The new G League head coach is Charlotte Hornets. D.J. Bakker joins the Greensboro Swarm as their fourth head coach. He most recently worked as a coach for the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. During his 11 years in the NBA, he has established a solid reputation as a player development coach in addition to his role as an assistant. “It became evident in my conversations with (Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee) that we have similar core basketball values and philosophies,” Bakker stated in a press statement. “I am excited to put their core values of responsibility, diligence, and player development into practice on a daily basis with the Swarm. I firmly believe in their vision.”

“Our supporters can anticipate a team that plays hard, competes nightly, and exerts effort on both ends of the court. I am quite eager to begin. BAKKER’S JOURNEY FROM DEVELOPMENT TO HEAD COACHING Born in Highland, Indiana, Bakker attended Trinity Christian College in Chicago before making his NBA debut in 2009.

Three years after serving as a player development coach with an athletic trainer in Chicago, Bakker rejoined The Association as a regional advance scout for the Orlando Magic. In 2009–10, Bakker was the video coordinator for the Chicago Bulls. He continued to work with individual athletes in the NBA, serving in player development capacities for the Toronto Raptors (2016–18) and Dallas Mavericks (2015–16).

Between 2018 and 2023, Bakker worked with players like as Pascal Siakam before spending five seasons with the Detroit Pistons. He was hired as a player development coach, advanced to assistant coach, and led the Motor City Cruise as head coach. During his two seasons as Detroit’s NBA G League affiliate’s coach, starting with the team’s initial 2021–22 season, he had a 39–25 (.609) record. The first-year president of basketball operations of the Hornets, Peterson, stated in a release, “We are thrilled to introduce D.J. Bakker as the head coach of the Greensboro Swarm.” “D.J. is a proven leader in the NBA and G League, with 11 years of experience as a professional coach. He also has a strong foundation in player development and talent evaluation.

“His emphasis on preparation, development, and work ethic aligns perfectly with our organizational principles, and his ability to communicate effectively allows him to forge strong bonds with both his players and staff. We are excited to welcome D.J., his wife Laura, and their family to the Carolinas and to start working together with them.

The legendary player of the Pistons responds to Anthony Edwards’ absurd remarks.

You’ve undoubtedly seen a lot of old footage of players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Isiah Thomas if you’ve been on social media in recent days.

It’s a component of the age-old discussion about which era was the finest, to which there is no definitive answer because players from radically different eras cannot be compared.

While younger fans can point out the enhanced athleticism and shooting of the modern game, old heads like myself can easily wax lyrical about the brutality, competitiveness, and talent of the past.

The truth is that there have been talented players in the NBA throughout all of its eras; it’s just that as the game and athletes change, so do they. Today’s athletes take better care of themselves than they did in the 1980s, and they benefit from a plethora of medical, nutritional, and technological advancements in addition to the natural evolution of humans, which has made us all taller.

Better shoes, too, of course.

In the most recent iteration of this discussion, players such as Isiah Thomas responded predictably to a foolish comment made by Anthony Edwards, the man of many terrible views, about former players in the Wall Street Journal (subscription).

Propaganda works, so be careful what you choose to believe. https://t.co/A2fJvxDlmd

— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) August 20, 2024

It’s fascinating that, in a time when there were many individuals with talent levels comparable to or greater than those of today’s players, the “old school” players were only recognized for their toughness.

Does Anthony Edwards’ assessment of former players hold true?
I have followed the NBA for the most of what is regarded as the “modern” era, and I can attest that Edwards’ remarks are absurd. I’m not sure what proof he has for his ridiculous claim—he acknowledged that he hasn’t actually even viewed earlier times.

The game was just different in the 1980s and 1990s because teams had not adopted the analytics that told them that 3-pointers and dunks were the only shots worth making and because the toughness of the game had not yet been altered by rule changes.

But you really need to get your mind examined if you believe that Michael Jordan was the only talented player. And as Edwards implies, if you believe that “all” players in the present era are skilled, all you have to do is look at the Pistons team from the previous season to see how absurd that notion is.

Take the 1988–89 Pistons, for instance—a team that I rank in the top five of all time and that could easily outplay the majority of the current NBA clubs.

The Bad Boys gained notoriety as a physical—some could even say dirty—but also as a highly competent team with a roster consisting of players capable of making 15–18 foot jumpers and the league’s 7th-ranked offense (110.8).

Years later, this starts to come down to story vs fact, because players like Bill Laimbeer—who is primarily remembered by fans who never saw him play—were actually extremely good centers with deadly jump shots.

If defense hadn’t been so tough, the Bad Boys would have finished in the lower half of the league in terms of offensive production. However, this isn’t because the players aren’t talented anymore.

A significant rise in 3-point shooting has also improved scoring. Just about what a modern center would shoot, Mark Aquirre led the 1988–89 Pistons in 3-point attempts per game with 2.5.

I agree that players can shoot longer distances now, but back then, teams didn’t play with that luxury. Instead, they tried to go as near to the basket as they could in order to score, a strategy that was contradicted by analytics.

Old-school supporters’ claims that contemporary players are soft are as absurd because they aren’t true either; the rules have evolved to the point where extensive muggings are now prohibited.

It’s difficult and ultimately pointless to try to compare players between eras, but players back then had skill—it wasn’t only MJ, Ant—and fans and players need to realize that.