What is your take on watching BB now as opposed to the past.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Present: the players are more athletic and want to shoot the 3’s and handle the ball (over dribble) more. Pick and roll offenses call for switching on defense so you have to be able to switch and guard bigger players taking out smaller skilled players. Much more player oriented (superstars).

Past: team basketball with role players setting off the ball picks to get shooters open. Passing the ball and moving without the ball. More inside out offenses feeding the post and cutting to the basket or spotting up for a 3. Much more team oriented.

Personally I enjoy the old style of team basketball and not the new style of play. Attendance is way down in the NBA not sure about college but if Utah BB is any indicator it’s down also.

[GameForAnyFuss]

I like the old style of basketball, but – all things being equal – I’d still watch a game of new-style basketball over a football game.

[Tony (admin)]

Tough one to answer really. My most fond times were the two glory periods of Vranes/Chambers/Bankowski, and Rick Majerus. Certainly not “new” style. But they won, a lot.

[Uteanooga]

I used to watch and now I don’t.

[TruckStopTerrors]

I really can’t watch NBA games any longer. It’s completely soft basketball. Nothing like the physical basketball we saw in the 80’s and 90’s. Way too many 3 pointers. I just can’t enjoy it with no defense being allowed to be played like in the past with hand checking etc.

[Holladay Ute]

I like old school basketball better. I used to be a diehard Jazz fan and would watch most games. Over the past five years, I have almost completely tuned out for two main reasons:
1) The NBA has turned into layups and a heavy dose of free throws and 3s. It’s so boring. Defense is heavily undervalued (not just by players or team executives but by the NBA itself via all the rules)…I don’t like this b/c I enjoy watching good defense. I liked when it was harder to score. It helped you to really appreciate the truly great players and what they’re able to do (like MJ). Maybe this is why I had a great time watching the Olympics this past summer. It reminded me of how great LeBron, Durant, and Steph Curry are. The current version of the NBA made me forget how good those players are.
2) I don’t like the current generation of NBA players. I’m not trying to judge them b/c I don’t know them, but they come across to me as super entitled, generally selfish, very whiny, not tough but soft, too political, etc. Sadly, I think college players will increasingly become this way b/c of the direction we’re headed w/ NIL, the transfer portal, etc.

It also doesn’t help that the new owner of the Jazz is a diehard BYU fan and actively supports their program.

I think college basketball is a better product than the NBA (but it still suffers from too many free throws and too many 3s). Even though I like football more than basketball, I don’t think any postseason is as good as March Madness (okay, maybe the Super Bowl is more fun, but nothing outside of that).

[utefansince79]

Still love college hoops and am in the Hunty for most games (when I don’t have a family/work commitment).

Pretty much not at all interested in the NBA due to a number of factors including a lack of defense, endless unguarded three point attempts which are often from 30-40 feet, rest management, etc. And of course our local team striving to finish as low in the standings as possible to hopefully get a high draft pick.

[The Miami Ute]

I used to be a huge basketball fan (college and pro) but now the only basketball I watch are the Utes and some March Madness. I started losing my interest in the NBA when the Golden State Warriors’ style of ball began its ascent and now it’s completely gone, more than likely never to return. Case in point, I went to see the Miami Heat versus the Jazz last week and left the game with two minutes left in the 1st QTR. I just couldn’t stomach the predictable style of play where essentially you’re watching every player jacking up 3s almost immediately. From what I understand, this is all based on analytics which say hitting 3s and making FTs (are you listening Utes?) give teams the best chance to win games. However, it doesn’t make for an engrossing display of athleticism hence my boredom. Whatever…it’s true that NBA numbers are way down and Silver really has no idea how to fix the issue. If this trend continues, you can fully expect to manifest itself, eventually, in lower salaries across the board.

This article gives a good explanation of the phenomenon: Why the NBA’s Ratings Are Down Big — and Why Its New Media Partners Should Care

[TruckStopTerrors]

I think Silver is just too weak of a commissioner to make the radical changes the game needs to bring fans back. I know there have been suggestions like do away with the corner 3, only allow 15 3 point makes to count as 3’s, and of course a radical one which is make dunks worth 3 points. Until they solve the 3 point shot issue and let the players return to playing physical defense, it’s not going to return to being a good product.

[The Miami Ute]

Probably the easiest fix is to move the 3 PT line a few feet back, say to 25 or 26 feet and, as you say, eliminate it completely from the corners. To me, Silver is essentially a caretaker…an NBA lifer who goes along with the flow to maintain his privileged job and sinecures (he makes well over $10M a year). Whatever the case, the NBA has to do something because no one is going to continue paying inflated ticket prices or tune in to watch players continually launch 3s.

[utefansince79]

I remember back in the first years of the trey that as a team the Lakers had something like ten 3pt attempts in the entire season.

Many teams average that per quarter now.

[Author]

Posts