A LEGEND IS BORN III

[Mavs4Life]

Ty deserved it, glad LeBron passed well.
"I did pretty well, we just didn’t win"

Come on, LeBron it's just an all-star game.

[Fresh8]

Another fight will happen with Ty winning the Allstars MVP.

The story is about to get interesting then.

Ty deserved it, glad LeBron passed well.
"I did pretty well, we just didn’t win"

Come on, LeBron it's just an all-star game.

Would it be worse if LeBron said, 'It's only an All-Star Game'?

Anyways, just so everyone knows, the Cavs and the Stealth are the leaders of their respective conferences.

[The X]

Good to see Beasley have a big impact

[Mavs4Life]

Well, I guess there is that side of the story. The return to atlanta: land of 2OT & King Jordan's final all-star.

[Fresh8]

Good to see Beasley have a big impact

He had a broken finger

Well, I guess there is that side of the story. The return to atlanta: land of 2OT & King Jordan's final all-star.

I do remember that game. Kobe did pretty well in it.

[Larvae]

The young butts are kickin' it!

[Fresh8]

The young butts are kickin' it!

Unfortunately, my virtual Rubio is not All-Star caliber.

Slash Derrick Rose sucks

[Larvae]

Sit, NOOOO!
Well, i hope my virtual Rubio/RL Rubio will be a star! + ROY!

[Fresh8]

He will be a star in his own right!

[Lamrock]

Noticed Liam Washburn absent from the East all-stars. Injury?

[hova-]

Cool recap. Tyson looked pretty well out there, KD must be pissed

[newc]

Kalnins-Tyson connection worked pretty well in this game. Sit, maybe Stealth need some new blood? I think Durant for Kalnins would work for both teams, of course, Stealth would clearly be the winner in the long-term

[Martti.]

Ty! Great to play with former teammates.

[Fresh8]

Liam, looks like you're having a sophomore slump and fitting that once again, Janis beat you to something. remember the Rookie of the Year award that was your to lose?

Janis, sorry but we have no interest in you. You are still much too far below Andrew Bogut to be playing for the Stealth - let alone comparing yourself to MVP candidate Kevin Durant. :S

Martti, you played a fairly solid all-around game! too bad your Suns suck! Your MVP season is going to waste! You should have stayed teammates with Mayo!

[Valor]

Funny thing is, the Stealth's games have way more points scored than the All-Star game

[kibaxx7]

Superb game from Ty, well-deserved award

[Houndy]

Tyson was a beast.

Just out of curiosity, how bad is Mr. Willie Lewis doing?

[Cruzerr]

Tyson outshined KD, pretty big. Whats up with nobody leading the East team ?

[Fresh8]

Funny thing is, the Stealth's games have way more points scored than the All-Star game

Yes, I did think about that haha... can't explain it sorry!

Superb game from Ty, well-deserved award

He did play very well. Was on fire!

Tyson was a beast.

Just out of curiosity, how bad is Mr. Willie Lewis doing?

Willie Lewis still on the IR.

Tyson outshined KD, pretty big. Whats up with nobody leading the East team ?

Didn't you read what Lebron said???

[Fresh8]

Updated: February 16, 2014
Bringing Sexy Back
The old generation of post-up centres disappeared in the 2000s but recent times have given us oldies hope to see a revival of the low-post game
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DJ Schmidt and Travis Ward are proving that throwback centres are most welcome in this modern era

By Woody Hannes
ESPN.com Editor

I’ve always had a theory that the greatness of Michael Jordan could be measured simply. The method to do so would be to count how many 7 footers in the NBA actually have a strong low-post game. How many of them like to grind in the paint and play with real power or finesse. And how many of these guys have an All-Star impact on both ends of the floor. The answer was simple. You could probably count these centres on one hand. There weren’t many and that thanks to the MJ effect. Everyone wanted to be like Mike.

Now, this isn’t an article about Jordan. This is an article about how he made the centre position and how it is traditionally played a thing of the past. By the mid-2000s, I would have called this kind of player a dying breed. Remember the All-Star Games when you never really had a centre to vote for to start for the Eastern Conference? That’s my point exactly.

