European Players Bringing Back Fundamentals for U.S. Players

As much as it pains me to say this, I have to admit that I think it’s a damn shame that the NBA had to go outside of U.S. soil to find players who could bring back the very fundamentals of the game that were once taught by every U.S. basketball coach from, the sport’s creator, Dr. James A. Naismith to the legendary John Wooden and even more recent coaches like Pat Riley and Hall of Fame inductee, Larry Brown. 

Whether I like it or not, the fact remains that, after decades of unbridled success and growth, the sport of basketball, and more specifically, the professional brand, has, until very recently, lost both, its appeal and substance, to the point where, the majority of adolescent basketball players who were born and bred on U.S. soil inside of the last three decades, know nothing about the game except highlight reel dunks and game-winning three-point jump shots. 

If you don’t believe me, just look at the history of the NBA game for the last two decades. Beginning in 1986, when my beloved Boston Celtics (and even more beloved Larry Bird) hoisted their last NBA championship trophy, to the Miami Heat’s thrilling championship victory last season, the NBA has been in an almost steady decline, fundamentally wise, until the U.S. was forced to both, import European players and adapt, to the “team-basketball” style of international clubs across the globe that once existed on every club in the NBA years ago. 

I hate to say it, but even the man who is generally recognized as the greatest basketball player of all-time, Michael Jordan, has probably had more of a negative effect on young basketball players than anyone could have ever imagined.