I wish they'd still let you play.

If I was in charge of player personnel, the average player would be 38 years old. And bad.


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Sun Apr 12
Each Sunday Special is dedicated to a type of player I wish was still in the NBA, rather than just one specific player. Sunday Special #2: Ridiculously Huge Centers. Examples: Manute Bol, Gheorghe Mursean, Slavko Vranes, Chuck Nevitt, Shawn Bradley. Now first off, I know what you’re thinking. Yao Ming still plays, so obviously there are still ridiculously huge centers. This is not so, young one. Certainly Yao is huge, but is he ridiculously huge? Consider these questions: Does Yao have some semblence of athleticism? Does Yao have enough weight on his body to look merely skinny, not skeletal? Can Yao catch the ball? Can Yao run? I think if you answer these questions, you will see that, while he may have similar height, Yao Ming is not in the same class as Shawn Bradley or Chuck Nevitt. These guys lacked coordination, they lacked grace, and they lacked toughness. These guys weren’t just huge, they were so huge they were ridiculous. Besides Manute Bol, who was actually pretty decent, the best things these guys did were in the entertainment industry. Muresan: My Giant Bradley: Space Jam* Nevitt: The famous quote: “My sister’s expecting a baby, and I don’t know if I’m going to be an uncle or an aunt.” (explaining to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice, 1982) Slavko Vranes didn’t do anything in entertainment, but that’s more than he did in the nba. *This is true unless you’ve played NBA Inside Drive. If you’ve played NBA Inside Drive, you know that Shawn Bradley wasn’t just good in that game, he was the best player in the league, bar none. So NBA Inside Drive is in the running for the best thing Shawn Bradley ever did, because if he’s that good in the game, he obviously had a hand in its creation. Stand Tall Boys!

Each Sunday Special is dedicated to a type of player I wish was still in the NBA, rather than just one specific player.

Sunday Special #2: Ridiculously Huge Centers.

Examples: Manute Bol, Gheorghe Mursean, Slavko Vranes, Chuck Nevitt, Shawn Bradley.

Now first off, I know what you’re thinking. Yao Ming still plays, so obviously there are still ridiculously huge centers.

This is not so, young one. Certainly Yao is huge, but is he ridiculously huge? Consider these questions:

  • Does Yao have some semblence of athleticism?
  • Does Yao have enough weight on his body to look merely skinny, not skeletal?
  • Can Yao catch the ball?
  • Can Yao run?

I think if you answer these questions, you will see that, while he may have similar height, Yao Ming is not in the same class as Shawn Bradley or Chuck Nevitt. These guys lacked coordination, they lacked grace, and they lacked toughness. These guys weren’t just huge, they were so huge they were ridiculous. Besides Manute Bol, who was actually pretty decent, the best things these guys did were in the entertainment industry.

  • Muresan: My Giant
  • Bradley: Space Jam*
  • Nevitt: The famous quote: “My sister’s expecting a baby, and I don’t know if I’m going to be an uncle or an aunt.” (explaining to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice, 1982)
  • Slavko Vranes didn’t do anything in entertainment, but that’s more than he did in the nba.

*This is true unless you’ve played NBA Inside Drive. If you’ve played NBA Inside Drive, you know that Shawn Bradley wasn’t just good in that game, he was the best player in the league, bar none. So NBA Inside Drive is in the running for the best thing Shawn Bradley ever did, because if he’s that good in the game, he obviously had a hand in its creation.

Stand Tall Boys!