school player with VERY solid fundamentals. Even in his old age, he is still one of the most dominant defensive players in the NBA. On another note, Paul Pierce is out for at least two weeks, so it might be time for the Celtics to come back down to earth without him.

Just to be clear there I am definitely saying Garnett IS a super star at this point. He's surprised me and I'll eat crow. I never thought he'd come back this year the way he has. I think you got that though from my original post.

[Saint John]

I am definitely saying Garnett IS a super star at this point.

Those 15 points and 7 boards a game would be virtually impossible to live without. And I know he's worth much more than those stats indicate, but he isn't a superstar anymore.

[Enigma869]

Just to be clear there I am definitely saying Garnett IS a super star at this point.

Just so I'm clear, I could care less whether or not someone is a "superstar" or not. I know this...When Garnett played in Minnesota, I thought the dude was the best defensive player I had seen come into the NBA in a generation, and my opinion hasn't changed. Superstar or not, I think Garnett is as good, defensively, as ANY player in the entire NBA. The offense from Garnett has always been overrated. Minnesota needed the guy to score 30 points a night to only lose by 10. The Celtics don't need him to score. If you look at the points per game the Celtics give up with and without Garnett in the lineup, it's quite evident what Garnett does well.

[Saint John]

Just to be clear there I am definitely saying Garnett IS a super star at this point.

Just so I'm clear, I could care less whether or not someone is a "superstar" or not. I know this...When Garnett played in Minnesota, I thought the dude was the best defensive player I had seen come into the NBA in a generation, and my opinion hasn't changed. Superstar or not, I think Garnett is as good, defensively, as ANY player in the entire NBA. The offense from Garnett has always been overrated. Minnesota needed the guy to score 30 points a night to only lose by 10. The Celtics don't need him to score. If you look at the points per game the Celtics give up with and without Garnett in the lineup, it's quite evident what Garnett does well.

I can agree with this, John. That said, Kobe Bryant, like Michael Jordan before him, can take over a game and be an absolute nightmare on both ends of the court. I just don't think Garnett can dominate offensively anymore, and that's why I've taken away the "superstar" moniker from him. Bryant is still absolutely sick on both ends of the court. So is Paul and Wade...who's finally learned to play great defense all the time.

[Enigma869]

I can agree with this, John. That said, Kobe Bryant, like Michael Jordan before him, can take over a game and be an absolute nightmare on both ends of the court. I just don't think Garnett can dominate offensively anymore, and that's why I've taken away the "superstar" moniker from him. Bryant is still absolutely sick on both ends of the court. So is Paul and Wade...who's finally learned to play great defense all the time.

Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA and I would NEVER compare Garnett to him. They're two entirely different players. Kobe can create far more than Garnett can, but I'll take Garnett's defensive skills over Bryant's. Another guy to keep your eye on is Rajon Rondo, and I'm not saying this because he plays for the Celtics. Honestly, I think Rondo SUCKS offensively. The guy can't hit a jump shot and his free throw shooting is fucking PAINFUL. That said, his defense is beyond fierce and I've never ever ever seen any point guard rebound the way this guy rebounds. If he keeps up this pace, he'll end up with the most career rebounds for a guy his height in the history of the NBA. I suspect that he'll have more steals and rebounds than any guard in the NBA this season. If he could ever learn how to play offense, the dude would be scary good.

[Saint John]

I can agree with this, John. That said, Kobe Bryant, like Michael Jordan before him, can take over a game and be an absolute nightmare on both ends of the court. I just don't think Garnett can dominate offensively anymore, and that's why I've taken away the "superstar" moniker from him. Bryant is still absolutely sick on both ends of the court. So is Paul and Wade...who's finally learned to play great defense all the time.

Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA and I would NEVER compare Garnett to him. They're two entirely different players. Kobe can create far more than Garnett can, but I'll take Garnett's defensive skills over Bryant's. Another guy to keep your eye on is Rajon Rondo, and I'm not saying this because he plays for the Celtics. Honestly, I think Rondo SUCKS offensively. The guy can't hit a jump shot and his free throw shooting is fucking PAINFUL. That said, his defense is beyond fierce and I've never ever ever seen any point guard rebound the way this guy rebounds. If he keeps up this pace, he'll end up with the most career rebounds for a guy his height in the history of the NBA. I suspect that he'll have more steals and rebounds than any guard in the NBA this season. If he could ever learn how to play offense, the dude would be scary good.

