Vertical Jump Not a Priority for NBA's All-Time Top 50 Players

I had been trying to get better at the game for awhile now, and I always thought good vertical jump height is one critical aspect to work on to really shine in the game. But apparently I might be wrong. I came across this article today, the really great players were good not because they are jumping heads above the rest, but it all boils down to the basic, like ball handling and passing. Take a look at the article below.

There is no debate over the fact that fundamentals skills have eroded slowly over the past 25 years. The Michael Jordan era ushered in a new individual style of play. Instead of pivoting, shooting, cutting, passing, and defending, young players focused on a different set of skills. A thorough analysis of the NBA's All-Time Top 50 players make one thing crystal clear; the best players ever were dedicated to the game's fundamentals of passing, dribbling, and shooting. And they loved the game.
Forget the ads for vertical leap, exploding to the rim, and miracle "jumping shoes". They may help you jump higher but will never make you into a well-rounded basketball player. The game is and always will be about fundamentals. The same is true for the sports of football, baseball, and golf.
Have you ever heard a coach interviewed after a tough loss say, "If we just would have executed more tip dunks or 360 degree slams, we would have won." I doubt you have ever heard that said. Instead you hear NFL, MBL, or NBA coaches say, "We need to get back to the basics of the game . When we get away from them, nothing good ever happens." That's the statement I've heard hundreds of times over the past 25 years. A commitment to the basic fundamentals of any game lead to progress, growth, and success.
The following is a list of the NBA's All-Time Top 50 Team:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nate Archibald, Paul Arizin, Charles Barkley, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Dave Bing, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, Billy Cunningham, Dave DeBusschere, Clyde Drexler, Julius Erving, Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Gerorge Gervin, Hal Greer, John Havlicek, Elvin Hayes, Magic Johnson, Sam Jones, Michael Jordan, Jerry Lucas, Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Pete Maravich, Kevin McHale, George Mikan, Earl Monroe, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Parish, Bob Pettit, Scottie Pippen, Willis Reed, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Bill Russell, Dolph Shayes, Bill Sharman, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Nate Thurmond, Wes Unseld, Bill Walton, Jerry West, Lenny Wilkens, and James Worthy.
As you coach young people in the sport of basketball please consider these questions:
Did Arizin, Cousy, Jones, Russell, and Shayes spend their time working on vertical leap?
Did Larry Bird lean on his athletic ability throughout his high school, college, and NBA career?
Why did Julius Erving become a well-rounded, fundamental player after he realized he could jump?
How much time did Stockton, Monroe, Frazier, Greer, Archibald, Thomas, and Wilkens spend on learning the fundamentals of ball handling and passing?
Why did Pistol Pete Maravich dribble at the theater and out the window of a moving car?
Why is George Mikan known as the "Father of Post Play".
How many of these 50 players spent their time become better jumpers?
How high would you rate the basketball IQ of this group?
What are the traits that this group of players have in common? Without fundamentals, knowledge of the game, and a love for basketball, how many of these 50 players would have made this team? NONE! If you are a coach of young people, heed the message of this article. Bells and whistles work on kid's bikes, but get you nowhere in basketball. The key to improving as a player is and always be about hard work, perseverance, and honoring the time proven fundamentals of the game. Don't miss this bus!
Randy Brown has passion for the game of basketball. He works as a basketball consultant and mentor for coaches. Visit him at http://www.coachrb.com for free resources, Q & A, newsletter, and coaching programs. A speaker and writer, he has authored 75 articles on coaching and is nationally published. His 18 years in college basketball highlights a successful 23-year career. Mentored by Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson at Arizona. Resume includes positions at Arizona, Iowa State, Marquette, Drake, and Miami of Ohio, 5 Conference Championships and 5 NCAA appeearances. His efforts have helped develop 12 NBA players including Steve Kerr, Sean Elliott, and Jaamal Tinsley. To contact Randy, email him at rb@coachrb.com
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USA Basketball Team For 2008 Olympics

Finally after a lot of deliberation, the list of candidates for the USA basketball team for the 2008 Olympics was announced. Hopefully, this basketball team is all set to redeem itself after the poor show at the 2004 Olympics when USA won the bronze medal.
The list includes 21 NBA stars and has the names of some of the finest NBA players. They are Carmelo Anthony, Gilbert Arenas, Shane Battier, Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Bruce Bowen, Elton Brand, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison, Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion, Brad Miller, Lamar Odom, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Michael Redd, Luke Ridnour, Amare Stoudemire, and Dwyane Wade.
J J Redick and Adam Morrison have also been invited; taking the roster to a total of 23 players.
The exclusion of Allen Iverson has raised a lot of media attention. However, it is felt that it could be because of Iverson’s age and his style of playing that made the selectors exclude him from the roster. This is despite the important role he played in the 2004 Olympics.
According to national team manager Jerry Colangelo, the USA basketball is looking to form a team not of individual stars but of athletes, shooters, role players and distributors. Colangelo also hopes that Greg Oden, the high school basketball star, would be able to join the team for training this summer.
The selected players attended a training camp at Las Vegas followed by exhibition games in China and South Korea. Thereafter, a 12 man roster was selected for the World Championships in Japan.
2007 will see the team undergoing another training. This could be the regional Olympics qualifying. It will be followed by another training camp and exhibition games in 2008 just before the start of Beijing Olympics.
About the writer: Nigel Kerry is an American free lance writer born in Los Angeles, California. Kerry writes Sportsbook reviews, sport book articles and articles with respect to Sports Betting.
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