Great article from Wojnaroski calling out nba's corrupt principles

[ianboyextreme]

I could go on a page long rant about how ESPN helps perpetuate what I call the "humiliation factor" in basketball and how they suck for eternity but I'll just post this great Woj article instead. Thank God a writer of renown wrote it.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--basketball-s-backward-culture-makes-punch-line-of-brandon-knight-for-trying-to-stop-deandre-jordan-s-dunk-174058736.html

[bfrombleacher]

He was not just talking about the NBA, the sport. And really, the society as a whole.

But, of course, Stern glorifies everything that's wrong. 'Cos it's profitable.

Good thing is I'll still have my C's. And that there are still Brandon Knight's around the league.

[connor]

Great article and great point. I mean really we are all mocking this kid for trying (and I do say we because I am regularly guilty of this myself) and in actuality we should be praising Jordan for the dunk. Its become more about Knights failure to make what was probably an impossible block and les about Deandre's amazing feat of athleticism.

But its hard to pin this solely on the NBA. Yes they aren't helping by perpetuating this way of thinking, but this has always been a part of basketball played at any level and in any arena. And its not just dunks, you see someone knock down a big three in someones face and whats the first thing they do? They let them know they just worked. It happens in most every pick up game you watch, nba games, everywhere.

Yeah the NBA and ESPN can help by focusing on the amazing play by the guy on offense and not the guy getting dunked on, but thats never going to happen.

[Moranis]

What made the dunk so special was that Knight tried to block.  That kind of goes without saying. 

[j804]

I kinna wish we could have got him in green.

[pearljammer10]

Greta article by Woj. Good read. Completely true.

[Snakehead]

Totally fine with glorifying the play, it was a good one (though the size disparity needs to be said).

However, yes, you also need to say props to Knight for stepping up.  I think a big thing, to me, is you hardly see people celebrated for stepping up and blocking dunk attempts when to me that is one of the most amazing plays in basketball.

[CelticG1]

Love how people still get giddy about slam dunks. When I was like 8 I used to like watching Shaq dunk it in Orlando. Dont see the amusement at all anymore unless you are a kid. Every time I hear about these best dunks (basically Jordans and the last griffin one) im always expecting something out of this world. Then I realize its just a regular dunk but with a lot of high fiving people in the background

[slamtheking]

Totally fine with glorifying the play, it was a good one (though the size disparity needs to be said).

However, yes, you also need to say props to Knight for stepping up.  I think a big thing, to me, is you hardly see people celebrated for stepping up and blocking dunk attempts when to me that is one of the most amazing plays in basketball.

agreed -- I think more highly of the player going for the block and making the effort to make the right play than the guy with a major size advantage making a dunk

[Brendan]

Love how people still get giddy about slam dunks. When I was like 8 I used to like watching Shaq dunk it in Orlando. Dont see the amusement at all anymore unless you are a kid. Every time I hear about these best dunks (basically Jordans and the last griffin one) im always expecting something out of this world. Then I realize its just a regular dunk but with a lot of high fiving people in the background

Dunking is an over rated thing - which is why KG and PP, hall of famers and champions, rarely do it. Finishing strong matters more than throwing it down. And hitting free throws even more so.

[fairweatherfan]

Yeah, there's a notion in basketball sometimes that it's worse to try your hardest and be unable to stop a guy - even on just one play - than to roll over and get out of his way.  This isn't so much true in the NBA, but dunks like that are one area where you'll see guys do it.

At the same time, Jordan made an incredible play and there's nothing wrong with celebrating that.  It's the focus on Knight and the "lesson" to not get embarrassed that's the messed up part. 

It's not like, say, Olajuwon running circles around David Robinson, where there are implications for a broader rivalry and each player's place in history.  Then I understand it a little bit.  This is just mocking a guy for trying to make a very tough play and failing.

[indeedproceed]

You guys are all very adult and mature about this whole thing.

Then, there's this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIDS3q3F0H4

[celtsfan84]

Love how people still get giddy about slam dunks. When I was like 8 I used to like watching Shaq dunk it in Orlando. Dont see the amusement at all anymore unless you are a kid. Every time I hear about these best dunks (basically Jordans and the last griffin one) im always expecting something out of this world. Then I realize its just a regular dunk but with a lot of high fiving people in the background

Dunking is an over rated thing - which is why KG and PP, hall of famers and champions, rarely do it. Finishing strong matters more than throwing it down. And hitting free throws even more so.

Is this meant to imply that Shaq isn't a Hall of Famer and a champion?  Doesn't Shaq have four rings, or am I missing something?  Isn't a dunk a pretty high percentage shot if you can get it? Didn't Pierce and KG dunk a lot in their younger days?

[fairweatherfan]

And BTW this has very little to do with the NBA or ESPN or whichever bugaboo is popular this week.  RIPBrandonKnight was trending on Twitter within seconds of the actual play - that's not something the league or ESPN did, that's the immediate mass reaction of fans.

ESPN did go after that angle some in their coverage, but it's hardly surprising when that's how people were talking about it as they developed their story.  It's a culture of basketball thing, and it predates ESPN and the modern NBA by quite a bit.

[CelticG1]

Love how people still get giddy about slam dunks. When I was like 8 I used to like watching Shaq dunk it in Orlando. Dont see the amusement at all anymore unless you are a kid. Every time I hear about these best dunks (basically Jordans and the last griffin one) im always expecting something out of this world. Then I realize its just a regular dunk but with a lot of high fiving people in the background

Dunking is an over rated thing - which is why KG and PP, hall of famers and champions, rarely do it. Finishing strong matters more than throwing it down. And hitting free throws even more so.

KG was an awesome dunker same with Pierce a few years back.

Im just more confused with the media and fans infatuation with it and just glorifying it. Deandre Jordan is a terrible bball player and hes treated like some stud because he is good at scoring when the ball is placed 6 inches from the rim

Its what makes basketball seen like kind of a joke. From the outside slooking in you see nbafans talking abiut slam dunks basically being highlights of the year.

Its just the whole Skip bayless steven a smith thing. Everyone complains about what they talk about and debate etc. Except thats what everyone is doing and talking about on every blog and forum