Bill Walton's Mailbag

Sporting News, The, Nov 22, 1999

(NBC Sports basketball analyst Bill Walton fields questions from MSNBC's wealth of NBA fans. To read his entire mailbag or to send in your questions, go to msnbc.com.)

Bill,

How has the game of basketball evolved during the past 20 years? What changes have you seen in the strategy of the game, the way the game is played, etc?

--Bob Galamaga

The biggest evolution came in the mid-1980s when coaches started to change the focus of recruiting players, opting to put more emphasis on their physical size rather than their basketball skills. Then, with the arrival of Michael Jordan, the game started to be played off the dribble as opposed to being played off the pass.

Also, with the amount of media coverage that exists today, the focus is no longer just about who wins and loses, it's about individuals. A guy can be on a terrible team and still be the most popular player in the game.

When Larry Bird and Magic Johnson stopped playing, their contributions of leadership, passing skills and overall team game were quickly forgotten, and everyone started trying to play like Jordan. The problem was that Michael was the perfect player and spent a lifetime developing a complete game. Players today are trying to take shortcuts in emulating Michael's brilliance without having the foundation that Jordan's game had.

Bill,

I am a big Pistons fan and wonder why every year, even though they seem to acquire a key player, something else fails. What exactly are they missing? They can't always rely on Grant Hill.

--Shannon Krause

It has become evident to the Pistons that it was a mistake to sign free agents Bison Dele, who retired, and Loy Vaught. The Pistons committed huge dollars to those players and received little in return. So Grant Hill often finds himself alone on the court. Jerry Stackhouse is the only other solid player on the team. Christian Laettner can be productive, but he's inconsistent, and point guard Lindsey Hunter hasn't shown he can outplay opponents on a consistent basis. Sadly, with Hill becoming a free agent after this season, every disappointing loss the Pistons experience will cause fans like yourself to think Grant will have had enough of Detroit and will want to move on.