Jordan or LeBron? Greatness or greatness? Championships or Championships? Leader or leader? Winner or winner? Honestly can you go wrong with either choice? The answer is no. It depends on what you want and expect out of your leading man. Jordan is different in many wants when it comes to LeBron and LeBron is different from Jordan in many ways.

​ But when it comes to this debate on who's the G.O.A.T. what never gets brought up is expectations, medicine, and the game of basketball at the time just to get into a few differences. It's always stats vs stats and comparing the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's to early 2000's, 2010's and now the 2020's and is that simply fair to do when comparing the two players? Absolutely not. So much has changed from the time Jordan entered the league to 2021 that has changed the way the game is played and how players go about playing.
 
Comparing these two players by stats is like comparing a movie that came out in 1988 and a movie that came out in 2019 with how much money they made and not looking at inflation, what was going on with society, and how promoting movies has changed when they were released in their respected times. I won't try and tell you who's better and who to go with but I will try and give you a different perspective when comparing the two players who are great in their own ways.
 
When Jordan was playing and in his prime, the game was played at a very slow pace compared to how it is played today. That means less shots are being taken and the opportunity to score is much lower than it is today. Fouls were also being called less and therefore Jordan was having less opportunities at the free throw line and the game was more physical when it came to hard fouls and injuries, which means more time out for players then today.

As the game has changed throughout the years, more rules were added to make the game safer for players and therefore giving them a lot more opportunities at the free throw line. The game has also made the game a lot more family friendly so they made rules to help stop fighting and physical fouls which means less players being injured and more time playing the game.
 
We can also take a look at how fast the game is played and how teams run their offenses compared to when Jordan was playing. In today's game, teams are shooting about 50 to 60 three point shots a game which is leading to higher scores and more points for the players who play in today's game. The game also is more spread out in today's game which leads to much clearer paths when driving to the lane then compared to when Jordan was playing.

Jordan's Era was played much closer together which led to hard fouls when driving to the lane and being hit by more players as well. The fact that Jordan was not a three point shooter also hurts him when comparing him to LeBron because LeBron plays today, where if you don't have a 3 point shot, you won't play. Jordans era also shot a lot more mid range shots and if you watch today's game, the mid range shot has pretty much disappeared.
 
Those are just a couple of differences in the game that have severely impacted stats of these two players. Another thing to look at is medicine and technology when looking at injuries and strength and conditioning in the NBA. We all know since the 80s technology in medicine and overall health has changed so much and this has impacted how players played, were treated for injuries and how long they were able to play in the NBA. LeBron has the best treatment money can buy to keep his body in top shape to play for as long as he would like.

Jordan has the same thing but again, the technology and knowledge was not the same and so much worse in my opinion. We can also compare the nutritional aspect of being in the NBA. Just looking and comparing what was eaten and what was suggested in the 80s and 90s to now? It doesn't compare because we know so much more about what's better for our bodies and this helps with injuries and our overall physical condition. This clearly has an impact on both players.
 
When looking at expectations when the two played. Jordan legit hated players who did not play for him. He would not talk to them and you can even make an argument the reason Isiah Thomas was not on the dream team was because of Jordan. Jordan did not team up and with anyone and was surrounded by players who knew their roles very well. Jordan or anyone else at the time teamed up together to win and that is clearly different in today's NBA. Jordan was expected to lead and win by scoring and since the game was played at a slower pace, it means his assists were lower than LeBrons and so were his rebounds.

LeBron was much more friendly when it comes to his opponents. He teamed up with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Anthony Davis just to name a few SuperStars he's played with. The game has changed with how players go about winning but we all know LeBron isn't the only one to do this.
 
One last thing to consider when looking at this debate. Players learn, evolve, and take moves from people before them. Jordan took moves and learned the game from people who were legends to him and who did things that were never seen before. LeBron did the same thing. Jordan then took everything he learned and did it better and same with LeBron. The difference is, LeBron learned a lot from Jordan, Jordan didn't learn anything from LeBron. LeBron saw a lot more talented players and more skills performed at a high level then Jordan did so had much more to go off of and add to his game then Jordan.
 
