The Unbearable Weight of Big Men

*I’m writing about sports again, trying to sound smart. I worry that I just copy brilliance from the likes of Free Darko and Bomani Jones. But, regardless, here’s me rambling.

It’s hard not to feel bad for Yao Ming. The guy is a freak of nature, and is incredibly dominant…when he can play. And, judging by the news today, he may never be able to play again. This is incredibly sad to me because Yao was entering the prime part of his career and had the potential to be a Bill Russell type of player on defense, that changed the way the offense operated and allowed the Tracy McGradys and the Aaron Brooks of the world to prosper even further. But, some things are just not meant to be. When both Yao and McGrady were healthy, the Rockets looked like a team destined to win a Championship. McGrady would show up on Sports Center showcasing amazing talent, and Yao would walk away from every game with jaw dropping defensive numbers. But then, injuries set in. McGrady and Yao were never healthy at the same time. McGrady wound up getting traded to the Knicks and now plays with Rip Hamilton in Detroit, which  isn’t nearly as good as it sounds. And Yao apparently can’t walk up and down a hard wood floor without getting hurt. Now, we’re left with a guy who was entering his prime who will probably face serious consequences if he ever tries to play again. This is the same guy who brought the NBA to an entire culture, that has had more economic and global impact for the Association than almost anyone in the past few decades besides 23 (the first one,) 24, and that guy who played Kazam.

I guess it’s stuff like this that makes me realize how great the old great ones really are.  Yao’s body couldn’t handle the strain of the sport, and the way he was treated in games, being limited to 24 minutes a game, having all kinds of protective measures, it was like he was the NBA equivalent of a Tennessee Williams character. That kind of makes me appreciate the Russells, Chamberlins, and Olajuwons more, and how rare those guys are. And that those guys were never just big walls of height, either. All three of them were elegant power given form, and completely changed the way the game was played. I’m biased a bit here because I saw Olajuwon as I grew up, and as a result, he is my favorite player, so I want to make sure I don’t undersell the two giants from decades ago. In their book, Free Darko describes Russell and Chamberlin as the representatives of opposite sides of every argument: defense vs. offense, team vs. individual, left vs. right, righteousness vs. sin. Regardless of which one you prefer, both represented a cosmic shift in how basketball was played, especially at the time. Wilt broke every record known to man. Bill has more rings than MJ. They were forces of nature that were undeniable and have showed their impact through the ages. Everything they did defied logic. Bruce Lee famously described how we should attempt to be like water: infinitely adaptable, powerful movements without exertion, an irresistible force. And, really, that’s what these two were: fluid force incarnate.

Olajuwon is slightly overshadowed by that other guy who played when he did, Michael Jordan. Many argue that the Rockets rings during that period don’t count because Jordan wasn’t in the league, but that, as Bomani Jones has said, ignores what Olajuwon was. Olajuwon had everything. It was unfair having to play him. He was big. He was fast. He had a post game. He had a jump shot. He had that incomparable “Dream Shake.” And, to top it all off, he was smart. He understood how other players approached the games, and could shut them down because of it. If setting up on the outside didn’t work, he could always move past them. He blew past defenders because they often underestimated what he could really do. After winning his fourth ring, Kobe Bryant went to Olajuwon to make himself better, to gain insight from the master. For me, Olajuwon is the reason Yao was always so great to watch and Dwight Howard is so infuriating: every once in a while, Yao would show a flash of understanding what Hakeem knew, and Howard, despite his unparalleled potential, hasn’t pushed himself to that level yet. Dwight has the potential and the size to be a new Olajuwon, but for whatever reason, whether it’s because he’s too nice, or more in tuned to the defensive part of the game, or whatever, he hasn’t hit that yet, when he could be doing so much more. But, I’ll keep watching him, waiting, hoping for that light to go on, and for him to move immediately after he gets the ball before the defense can get set, for him to use his intuition and understanding more than his long arms.

That’s, for me, what makes basketball so entertaining: that blend of pure athleticism with grace and intelligence. Wilt could have plowed over guys, and Russell could have one more on offense, but neither did it because they didn’t have to. Olajuwon’s presence on the court has never really been measured by stats, because with him on the interior, especially coupled with Cylde Drexler, it opened up shots for Kenny Smith and others beyond the arc. There are plenty of assists from Olajuwon that were never recorded because of an extra pass. By stepping on the court, he changed how the game would be played. Playing him one on one was never an option, since it essentially meant leaving him open. To see that happen is so rare, it’s impossible not ot get excited when there’s a possibility. While the Lebrons, Kobes, and Michaels of the world (rightfully) get applause for their feats, and the Tim Duncans (though there really may only be one of him) get respect for understanding their role and excelling at it, the Howards and the Amares of the world are the players I watch intently because so much of what they do can go unnoticed if they play the right way. And, if we’re all lucky, one day we’ll see a Yao, a Dwight, or an Amare become a Russell. And that day, giants will walk the earth once more.

