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| | News » Distinctive difference between Nelson, D'Antoni |
| Distinctive difference between Nelson, D'Antoni | |
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 Vox populiYou frequently criticize Don Nelson's shoot-first-ask-questions style of basketball. Yet you don't seem nearly so critical of Mike D'Antoni's shoot-in-7-seconds/no-defense approach. What in your view makes D'Antoni's system better than the style preached by Nelson? — Robert Kinosian, Berkeley, Calif.Contraction. Back in 1943, the struggling NFL combined two franchises — the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers — into one team, the Steagles. The NBA should follow suit and make the following combinations permanent: The Washington franchise should be shut down and joined with Philadelphia to become the Philadelphia Sixzards. Adding Caron Butler, a rehabilitated Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison to the Sixers would make this team a legitimate contender. Sacramento should be folded and its players combined with Portland to form the Portland Trail-Kings. Adding Kevin Martin and Spencer Hawes just might get this squad over the top.Assign the Clippers to oblivion. The Lakers should then add Marcus Camby to their roster and trade all of the remaining Clippers for future draft choices.Combine New York and New Jersey to form the NY Knick-Nyets. Fold the Raptors and hold a dispersal draft.There are two options for the sad-sack New Orleans and Memphis franchises:Combine them to form the New Memphis Grizznets and — like the old KC-Omaha Kings — have them split their home games between New Orleans and Memphis. Or move the Grizznets to Seattle.Undertaking the above moves would pare the NBA down to 26 teams and ensures a more prosperous future. Travels with CharleyThe abuse of illegal drugs was a perpetual scourge in the CBA. I'd estimate that during my nine years in the league, anywhere from five to 10 players were annually banished because of failed drug tests. Even several coaches were involved. Like the colleague (and ex-NBA player) who begged me to volunteer to take a surprise pregame drug test when the league mandated that either of the coaches must submit to. Like the coach (and ex-NBA player) who was suspected of being a chronic pot smoker, but was a nice enough guy that the league arranged for a special drug test that would clear his name. Too bad, the coach decided to settle his nerves on the taxi ride to the test by chain-smoking innumerable joints. After failing the test, he could only find odd coaching jobs.Like the coach (and ex-NBA player) who had to drink himself into oblivion in the bar across the street from the arena before every home game.By way of mitigation, it should be noted that the madcap goings-on in the Crazy Basketball Association could easily turn saints into devils and sane men into raving lunatics. So the in-season abuse of so-called "recreational drugs" might have been the least of many other life-threatening evils.
Author: Fox Sports
Author's Website: http://www.foxsports.com
Added: February 21, 2009
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