I could go on and on about how the 1980's were different then 2021 in the game of basketball but that isn't necessary. Looking at this Jordan vs LeBron debate should definitely be looked at in this light because clearly it isn't the same game and it gives a lot of context behind the numbers. This is very important when comparing the two and whose career is more impressive and ultimately who is the G.O.A.T.
 

​What happened to Kobe, his daughter and the rest of those families was terrible. There is no other way to say it. It was just simply heartbreaking when the news broke that everyone died in the helicopter. Since that moment, everyone seems to be in love with Kobe and everything that he did, like he never did any wrong. I am not saying that he was a terrible person or whether he did some of the things he was accused of doing but when he was taking over the league, he was not a very likeable guy due to his intensity and competitive nature.
 
Everyone seems to forget that he was accused of rape in 2003. Now whether you believe that he did or did not do it, having this allegation brought against you is still very serious and did not make him very popular around the league or in society in general. Over that past year a lot of things were spoken to be later false and ultimately the case was dropped after the accuser would not testify in court.
 
Kobe has also cursed out a lot of teammates over his time as an NBA player and did not get along with his SuperStar teammate Shaq. You could make a very good argument that he was the reason Shaq was traded from LA to Miami. You could also make a strong argument that he did not help young players on the team feel comfortable or even liked at some moments while on the team due to his nature of wanting to win. Another argument that you can make is that because of his bully nature to his teammates, it hurt their ability to succeed in the NBA and ultimately not playing in the NBA anymore. He was also not a very likeable player outside of his own team. Jalen Rose for a long time did not like Kobe, probably from him dropping 81 on his team, the Toronto Raptors, at the time but that he was also so cocky about it. Shaq is another person that did not like Kobe too for a while because of comments that Kobe made towards him. I know that Celtics fans did not like him at all due to the fact that he beat them in the NBA finals and mostly because of the hatred each franchise has towards each other.
 
There are also a lot of other individual stories around the league that are just like these ones. But going back to my main point, everyone seemed to forget all of these stories and the allegations when Kobe died. Why? He's not a bad person for these stories, it's just who he was. When someone dies, we should be honest about who the man was, not glorify him into something he wasn't. He wasn't very liked and that was okay with him because he wanted to win, he wanted to be a killer, and didn't care about feelings. Why do you think he's called the black mamba?
 
It seems to me that after he died there were a lot of fake fans that started to show up to pretend like they knew what kind of a person he was or knew his reputation around the league. A lot of people who didn't support him while he was alive, started to support him after he was dead. That just doesn't sit right with me. I wasn't a Kobe fan while he played, I respected how he won and wanted to win but my guy will always be Dwyane Wade. It won't ever change. When Kobe died, I knew it was a great loss to a lot of people who looked up to him and played against him but I wasn't all of a sudden a fan. I didn't go out to buy a jersey, buy his shoes or all of a sudden to care about everything he did. I remembered him exactly the way he was while he was alive, a cold blooded killer who had bad accusations brought up against him and who was not liked because of how much he wanted to win. Simple.
 
In conclusion, I would not say that he was not a very likeable person outside of Lakers fans. He was very competitive while he played the game which is why he was one of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball but when it came to his likeability around the league and with fans around the US he was not liked by many.
 
 

The Heat are currently sitting at 13th in the east with a record of 7 wins and 12 losses. Not counting the last game they played Saturday, they were 2 and 8 in their last ten games. They were all played without their SuperStar Jimmy Butler.
 
Taking a look at Bam those last 10 games without Jimmy, Bam only scored over 20 points four times and in those games he scores over 20 points, his lead his team to a 1 win and 3 loss record. One of those games he scored 41 points but Miami still did not win the game. Bam has proven that he can play at a very high level and score whenever he wants but that still is not leading his teams to victory.
 
After Jimmy returns for almost two whole weeks off from playing a basketball game, his stats line was 30 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. He also had the go ahead bucket with less then a minute to go and the Heat won their first game after five straight losses. I know this is a small sample size but why is it when Jimmy is out and Bam is leading, Miami seems not to win but when Jimmy is leading, Miami seems to figure out how to win.
 
