A NEW BREED

It's every childhood basketball player's dream to play in the NBA. At a young age you're taught the fundamentals of the game and are told that with these fundamentals, hard work, and dedication you can go a long way. Unfortunately, in this new era of basketball it seems that the fundamentals have been completely thrown out the window. From high school all the way up to the NBA it's obvious that the fundamentals aren't being taught, and being athletic is the only aspect that matters. Whether you want to admit it or not, the NBA brand is suffering with these players entering the draft early when they clearly aren't ready. While some of you may be sad that the NCAA Tournament is coming to a close tomorrow night I will be relieved in some ways. From terrible free throw shooting, lack of court awareness, and just flat out poor execution watching these games can be more frustrating than entertaining to watch. There were so many examples of these scenarios happening in the tournament, but one that sticks out in my mind is the game between Iowa State and North Carolina.  ISU's DeAndre Kane put the Cyclones up 85-83 with 1.8 left in the game. You would think right after the basket one of the Tar Heels would've signaled for a timeout to orchestrate one last play, but that wasn't the case. UNC raced the ball to half court before calling a timeout. With so little time on the clock by the time UNC got the ball to the half court the game was over. Not to just pick on the college kids but even at the pro level these superstars lack fundamentals as well. When I was younger I was taught never jump to pass the basketball and stay away from one hand cross court passes. You see these exact things happen all too often while watching NBA games. You can look at the best player in the world LeBron James and see even he lacks fundamental discipline on the court. With the younger kids looking up to these NBA players they tend to often imitate what they see their favorite player do on the court, whether it's good or bad.

 This upcoming NBA draft has developed hype with the anticipation that players such as Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker will go pro. With Wiggins declaring for the draft not too long ago people are awaiting Parker's decision. Personally, I believe Wiggins could use more development on the college level as well as Parker. There's speculation that Parker is leaning towards coming back for another season at Duke which I would be a great move. Don't get me wrong though, I would never knock a player for leaving college early for a chance to provide for their families, but at the same time college basketball isn't what it use to be with all these one and done players. The lack of player development in the NBA is one of the reasons I believe Commissioner Adam Silver may raise the age limit for players to enter the NBA. What ever happened to the back to the basket big men? The mid range jumper? The only answer I have is that these fundamentals are no longer being taught at a young age and it's a shame. Bring back the fundamentals!