Where have all the post players gone?

After coaching both high school and AAU basketball players for the last six years (6 years in High School, 1 year in AAU), it has become clear to me that there are now three positions that make up most teams: point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards. Centers and Power Forwards have become an endangered species and are dangerously close to extinction. If basketball continues on this same path,twenty years from now, we may be talking about back to the basket players in the same vein as Naismith's peach basket or Cousy's push shot. Unlike Naismith's and Cousy's contributions which have evolved into modern day break away rims and the jump shot, the devolution (it's a word, just looked it up myself) of the concept of post play is destroying the game instead of improving it.

Think about it. Coaches focus drills and schemes which emphasize rebounding, transition, pressure defense, and free throw shooting which all have a direct correlation towards getting easy baskets. Without looking at the statistics, I'm willing to bet that teams who win the battle of easy buckets also win games at an astonishingly high clip. What does this mean in terms of post play? Players who know how to play with their backs to the basket usually get shots within a maximum of five feet from the rim, resulting in either high shooting percentages or continual trips to the free throw line (Translation: Easy Baskets). Even if post players don't receive the ball, their position on the floor lends itself to offensive rebounds which results in high percentage lay-ups or dunks around the rim. So why the disconnect? If games are won and lost on easy opportunities, it seems counter-intuitive that the role of a true post player is diminishing faster than Lebron's hairline. There are many reasons that this has occurred but I have come up with two theories which combined account for the andreabargnanification (the act of conversion from traditional low post presence to stretch fours) of basketball.

1. The Magic-Nowitski Scarcity Principle:

 Scarcity is defined as a shortness of supply or rarity. Economically speaking, scarcity often results in high value. Large diamonds, ancient relics, and old baseball cards are worth a lot of money because there are very few in the world. The same applies outside the financial world.  People place high value on things, ideas, and people that are rare. Harvard has produced some of the most brilliant and successful graduates, therefore most brainiac teenagers throughout the country try to position themselves to be accepted into one of the school's limited spots. Barack Obama was able to speak and capture his audience in a way that had not been done since JFK which allowed him to be elected at a young age, with limited political experience, because people were moved like never before. Hell, Kim Kardashian has even redefined what is considered beautiful with her uniquely huge...............clothing line?

Clothing Line

The law of scarcity applies to basketball world as well. When Magic Johnson came into the league, he revolutionized the game. Never before had someone measuring 6'9 handled the ball, passed, and ran a team like he did for the "Showtime" Lakers. He redefined the position and had players, coaches, and most importantly parents rethinking how size should be utilized in the game. In my opinion, this is where the disconnect was born. In the 80's, after watching Magic dominate the basketball world, parents (my own father included), regardless of their child's size, began emphasizing ball handling and other perimeter skills as opposed to traditional back to the basket play. After all, the world was full of guys who could drop step, shoot baby hooks, and seal off their defenders, but Magic was an oddity. Everyone wanted to emulate him because they understood the value in his uniqueness.

The trend continued into the late nineties and early 2000s as the emergence of Dirk Nowitski took us even further away from the days of Kareem sky-hooking and Hakeem dream-shaking. At 7'0 feet, Dirk shoots the three, puts it on the deck, and has a deadly array of up and unders, fadeaways, and runners usually reserved for guys whose stature more closely resembles Mini-Me than Jaws (of James Bond, not Speilberg acclaim). Now, not only do big men and their parents think they need to handle it like Magic, but they need to shoot it like Dirk. The problem with this way of thinking is that violates the scarcity principle from which it originated. Big men who can shoot, handle the ball, and step away from the basket are no longer the exception, but the rule. This paradox reminds me of the erroneous thinking of most late twenty-early thirty males who grew up in the hey day of the baseball card collecting era. We were all mesmerized by the value of the Mickey Mantle, Honus Wagner, and Babe Ruth rookie cards. We were warned by our fathers and uncles to never let our mothers throw away our collections like theirs did when they were away at college. So what did we all do? We saved them all with the belief that we would be millionaires one day, not knowing that millions of other boys across the country were doing the same, rendering are collections about as valuable as double quarter pounder with cheese. In hindsight, our thinking was clearly flawed, but understandable. We identified the value of uniqueness and tried to obtain it for ourselves. The same applies to basketball. The Magic-Nowitski scarcity principle teaches us that we have to be forward thinking or in this case backward thinking. If you want to have value, become a throwback to the days of the 50s, 60s, and 70s where low-post threats dominated. Do what no one is doing as opposed to what everyone is doing!

 2. The And One Mix-Tape Theory

The And One Mix-Tape Theory has little do with Big Men themselves, and more to do with the guards that they play alongside. Guards have become so infatuated with breaking people down off the dribble that they have neglected fundamentals that allow them to properly feed the post. We have become a society infatuated by the "wow" factor. Playing like John Stockton or Mark Jackson does not get you many views

Besides the short shorts, this picture screams perfection

on your Youtube Video, but if your game is a cross between "The Professor" and "Skip to My Lou", your highlight reel might go viral. It is not cool to have great footwork that provides you with proper angles on your post feeds. "Faking one to Make One" will not get you any "retweets" or "likes". Reading the situation and choosing the correct pass, at the right angle, with the appropriate velocity will not get the crowd out of their seats, but "breaking someone ankles" might (even if you turn it over afterwards). Guard fundamentals have eroded so much that teams who actually do have great back to the basket players misuse them because perimeter players either can't or won't give them the touches that they deserve.

People like myself are often critical of a 6'10 man child who continually drifts out to the perimeter and has absolutely zero post moves besides dunking after a drive and dump (See Howard, Dwight). The more I watch the game however, part of me doesn't blame them. Why work for great position, improve your footwork, sprint the floor, and practice finishing with both hands if you rarely get an opportunity to take advantage of your post skills? With the limited ability of today's guards, you are almost inviting a turnover with each and every post feed, rather than creating an easy opportunity for your big man. Isn't it the nature of people to adapt to their surroundings in a way that benefits them? Politicians cater to their constituencies to get reelected. Schools create curriculum to teach the test in order to receive higher state and national ratings. Contestants on "The Bachelorette" will tell a woman who they met only 3 weeks prior and who is locking lips with fifteen other men that they love her in order to get a rose and move on to the next round (Or at least that's what my wife tells me). It is only natural that big guys will drift outside, knowing that it gives them the best chance to score based on the skills of the people around them.  It's time that guards start to be held accountable.  Sure, big guys might be becoming as soft as tissue paper, but it's not entirely their fault.

In my estimation, "The Magic-Nowitski Scarcity Principle" and the "And One Mix-Tape Theory" have combined to create a game devoid of true Post Players. Obviously, other factors have played a roll such as better defensive schemes and the emergence of the "Pick and Roll" offenses, but these two factors are the MAIN roots of a very big problem. In order for Post Play to be reborn, GUARD play must get better. Youth coaches should teach players proper footwork, passing angles, and ball fakes before teaching in and outs and crossovers. Guards should be praised more for a hook pass to a post player who has their man sealed up the lane than for breaking their man down off the bounce. If our young players understand the value and our applauded for the proper post feed, trust me, they will do it more and they will get better at it. Similarly, youth players, coaches, and parents need to refocus their efforts on creating players in the Kevin McHale mold with great footwork and post moves of yesteryear. There is more value now than ever in becoming a true back to the basket player. Sometimes in life, it is not always about pushing forward, but in order to succeed you may need to take a drop step back and learn from the past.

Speaking of which........