When looking at Bams stats over the previous 10 games without Jimmy, he averaged 20.6 points, 6.3 assists and 9.8 rebounds a game on 53% from the field and 88% from the free throw line. Now if you don't watch any games and you look at that, you would think the Heat would be 7 and 3 or 8 and 2 over their last 10 games. Welp, clearly this isn't the case.
 
Bam has team spirit, he plays hard, he defends, he rebounds, he shares the ball and gets his teammates involved and seems to do everything else for this team. So why doesn't their record reflect this? Why is it that when Jimmy was back, Bam wasn't the go to guy when down late in the 4th? For me, I think it is very clear. He doesn't know how to win yet, he doesn't believe in himself enough, and he doesn't play aggressive and selfish enough.
 
When I say he doesn't know how to win yet, I am strictly saying that when in a close game or the team needs someone to go to, he doesn't seem to be that guy. Jimmy clearly is and knows how to score and take over games when it is needed. Dwyane Wade knew how to do the same thing. Towards the end of his career, he would only score about 8 to 10 points through 3 quarters but when the 4th quarter came, he scored at will, had huge blocked shots and steals as well. He would end the game with about 20 to 25 points. He had go to moves to score and lead his team to a victory. Bam is still young and still needs to know how to do this without Jimmy on the court.
 
Bam simply does not believe in himself to take over a basketball game when the time comes. I listen to him speak and he says that he clearly believes in himself and his teammates but when I watch him play, I don't think he does. He is still very hesitant to shoot the ball at times even though he is getting better. He still doesn't have a go to move that he can constantly score off of. He doesn't look to score when the defense sags off of him, he looks to pass. He still gets stripped fairly easily when driving or making a move in the lane. Seeing all of these features from him in games doesn't show that he has confidence in his game. He needs to shoot jumpers more to make the defense really respect him. He needs to be stronger with the ball when in the lane and he needs to develop a go to move that he can score off of at any given moment to show more confidence in his game.
 
This last part has to do with my previous two paragraphs. He isn't aggressive and selfish enough. When Bam has the ball on offense, he mostly looks to pass and get others involved, which is not a bad thing at all, but he is becoming predictable to the defense. This is leading to double teams and sagging defense on Bam. If Bam shows that he will take his jumpers more, this will lead to him having other teammates open and him being able to have more driving lanes when playing. When watching players like Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and even past players like Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant, you can see that in order to win games sometimes it is very necessary to be selfish and get yourself more looks and shots in a game to help your team win. Once Bam learns and realizes this, the Heat will finally win more when Jimmy is out and they will finally get this SuperStar that they always knew Bam could be.
 
The Heat want Bam to be the next SuperStar for the team. If he is going to reach this level then these are the things that need to improve in his game.
 
 

Acceptance is a very important aspect of playing sports. These athletes at every level and in every sport need to understand that they all have a role to fill when it comes to winning and playing together. Some of the best teams that have won championships in the NBA, not only had great players, but everyone on the team knew what their role was and played it without complaint or jealousy of another teammate. The Miami Heat when they had Wade, Bosh, and James. They were all the number one option on their own respected teams and they all came together and that couldn't be the case anymore. Bosh accepted that and accepted that he would have to be the 3rd option when on the court with the other two superstars. Wade and LeBron had to figure out how they could win together being the number 1 option. It took some time but eventually, even though Wade was the number 1 option for years before LeBron came, he knew that if they were going to win and succeed that lebron needed to be that number one option.

This has played a major role in almost every successful team in the NBA. MJ, Pippen, and Rodman all had specific roles and knew and played their roles very well and because of that, they were very successful. When KD chose to go to Golden State to play with Steph, Klay, and Green, they all had to accept different and new roles in order to succeed.
 
This also comes with age as well, when you get older and you are able to do less things at your position, you will be used a lot differently on the team. When it comes to Ray Allen, joining the heat, his role was a lot different then before he did. Part of joining a new team is accepting that you will have different and new roles then you did before. Another example of this is with Carmelo Anthony. He was the number one option for the nuggets and the Knicks when he played for them but as he got older, his role was changed and he had a hard time accepting that fact when he played for OKC. He wanted to be a starter but the coach at the time thought he would fit better on the bench and so this caused tension and it ultimately led to him being out of the NBA for a few years. He then found a team, the Portland Trailblazers, to give him the role he wanted, a starting role, even though he wasn't the number one or two option. Accepting these facts is very important yet hard for athletes because it means that they don't get what they want or that their prime has passed and they will eventually have to retire from the sport they once loved.
 
