re: Does anyone actually give a shite about basketball?

Sorry, but respectfully you're just wrong if we're talking about the college game. I've followed college basketball closely since I was a little kid in the early 80s and the depth of great skilled players today isn't in the same stratosphere as the 80s/90s. At least that's been the case in the SEC.

The AAU leagues you tout as a great breakthrough for the development of today's players is actually having the opposite effect imho. Before the AAU circuit exploded the coaching of fundamentals was stressed. High school players came to college with highly developed skill sets of shooting, ball handling, passing, rebounding, screens, pick and rolls, defensive principles, and so on. Players arrived at college as great skilled players who in many cases developed into bona fide NBA level players. Coaching and player development was so good back then without all the shady AAU influences. Furthermore, these great players stayed in college 3 and even 4 years developing their already elite skills. Today only the elite of the elite AAU stars have refined games and they are 1 and done anyway. Most AAU coaches simply roll the ball out on the court and players just run up and down the court with awful to non existent coaching or development of their skills. Watch just about any SEC basketball game from 20 or 30 years ago and compare it to many of the sh##shows called an SEC basketball game nowadays and the differences in skill level are shocking. Again, I'm speaking more specifically about SEC basketball.

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AAU basketball alone has grown so much over about the last 20 years that it has become a business. A business that produces some of the best basketball players we;ve seen

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you are making my point and don't even know it. Important word there is PLAYERS

I prefer team basketball. It's a preference, mine. Spout all you want about how great the one on one shite is....I'll pass. Great Basketball TEAMS were in the 80's and 90's. Plus you don't take into account that many of potential great basketball players went the football route

talk all you want about how much BETTER the players are now, when they really aren't unless you think jumping high and a lack of overall shooting skill is better, which it seems you do.

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I prefer team basketball. It's a preference, mine. Spout all you want about how great the one on one shite is....I'll pass. Great Basketball TEAMS were in the 80's and 90's.

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Flip on some NBA games tonight. You will see some awesome team play. Specifically the Spurs.

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a lack of overall shooting skill is better

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You don't honestly think this do you?

I could not tell you who's ranked #1 right now. That's how invested in it I am. My interest gets a little higher towards March, but baseball>>>>basketball for me.

No, that's just not true. Players now are more skilled than ever. But they're also more athletic and the game is played at a much faster pace. The game used to be slower and more deliberate, which could give the illusion of making the players look more "skilled" or in control. Now it's more of a full court game, and defenders close down much quicker. Everything happens 10x faster now (well except in the B1G), so it's less methodical and more bam-bam type plays.

I give a shite....still hoping for the day when our BB program returns to annual relevancy, or at least to the point where they are annually contending for 20+ win seasons and the occasional NCAA appearance. If we can at least get back to that, then I'll start looking for more. But I still enjoy college BB a good bit - the NBA not so much so anymore (used to love it too)....

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Does anyone actually give a shite about basketball?

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Not @ LSU since Shaq left. I figure we should stop playing and save the damn money to put into football or baseball.

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out of how many? 30? uh huh

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No just probably the best example in the world. Watch the Warriors tonight. Watch the Grizzlies play tonight and witness the greatness of Marc Gasol's passing and Zbo's post play. Watch the Heat to see LeBron to do everything from shoot a high percentage, get assist, and pull down a bunch of rebounds.

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Kobe on AAU-"I was lucky to grow up in Italy at a time when basketball in America was getting f***** up with AAU shuffling players through on strength and athleticism. I missed all that, and instead I was taught extreme fundamentals: footwork, footwork, footwork, how to create space, how to handle the ball, how to protect the ball, how to shoot the ball. I wasn't the strongest kid at that camp. I wasn't the fastest. I wasn't the most athletic. I was probably the most skillful, but that didn't matter. It was all about the 360 windmill dunks."

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I agree with this 100%. I think AAU is crooked as shite and that it doesn't teach fundamentals. I simply said that the exposure it gets has really helped good players get noticed.

I agree with the other quotes too. I'm not taking up for AAU opr calling it a good thing. I just said that you have some damn good players who get noticed because of these big time tourneys.

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Not @ LSU since Shaq left. I figure we should stop playing and save the damn money to put into football or baseball.

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This is why I have a really hard time respecting the LSU fan base (sorry c4st). LSU once had a great basketball program. So sad to see LSU's own damn fans continually shite all over it and praise a sport that's about as relevant as women's tennis.