Why do NBA players "stand around" so much on the court?

Question

I watched a game on ESPN classic between the L.A. Lakers and the Boston Celtics in a 1984 championship series. These guys where all over the place! Playing blanketing defense and running up and down the court at tremendous speeds. I think people are wrong to say that Athletes are stronger physically today than in the past. In fact, I think it is the opposite! I mean Reggie Miller (who used to play for the pacers) Was alot older than alot of his opponents before he retired. But he made alot of them look like ****! Kobe Bryant himself said that Reggie Miller is the toughest player in the NBA to guard! Whats wrong with the NBA today? Why are they slower and lazier than they have been in the past? Kobe, Lebron, Dwane Wade are some exceptions, but these guys just don't seem to be half as athletic as some in the past.

Answer 1

i wish i knew, most of the games seem boring, maybe it's because there are fouls called for every little bump now. and the players are just not playing with the same level of intensity.

Answer 2

It's not slow nor standing around. If you want an amateur fast-paced basketball games, go and watch high school and college basketball. The reason the pro-league, NBA is slow paced is because it takes strategies, not just fast breaks after another. The way players are trained in the NBA is to obtain a tempo. Going for fast breaks every play just seems very silly and unprofessional. You should look around for opportunities and run the clock out.
The only factor that you may think it's slow paced would be the foul calls. I also think that it's quite annoying when the refs keep calling fouls. And then we have to waste a couple of seconds watching them do freethrows.

Answer 3

They stand around because their fans too. Their paid and could be traded any minute and they don't want to decrease their value getting hurt hussling. There's alot wrong with the NBA, thus the reason I watch football now. But every rule change was suppose to increase scoring. But if you have one or two "superstars" on your team everybody just waits for the stars to shoot and get the rebound. It's not team ball anymore. All 5 of your starters won't average 12-20 points anymore. One guy will have 25 or 30 another will have 15 and everybody else will have 10 or less. Hey I miss the 80's players too.

Answer 4

Some players work ethic is not the same as others, but watch the Philadelphia 76ers for example. Allen Iverson moves around the court as well as anyone in basketball, and when Kyle Korver moves around, he gets more open shots and can hit the 3-ball from anywhere. I think it depends on what team you are watching, their philosophy, which starts from the coaching staff, and the work ethic of each individual player and then ultimately, the team as a whole. The teams that remain competitive are those that are willing to set defensive screens, those that are willing to move without the ball, set offensive screens, do the small, intangible things that won't get them fame & glory on the stat sheet. That, my friend, is a rarity, so I'm afraid there's no true answer to your question other than the individual player and their work ethic.

Answer 5

I will agree with one of the guys above me. A lot of it is designed. Once centers like Dikembe Mutombo and Shaq showed up, there wasn't a lot of room in the paint for guys manuever, and essentially, they were just clogging it up and no one could get to the basket. Once centers like that showed up, coaches had to alter the defense to draw guys away from the paint to open it up to drives, which is why you'd see someone standing in the corner - the guy defending him had to stay out on him to keep him from having an open 3-point shot. On the flip side, if you'll notice, the big centers are going away and the league is trending toward a smaller, faster rotation. Take the Phoenix Suns for example. Their biggest player is Amare Stoudemire, and he is constantly moving around, as is the entire team. They need to move, otherwise Steve Nash would be helpless, and wouldn't be putting up so many assists. This movement is the same reason Dallas couldn't get very far with Nash, because no one on Dallas would move around as much. You will see much more "moving without the ball" as the league continues to trend toward smaller, faster teams running and gunning rather than playing this slow, half-court, run-down-the-shot-clock-then-shoot crap.

Answer 6

...it's society, people do what they can get away with. It's the coaches fault. Skills drop because coaches drool when they see a 6-8(203cms) 18 year old with a 43'' vertical leap and some handles on one side & some shooting and no defence and no footwork...they just assume they mould him and improve his shooting and his footwork over the season...trying to turn him into a guard...now this has been going on for a decade+ & it shows...the coaches prefer size rather than skill...they prefer athleticism rather than skill...they prefer to sell out rather than build foundations...the old nba could shoot 85 from the line and 50 from the floor...the old nba gave an assist for one step and a field goal...the new nba gives endorsements if u look like a player and score like a baseballer...no one knows how to defend anymore...there are hardly any more teams these days...changing rules to enable higher scores!!! wtf!?! there are no one team career players anymore...& there is too much pressure if the results dont come and it shows.... )-:

Answer 7

there is a lot of energy that is needed to play and keep up when you are out on the court. It just looks easy on TV but try to play at the pace and speed of the Pros and I guarantee you that your lungs will feel like they are going to collapse.

Answer 8

The NBA players today have forgotten to move without the ball.

Answer 9

i knew the reason! because standing and walking around the court is a way of cooling down the body! because it is not good for the body to change its state quickly! from active mode to rest mode. you should do first some conditioning or cooling down! here is the logic! if you need to warm up before you play, then you need to cool down before you rest!

Answer 10

its called STRATEGY. today's ball is very different from the past's. besides, not moving or moving slow doesnt mean lazy. we cant blame them anyway. theyre the ones playing and getting paid. im sure they know what they're doing (most of them anyway).