Rondo is a fucking monster and it's good to see a guy play his ass off night after night for every minute that he's in the game. As for Kobe, I was watching a round table with basketball "experts" and a few of them were saying that they've never seen a better defender ever. That when he wants to shut you down...you are fucked. Garnett, back a few years ago, was certainly a monster all around player and it's a fucking shame he didn't get showcased because he played for the shittiest organization in the NBA...or close.

[kgdjpubs]

The NBA is at an all-time low as far as talent and fundamentals go. Kobe, Wade and Chris Paul are the only guys that are legitimate "superstars" that know and understand the game, and care to play defense and try to make those around them better. I would include Tim Duncan, but he is on the downside of an incredible career. LeBron James is a fraud and is one of the most overhyped athletes as of right now in the history of sports. Basketball is nothing more than an organized penal league with traces of euro trash.

I definitely agree about the NBA, but not sure that it's really anything new. When I was growing up, almost everyone had a jump shot and the "bad" free throw shooters shot 70%. I would say for most of the past 15 years, the NBA is a joke. Nobody can fucking shoot to save their lives. You have a guy like Rasheed Wallace who should be playing in the low post taking three pointers and point guards (hello Rajon Rondo) who hit free throws at less than 50%. Complete embarrassment. A guy like Larry Bird shot just about 90% from the free throw line for his career and now it seems nobody gets close to that. The NBA is mostly unwatchable for me, even though I force myself to watch from time to time.

and all of that is exactly why college basketball has gotten so popular. Sure, it's a mess also, the talent level is obviously lower, and recruiting is well beyond corrupt, but for all it's problems, it's got fewer problems than the NBA does. I doubt they will let it get to that point, but if the NBA Ref Scandal ever breaks open even as half as bad as the one ref is suggesting, I'm not sure the NBA will ever recover from it.

[YoungJRNY]

March Madness is thrilling, and the polls are exciting also, but as far as the game itself goes, I have 0 interest and have no attention span to follow the game today. Years ago it was fun to watch but now it has been sinking in the dumps of absolute B-O-R-I-N-G and all this fallout with ref's betting and swaying games have NOT helped. I believe a sport like basketball has too much scoring. Defensive players are completely a wash since you are not allowed to even graze a guy without being fouled. It still cracks me up to this day when either LeBron or any other player either swaps a ball or yes.. DUNKS like it's never been done before. What a joke, the dude's are 6'10 as it is. I was never impressed. What impressed me was Bugsy Mogues dunking. THAT'S IMPRESSIVE. The guy was like 4 ft.

It's just a terrible sport to watch for me and other than maybe a handful of players like Bryant, James, Nash, Duncan, Pierce or Nowitzki, I'll never watch more than 5 minutes of game time basketball, esp the NBA.

[kgdjpubs]

March Madness is thrilling, and the polls are exciting also, but as far as the game itself goes, I have 0 interest and have no attention span to follow the game today. Years ago it was fun to watch but now it has been sinking in the dumps of absolute B-O-R-I-N-G and all this fallout with ref's betting and swaying games have NOT helped. I believe a sport like basketball has too much scoring. Defensive players are completely a wash since you are not allowed to even graze a guy without being fouled. It still cracks me up to this day when either LeBron or any other player either swaps a ball or yes.. DUNKS like it's never been done before. What a joke, the dude's are 6'10 as it is. I was never impressed. What impressed me was Bugsy Mogues dunking. THAT'S IMPRESSIVE. The guy was like 4 ft.

It's just a terrible sport to watch for me and other than maybe a handful of players like Bryant, James, Nash, Duncan, Pierce or Nowitzki, I'll never watch more than 5 minutes of game time basketball, esp the NBA.

you talking college, NBA or both? They are somewhat different animals, although both have their fair share of problems.

[YoungJRNY]

March Madness is thrilling, and the polls are exciting also, but as far as the game itself goes, I have 0 interest and have no attention span to follow the game today. Years ago it was fun to watch but now it has been sinking in the dumps of absolute B-O-R-I-N-G and all this fallout with ref's betting and swaying games have NOT helped. I believe a sport like basketball has too much scoring. Defensive players are completely a wash since you are not allowed to even graze a guy without being fouled. It still cracks me up to this day when either LeBron or any other player either swaps a ball or yes.. DUNKS like it's never been done before. What a joke, the dude's are 6'10 as it is. I was never impressed. What impressed me was Bugsy Mogues dunking. THAT'S IMPRESSIVE. The guy was like 4 ft.

It's just a terrible sport to watch for me and other than maybe a handful of players like Bryant, James, Nash, Duncan, Pierce or Nowitzki, I'll never watch more than 5 minutes of game time basketball, esp the NBA.

you talking college, NBA or both? They are somewhat different animals, although both have their fair share of problems.

