Category: NBA Talk

Undeniably one of the appeals of watching sports is to compare yourself to your favorite player. However in recent times many critical people have pointed out specific athletes as being terrible role models, citing things like the stereotypical drug abuse and thug personas of some celebrity athletes as being anything but inspirational to young males. This is probably the big deal why the media are still doing stories on Kobe Bryant and at the same time promoting athletes like Lebron James. The media loved Kobe. He was a superstar athlete, he was not a thug, meaning he did not come from the streets and he had lived abroad, and so Kobe was everything you wanted as a black role model. Then the whole Kobe case happened and the prince of the NBA fell from his stature and what came out was an immature but talented athlete who perhaps was no role model after all. On the court though, there was another basketball player who was also talented, but who has never had the darling image, and that player is Allen Iverson. Not only is A. I. a brilliant basketball player, but he is everything that the NBA wanted to distance itself from, namely the street and attitude.

At one point, I heard the comment that most black kids could never be Kobe, because Kobe had opportunities that they could never have. On the other hand Iverson came from the street courts and he played his game tough and he made it to the main courts of the NBA, and he’s still there, fighting not only for his legitimate right to be there, but also for his legacy.

At 32, I identify with A. I., with his passion to win even when the odds are against him, with his selfishness to be The Man, and definitely with his failures as a player and as a person. I have messed up plenty in my life, and know just how much it means when people disregard your past crimes and still welcome your company. This does not happen often and you definitely are thankful when it does. Iverson may never win a championship, but he is a proven winner. Every time I see him miss a shot, my heart goes out to him, cause I know failure is painful, but when he picks himself off the floor and goes right back into the game, pain and all, I admire him all the more, because not many people have the sheer will to drive themselves toward something by themselves, but Iverson does it in every game.

And also at my age, I know that role models are not the solution to the problems that plague our young men. I never had a role model that I could see, instead I had to open up a book and read about men that I never knew. Eventually I saw that if I was to succeed at all, that I had to do it myself. Sure it would have been nice if someone had taught me to do the things I now know, and I could have used some help sometimes, but in the end I ended up doing it myself and I am stronger for it. But just like A. I. points out about how hard it is to be a father to his kids, and how hard it is to be a husband, I know what he is talking about. At our age, both of us have had to do things on our own, but that should not blind us or prevent us from helping our kids succeed where we failed. Being tough is just one part of our character, it should not be everything. I am pretty sure Iverson knows this too.

Iverson is a role model, because of his toughness and because he has failed many times, but never given up on himself or his team.

One of my favorite NBA players is Tayshaun Prince. Unlike T-Mac or Dwayne Wade, who you know will do at least three or four remarkable moves during a game, Prince is a low-key player. He does his defense quietly and then all of a sudden before you know it he takes over a game. He is the unexpected factor in games where the Pistons need him and he is getting better at his offensive game this season.

The Detroit News did an article on how Prince’s toughness was always in doubt due to his appearance and lack of bulk.

“It goes back to high school and college. Everybody tried to put weight on me. I just knew, ‘Hey, this is how I play.’ No matter what size you are, when you go out there and play your game, and you have heart and determination, anything can happen.”

But I think what people miss about Prince is that he’s a smart guy. He knows how to read the offense and he knows how to match his opponent’s moves. This is what allows him to guard offensive players like Kobe Bryant and literally frustrate their game. If you combine intellect with love of the game, you have a great player.

Last year, I literally ran out of things to talk to my girlfriend about. Eventually Chris Rock was right, you can run out of conversation once you have been with the same person for so long. At the same time, I needed to get out and do something outside besides the usual yard work that I detest, and since you really don’t need a partner or expensive equipment, to play basketball, I started shooting free-throws at the local school court, while my kids ran around in the park area. Basketball is a young man’s sport. It requires a lot of jumping, running, and most of all what a lot of NBA announcers refer to as “athleticism”. I’m not known for any of these, but I can shoot baskets I thought at least. After some pointers and plenty of practice during the summer months, you tend to appreciate what basketball players do on the court.

Playing the game in real life is of course what it is all about, but watching elite players like Tracy McGrady is something which started to grow on me. I don’t ever see myself ever dunking like Shaq or Ben Wallace, but I do think that with practice you can develop a decent jump shot, nothing that compares with Dirk, but I sure wish I had his wrists. Getting the ball to arc and spin is the secret to great shooting.

This brings me of course to the Detroit Pistons which are my favorite team to watch at the moment. Not only do the Pistons represent everything that an average guy would like to be, meaning a champion player, but they also are entertaining to watch, and that is what the NBA is really about. It’s about putting on a very entertaining game that fans can watch and get into. Unlike other teams, Detroit does not have superstars like Shaq that can make their game easier, nope they have to work to win their games, by having every player put in his best efforts. This makes the Pistons one of the best team oriented teams in the NBA, of course it is even more interesting that their primary game is defense oriented, cause that means a lot of their opponents get pretty pissed off at them sometimes.

My favorite Piston is Prince. He is tall and thin, but this guy can defend some of the most elite players in the league cause of his long arms. His dunking and fast breaks are also improving this year and it’s always fun to see an unselfish player get his points in.

Since I have a couple of kids of my own, I feel that Rasheed Wallace is probably the Piston I can most identify with. I could see myself talking about my kids with Rasheed over dinner and I’m sure we would get along fine. It’s not that Rasheed is a bad boy, it’s that he’s too honest, probably one of the few players in the league that does not hold back on the court, nor in the press.

Then there’s Ben Wallace, the big man who blocks and rebounds off the glass. All I can say about Ben is that I would be proud to have my kid grow up and be half the player that Ben is. Big Ben has worked for everything he’s gotten and that is something I want my kid to learn.

Probably the most criticized players are Richard Hamilton and Chauncy Billups, cause they are the guards who have to score big numbers on a team that is primarily known for their defensive game and not their scoring. That is a lot of pressure for them, but Hamilton is the quickness and Billups is the clutch shooter for the team, and if Prince and Rasheed have a good game, the Pistons are unstoppable.