Tank McNamara by Bill Hinds for November 09, 2024

A ten-point shot from across the street!!

I wonder if you can make a twenty point shot from the audience seats.

How ’bout bouncing the ball off the backboard hard enough to go into the basket at the other end? I saw that in an Abbott and Costello movie once.

it’s the C.C. influence

I’ve always thought a layup or dunk should only be worth one point.

again, one point for a stuff…

I remember reading the NBA Inside Stuff magazine and former Blazers guard Terry Porter suggested the same thing as this caller

The WNBA should implement a new commissioner and all new refs.

The original game had the rim a couple of feet over the average player’s head, right? How about restoring that!

mid-court should count for 6 if they make it by throwing the ball backwards over their head

Get rid of the trey. It used to be rare, and often only used in desperation. But today’s players are so good that it’s become the go-to play. Players will pull up on fast breaks to shot it, pull back behind the line to shoot, and so forth. The result? A game of H-O-R-S-E without the trick shots. Boring!

Another side effect is the elimination of the big-man center. They’re all firing from the outside or they don’t get the ball at all. The post-up has been passed up. There was a time when the league was filled with big men—the ‘60s had Wilt, Walt, and Russ, the ’70s had Wilt, Kareem, Willis, and Bill. The ’80s had the Chief, Patrick, The Dream, Moses, Daryl, etc. But Nowitzki broke the mold and the league never turned back. Guys who would have become bangers now shoot set shots from 23 feet. It’s boring, man.

Look at a guy like Wemby. Phenomenal talent, right? But he’ll NEVER dominate the game like the big guys of old. He’s a very tall small forward. And there will be games he’ll take over. He might even win an MVP or two, and his ticket to the HoF is already punched. But truly dominant? No. The game has changed so much NO ONE will be dominant anymore. Great players? Sure. But dominant? Nope.

Dump the shot and get back to fundamental basketball, where the better you can maneuver for a shot inside, the more likely you’ll score…and win. The guys firing up threes are amazingly talented, but so are wedding cake decorators, but I don’t want to watch them work, either.