NBA's Evolution

The 2000’s gave us ,even if wonderful in their complexity , globalization and in the sick use of internet , more than one change. The transformation happened in a lot of fields like music and cinema . But the evolution marked above all the sport, the basket and especially the NBA. The rising athletics of the modern players gave away a more spectacular game 

The change in “playing”, changed the disposition of the players and also the concept of position. The playmakers became more striker and less organizer ( not Chris “Michelangelo” Paul) and the pure center became to disappear with big evidence. The last to try to play with two center were the LA Lakers in the last season and the results are clear.

Why? Where are the “Twins Towe” like Tim Duncan & David Robinson, Olajuwon & Simpson?

The most important reason is that now the space changed (copied from Europe) , space apply by almost all the NBA coach, space in which there are a lot of three points shoots (double than the Reggie Miller era) so you need players able to open the field.

Nowadays the number 4 , the smaller of the couple, isn’t anymore one like Novitwki or Bargnani, but Bargnani or Stoudemire are the 5 ,the center, and Anthony ( like LBJ in Miami and Durant to OKC) the power forward. I understand that this fact can seems not so important for the not fans, however we’re speaking about a revolution like the Barcelona in the european football.

There are different and opposing opinions about the reason of this change. We chose the best three to light up the situation.

1. Actual Center Are Lacking.



Yes beacause, Howard shoud be the best center outstanding, the problem is that the best quality of a good “pivot” , like called in our areas 20 years ago, is to play in post. The funny Dwight is simply normale in this aspect of the game, which makes him a good center but not the best. So we have Brook Lopez (really good, but not Jabbar) Chandler, Hibbert, and even Bynum, come on gyus, Bynum?

2. Athletic Power



Today point and shooting guards (look at pur fav hipster Westbrook) run and jump like the child in a luna park. To fight this physical powe you need to adapt  your defense , you need someone who can defende “moving”, far from the basket.  Now even Shaquille could be in difficult  again Tony Parker or Irving. Modern defense setting prefer to catch the ball rather than have a “stopper” like Mutombo (the “Not in my house”) under basket. The cause is easy to understand: the success key of all the team who won the title in the last years always was the break-back, to attack before that the defense can line up. Haven’t a trailer of 200 Kg could help you.

3. LeBron James and…Mike D’Antoni

The contact point between the two exist, I promise. The Chosen One changed forever the meaning of the game. The perfect body, so strong as technical, so play as center. With Lebron you can start all the kind of experiment you desire, The first who gave him the new role was Mike Brown, coach raised under the influence of Popovich that in his resoluteness is one of the most innovator of the sport. What about Mike D’Antoni? If someone remember his Phoenix Suns had already understood. They were the first to play without center , with incredible speed. They used to attack in the first 5 second and shooting a lot of three points. To do that you need a starting line up like Nash-Bell-Hill-Marion-Stoudemire. However they never won a ring and all the world understood that in that way was impossible to win, and start to change something until the modern system of the Miami Heat or the new Spurs.

Ah, guess who was the coach of LA last years, with two center like Howard and Gasol. Mike D’Antoni. The sport, the manager and the lakers jersey sometimes make big rotation, to arrive, finally, in the wrong place.