Players also need to accept that they won't make every shot, they won't complete every pass, and they won't hit every ball and they won't win every game. We can look at this past weekend when Tom Brady faced Drew Brees in a playoff game. No one can argue that they both aren't all time great quarterbacks but at the end of the day, one had to lose and one had to win. That's a hard pill to swallow for both of these players because they are great at what they do yet, both of them can't win. They both had to accept that all they could do is go out there and try to play their best game and hopefully it was enough to win. When looking at the NBA, no matter how talented teams are, at the end of the day, it's the same thing, one team has to win and the other has to lose. These players also have to accept the fact that they will play bad games and that they will have games where they throw a lot of interceptions, where they will strike out a lot and where they will have a very bad night shooting the ball. It has happened to every great player that has ever played in their respected sports. The one thing that separates them is that they don't let this get in their way of how they continue to play their game and how hard they work to continue to be better. Acceptance is a very big part of that because if you can't accept things will undoubtedly happen, then it will eventually destroy you when it keeps happening over and over again and you don't change and accept the new circumstances of reality.
 
Now its very important to understand one thing when figuring out how to accept things like these, every person in the world, no matter how rich or poor, big or small, tall or short, no matter their religion or race, we all have to accept things that are hard for us to accept. Whether its accepting that a divorce is final, accepting that you lost a child, accepting you didn't get a promotion, accepting that you have mental health issues, the fact that you didn't make the right choice when it comes to family, friends or relationship, or that you have gained weight people have to accept things every day big or small and it is very hard to do but acceptance and change can be done if you fight and work for this.
 
If there is one thing that you take away from this article its that hardships and changes are going to happen in your life no matter whether its a sport where you are getting paid millions of dollars to do or if you are just an ordinary person like me and you, that if you don't learn how to accept these changes or losses, it will only hurt you when trying to live and love the rest of your life.

​


















​

​After the critically acclaimed 10-part Michael Jordan documentary, “The Last Dance” aired on ESPN this past spring, it begged the question: Would today’s NBA legends be able to survive playing in today’s game? Maybe yes, and maybe no.
 
As every basketball fan knows, there are many factors that go into what makes an NBA player great. Change in how the game is played and its rules, all contribute to how a legend would play in the year 2021.
 
So, what NBA legends would most likely only play average if we transported them to a current NBA game? Let’s take a look (in no particular order):
 
1. Magic Johnson: Yes, Magic Johnson won five NBA championships. He is mostly known for his size, as well as his passing ability. However, it took several years for him to become a good outside shooter, which wouldn’t be afforded to him in today’s game. As well his lack of strong shot would hurt him. With all that said, one could argue he would be a great player/facilitator in 2021.
 
2. Shaquille O’Neal: If you are thinking this is a stretch, Shaq was a fantastic player, don’t get us wrong, but he would struggle because he can’t shoot as well as most players today. As well, he wasn’t known for being the best passing man in his era. However, Shaq would disagree, he himself said he would average 40 points per game in today’s NBA. We would love to see that and eat our words!
 
3. George Mikan: Nicknamed, “Mr. Basketball”, George Mikan was known for being the pioneer of modern aged basketball. He was the NBA’s first superstar and was the start of NBA’s first dynasty. Today’s game, however, is much faster, and the players are even stronger. Mikan, although a dominating and large player at 6’10” would most likely struggle to stay in the game and dominate as he once did. 
 
4. John Stockton: Even though John Stockton had the most assists in his career in NBA history (15,806) and was a great passer, he would struggle in today’s game. He was dependent on the pick and roll. And, much like George Mikan, Stockton would suffer from the players and the game being faster and stronger. If he could only rely on a pick and roll play, he may survive the game, but it just would not be likely in 2021.
 
