Golden Age of the NBA

[Eugene]

Not enough ball movement...

Low scoring...

Players now who aren't old enough to drink...

No real big men...

Bill Walton as color commentator...

Luxury tax...

and (insert your gripe here)...

However...

This will not be a post filled with nostalgic yearning of the "good old days" of the NBA when the scores used to run 100+ with regularity (for both teams, mind you). This will not be a criticism of the current state of the NBA. No, this post is filled with hope and anticipation of the new era in the NBA where, while not perfect, the league will have been resuscitated by the influx of talent and the prospect thereof.

The league is getting better, folks. People will want to watch the NBA. All-Star ballot will have players chosen by actual votes, not by default. The temporary dip in the high-school pool will be, if not obsolete, then at very least, minimized.

Kobe Bryant, Tracy Mcgrady, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, and Tim Duncan are the vanguard of the future. And a bright future it is.

Teams are finding again, through the success of New Jersey, Dallas, and Sacramento, that good ball movement wins games. It's only a matter of time before the other teams adopt the free-flowing, high motion offense.

Jason Kidd has single-handedly inspired all the point guards in the league to pass first.

The rookies coming out are far more polished and are already showing signs of stardom. It turns out that the majority of the lottery and a good number of the first round picks are finding themselves in regular rotation on their respective teams. Of them, only one high schooler was taken.

Speaking of which, Amare Stoudemire leads a group of youngsters who will not only take the mantels from their predecessors, but will challenge them in the near future. Drew Gooden has the best post moves seen in a rookie since Tim Duncan. Jay Williams will be at least as good as Steve Francis, although I think he'll be even better. Yao Ming is the second best center right now. Dajuan Wagner is a pure scorer, and I'm happy for it.

As far as the high-school kids being drafted...

As long as scouts and young players don't get the misconception that everyone is going to be an Amare Stoudemire or Lebron James (I guarantee you, however, that some will see themselves as such) the coaches are going to realize, hey, taking a high school player and waiting for him to develop is not going to be worth the draft pick. Imagine if Washington had taken anybody other than Kwame Brown, how good they'd be right now, not 3 or 4 seasons down the road. They are also going to realize, potential isn't nearly as substantial or valuable as basketball knowledge and mental toughness that results from playing in college (case in point, Carlos Boozer is far better than Chris Wilcox).

Basketball in general will be far more marketable, from the And-1 Mixtapes, to the foreign talent in the NBA. The avenue for basketball literally span the globe, from the streets in New York to Paris.

Yes, Showtime is over. Michael Jordan will have retired at the end of the season. The NBA has seen the worst days. I look forward to seeing some of the best basketball in a long time.

[Rens]

It doesn't really seem right that you're saying drafting highschoolers is bad, but also

Kobe Bryant, Tracy Mcgrady, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, and Tim Duncan are the vanguard of the future. And a bright future it is.

3 out of 5 were drafted out of high school....

[Showtime]

Good post man, but Showtime will never die!

The memories will always be there. How good was Jordan tonight against the Pacers, he is still the greatest even at 40.

[Clinton]

How good was Jordan tonight against the Pacers, he is still the greatest even at 40.

No he is just showing why he was the greatest. The torch was passed a while ago.

[Eugene]

Dan, I understand your point, and I admit, it was a little confusing.

There's no doubt that Kobe, Tracy, and Kevin are three of the most talented players in the league, as many will agree.

Yes, that those three are some of the most talented players the league has ever seen is a fact. It does not mean, however, that my argument that highschoolers leave early because of the misconception that they are as good as those three and therein make a mistake is any less valid.

Of the five I mentioned, three were from highschool. There are many, many more stars, the five were just examples.

I hope that clears that up. I understand that I didn't make my argument very clear in the first place, and I thank you for pointing that out.

All the best,

Eugene