Past NBA stars in today's game.

[RocknRollface]

I've been a hardcore NBA fan for a very short time period so what type of impact does the legalization of zone defense have on the game?

No one uses it much. Its hard to play zone with a defensive 3 second rule.

What really made a difference between the high scoring early 80s and the much more physical 90s is when David Stern started allowing massive amounts of hand checking, likely as a way for his officials to influence outcomes.

Defense in the NBA is not played with much effort until the playoffs anyway.

 

[Foval21]

Good topic..I am instantly taken back to a debate my dad and I had when I was around 21. He told me how Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain were just as good of players as Michael Jordan...in fact, I think he debated Wilt was a more dominant player. I argued then...now, I probably would back off some. MJ is the GOAT, without debate, however. Larry Bird, a player I disliked because he was a Celtic and I was a Dr J Sixers fan, could certainly be Larry Legend in today's game. When I see guys like Lemarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin averaging over 20 a game and David Lee getting more than 18? Yeah, Larry would get his. Bird could average 8 boards a game, 20 points per game and lead the league in three pointers while also leading the league in minutes played.For his career he averaged nearly 25 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game. We are also talking about a three-time MVP.As for the Karl Malone comments..Malone would get his, too. Guys like Dwight Howard are fun to watch because of their athleticism, but Karl Malone is a much better all around player than a Howard or a Blake Griffin IMO. Much better shooter and every bit as built. Kobe is one of the all time greats...Lebron is a freak show athlete with guard skills, something Magic brought to the table in his era. Kevin Durant is truly a unique kind of player..I can't think of too many guys like him in my lifetime. Basketball is really the one game I have seen where previous generations could come and play with today's players and be just fine.

the wilt vs mj part is what struck me. i remember reading once how wilt and mj talked about which one of them was better and wilt ended the conversation saying something along the lines of...they alter the rules to benefit you, michael. they altered the rules to hamper me and i still dominated.

one of the things were there were actually rules that kept wilt from dunking for a while. i wont say wilt is better because i didnt see him and mj was awesome and i loved to watch him.

but i have been told by my father that lebron is basically the big "o" and oscar was more dominant. that shows how good he was. it is really strange how this debate never gets old.

for my money i love the fancy passing true point guards like pistol pete and nash and kidd and rubio. hell i know he isnt an all time great but i can watch a white chocolate highlight tape all day and he wont shoot the ball in any of it.

 

[bcl20]

This thread is ridiculous. We're comparing two completely different eras of basketball. You can't compare players that played without a 3 point line to players now because defense is played completely different. And obviously Jordan is better than any freaking player in the league, but look at the amount of athletes in the NBA now compared to the 90s. Players are bigger, faster, and stronger, technology is improving and workout regimens are much more developed. Faceless white guys like Adam Keefe who had a huge role for the Jazz in the 90s would be playing for the Iowa Energy now. The style of play and the culture of the game is completely different, making it uncomparable.

Wait, out of all the thread that have existed on this website this one is ridiculous?

Also when one discusses this sort of thing, it should usually be assumed that the players from the past would have access to the same technology and workout regimens and everything like that. Also when one considers the players from today going to the past it would make sense to assume that they do not have access to those same things.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Wait, out of all the thread that have existed on this website this one is ridiculous?

Also when one discusses this sort of thing, it should usually be assumed that the players from the past would have access to the same technology and workout regimens and everything like that. Also when one considers the players from today going to the past it would make sense to assume that they do not have access to those same things.

I take it you've never seen Rocky Balboa. Watch it sometime.

 

[truehawk]

This thread is ridiculous. We're comparing two completely different eras of basketball. You can't compare players that played without a 3 point line to players now because defense is played completely different. And obviously Jordan is better than any freaking player in the league, but look at the amount of athletes in the NBA now compared to the 90s. Players are bigger, faster, and stronger, technology is improving and workout regimens are much more developed. Faceless white guys like Adam Keefe who had a huge role for the Jazz in the 90s would be playing for the Iowa Energy now. The style of play and the culture of the game is completely different, making it uncomparable.

This may be the only person who understands how things work. Like he said players are stronger, faster, and have much more body control today fompared to back then. All I was saying was there were s couple of players who's game I didn't think would translate.

