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Why the skyhook isn't a part of today's game
Chris Mannix The Vertical Yahoo SportsMar 6, 2017, 2:52 PM
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar uses the skyhook against the Mavs' James Donaldson in 1988. (AP) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar uses the skyhook against the Mavs' James Donaldson in 1988. (AP) More Where has the skyhook gone? Don’t ask Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The master of the move is as befuddled as anybody as to why the weapon he used to score a large chunk of his NBA-best 38,387 points has disappeared.
“I think it has to do with the way they are teaching the game,” Abdul-Jabbar told The Vertical. “They are not teaching kids how to post up. Everyone wants to shoot 3-pointers. It should be part of every [big man’s] game. It’s not.”
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Stop at the supermarket
To get myself something to eat
And when I look at the prices
They knock me off of my feet
I was in the baloney section
And I had to take myself a close look
Now Abdul-Jabbar couldn’t have made these prices
With a sky hook
- Johnny Guitar Watson
Read more: Johnny Guitar Watson - Ain’t That A Bitch Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Dirk nailed a skyhook just the other night.
There was no dunking allowed in college when Kareem (Lew Alcindor) was at UCLA. In fact, the rule against it was called The Lew Alcindor Rule. There also was no 3 point shot. As a result, he developed the famous sky hook.
They ran out of shore line?
Boycott the NBA.
Tranny bathroom bully thugs.
Yep, they called it “offensive goal tending” and passed the rule because of him. Also, back then freshmen weren’t allowed to play varsity ball, so Alcindor only got to play for 3 seasons on the varsity UCLA team.
Think about it ... the three-point shot, the two-second rule, the elimination of jump balls, etc.
Their back to the basket? They know who they’re playing with — They don’t turn their backs on anything or anybody.
Bears repeating.
It’s a hard shot to control.
You don’t “shoot” a basket, you “drop” it.
“Shooting” a basket implies that the ball takes a straight line to the rim. That’s a low percentage shot.
You drop the ball through the rim.
The math of the ball and the hoop shows that increased arc in the shot results in more baskets.
That’s why Shaq was such a poor free throw shooter.
He is so tall that he doesn’t think he needs to put arc on the ball.
The skyhook is a one handed shot that is hard to control.
Kareem could do it.
Exactly.
Those rules were adopted to create a more open game, with more passing, player movement, penetration, and pick-and-rolls/pick-and-pops. Watching a big man back down a defensive player, while the other four players stood around and watched, was boring beyond words.
It worked. Now, the Warriors are the model offense, with continual movement, tons of penetration, unbelievably accurate shooting, and forced defensive switches.
The sky hook has far less value today. It doesn’t add to the flow of an offense - it replaces that flow. Offenses today (especially when there are so many 35%+ 3-point shooters out there), don’t need a move that invariably stops movement. Even if it is an acceptably efficient move, it is only 2 points, and it makes everyone else less efficient.
Big men today are concentrating at learning the pick-and-roll/pop, or developing into a spot up 3-point shooter. Failing that, teams look for defensive specialists, quick low post moves, or offensive rebounding.
Good analysis.
It’s also difficult to keep your lower body stable because of the amount of contact that’s allowed.
Good point. The hook shot is easy to master ... as long as there isn’t a defender giving you a subtle nudge. I don’t know how you can really counter that. I guess I will have to consult the Javelle McGee hook shot instructional video (yes, that is a real thing).
I remember a game between the Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons back in the early 1980s that went to three OTs, and both teams had over 180 points in the game.
Rush Limbaugh always likes to append the name “Skyhook” to any typical Arab name, like “Mr. Syed Farook Skyhook”.
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