not seeing the bird or miller comparisons but bonner yes, i see that. miller had good handle and create plays off the dribble. Murphy is a pick and pop player who's rebounding and post play is steadily improving. Like this kid a lot.
Watching that Larry Legend video brought back a lot of memories, and a shiver up and down my spine. The guy was unique.
Little known factoid that I bring up on occasion: Larry Bird seriously considered signing with Florida. This was when the Gators stank at hoops.
IU actually had first crack at him and he signed with the Hoosiers. He showed up for summer drills as a freshman, and the Hoosiers' star center, Kent Benson, was a real jackass toward him, and treated him like scum. Larry said fine, and withdrew from school and ended up at small-college Indiana State. Bet there were some Hoosiers who were upset with Benson about that. Indiana State and Larry, by the way, went on the beat the powerhouse IU. And Larry routinely poured it on whenever the Celtics got to face Benson in the NBA. Moral of the story: be careful who you dump on.
Watching that Larry Legend video brought back a lot of memories, and a shiver up and down my spine. The guy was unique.
Little known factoid that I bring up on occasion: Larry Bird seriously considered signing with Florida. This was when the Gators stank at hoops.
IU actually had first crack at him and he signed with the Hoosiers. He showed up for summer drills as a freshman, and the Hoosiers' star center, Kent Benson, was a real jackass toward him, and treated him like scum. Larry said fine, and withdrew from school and ended up at small-college Indiana State. Bet there were some Hoosiers who were upset with Benson about that. Indiana State and Larry, by the way, went on the beat the powerhouse IU. And Larry routinely poured it on whenever the Celtics got to face Benson in the NBA. Moral of the story: be careful who you dump on.
If he spent his college career here....we very well might have been Kentucky.
I've got a couple of Larry Bird videos. When you watch them, one of the things that always stands out to me is how much that guy ran. He ran his defender into picks, around picks, through the paint, across the baseline. It was just amazing. And he would get the ball wherever he wanted it, move his guy around a little with some fakes and then do whatever he wanted to do. Can't remember who it was, but one NBA guy told the story of guarding Bird. Bird told him that next time down the court, he was gonna get the ball "right here", do whatever, and stick a jumper. The guy played him for that. Bird got it right where he said he would and did exactly what he said he was gonna do. The guy's reaction on the video was basically, "damn!" He and Magic were the two most unique guys ever to be superstars in the NBA.
I've got a couple of Larry Bird videos. When you watch them, one of the things that always stands out to me is how much that guy ran. He ran his defender into picks, around picks, through the paint, across the baseline. It was just amazing. And he would get the ball wherever he wanted it, move his guy around a little with some fakes and then do whatever he wanted to do. Can't remember who it was, but one NBA guy told the story of guarding Bird. Bird told him that next time down the court, he was gonna get the ball "right here", do whatever, and stick a jumper. The guy played him for that. Bird got it right where he said he would and did exactly what he said he was gonna do. The guy's reaction on the video was basically, "damn!" He and Magic were the two most unique guys ever to be superstars in the NBA.
Yes...Magic was a very big PG, but was a PG and his role was to distribute. He was the best at it, with career avg assist numbers that are staggering.
Larry was a 3/4, and primary scoring threat. Yet his passing was more incredible than almost any PG who has ever played the game. The distinction being most wing/post players develop their offensive games to perfect the art of scoring, and distributing is a secondary art. Amazing that someone can be one of the best ever at the former, and still one of the best ever at the latter.
The era of Magic and Bird was an incredible era for the game of basketball.
The era of Magic and Bird was an incredible era for the game of basketball.
Their positive influence on pick-up ball was also amazing. Before them if you wanted a shot you had better get a rebound or a steal. After them it became "cool" to deliver the perfect pass.
I remember reading a sports article in Larry's final season. They were talking to a rookie star of the opposition team. In the postgame, the guy was amazed, saying Bird dropped something like 30 points on them, but even more amazed that his veteran teammates said "that was nothing, you should have seen Bird when he was good."
Yes...Magic was a very big PG, but was a PG and his role was to distribute. He was the best at it, with career avg assist numbers that are staggering.
Larry was a 3/4, and primary scoring threat. Yet his passing was more incredible than almost any PG who has ever played the game. The distinction being most wing/post players develop their offensive games to perfect the art of scoring, and distributing is a secondary art. Amazing that someone can be one of the best ever at the former, and still one of the best ever at the latter.
The era of Magic and Bird was an incredible era for the game of basketball.
LeBron is in that mold also. I think Bird was a slightly more gifted passer than LeBron, but only slightly.
Murphy provides some of the same skills that Bonner had, but they sure look different doing it. Murphy is more silky smooth (as long as he doesn't get bumped off balance with his thinner frame), while Bonner is so stiff - but has a rugged thick base.
I love Murph. I think he has really grown into his game. He has always been a great shooter and his D and specifically rebounding has been much improved. That said, he isn't even in the same book much less chapter and nowhere near the same page as Bird. I think if he continues to work on his D and gets a little more solid in stature and strength, he can play a role like Bonner int he NBA. He has a legit shot and I think it would be great for him. He had a great game the other night, and I hope that trend continues. But lets not jump over the edge in comparisons
Murphy made it look absolutely effortless against the Badgers.
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“We could be a high-octane offensive team that scores a lot of points, but if we don’t defend and rebound it’s not going to make a difference,” Donovan said. “That is going to be something that is going to be a driving force for our team. They need to understand the importance of that.”
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