Throughout the 2000s, you probably only had two ‘true’ centres that made an impact: Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming. Shaq was the power player whose strength in the post was just off the charts and he just dominated in the paint on both ends of the floor. Ming was the finesse player who could hit the short range jumpers and hook shots but also had the ball skills to be more than just a tall inside scorer. You may probably add Dwight Howard to the list for his freakish athleticism and defensive game (although no true team success) as well as Tim Duncan if you consider him to be a centre. I might even argue to have Ben Wallace there but he was only good for a short stint and wasn’t a true All-Star in my books.

What happened to the time when we had such great pivot men in the NBA at the same time such as David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwan, Patrick Ewing, young Shaq and a young Mutombo and his finger wag?

These days, the ball played in the NBA is a guard’s game. That’s why soft big men such as Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki and Martti Must have sometimes masqueraded at the five spot for their teams. What happened to the days when games were won on defence and on the back of a true back to the basket big man? That’s what I’ve been wondering!

The 2014 All-Star Game gave me a lot of hope though. Dwight Howard’s absence paved the way for New Jersey Net DJ Schmidt and New York Knick Travis Ward to represent this dying breed of NBA centres. And let’s not forget the Seattle Stealth’s Andrew Bogut, who plays more of a traditional role as well. Let’s just forget that Janis Kalnins performed better than these three guys but the explanation is simple in that Kalnins’ game is more suited to the All-Star game. He’s a 7 footer with guard skills and the All-Star Game is a game more suited to forwards and guards. Schmidt, Ward and Bogut represent an era long gone and the old fan like me is happy to see them there. These guys are carrying on the torch.

Schmidt (15 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.1 bpg) is a versatile big man who prefers to get the ball on the low block and has the brains and passing skills to know how to be a true triple threat in the low block. I’ve always been impressed with how he handles the rock under pressure and there are flashes of Olajuwan in him. Ward (17.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.4 bpg) is interestingly enough more of a traditional centre like Knicks legend Patrick Ewing. Ward still has a long ways to go to fill in those shoes but he has been much better than previous Knicks centres. Bogut (16 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 5.8 apg, 2.2 bpg) reminds me of the great Arvydas Sabonis who never got to play in the NBA in his prime. Bogut is athletic, smart and skilled – plus a joy to watch on the floor. His game is multi-faceted and although he is capable of hitting the mid-range shot, it has not stopped him from playing exclusively in the post.

It’s not only these three guys who are playing like their predecessors. The Lakers’ Andrew Bynum continues to improve and evolve into a traditional centre. Bynum is still young and he has begun to take over the Kobe Bryant’s role as face of the franchise. The Cavs’ Byron Brock has always been limited to playing the role by his skillset. In fact, it was his refusal to play that traditional role that got him traded out of New York and also not being resigned by Philadelphia. However, even he is beginning to embrace the role as the Cavs continue to encourage him to play to his strengths and how a 7 footer should really play.

It’s always baffled me as to why these powerful athletes don’t just use their physical prowess more to their advantage. Get the ball in their hands and they should just dunk all day and every day. I always thought basketball is all about putting the ball into the hoop the easiest way that you can. Isn’t going for a 6 foot bucket easier than a mid-range or three point jump shot?

It’s great to see these young players finally playing how they should and teams using these guys and encouraging their teams to play how basketball should be played.

How I miss the old days but hopefully guys like Schmidt, Ward, Bogut, Bynum and Brock continue to bring it all back.

[Larvae]

The old post up game has arrived back in the game of Basketball!

[hova-]

True wordd bro. where them oldschool centers at? schmidt's name is still killing me, that's a common german surname.
i was actually hoping that lance meredith was going to be such an oldschool center, but he's turning out to be more the aldridge kind of player with amare's athleticism before injury.
great article!

[kibaxx7]

Ah, good memories Nice to see D.J. and Travis bringing it back...

[Houndy]

I love the title, and I love the article

[Fresh8]

True wordd bro. where them oldschool centers at? schmidt's name is still killing me, that's a common german surname.
i was actually hoping that lance meredith was going to be such an oldschool center, but he's turning out to be more the aldridge kind of player with amare's athleticism before injury.
great article!

Why does the surname annoy you? can't there be Germans growing up in America?

Yeah, it's good to see the big men back in this league. Unfortunately, they don't dominate because of the way the rest of the player play but at least these guys aren't averaging 3 points and 3 rebounds like all the other bigs around the NBA.