Women in the NBA?
i hope this is a g*d damn joke of a question. seriously. she wouldnt even crack a d2 mens roster. people who thinks she could has never played with
A) WNBA players
B) D1/D2 mens players....
i have had the privilege to play with both, and the WNBA players couldnt hold the mens jock...
Britney posesses good, not elite level athleticism for women's basketball. She would be well below average at the NBA level. She would have to play the 3 in the NBA and her ball-handling an jump shot are nowhere near that of an average NBA 3. To think that Britney Griner could play in the NBA is absolutely absurd.
If she wanted to play in the NBA, I believe she could. It would take some conditioning as the piece mentioned; better range, additional strength and a familiarity with the NBA ball in particular. Her potential would be limited, however. I think she'd rather be a superstar in the WNBA, than a scrub in the NBA.
But she wouldn't be the worst player in the league.
I think there have been women who indeed could play in the NBA. Scoring would not be the biggest issue, more so it would be getting over powered and out quicked on defense. I remember Lisa Leslie talking about this and rolling my eyes a bit, but I pretty much believe that is the case.
I also agree though that Brittney probably would be at best an end of the rotation option in the NBA, while she will be a WNBA superstar. Her measurements are about the same as LeBron James, with 50 less pounds of muscle at least. Still, if these girls can ball and I would not be surprised if Brittney Griner scored a few buckets against NBA guys in a pick-up game.
I think someone on this site (I think yupyup) said it best... the first woman to play in the NBA will be a 5'10-6ft PG rather than a big. She'll use her quickness and shooting ability to slice through the defense and play somewhat like Jose Calderon.
It is mathematically possible I think because you can look at guys who were basketball geniuses like Steve Nash and Sam Cassell and Candace Parker is a better athlete than them late in their careers but does not have their skill of course. So to play in the NBA a women would have to be more athletic in a basketball sense than 99.9999999999999999 of women and then more of a basketball genius than 99.9999999999999999999999999999 of men. If you have Nancy Lieberman's basketball mind in Deanna Nolan's body she could of played 14 years in the NBA though that is even more of an improbability than the first equation.
I admit there are a bunch of female basketball players out there better than me, but that does not change the fact that the best female player in the world (who ever that is) would not be able to beat the worst in the NBA at their respective position.
Ex.:
Brian Cardinal > Britney Griner
Royal Ivey > best WNBA Point Guard
Probably the only player I would ever pick a girl over to play on an NBA team is Tyronn Lue. I effin hate him and he sucks.
I think guards who take more skill would have an easier time in the NBA than a post player. She would be matching up against the biggest, strongest men in the league and some who rely on their athletic ability. I think she'd get destroyed playing forward in the NBA.
I think a female player who had a killer shot or handle and was maybe 6 foot tall who could come off the bench and shoot would have a much easier time.
She has a better chance because she is 6 feet 5 inches and can shoot. She can dribble really good for a 6-5 woman. She probably couldn't guard any of the SG is the NBA, but at least on offense she could shoot and score while being 6-5. If you have seen her play she is a better prospect than Griner to play in any mens basketball league like low DI or DII. I don't think that a women will ever earn an NBA spot (as in being deserving of a spot for her play). A woman could make a team for publicity, or like the white mamba(brian scalabrine-a fan favorite, and a guy everyone loves)
She'd be the worst player in the NBA easily. Her whole game is about posting up people much smaller then her. Who in the NBA is she going to post up? She won't have a size advantage in the post. Defensively down low she would get absolutely abused, and if she had to play the wing she wouldn't be able to stay in front of anyone. No chance. Just because she looks like a man doesn't mean she can play with them.
My senior year of high school, I was in gym class with Y2G and some friends. We were playing basketball that week and Y2G had the star player for our varsity basketball team on his team. O yeah I forgot to mention that it was the girls varsity team. Anyways my team played his team and it was tied when the girl went for the win. She drove past one of our defenders and had a wide open layup. She blew the layup, we got the rebound and I hit the shot for the win. Moral of the story is that the star player for the girls varisty team, a player who now plays in college, was a below average player against a bunch of guys who never even played in high school.
Here is another story. My travel soccer team had a scrimmage against a girls national team who traveled the country playing in tournaments and are all playing in college on scholarships. My team was just an average guys soccer team with only 1 player who plays in college. I scored 3 goals and we won like 6-0. These national team girls were like scared of the ball half of the time, but they are the ones who get to travel the country and go to college for free, while my team gets to do none of that. Idk that just pissed me off. Not a fan of girls sports.
^ In high school the Freshman boys would sometimes scrimmage the Girl's varisty team and it would always get ugly. They had to impose a no shot blocking rule and then they just stopped doing it.
I always cite this article when this topic comes up, but it's called "Guy's and Vol's" and it was published in the late 90's in Sports Illustrated. Many top D1 Women's programs recruit guys on campus who played high school ball, but were not good enough or decided not to play college ball, to scrimmage against their D1 Varsity teams. Rules like playing below the rim and certain rules to negate physicality are imposed.
I think many women's basketball players are extremely skilled, but their usually the guards. A player like Griner relies so much on size to make an impact, I feel she'd struggle against a 6'5'' men's player with good athletic ability.
I can entertain an arguement as to whether Nancy Leiberman, Candace Parker or Cheryl Miller, two very skilled women and high IQ players could make a roster and play at the end of an NBA bench much more than a player like Griner who gives up 30-40 lbs to the average player guarding her and lacks the spring and speed many 6'8'' thin male players have.
