Kareem speaks out on Olowokandi, lockout, age limit

From a column he wrote for ESPN.com:

I have seen this process firsthand. When I coached for the Clippers, I had to deal with Michael Olowokandi, a player who perfectly fit the description "talented but uncoachable." At practice, I would attempt to point out Mr. Olowokandi's faults to him, ones he constantly repeated and resulted in lost possessions for the team or personal fouls that sent him to the bench. His reaction to my attempts to correct his bad habits was to take my input as a personal insult and embarrassment. He told me point-blank that he would not be criticized in front of the team. He stuck to his word and, as a result, had very few successful moments on the court playing the way he wanted to play. He took his place on the list of athletically gifted washouts who have been in and out of the league in the past 10 years.

Wow. I mean, there's no guarantee he would've become a special player had he listened to Kareem but to think what could've been if he'd had a better attitude.

I don't entirely agree with Kareem's point about the age limit causing an influx of undeveloped/unproven talent being so destructive. Olowokandi is also a poor example for him to cite in this instance since he was 23 when he entered the league and in Magic Johnson, Kareem played with and won five titles thanks to a player who came into the league at age 19. There have been plenty of washouts who spent three or four years in college and entered the league in their early 20s and it's not necessarily about maturity (though as Kandi demonstrated, a lack of maturity and bad attitude isn't limited to people under 20). Some players just don't have the talent and/or athleticism to make it in the NBA and spending more time in college isn't going to change that.

...that makes no sense. Andrew Bynum, fresh out of high school, was mature and willing to learn. Olowokandi, after (I assume) four years of college, was immature and not willing to learn. Therefore, we need...fewer players straight out of high school.

What?

I guess he's making a generalisation and holding Bynum up as an exception. But yeah, he could've chosen better examples.

N = No
B = Boys
A = Allowed
Gotta be at least 18 or 19yrs old right?

Kareem's must be smoking them funny cigarettes before he wrote that piece.

It's also now official that I blame Kareem for ruining Kandiman's career, the same way Jordan ruined Kwame "faggot" Brown.

Gotta love Kareem

Love the honesty & abruptness

Sadly he did make a couple of good points in his piece but they may have been overlooked due to the contradictory nature of some of his comments.

Kareem's must be smoking them funny cigarettes before he wrote that piece.

It's also now official that I blame Kareem for ruining Kandiman's career, the same way Jordan ruined Kwame "faggot" Brown.

It was Kandiman's fault not Kareem. He didn't want to listen, that's what he got. And Kwame is not a faggot! It's not his fault he has small hands, slow feet, and a low IQ

Sadly he did make a couple of good points in his piece but they may have been overlooked due to the contradictory nature of some of his comments.

Agreed, though I still think he's exaggerating the negative impact of players who enter the league after one year in college (while offering up those contradictory examples).

I'm rooting for the college game because it is the wellspring of professional basketball success.

Jabbar's argument is completely destroyed by Kobe.

I agree with kareem f da age limit

So you'd raise the age limit? Because that's what he's arguing for.

I'm rooting for the college game because it is the wellspring of professional basketball success.

Jabbar's argument is completely destroyed by Kobe.

too funny shadow.
Kareem's age is catching up to him. College is way different from the NBA.

Kareem's example sucks ass and it contradicts with his claim that age limit should be raised.

Anyways, he obviously is speaking from trainer's perspective. He prefers the guys with good attitude that are easy to train & teach. A poor excuse to back up his claim imo. Players' "Maturity" shouldn't even be an issue in this topic anyways. The league should just admit that they want the finished products over risky projects that might or might not pay off. It's not like maturity was the big factor that held many young talents back from becoming stars which they were supposed to be. I say blame the scouts, medias, and hypes.

The points he makes about maturity and attitude are valid, the examples are just backwards as it relates to his point about the age limit and he's making somewhat of a generalisation about college helping players to mature and develop a good attitude.

Not saying it's not valid at all. Just wasnted to point out that immaturity of some players are often used as a scapegoat in the support of raising age limit. And of course college years could possibly shape players to be more matured, as they become a few years older and that much wiser in life. That generalization though indeed was supported by terrible examples.

Anyways, perhaps it's just me disliking whatever Kareem has to say. I am used to think of him as somewhat of a jerk. Here, calling out on Olowkandi didn't help in that cause either. Statue, Pippen, or whatever the issue was in the past, regardless of all that, I just don't agree with him on this issue. Ultimately, I don't think any good mentoring could have saved Kandi Man's career anyways and Kareem I think was a awful mentor. No wonder Bynum quickly dumped him and Kareem struggles to find players to mentor despite his past achievement as a player.

But Bynum made great strides following his work with Kareem. Admittedly it's difficult to know how much credit we attribute to Kareem for that but there isn't really any evidence that he was an awful mentor.

But Bynum made great strides following his work with Kareem. Admittedly it's difficult to know how much credit we attribute to Kareem for that but there isn't really any evidence that he was an awful mentor.

This!
Bynums development could be a good example of Kareem's abilites of beeing a good mentor or it could be not.
I agree on Kareem so far, that many players should get as much (semi-) professional basketball related education (college) they can get before entering the NBA. Kobe, KG and Bynum may be more statistical outliers than role models.

Something that is worth noting that NovU might be alluding to is that Kareem does have a reputation for being surly and his inability/unwillingness to be more personable has been thrown out there as a possible reason why a head coaching job in the NBA has eluded him thus far. Still, Bynum seems to have benefited from working with him so I don't think he can be written off as a terrible mentor and am inclined to believe his take on Olowokandi, given how his career panned out.

Kobe, KG and Bynum may be more statistical outliers than role models.

LOL.
You dare put Kobe alongside bums like Bynum and KG? Kobe has more rings than KG and Bynum combined.

Kobe, KG and Bynum may be more statistical outliers than role models.

LOL.
You dare put Kobe alongside bums like Bynum and KG? Kobe has more rings than KG and Bynum combined.

My bad, my bad...

Kobe, KG and Bynum may be more statistical outliers than role models.

LOL.
You dare put Kobe alongside bums like Bynum and KG? Kobe has more rings than KG and Bynum combined.

Horry > Kobe. And Horry went to college from 88-92.

Does Horry have an MVP award? How many Finals MVP does Horry have?
88-92? How about 81?

Does Horry have an MVP award? How many Finals MVP does Horry have?
88-92? How about 81?

Horry's the man. He made three different teams winners.

What's the most points Horry has scored in three quarters?

62 is four more than the number of wins LeBrowned had this season. Case Closed.

What's the most points Horry has scored in three quarters?

62 is four more than the number of wins LeBrowned had this season. Case Closed.

Defeat conceded.