Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, recently said that he would draft Brittany Griner in the second round of the upcoming NBA draft. But could she really make an impact in the NBA that is full of men who weigh much more than her and are about just as big as her? Personally, I don’t think there is a chance she could be an effective player in the NBA. The position she plays, center, is full of men who are 6’11 and above and weigh probably over 100 pounds more than she does. The three spot would probably more than likely be the position she would ask to play but she would still be outweighed by a heavy margin. Could she keep up in speed? That’s kind of left unanswered but it would be interesting to see Brittany Griner guarding an average Small Forward on the wing and see how it goes. She is very lengthy which is why she might have a shot but I just don’t see her being effective. Like what if her team was playing the Heat and she got switched on a pick and roll and in comes LeBron James or Dwayne Wade. I guess LeBron is kind of a miss-match on every human on planet earth but against her is just not fair. In my opinion, I hope the Cubes does draft Griner and gives her a shot. I’d love to see her block the mess out of someone going in the paint thinking they got an easy lay-up on her.
I agree completely with what you said about Griner not being able physically keep up with NBA. Someone may bring up the argument of other guys who have entered the league undersized at the center or power forward spot, but through the strength and condition staff, they were able to bulk up and handle the intensity of the NBA. I would say Griner would be able to complete that same process, but I don’t think her skills translate well to the NBA. Like you said, if she was going to go to the NBA she would have to play the small forward spot or guard, where the question of whether or not she can keep up the speed of guys at that position will be the main focus. With all of that being said, I see nothing wrong with Cuban giving her a shot at the summer league team. Give her all of the opportunities as any of the aspiring athletes trying to make their way in the NBA. I think it would be unfair to anyone else if they were to give her special privileges because of who she is though. But if she tryouts and makes the summer league team I see nothing wrong with it. The NBA is a business and Mark Cubans job is to find ways of generating revenue for the organization. I think this is a brilliant idea by Cuban based off all the attention it has received already.
ReplyDelete- Anthony Tacey
I agree with your opinions on Griner and the possibility of her getting drafted. i think she has absolutely no shot to play in the NBA. The NBA has some of the best athletes in the world and I do not consider Griner in this fashion. Yes she is arguably the best Women's basketball player ever, but she still has no shot to play with men. I think a large part of her success is her size. Standing at 6'8, she is one of the tallest players in the NCAA. Most women are below 6' so she has a huge size advantage. if it were not for her size, I do not think she would have a lot of success. As for the NBA 6'8 is considered average. She has nowhere near the athleticism or size to compete. It would be a fun story to follow if she gets drafted, but I see it as no more than a publicity stunt.
ReplyDelete-Tad Margolies
Griner going to the NBA would be insane. I am not saying I don't think the girl should get a chance, but it would truly cause chaos in the world of sports. I agree with you when you bring up the point of men in the NBA just overpowering Griner. She may dominate women in basketball, but I just don't see her being able to handle a man that is potentially 100 pounds heavier. Giving her a chance would truly be a good idea for Cuban. His team would have more publicity than ever before, but Griner succeeding in the NBA is a whole other story.
ReplyDeleteDan Pesato
I agree with what you said. I think that she would have a very difficult time handling herself against all of the other players in the NBA. I think that the she could keep up with some of the players in the NBA but more than half of the NBA is bigger and faster than her. I think that she should get a chance to prove to everyone with what she can do against guys and maybe give her a chance in the summer league or the D-league and if she proves to the owner and the coach that she can complete with everyone there than I would give her a chance in the NBA and show everyone there what she can do.
ReplyDeleteJeremy Shay
I do not think that it is a good idea to draft Griner. I understand that she was dominant in the women's college basketball game, but i do not think that she would have the same impact in the NBA. I do not think that she is fast enough or strong enough. Some may argue that I am just stereotyping women saying that they are not good enough to play with men but that is not the case. I could not imagine Griner going up against someone like LeBron James. Also, I am more convinced of my stance after seeing how Griner played when the Louisville women's basketball team triple teamed her and she had a hard time performing. If Griner were just double teamed in the NBA she would not have a chance and it would be unfair. I think that Griner is an awesome women's basketball player, but she should not get drafted by the Mavericks or any team in the NBA. Great post.
ReplyDelete-Logan Walker
I agree with you when you say that it will be very tough for Brittany Griner to compete in the National Basketball Association. I personally do not agree with the decision to draft her and bring her talents to the NBA. I will be the first one to admit that she is a great basketball player and has the talent and dedication to really succeed in the sport. That being said, Griner simply will be outweighed, at a disadvantaged with height, and also not used to the speed of the men’s league. I believe that there is a difference in skill and competition between the NBA and the WNBA, this will also not play in Griner’s favor.
