NBA STARS..Past vs Present

[IndyHawk]

Just curious if the younger NBA fans in here think their stars of today would hang with the ones of the past such as Wilt,MJ,Oscar,Magic and Bird for example..I think Lebron and Kobe (younger) could but they wouldn't be ahead of any of these guys in my book..I haven't seen one center from the 80's up who could have stopped Wilt and old kareem doesn't count..MJ -who today could stop him?A young MJ blows by anyone..An older one outsmarts everyone..I have to say I got really spoiled by great players back in the day

 

[SonicHawk]

The athletes in today's NBA are ridiculous. Those guys were great players and could have been great in this era today, but it wouldn't be easy for them.

 

[Uncle Si]

The athletes in today's NBA are ridiculous. Those guys were great players and could have been great in this era today, but it wouldn't be easy for them.

the game has changed as well... its so much more individual than it was in the 80s and 90s. the rules that basically eliminated defense have changed the emphasis on the types of players the league is developing.

a better question may be what starts from today (Lebron, Durant, Kobe, Paul, etc) would be successful in the defensive eras of the late 80s, early 90s? Imagine those players trying to break down the Pistons or Knicks defenses, or running the lane against the Rockets? trying to play offense AND defense against the Sonics.

Kobe and Lebron would be stars, but maybe not "super" stars. Paul against Payton or Isiah? Durant trying to free himself up against Lambeer/Wilkins etc?

 

[SonicHawk]

I don't think there's any question that the studs of today would be studs of yesteryear.

 

[Uncle Si]

I don't think there's any question that the studs of today would be studs of yesteryear.

i dont know, games a lot different now. certain players might struggle to reach that Elite status. if you threw Chris Paul, Kobe, Lebron, Howard, Wade, Allen, Garnett, Durant, Westbrook, Griffin into the late 80s early 90s era of the NBA, how many make all star games ahead of the likes of Payton and Kemp, Jordan/Pippen, Olujuwon, Barkley, Ewing, Isiah/Dumars, that Lakers squad, that Celtics squad, Wilkins, Drexler?

Lebron and Kobe for sure. the others would be interesting. fun to speculate.

 

[dontbelikethat]

I think Shaq could keep up Wilt & Kareem. Not the technician Kareem was, and Wilt had an advantage with his era, but Shaq was a freak of nature with his size (insanely tall & strong) and ability. Dude was a monster when he was in his prime/young.

I think Durant could also succeed. Offensive machine.

 

[Throwdown]

LeBron could, easily, and he'd still be a superstar.

Kobe came in during the changing of the guard, I think he'd be fine as well.

Durant does stuggle if someone gets physical with him, like LeBron does. I'd say he'd be a great player, but superstar? i don't know about that.

A GP vs CP3 would be intriguing as hell to watch though.

 

[IndyHawk]

The athletes in today's NBA are ridiculous. Those guys were great players and could have been great in this era today, but it wouldn't be easy for them.

The guys in past like Wilt and Jordan.Would have an easier time with todays soft defenses ..The training and conditioning would help them too..I think they would be beasts today just as they were then..

 

[Throwdown]

Didn't Wilt average like 40 a game one season?

 

[Smelly McUgly]

Didn't Wilt average like 40 a game one season?

Yeah, but this is coming toward the era of point inflation and lots of shots per game. Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double for a whole season in the early '70s.

Today's stars would more than hang with the stars of the past. Most past stars only wish they had the mix of size, length, quickness, and speed that guys like Durant and LeBron do, not to mention that those two are incredibly smart players on top of it.

My favorite non-Sonic player of all time is Magic because he had the size and length to play in the post, but the speed, intelligence, and court vision to play the point. The dude went for 42 and 9 playing four positions in an NBA Finals game. That is one of the greatest individual sports performances I have ever had the privilege of watching in my life. I say this because if you put current Durant or LeBron in that position, they might go for 50/15/8 in that same position. They are Magic, but athletically superior. That is a scary thought.

 

[Throwdown]

Mine was Olajuwon, dude was ridiculous as a big man, and he had handles!

 

[Smelly McUgly]

Funny enough, I was going off about Jordan and Olajuwon in that post before I deleted it. Olajuwon had amazing agility, crazy-good footwork, and could also hit a jumper from 17-feet or in consistently, and that's besides being a great defender. I don't think any of the big men that I've seen in college in the past decade could hang with him. I think it's him or Tim Duncan for best center ever considering the ridiculous talent they have to go against in the modern era compared to whom Wilt or Russell had to play against, but Olajuwon had to beat Robinson, Ewing, Mutombo, O'Neal etc., and basically better all around talent at center in his time.

I lived in San Antonio during the David Robinson/Sean Elliott (and later Robinson/Rodman, and then once again Robinson/Elliott) days as a kid, and Olajuwon would just destroy Robinson, a fine center in his own right, every time out. It became a running theme.

 

[Throwdown]

It's sad how far the big men have fallen since the 90s. There's a few good ones like Marc Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins, and Dwight Howard. But we just don't see em anymore, the one and done culture in the NCAA might have something to do with it IMO.

 

[Smelly McUgly]

On the flip side, there are a lot more guys in the 6'5 - 6'9 range that have real ballhandling skills. Before I stopped watching, I would love watching LeBron, who can legit play four positions. Durant can do it, I know. I see more SF/PF types coming up in college that can do it.

But yeah, I miss the pure big man. In the '90s, they were all different, too. Robinson was the jump shooter, Olajuwon had the footwork in the post; Ewing was the traditional post-up center; Mutombo was shaky on offense, but was an all time shot-blocker; O'Neal was the raw athletic freak...what a great decade for basketball.

 

[m0ng0]

Its too bad Sabonis had the body of a 50 year old by the time Portland finally got him!

 

[Smelly McUgly]

Arvydas Sabonis! Nice second-tier center. He was a sweet shooter.

Even the second-tier centers were fun to watch. Sabonis, Perkins, Smits, Divac all had their strengths.

 

[SonicHawk]

LeBron would have scored 150 points a game if he was transported in history to Chamberlain days.

Defense in the 80's and 90's was certainly more physical, but let's not pretend like the players today couldn't physically handle it... because they could. They just call the game far more closely nowadays.

 

[m0ng0]

Arvydas Sabonis! Nice second-tier center. He was a sweet shooter.

Even the second-tier centers were fun to watch. Sabonis, Perkins, Smits, Divac all had their strengths.

Sabonis could have been the best ever (his body of work in the nba says otherwise), he was like a point center. Sadly his best days were behind him when Portland got him and he was flat out amazing for a big.

 

[jeremiah]

I can tell all the people on here are fairly young. Le Bron could not handle the ball against the players of the 60's 70's and 80's. They would strip the ball easily. It is just too far for him to bend over and dribble. A 6'2" and under guard along with calls of palming, and only allowing a step and a half after stopping the dribble would limit even MJ. Watch the game now, and guys routinely take 3 steps, palm the ball, initiate contact and get defensive calls. Wilt would destroy Howard, as he did Jabbar. Bill Russell was not the only defensive wizard in the NBA in his day either, and Lanier was every bit the matchup problem O'neal was in his day. There are a lot more quality athletes in the league now, but the true quality does not match the numbers. The only thing better in the game today, is shooting accuracy. I would pay to see Durant try to run through a pick by Karl Malone, THAT would be worth the price of a ticket.

 

[jeremiah]

IndyHawk, I agree with you. People forget how many good centers in the NBA there were in the Russell/Chamberlain year up until Akeem, and Parish. In my mind, Le Bron would make a nice 4 or 3, but as a "best ever" candidate, NAWWWW.