Griner would get a hand full of DNP's Coaches Decisions and an NCAA men's team. I watch KU a lot and she's roughly the same size as Kevin Young and has half the athletic ability he does. He is a guy who is purely a rebound/hustle player who got 11 mpg on a good D1 team and is a better ball player than Griner. I think the NBA is out of the question for her. I'm not hating on women's basketball, but we often talk about men who's games don't translate to the league. Griner's certainly does not.
I think Brittany Griner is and awesome player and should could probably beat me one on one. The thing is she does not have the specs to be an NBA players. She is as mobile as a C/PF but she weights less than most 2's and 3's. She could not guard her position. There are 7 footers who are bigger than she is that are not getting any minutes. Cheryl Miller and Nancy Lieberman back in the day probably could have balled with the men but now that the NBA has the most phyical and athletic players by far, it would not be fair. She have guys that were starts on top college programs and they are on the bench. I think someone is correct when they say that if a female can play in the NBAm she will be most likely be a point guard. No positions really translate from women to men except that position. Candace Parker plays like a forward but she would be a point guard which she does not have to overall skill to play or possibly a shooting guard but she woudl be severely undersized.
There are even retired basketball players who said that they are glad they played in the older days versus now because there are players now, that they could not guard to save their life. Could you see Parker trying to guard Westbrook or Rose.
I agree that a guard has a better chance than Griner at the league. As far as low D1, I just can't see it. Look at some of the smaller league teams like Norfolk St has a guy like O'Quinn. I go to U of Houston games against not great teams and they all have big men that are bigger and stronger than Griner. I saw Texas A&M Corpus Christie with 2 athletic 7 footers. I just don't see her competing against men.
"My senior year of high school, I was in gym class with Y2G and some friends. We were playing basketball that week and Y2G had the star player for our varsity basketball team on his team. O yeah I forgot to mention that it was the girls varsity team. Anyways my team played his team and it was tied when the girl went for the win. She drove past one of our defenders and had a wide open layup. She blew the layup, we got the rebound and I hit the shot for the win. Moral of the story is that the star player for the girls varisty team, a player who now plays in college, was a below average player against a bunch of guys who never even played in high school."
I'd like to add a piece to this story. My team was our 6'5 friend, the womens varsity center and myself. Our 6'5 friend isn't athletic, pretty uncoordinated and can't finish very well even left wide open. He was about as good as the girl (who now plays either D2 or D3) and he was usually the 8th or 9th best player (out of 9) on rec league teams. They are both post players.
His stats in for 2 years of AAU: http://www.usssa.com/sports/FindPlayerHistory.asp?PlaID=2304112
Her in college: http://www.winonastatewarriors.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6035
Bleacher Report recently published this article pertaining Brittney Griner potentially playing in the NBA. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1132399-nba-draft-could-brittney-griner-get-drafted-in-the-nba
NBA executives will be flooding to local gyms taking a look at draft prospects in the near future.
Many will be going to Baylor University in Waco, Texas, but not for the 6'8 208 lb junior star who led a perfect 40-0 season for the Baylor Bears.
Britney Griner is listed at 6'8 208 with a 84" wingspan. Those are exact measurements as Moe Harkless, the Queens standout freshman who played at St. Johns this past season and will likely be a lottery pick.
Griner averages 23.9 pts, 9 rbs, 5 blks a game. Yes, she is a dominating force while playing against other women. However, could her game translate to the NBA?
Yes, and here is why...
Her ability to run up and down the court is what sets her apart in women's basketball. Her length and quickness is unmatched. In the NBA she is not overwhelmingly fast but average in comparison.
With a wingspan of 84", she will be a valuable defender against a shooter or small forward. Her 208 lb frame is fragile but with an NBA focus she will be able to put on added muscle and skill.
Her tenacity is also translatable to the NBA–from Griner's punch her freshman year, to her recent final four incident where she came off the bench in a players defense. She is an in your face type player who does not step down from a challenge.
Although she is only a junior, and thoughts of a repeat are floating around Waco, Griner should generate interest from an NBA exec or two.
She will almost certainly return to Baylor for her senior season to work towards her future goals and develop further as a basketball player.
Areas that Griner would need to improve to make her a valuable NBA prospect include her jump shot and physical frame.
If Griner's dreams are to be the first woman NBA player, a stellar mid range jump shot would help her achieve her goal.
The mid-range jumper is a lost art in the NBA, and a player of her body frame, wing span and agility could thrive in the 10-18 ft range.
The NBA, especially under direction of David Stern is always looking to expand their global position. Any team that would be willing to take a chance on Griner would enhance the value of their franchise.
If Griner is on an NBA roster, jersey sales become available for the first woman NBA player. The marketing strategies are endless and an renewed interest in your team exists.
Brittney Griner is an elite basketball talent. Whether her game could translate to the NBA is yet to be seen. She has been making history since she first laced up her sneakers–no reason to stop now.
__________________________________________________________________
I for one have never been an advocate of having women in the NBA, so I find this article to be very amusing. The only way I could say a woman ever make it is if they were at least 6 feet tall and a lights out shooter with NBA range. With that being said, Brittney Griner, although dominant in the women's game, would not make an NBA team in my opinion. She has small forward size and doesn't possess anywhere near the athleticism to play the 3 nor the bulk to play the 4.
If you had the last pick in the draft and Griner is still available would you select her? Do you see under any conditions (realistically) that a woman could make an NBA roster?