Worst Possible Outcome

As I’ve said before, in a lot ways, I’m a Philistine when it comes to sports and my insight into basketball is limited, but I figured I’d say something anyway.

Tomorrow night, the Miami Heat will play the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the grand scheme of things, this game means nothing. It's a game between a team that's a little less than .500 against a team that's a little greater than .500 in December. Ordinarily, the only people who would care are the fans of the respective teams and maybe a few NBA diehards. But we all know that's not really the case.

LeBron James will be back in Cleveland. That means this is the biggest game of the year. One fan referred to it as "Game 7 of the Finals."

Now we can argue back and forth about whether LeBron should be applauded or slammed for his decisions this summer. Many have blasted him, calling him a spoiled child or worse, while others believe he's just trying to win. I'm not educated enough to offer an informed opinion about how the man thinks or why people view him differently (Bill Reitner does a great job of that here) and really, my opinion on James is inconsequential, but just for the record: I'm not a big fan of James as a player or as a person other than to say that he's very good at what he does. He's not as good as he thinks he is, but that comes with the territory of being an athlete. I love Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwan, and Toni Kukoc, but I'm sure that they walked onto the court every game thinking they were the best basketball players to ever walk the earth. Well, except Kukoc, since he played with MJ. And to be fair to MJ and Hakeem, they were both two of the greatest to ever play the game, but I digress. LeBron's a great player. He may not be what everyone wants him to be, but he's still excellent at what he does. He also, if reports are to be believed, someone who buys what he's selling. That's never a good sign. When a salesman buys his own pitch, it's a bad sign because they can't be objective. They become too invested in a product, and they can't do their job.

Now, all that being said, if you look at where the Heat are compared to where they were supposed to be, you can't help but be shocked.

After LeBron decided to take his talents to South Beach, everyone, and I mean everyone except Bomani Jones (who is excellent and who everyone should listen to. Seriously, one of the best sports guys out there) said the Heat were supposed to be incredible. They were supposed to change how we viewed basketball, and be the most dominant team we've ever seen. They were going to shatter the Bulls record and walk to the playoffs. The only possible speed bumps were the elite teams like Orlando, Boston, and, of course, the Lakers. The combination of All-Stars like James, Wade, and Bosh would be all but unstoppable unless teams brought the best they had. They were going to be revolutionary.

Fast forward to December.

The Heat have one win over a good team. They lost to the Pacers at home. Chris Bosh has no inside presence and can't defend well. The scrubs at every other position aren't good enough to be considered role players. Wade's gotten hurt a few times. James is fighting with Coach Eric Spoelstra. This isn't how the script was supposed to go.

While everyone expected there to be some trouble early on, this wasn't supposed to happen. Now, again, we're not even in January yet, so a lot of this is premature and some of the problems should get fixed when everyone's healthy. If Wade and James can work together better, which should happen, that’ll certainly help a lot as well. But that's not going to solve the glaring weaknesses here. Good point guards, like Rondo, Rose, and Williams can exploit their defensive holes. Teams with good power forwards or centers like the Magic can score at will because Bosh is a homeless man’s version of Dirk Nowitzki. Solid teams, like the Jazz, Mavericks, and Spurs, can not only run with them, they can beat them, and they can do so without any more effort than they give against the Nuggets.

The Heat, at least right now, are mediocre.

This is the worst thing that could have happened. They certainly aren’t anywhere near as dominant as we thought they would be. They can’t really be viewed as villains any more, can they? A good villain has to be powerful so it takes a lot to overcome them. All it takes to beat the heat is Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. But they aren’t terrible either. And there’s the rub. If they were terrible, people would pay to watch the train wreck, to see Dwayne and LeBron do their circus dunks and get embarrassed. People would still be watching because of who was involved. Now? They’re lukewarm. They’re sloppy. They’re not entertaining. They can beat teams like the Wizards but not teams like the Hornets. Unless they improve by June, we’re going to see a team that makes the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference and might make it to the second round.

I don’t think this is what anybody thought they were signing up for. It’s more than possible that the Heat will lose to the Cavs tomorrow night. The problem now, though, is that it really won’t mean anything. Rooting against the Heat isn’t worth my time. I might catch glimpses of the game or see the highlights later on, but not if something more engrossing like “When Harry Met Sally” or “A Few Good Men” is on for the millionth time. For the time being, the Heat are little more than a cardboard cutout of a team I should dislike. Think about it. Do you know any obnoxious Miami fans? Every team that’s worth hating has their delusional fan bases (Yankees, Red Sox, Lakers, Celtics, Steelers, Patriots, Cowboys, USC, etc.) You’re seeing the worst case scenario. No one cares, or cares that much. It’s like watching the Late Show on CBS. It’s not good, but it’s not bad enough to make me want to turn the channel. I can ignore it. And that's what's really surprising.