ReplyDeleteCuban is a great owner and knows how to sell his product. Adding Griner to the roster will simply fill seats and help make him a large profit. I just don’t see why she can’t compete in the WNBA? Griner’s skill is more suitable for that league and you are saving the countless arguments and discussions about this topic. I think it is unfair for her to get this special treatment, especially, when the WNBA is a great option for her career.
-Alex Solis
I really think if Griner goes to the NBA this will be talked about for a long time and it may actually shock a few people. It is nice that Cuban wants to give her a chance for his team or the summer league team but part of me also feels like he only wants to do that to bring more publicity to his team. I personally think Griner should work her way up to the NBA, I think she should try out in the summer league and if people think that she has what it takes then let her move onto the NBA and see if she likes to play. I personally think she will get dominated by the men who are playing now because they are just bigger and stronger than her mentally and physically. I am not ruling it out that she shouldn’t try out for the NBA, I think it would be cool to see a women play for the NBA but Griner just needs to realize she has a lot of work to do in order to get up to their level of playing basketball. Even if she doesn’t make it in the NBA she can always go to the WNBA and make a great career out of that.
ReplyDelete--Lindsey Landversicht
In this post you bring up the point of if Griner could play the 3 and mention her speed. Even if Griner were as quick as some of the 3's in the NBA, I think she would fail because of her basketball ability. She is able to dominate because of her height, but she doesn't have the skill of a three to succeed. In her career, she has shot 5 three pointers which would indicate that she has little ability on the perimeter. After watching her some, she also has below average handles for a player, something else needed on the perimeter. As for match-ups, Griner would have to guard Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul Pierce. All of these players are extremely talented and are extremely strong, especially the last three. Now I'm not saying that Griner won't be able to put on strength, but just looking at her frame, she doesn't have the physique to become strong enough to handle these players. In class, someone brought up the point that Kevin Durant was someone who didn't have the strength when he came into the league. But with KD, he had something else in his favor and that was ball handling and an uncanny ability to shoot the ball from anywhere on the court. Also, when KD came into the league he was still a kid, Griner is now 23 so she probably won't get much stronger. For the sake of basketball, please stick to women's basketball Ms. Griner, you could bring a lot of attention to a sport that is in dire need of attention.
ReplyDeleteZane Langdon
It is really hard for me to imagine Griner playing in the NBA. She is a great basketball player don’t get wrong, but based off pure basketball ability she would fall short to be able to make an actual NBA roster. Now I do hope if the Mavericks do not draft Griner that they at least sign her as a free agent and allow her to play in the summer league and give her the opportunity to make the team. That is all anybody in life wants is an opportunity to prove that they belong. Also allowing her to play on the summer league team will draw enormous crowds for summer league games that would normally have no one in attendance and is on NBA TV during the middle of the day. It would be a nice story and show how far we have come in sports when it comes to gender equality if Griner got the opportunity to play for a NBA team.
ReplyDelete-Tyler Jester
I just had this conversation at my practicum yesterday. Brittany Griner is so effective and dominant because of her size. She has learned how to play utilizing that advantage. If she went to the NBA she would lose that advantage. Her normal playing style would have to be adjusted because it would no longer work for her. Could she play in the NBA? She might be able to, but she would just be another person on the team. She would not strive or be dominant in the NBA. I think she should go to the WNBA. She could be the face of the WNBA and be absolutely dominant in her sport. It could draw a lot of attention to women's sports. Also, what happens if Brittany goes to the NBA and can't compete? I think people would use it to further discredit women's sports.
ReplyDeleteErin Scott
I think that Brittany Griner should be given the chance to join the men's D league and be given the opportunity to prove herself. If she were to fail at the D league level I feel that the media would not make it into a huge deal compared to if she were to fail in the NBA. Griner is a special player and has a lot of advantages in her favor. Think of it this way, how many people stated over and over again Lebron James would and could not make it in the NBA coming right out of high school? Look at him now, he's considered to be one of the best players in the league. He adapated to the change and style of the NBA and I think Griner just maybe could do the same thing.
ReplyDeleteJohn Ruppert
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteErin is completely right. Brittney Griner has risen to fame by utilizing her unprecedented size to her advantage. She towers over the competition, giving her a distinct advantage. If she were to go to the NBA, that advantage would not only be gone, but her size would be a DISadvantage. As you said in your blog, the position of center is full of men who are 4 inches taller than Griner and weigh much more than she does. She would simply get (for lack of a better term) manhandled down low in the NBA. It has nothing to do with Gender, it is simply size. In sports, size and physical ability are key. Why else would we put players on display like animals at combines, testing their abilities down to the hundredth of a second, or sixteenth of an inch?
ReplyDeleteAndrew Hayes
This wonderfully amazing blog was done by Aaron Snyder. Go Pack Go!
ReplyDelete