The Demise of the ‘Big Man’ in the NBA

Written by 8or24 on 08/20/2010 in Editorials - 4 Comments

The Los Angeles Lakers have been to the NBA Finals for three consecutive years, they are the defending back-to-back champions, and are arguably the most successful franchise in NBA history.

Kobe Bryant has been instrumental in the success of the current Lakers team—he is the team’s MVP, best player, and crunch time assassin. However, the past success and future hopes of the franchise rests on the production of their big men.

Kobe Bryant will always be Kobe Bryant. As Kobe continues to get older and tinkers with his game, I have no doubt he’ll remain effective for many more years as an offensive assassin, defensive stopper (at times), and team leader. But if the Lakers want to win another championship and if they want to continue contending for championships after this upcoming NBA season, they need to take a look at history.

Next: Know Your History…

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Nonreality

First Kwame never had the hands to play center. This and his desire stopped him from ever being good. Second: Duncan was never a center. He always played against power forwards. He never had to go one on one against the best in the league. Granted he is a great power forward but doesn’t belong in this conversation. Dwight Howard is as you have said not in the big man league. He has all the moves of a big man but not the size. Plus no skills. He gets by with being an incredible athlete. He is all power and no skill. Ask him to make a jump shot and watch him just throw it up. Bynum may end up being a great one, he has the size,the hands, the moves and I hope the desire to be one of them. He showed it last year as he played hurt and I hope this leads to great things from and an injury free season this year. I didn’t think much of him from the start but now I really think he might have all the skills and he has learned from the best. I hope anyway. He really should take a page from Kobe and go and talk to Akim who is the best center from a skilled point of view. No one was better at moves at the center position. (sorry if I messed his name up)
Nonreality

First Kwame never had the hands to play center. This and his desire stopped him from ever being good. Second: Duncan was never a center. He always played against power forwards. He never had to go one on one against the best in the league. Granted he is a great power forward but doesn’t belong in this conversation. Dwight Howard is as you have said not in the big man league. He has all the moves of a big man but not the size. Plus no skills. He gets by with being an incredible athlete. He is all power and no skill. Ask him to make a jump shot and watch him just throw it up. Bynum may end up being a great one, he has the size,the hands, the moves and I hope the desire to be one of them. He showed it last year as he played hurt and I hope this leads to great things from and an injury free season this year. I didn’t think much of him from the start but now I really think he might have all the skills and he has learned from the best. I hope anyway. He really should take a page from Kobe and go and talk to Akim who is the best center from a skilled point of view. No one was better at moves at the center position. (sorry if I messed his name up)
Hello

“Take away his size and jumping ability, and what does he have? Nothing.”

Ok. I found this very interesting. The article called the “Demise of The Big Man” and you say,”take away his size”….hold on, hold on… Then he WOULDN’T BE A ‘BIG MAN’ anymore. This is one of the most over used and abused quotes amongst non-basketball players… “well if I were that tall” or “if i were that big” or an array of other excuses explaining someones success as a result of merely being tall(big).
Any basketball player knows that being a successful Big Man has far more to do with skill than size. (Proved with people not considered ‘Big Men’ that in fact, played like big men… Rodman, Barkley and many others)

Yes, the fact is that there is a Demise of Big men in the NBA, and its unfortunate. But your Dwight Howard comments are not only wrong, but unfounded. Compare his age, time in the NBA, and anything else to his statistics and the statistics of previous successful Big Men in the NBA and you will see, he is even and far ahead of most all of them. His improvement is crazy and his stats show it.

And before you say, stats don’t mean everything, like predictably you will. Yes, rebound stats are something that cannot be manipulated. Truly good Big Men ALWAYS get rebounds, always.
hello

“Take away his size and jumping ability, and what does he have? Nothing.”

Ok. I found this very interesting. The article called the “Demise of The Big Man” and you say,”take away his size”….hold on, hold on… Then he WOULDN’T BE A ‘BIG MAN’ anymore. This is one of the most over used and abused quotes amongst non-basketball players… “well if I were that tall” or “if i were that big” or an array of other excuses explaining someones success as a result of merely being tall(big).
Any basketball player knows that being a successful Big Man has far more to do with skill than size. (Proved with people not considered ‘Big Men’ that in fact, played like big men… Rodman, Barkley and many others)

Yes, the fact is that there is a Demise of Big men in the NBA, and its unfortunate. But your Dwight Howard comments are not only wrong, but unfounded. Compare his age, time in the NBA, and anything else to his statistics and the statistics of previous successful Big Men in the NBA and you will see, he is even and far ahead of most all of them. His improvement is crazy and his stats show it.

And before you say, stats don’t mean everything, like predictably you will. Yes, rebound stats are something that cannot be manipulated. Truly good Big Men ALWAYS get rebounds, always