 

[DuffMan]

This thread is ridiculous. We're comparing two completely different eras of basketball. You can't compare players that played without a 3 point line to players now because defense is played completely different. And obviously Jordan is better than any freaking player in the league, but look at the amount of athletes in the NBA now compared to the 90s. Players are bigger, faster, and stronger, technology is improving and workout regimens are much more developed. Faceless white guys like Adam Keefe who had a huge role for the Jazz in the 90s would be playing for the Iowa Energy now. The style of play and the culture of the game is completely different, making it uncomparable.

This may be the only person who understands how things work. Like he said players are stronger, faster, and have much more body control today fompared to back then. All I was saying was there were s couple of players who's game I didn't think would translate.

Congratz, you've found the one person who agrees with you. You are now vindicated.

 

[rodg12]

This may be the only person who understands how things work. Like he said players are stronger, faster, and have much more body control today fompared to back then. All I was saying was there were s couple of players who's game I didn't think would translate.

This doesn't change you being a complete idiot for professing that Karl Malone would be a 'big girl' in today's game and couldn't match-up with today's power forwards...

 

[ssckelley]

omg, we are arguing with someone that acts like we lived in the stone ages. Fortunately moving picture and film were around back in the days Jordan, Malone, Barkley ect ect played. Go look at their pictures and view clips of them playing on YouTube and then come back and tell us how much bigger, faster, and more athletic todays athletes are.

Just think in 20 years you will be able to argue with some snot nosed kid about how great Lebron was. Perhaps by then they will have legalized some kind of supplement that will turn these athletes into monsters.

 

[Ihawk209]

The worst part of today's game -no awesome names!

Fat Lever
Popeye Jones
Kevin Duckworth
Pooh Richardson
Vinny Del Negro
Mookie Blaylock
Olden Polynice
Spudd Webb

 

[Benddontbreak]

omg, we are arguing with someone that acts like we lived in the stone ages. Fortunately moving picture and film were around back in the days Jordan, Malone, Barkley ect ect played. Go look at their pictures and view clips of them playing on YouTube and then come back and tell us how much bigger, faster, and more athletic todays athletes are.

Just think in 20 years you will be able to argue with some snot nosed kid about how great Lebron was. Perhaps by then they will have legalized some kind of supplement that will turn these athletes into monsters.

Lebron is not better than Jordan. Jordan, Barkley, and Malone were all great players, but the teams they played against had a completely different makeup than they do now. Times have changed old man. Rik Smits would get tossed around like a wet noodle nowadays. But a guy like Serge Ibaka wouldve been too raw to play in the 90s. It goes both ways because its a different game.

 

[ssckelley]

Lebron is not better than Jordan. Jordan, Barkley, and Malone were all great players, but the teams they played against had a completely different makeup than they do now. Times have changed old man. Rik Smits would get tossed around like a wet noodle nowadays. But a guy like Serge Ibaka wouldve been too raw to play in the 90s. It goes both ways because its a different game.

Youngun, about the only thing that has changed in the past 20 years is a few of the rules. A 7'4" (265 lbs) Rik Smits would not get tossed around by a 7'2" (278 lbs) Roy Hibbert. You are talking about a guy that just retired 12 years ago.

Amazing, you would think we are comparing players from back in the 60s!

 

[bcl20]

What's great is that there are still some players from the 90's still playing today.

 

[sportstalent]

Kobe is SOO much closer to MJ than Lebron will ever be.

Who cares; neither is even an afterthought to comparing to Jordan.

Why: Neither Kobe/LeBron have the mind of Jordan. Anytime people doubted him, he proved them the wrong the next season, but also every other season after that.

There is not one player that has the mentality to prove anyone wrong...not one. Stop wasting time comparing anyone to Jordan, they don't exist anymore.

LeBron has all the physicall attributes to dominate like Jordan, but neve will because he is afraid to attempt to dominate. Kobe tries, but he is not even close physically; his mental game is kinda there, but still falls flat on his face.

On the person who doesn't thin Karl Malone would dominate...guess again, he is tough, something today's players aren't he runs the floor, something today's players don't unless they have a wide open dunk and he was able to hit a jumper and drive to the hoop and get fouled, not to mention he could make FT's pretty well too. If Griffin played with half the tenacity of Malone he would be the best player in the NBA, he is that much more gifted athletically than Malone.

Any list of players has to include Barkley, he would do the same today as he did when he played. It is all about toughness and a mentality, it is gone in the game today. Everyone wants to be pretty...oh yeah and dramatic.

