Throughout history, and in all facets of life, evolution happens whether we want to believe it or not. If you were a small caveman or woman, you did not go out and try to kill a wild animal. You picked berries or cooked. Nothing sexist about it. I’m sure there were plenty of women that roamed the earth with their clubs and got their hunting on back in the day. They were the outliers, though. As a result, the generalization that men should be the hunters provided a platform for future bigots. Over time, the development of our brains neutered the size difference and allowed us to change how we interacted with the world. We did get bigger and stronger physically, but we are now not so tied to specific roles like hunter/gatherer and cooker.
The inaugural 1946 NBA season consisted of 11 teams for a total of 182 players. Last season, there were 524 players in the NBA. Below is a chart showing the players grouped by height.
| Under 6′ | 6′ 0″ – 6′ 6″ | Over 6′ 6″ | 7′ | |
| 1946 | 17% | 71% | 11% | 1% |
| 2016 | 1% | 41% | 58% | 8% |
The short guys were usually better ball handlers, while the tall guys were not as skilled and agile. As a result, they were utilized to battle for position close to the basket. The roles were defined.
As the game grew in popularity, the potential player pool increased as more people started hooping. In addition, nutrition and advancements in training methods played a part in players getting bigger, stronger, and more skilled. Finally, the circus just couldn’t compete with hoops to hoard their giants. But at the core, it’s all about Darwinism. Once that 6′ 6″ player could display the same skills and agility as the 5′ 11″ player…
Which brings us to the here and now.
We’ve seen the traditional center slowly getting fazed out of the game. If you can’t shoot, space the floor, and/or switch on defense, you become a liability. Before I dropped out of my accounting class, I did ascertain the knowledge that it’s best to have as few liabilities on the books as possible.
How much longer before the court is filled with all Kevin Durant-like seven footers? The tiny AI or IT-type would become a specialist for last second Tyus Edney miracles or to run out the clock. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possiblity. Have you seen the skill that these young seven-footers are displaying? Insane.
Anyways, it would be irresponsible of me to not comment on the Kyrie Irving situation. My initial thought was that Kyrie was getting bad advice from his camp. Reminded me of an old friend that was influenced into making questionable decisions by his girlfriend. After contemplating on the issue, I kind of get it. Would I do it? Probably not, as I’d want to play with arguably the best basketball player of this generation. With that said, I’m working off an incomplete picture here, as there’s probably a ton of behind the scenes stuff that hasn’t been made public. Alright, back to Kyrie. He has his ring. I believe that Lebron is gone. The only way I can see Lebron staying in Cleveland is if Dan Gilbert sells him the team.
I’d have a better chance of getting more than 1% interest on the money in my savings account than Gilbert ever selling the team to LeBron. Also, you don’t think LeBron remembers all that shit? Lebron’s mom was “[expletive] that, we ain’t going back.” So, if Lebron is gone, what does that roster look like? Exactly. If the basketball side of things doesn’t look promising, then does being in Cleveland have any appeal? No offense Clevelanders. Look at the teams he would like to play for: San Antonio, Miami, New York, and Minnesota. San Antonio is one of the best run organizations in the NBA. Miami is also well-run but there’s also the whole South Beach thing. New York could be on the same level of a Lebron-less Cavs in a few years, but there’d be the whole living in New York thing. Minnesota is one of the up and coming teams.
It seems like a calculated move by Kyrie’s camp to ensure long-term viability. Short-term pain for long-term gain?