Most of my hate are regards to the NBA. College I can at least bare and March Madness is a genius money maker. College Basketball has taken over the basketball ranks as far as keeping it interesting is concerned, add in the student and crazy fan base's and the NBA I feel can't hold College Basketball's jock.

[Ehwmatt]

College basketball hasn't been interesting for at least two years, pure shit

[YoungJRNY]

College basketball hasn't been interesting for at least two years, pure shit

Yeah, it's a tad bearable for me to AT LEAST watch. I find March Madness exciting though. A nice buzz in the air once it rolls around.

[Ehwmatt]

College basketball hasn't been interesting for at least two years, pure shit

Yeah, it's a tad bearable for me to AT LEAST watch. I find March Madness exciting though. A nice buzz in the air once it rolls around.

Yeah you can't deny MM. But there haven't been a lot of marquee players the last few years. I hope it gets back to that level soon because it makes MM that much more fun.

[kgdjpubs]

College basketball hasn't been interesting for at least two years, pure shit

hmm....I think it's a LOT better than NBA. College basketball has been REALLY hurting for the past few years with the NBA defections. In the major problems, it's rare when you get a junior/senior-led team. All the potentially good players leave early, which dilutes the talent level in college. You end up with a bunch of freshman and sophomore led teams, which are talented, but very inexperienced---not to mention the ethical issue of a bunch of kids playing in college even though they have absolutely no interest whatsoever in a college degree. I think NBA is suffering from the same issue--talent, or lack thereof. They are drafting on potential, as opposed to getting complete players.

The NCAA needs to impose a rule similar to football. Either go straight to the NBA from high school, or commit to college for 3 years. It would make both games better. College improves dramatically, and the NBA gets fewer busts, and a higher talent level coming in.

[Ehwmatt]

College basketball hasn't been interesting for at least two years, pure shit

hmm....I think it's a LOT better than NBA. College basketball has been REALLY hurting for the past few years with the NBA defections. In the major problems, it's rare when you get a junior/senior-led team. All the potentially good players leave early, which dilutes the talent level in college. You end up with a bunch of freshman and sophomore led teams, which are talented, but very inexperienced---not to mention the ethical issue of a bunch of kids playing in college even though they have absolutely no interest whatsoever in a college degree. I think NBA is suffering from the same issue--talent, or lack thereof. They are drafting on potential, as opposed to getting complete players.

The NCAA needs to impose a rule similar to football. Either go straight to the NBA from high school, or commit to college for 3 years. It would make both games better. College improves dramatically, and the NBA gets fewer busts, and a higher talent level coming in.

Therein lies the problem. The marquee players are nowhere to be found and that really takes away from the excitement for me.

I love the NBA though, always have, even when my Cavs were straight gangster in the late 90s early 00s w/ Ricky Davis shooting at his opponent's basket to complete a triple double

[kgdjpubs]

College basketball hasn't been interesting for at least two years, pure shit

hmm....I think it's a LOT better than NBA. College basketball has been REALLY hurting for the past few years with the NBA defections. In the major problems, it's rare when you get a junior/senior-led team. All the potentially good players leave early, which dilutes the talent level in college. You end up with a bunch of freshman and sophomore led teams, which are talented, but very inexperienced---not to mention the ethical issue of a bunch of kids playing in college even though they have absolutely no interest whatsoever in a college degree. I think NBA is suffering from the same issue--talent, or lack thereof. They are drafting on potential, as opposed to getting complete players.

The NCAA needs to impose a rule similar to football. Either go straight to the NBA from high school, or commit to college for 3 years. It would make both games better. College improves dramatically, and the NBA gets fewer busts, and a higher talent level coming in.

Therein lies the problem. The marquee players are nowhere to be found and that really takes away from the excitement for me.

exactly. You take the would-be marquee players in college who leave early to be drafted only to find that they aren't as well prepared as they could/should be, and languish in development league or at the end of a bench for years until they actually become valuable. Sure, there are the occasional players that come through college that are NBA ready, but a lot of them are leaving when everyone knows they aren't ready for the NBA. Hard to blame the kids for going for the big $$$$, but the system is royally screwed.

In the end, you end up with the reason why March Madness is so popular. The big-name teams are so diluted and young/inexperienced that a good no-name school with a good coach and a senior-led team that has played with each other for several years can give the big teams a challenge. See the George Mason run from a few years ago for example. UNC was good last year (very good, actually), but the fact that they slaughtered all the competition says a lot more about the general state of college basketball than how good UNC was. 10-15 years ago, that team would have had a lot harder run, even though the result may have been the same.