5. Wilt Chamberlin: The only player in NBA history to have scored 100 points in one game, would struggle in today’s game for a few reasons. In his earlier career, he was an aggressive player, one that bullied opponents downlow. There also wasn’t much stopping him from getting a basket. Given today’s game rules, changes and strength of players, Chamberlin would fall short. He also was not well known for getting along with his coaches, that would also be an issue today.

6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a one-of-a-kind player. He has an unstoppable (and patented) shot, the skyhook, which makes him one of the greats. However, in today’s game, Abdul-Jabbar would be great offensively but struggle with the pacing and small ball of today’s NBA. As well, his size would no longer be as much of an asset to him.

7. Bill Russell: Bill Russell was a fantastic player and won 11 championships during his playing days. Though he was one of the first players to use alley-oops, he would struggle in today’s era where the big man needs to develop a strong outside shot. Unfortunately, as a player, Russel had little range and a mediocre jump.

8. Charles Barkley: Charles Barkley is one of the best pure rebounders the NBA has seen. However, in today’s game withs stronger, faster and bigger athletes, Barkley would struggle being a power forward against today’s game forwards. He may also have a hard time with switches against faster guards and centers. 

9. Karl Malone: Another player who used the pick and roll play to his advantage (he played with John Stockton), Karl Malone was known as the most lethal back in his day with this play. As we know from John Stockton, pick and rolls would not do as well in 2021. Malone also was a very strong player from the mid-range area, using flares close to the free throw line. Unfortunately, this would not fare well in today’s game, and Malone also does not have a large range.
 
10. Bob Pettit: Bob Pettit, was an all-star for each of his 11 seasons in the NBA back in the 1960s. He was also much smaller than the players of today’s game. Therefore, Pettit would unfortunately struggle guarding in today’s game; not only because of the sheer size of the athletes, but the skill and speed of them.
 
What NBA players do you think would be just average in today’s game?
 
 

​I haven't missed a Miami Heat game since the 2015 season and let me tell you I'm not a fan that takes it lightly on their team. I understand that this season they are coming off the shortest offseason ever and with covid and people being out for safety purposes makes it difficult to win games especially with basically 0 rest. But, the fact that Bam was an first time all-star last year, Kendrick Nunn was first team all rookie, Tyler Herro was second team all rookie, and Duncan Robison broke the single season Miami Heat record of 3s made in a single season and was only 2nd in 3s made all season behind James Harden. Its hard to understand why this team behind these 4 rising stars aren't being more successful in the wins column.
 
First off, Kendrick Nunn has been non existent since the bubble started last year and that has continued into this season. I am not sure why as he showed he can be a good ball handler and can score when he wants to. I would like to see Kendrick to be put back into the starting lineup. Before last night's game, you could really see that he wasn't the same player as last year and I can understand why, he was stripped of his minutes and for no good reason. Last night he showed why he deserves to be put back into the starting lineup as he scored the ball, played good defense, made good passes throughout the game. 
 
Duncan has been who we all thought he is and much much more. He's making 3s, like usual, but he's also grown and shown how good his ability is to drive and score and drive and pass when ran off the 3 point line. His inprovemt on the defensive end has been impressive as well and it will continue to improve as he plays more games. Duncan has shown that he is much more then just a 3 point shooter for this team and if he keeps showing that, this team will have better and more consistant success.
 
Tyler Herro struggled in the beginning of the season coming into a new role as the point guard and having to make plays out on the court while reading the defense.  You could tell as his turnovers were very high and he was not being the offensive player that we saw the year before. Now, i understand that it takes time to come into a new role, especially in the NBA at 20 years old but he has settled into his role very well over the past few games before getting injured with being able to score at the rim and the midrange and very much improved on the defensive end even though he can still improve. If Tyler can put all of these pieces together by limiting his turnovers, scoring at all 3 levels, being a good passes and playing solid defense then this Miami team will continue to make progress.
 