 

[GhostofBTT]

No one uses it much. Its hard to play zone with a defensive 3 second rule.

What really made a difference between the high scoring early 80s and the much more physical 90s is when David Stern started allowing massive amounts of hand checking, likely as a way for his officials to influence outcomes.

Defense in the NBA is not played with much effort until the playoffs anyway.

Do you mean allowing, or calling? Because the NBA in the 70's and 80's was practically NFL football. The Detroit Pistons won two championships because they had a team that went around literally beating the crap out of everyone. Back in the 70's you didn't even get suspended for punching a guy on the court until Kermit Washington almost killed Rudy Tomjonovich.

The finesse era of the NBA began the year Chicago won their first title, '92 or '93 I think.

 

[GoHawks24]

The worst part of today's game -no awesome names!Fat LeverPopeye JonesKevin DuckworthPooh RichardsonVinny Del NegroMookie BlaylockOlden PolyniceSpudd Webb

Don't forget Mugsy Bogues! (sp?)

 

[hawkfan33]

Do you mean allowing, or calling? Because the NBA in the 70's and 80's was practically NFL football. The Detroit Pistons won two championships because they had a team that went around literally beating the crap out of everyone. Back in the 70's you didn't even get suspended for punching a guy on the court until Kermit Washington almost killed Rudy Tomjonovich.

The finesse era of the NBA began the year Chicago won their first title, '92 or '93 I think.

The New York Knicks - Miami Heat circa '95-'97 laugh at this. The current finesse era began in '03 and led to a proliferation of drive and kick offenses and an infusion of quality point gaurds into the league.

The defense in the 70's was nowhere near as tough as the defense that is played today, let alone the late 80's early 90's.

 

[GhostofBTT]

The New York Knicks - Miami Heat circa '95-'97 laugh at this. The current finesse era began in '03 and led to a proliferation of drive and kick offenses and an infusion of quality point gaurds into the league.

The defense in the 70's was nowhere near as tough as the defense that is played today, let alone the late 80's early 90's.

LOL wut? Maybe I am being too loose with the term "defense", but in the 70's, basketball was pretty much hockey on hardwood. They may not have been playing great defense, but they beat the hell out of each other.

Linked is an article from SI in 1977 about tough guys in basketball. It says that in 1976, there were 41 fights in NBA games. 41 freaking fights.

It is clearly a different game today.

 

[JonDMiller]

Finesse Era? LOL. Prior to Detroit's thuggery in the late 1980's, the Showtime era in the NBA for much of the 80's was a vastly superior product aesthetically. So was college basketball. Then Detroit went crazy hard the other way, and Pat Riley adopted that brand of foosketball with the Knicks...and pretty much ruined Eastern Conference basketball for a long while, other than the fact the Bulls rose above it.

 

[superfan12]

Who cares; neither is even an afterthought to comparing to Jordan.

Why: Neither Kobe/LeBron have the mind of Jordan. Anytime people doubted him, he proved them the wrong the next season, but also every other season after that.

There is not one player that has the mentality to prove anyone wrong...not one. Stop wasting time comparing anyone to Jordan, they don't exist anymore.

LeBron has all the physicall attributes to dominate like Jordan, but neve will because he is afraid to attempt to dominate. Kobe tries, but he is not even close physically; his mental game is kinda there, but still falls flat on his face.

On the person who doesn't thin Karl Malone would dominate...guess again, he is tough, something today's players aren't he runs the floor, something today's players don't unless they have a wide open dunk and he was able to hit a jumper and drive to the hoop and get fouled, not to mention he could make FT's pretty well too. If Griffin played with half the tenacity of Malone he would be the best player in the NBA, he is that much more gifted athletically than Malone.

Any list of players has to include Barkley, he would do the same today as he did when he played. It is all about toughness and a mentality, it is gone in the game today. Everyone wants to be pretty...oh yeah and dramatic.

What do you mean by the bolded? Kobe is a pretty athletic guy, not as athletic as Lebron, but no slouch either.

 

[atomicblue224]

LOL wut? Maybe I am being too loose with the term "defense", but in the 70's, basketball was pretty much hockey on hardwood. They may not have been playing great defense, but they beat the hell out of each other.

Linked is an article from SI in 1977 about tough guys in basketball. It says that in 1976, there were 41 fights in NBA games. 41 freaking fights.

It is clearly a different game today.

thats the way i like basketball, just freaking bodyslam eachother