Even if all of these guys played great every game, the Miami Heat need Bam to play like he did last night. Now if you look at his stats for the reason, you might be wondering why I'm saying that because he played a good game last night like he usually does. BUT the way he did it with his midrange shots and the timing that he took over the game is what he needs to do night in and night out for this team to really get back to winning. Bam last night looked more to shoot the ball on offense, not just drive and pass. His ability to hit that midrange shot is off the charts percentage wise but he needs to shoot at a higher volume to make defenses respect him more with that shot, like he did last night. If he can constantly shoot that midrange shot like Chris Both did for the heat, he will be even better then Chris Bosh ever was. Bam needs to realize that he is the heart and soul of this team and he needs to look to be that leader and that guy who can be that dominant and good every single game.
 
As soon as he figures that out, the Miami Heat will start winning more games. My ideal starting lineup would include all four of these players, Nunn, Herro, Robison, Bulter, and Bam with Goran, Bradley, K.O., Precious and Iggy coming off the bench.
 
With this combination the Heat would finally start to put the pieces together.

​The NBA is in a time that it has never had to deal with before. The league has to try to manage how it will handle the rise of cancelation games and the undeniable fact that more players will be exposed to covid and that more players will test positive themselves as they travel and live their own personal lives. There have been some noticeable games these past few weeks that have been canceled vs not been canceled.
 
 The Miami Heat had a game where they had to play and eventually half of their roster was soon not able to play for covid related issues. The teams that seem to get more positive press have had games canceled which help them in the long run not having to play short handed but again, the Miami Heat, who, even though they made the NBA finals last season and pushed the Lakers to 6 games who still seem to not get any credit or respect that they deserve from the media, still had to play the 76ers twice almost at full strength and the pistons when they were at less than full strength themselves.
 
The NBA is definitely approaching a time where it needs to make a decision for the rest of the season because one can't help but notice who's games get canceled vs others when it will have a big effect on these teams in the standings and playoffs. The NBA can either cancel the rest of the season or they can figure out how to make a new bubble as they did last season to finish the season. This will help with getting games canceled and help with players getting sick or affected by covid.

​The NBA has already shortened the season this year so with less games being played, more games being canceled, and more players being affected, Adam Silver needs to make a decision that will help the players, teams and their seasons. 

​




​

Never give up! Never surrender!
Those words are his slogan. And what a slogan it is. Strong and powerful as his performance and attitude towards the game of basketball. The statement: "He is playing out of his world," said by great Dirk Nowitzki, is a reality. Can you already guess his name? No? Another hint is coming from the words of an icon Lebron James: "He is one bad MOFO." Yes, it is true; we are talking about a 6 ft 7 in 2018 round one 3rd pick in the NBA Luka Dončić himself.


Have you ever had an opportunity to read and learn more about the #77 phenomena from Slovenia? Here it goes in short.
Born in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, on the 28th of February 1999 spent his youth playing for Union Olimpija before heading to Spain to the youth academy of Real Madrid. In 2015 he made a debut for the first team aged 16 and so becoming the youngest in club history. Two years later, he already led Madrid to the EuroLeague title in 2018, winning the MVP of the season as well as the final four MVP. Imagine being a lead player at the age of 18 and, by that fact, also collecting personal rewards. He was also named the ABC MVP (Spanish league) and won back-to-back EuroLeague Rising Star reward and ABC Best young player awards. He was selected to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team. Amazing for a youngster.


Dončić made his senior debut for the Slovenia National team in 2016 at only 17 years of age. Doncic was already named in the best five All-Tournament teams in 2017 EuroBasket after helping his country win its first title working with his national team mentor Goran "the Dragon" Dragić as its captain.
As mentioned in 2018, Dončić was drafted to NBA, joining the Dallas Mavericks (picked by Atlanta Hawks but traded to Dallas – we can still Atlanta fans complaining and how true they are). He was selected unanimously to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and won Rookie of the Year for the 2018–19 season. In his rookie season, he was selected to his first NBA All-Star game and named to the All-NBA First Team. And here we can mention that for him, only the sky is the limit.
His profile as a player is versatile. He was frequently described as a "position-less guard" with attributes of a point guard, shooting guard, and small forward. Standing 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and weighing 230 pounds (104.3 kg), he has been praised for his exceptional size and strength for the guard position. Sports website The Ringer labeled him a "legitimate point guard with the size of a small-ball power forward.


Since his early years with Real Madrid, he was marked as one of Europe's premier talents, with Spanish newspaper Marca giving him the nickname "El Niño Maravilla" (The Wonder Boy). Entering the 2018 NBA draft, he was seen as one of the best and most accomplished European prospects of his generation by the majority. Slam magazine considered him the "best international prospect ever, and sports website SB Nation named him "most accomplished NBA prospect in decades. An anonymous NBA veteran said that his game was "leap years above anyone" in his draft class. And he still has both feet on the ground and delivers as promised. He shoots, passes, jumps, and steals. The reality is that we can count the same types of players thru out the NBA or international basketball history, using fingers on only one of the arms.


He is versatile on the offensive end, displaying proficiency in shooting three-pointers, mid-range jump shots, floaters, and shots in the post. His basketball IQ is on a high level, and his skills are considered his primary assets, and he is seen as an elite facilitator, especially on the pick and roll. NBA and EuroLeague coach Ettore Messina called him "phenomenal, especially mentally" for his age. And still, some flaws are mentioned regarding his games (there is no perfection on this planet). His lack of lateral quickness to stay in front of most NBA point guards and wings has been labeled one of his main flaws.

​Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle disputed some of the worries regarding his athleticism, stating that "for a 19-year-old, he's got a really unusual combination of size, speed, and deceptive quickness." During his rookie year, his ability to accelerate off a pick and blow by defenders to get to the basket is seen as one of his strengths. Given the false characterization of his abilities and his subsequent success in the NBA, some speculate that prejudiced stereotyping might have had a role in his negative pre-draft evaluation. But he is strong, going both ways as a person and as a player in the same manner. 


Before his draft, basketball journalist and scout Austin Green compared him to NBA players Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson, as on the other side, he compared himself to Ben Simmons due to his versatility. In his second season, LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers stated that "there's a lot of people in him." He likened his step-back 3-pointers to James Harden, his passing ability to Larry Bird, and his court vision to LeBron James. All of them positioned NBA as THE league, so comparing him with them is as standing on top of the highest mountain top. NBA analyst, Kendrick Perkins, called him "baby LeBron" due to his overall skill and dominance on the court.
In December 2019 Gregg Popovich, called his playing style "Magic Johnson-like" because "he sees the floor in that same way. In August 2020, head coach Rick Carlisle compared his playmaking and court vision to Larry Bird and Jason Kidd. He said he's a "savant-type guy" and is "in that same mold" as the two Hall of Famers. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo called him "one of the most talented guys I've ever played against." During his first career playoff game versus the LA Clippers, TV analyst and former point guard Mark Jackson, reiterated his view of him calling him "an absolute combination of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird."
Is there anything more to add? He is a rising star with the potential of becoming the greatest and standing in the same line as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Lebron James, and many others. He is the ONE to look after. But as an individual, it is impossible to make more than personal records. So the TEAM is still important. And Dallas is making one around Luka Dončić.
For more info/stats/etc. please refer to https://www.mavs.com/team/roster/luka-doncic/.

BAM ADEBAYO AND HEAT AGREE TO  MAX EXTENSION
Center Bam Adebayo will now have the richest contract in Miami Heat history. A deal that even surpasses star Jimmy Butler. The Heat signed Adebayo to a 5-year $195 million dollar contract yesterday, solidifying an important piece of their puzzle.
​
The move makes the Heat one of the many winners in free agency as they also signed forward Jae Crowder, as well as guard Avery Bradley and resigned forward Meyers Leonard and guard Goran Dragic giving them one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. They also possess a lot of good young talent especially with players such as Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, Derrick Jones and Leonard who is the oldest of the group at age 28.

Adebayo averaged 15.9 points last season as he was the second leading scorer for the Heat. He also led them in rebounds averaging 7.8 rebounds. He was an important part of Miami’s defensive puzzle as well as he named to the All-Defensive team last season. He was also named to the All-Star team in the East as well.

Adebayo missed two games in the NBA Championship series against the Lakers, which hurt the Miami Heat very much. Adebayo played excellent in the playoffs, averaging 24.6 points and 14.3 rebounds.
 
 
 ​