Alright... Let's compare NBA eras... 80's/90's vs Now

[Gwynn545]

Even though it is totally ridiculous to do so, let's compare. Since MJ brought it up.
Could today's stars compete with the stars of yesterday. You got to admit, the NBA is so soft compared to the 80's/90's... It's not even funny. I just think Carmelo or Wade would never be taking the ball inside, ever, after dislocating a few ribs early in their career by yesterday's power forwards and more importantly, the centers. Yes, folks, once upon a time there was a position called the "center". Everyone is so soft nowadays, and rules don't allow people to breath on each other ...

 

[Super Mario]

You covered it.


Players are weak today. First time the Bad Boys clocked Lebron or Kobe in the jaw, they'd be crying like a little baby.

 

[jbhofmann]

The myth that the NBA was tougher in the 80's/90's is just that, a myth.

I would argue that the physicality in basketball is at an all-time high at all levels. Scoring is down, yet shooting percentages have stayed relatively stagnant.

Kevin Durant would score 35+ a night in the 80's.
LeBron James would dominate in any era. To think otherwise is just silly. 6'8" 260 and possibly that fastest man in the NBA.

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

The myth that the NBA was tougher in the 80's/90's is just that, a myth.

I would argue that the physicality in basketball is at an all-time high at all levels. Scoring is down, yet shooting percentages have stayed relatively stagnant.

Kevin Durant would score 35+ a night in the 80's.
LeBron James would dominate in any era. To think otherwise is just silly. 6'8" 260 and possibly that fastest man in the NBA.

I agree.

The other thing is saying that today's players are soft is just being nostalgic. Sure, the game is different, but I don't see how that's on the players. They play to the rules, and I don't get why that makes them soft. If they were playing in the NBA of the 80's then they'd step up. You'd still have the elite players being elite, and you'd have a few more thugs making a career for themselves just being the goon on a team.

The game has changed, but I don't think we've ever seen the type of pure talent that there is now.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

is it true that in the NBA today you're not even allowed to hand check?

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

is it true that in the NBA today you're not even allowed to hand check?

From NBA.com

Hand Checking: A defender may not place and keep his hand on an opponent unless he is in the area near the basket with his back to the basket. A defender may momentarily touch an opponent with his hand anywhere on the court as long as it does not affect the opponent’s movement (speed, quickness, balance, rhythm).

So the answer is sort of, but I think the should be used in the post and not anywhere else so the rule is probably correct.

 

[gt2590]

While the Elite talent is terrific right now, and those felllas would be able to shine in ANY era, overall I think the League is not nearly as deep talent-wise.

Besides the obvious canidates, who from the last Five Drafts has even got a Small shot at being a HOFer? And I'm a HUGE Steph Curry fan.

Heck, I think that they should contract a few teams to make the Top 8 players on most teams alot better. But I'm not naive enough to think it'll actually happen...

 

[Gwynn545]

I totally agree with you guys on some points...First LeBron, as much as I hate him, definitely is one of those players who would dominate any era. Kobe, and KD, too, are just plain unbelievable. So, sure, there are those superstars than are untouchable in any era. I would go so far as calling them Hall of Fame players...
But C'mon, man...Bosh, Deng, George, Chandler, Noah, Holliday, Lopez, Hardin, Lee, Parker, Randolph, Aldridge??...These are all-stars...ALL-STARS?? No way they'd be All-Stars back in the day. I doubt they'd even be starters on their respective teams.
Just for random example, here's the 1987 All-Stars (Game which I attended! Best two days of Sports in my life!)
Erving, Jordan, Bird, Malone, Wilkins, McHale, Barkley, Thomas, Parrish, Laimbeer, Cheeks
Magic, Worthy, Olajuwan, Jabbar, Blackmon, Aguirre, English, W. Davis, Sleepy Floyd, JBC, Tom Chambers MVP, off the top of my head. Oh, yeah, Alvin Robertson!! (Okay, there's one in every bunch, I actually had an Alvin Robertson poster on my wall at one point...::facepalm::
My point is that the NBA was full of great players. Not so much anymore. We call these guys All-Stars because that's all we got!!

**Edit** ^^Good call GT! We are thinking the same thing!

 

[gt2590]

Alvin Robertson was actually pretty good, especially Defensively.

Of that list you had of this year's All-Stars, I only think Holiday, Aldridge, Harden, Lee and Tony Parker will even make the All-Star team next year. Bosh, Chandler and Lopez just benefit from the shortage of Quality "big men". And IF D-Will and Rose comeback to form next year, then Jrue's probably out of luck...

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

I totally agree with you guys on some points...First LeBron, as much as I hate him, definitely is one of those players who would dominate any era. Kobe, and KD, too, are just plain unbelievable. So, sure, there are those superstars than are untouchable in any era. I would go so far as calling them Hall of Fame players...
But C'mon, man...Bosh, Deng, George, Chandler, Noah, Holliday, Lopez, Hardin, Lee, Parker, Randolph, Aldridge??...These are all-stars...ALL-STARS?? No way they'd be All-Stars back in the day. I doubt they'd even be starters on their respective teams.
Just for random example, here's the 1987 All-Stars (Game which I attended! Best two days of Sports in my life!)
Erving, Jordan, Bird, Malone, Wilkins, McHale, Barkley, Thomas, Parrish, Laimbeer, Cheeks
Magic, Worthy, Olajuwan, Jabbar, Blackmon, Aguirre, English, W. Davis, Sleepy Floyd, JBC, Tom Chambers MVP, off the top of my head. Oh, yeah, Alvin Robertson!! (Okay, there's one in every bunch, I actually had an Alvin Robertson poster on my wall at one point...::facepalm::
My point is that the NBA was full of great players. Not so much anymore. We call these guys All-Stars because that's all we got!!

**Edit** ^^Good call GT! We are thinking the same thing!

I get your overall point, but confused with some of the guys you mention. I could make a case that Noah is better than Parish. Laimbeer's numbers are pretty damn close for scoring and rebounding, but worse in assists, blocks, and steals.

Harden scores like Aguirre, but also has the well rounded game that Aguirre didn't.

Cheeks in 87 has stats that are almost identical to Holiday.

I'm all for nostalgia, but older does not automatically mean better.

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

And just for the all time list, in the game last night:

Duncan: top 10 all time, greatest PF ever to play the game
Lebron & Kobe: Will both end up each being top 10 all time
Garnett: Top 25 all time
Durant: On pace to be a top 20 all time

 

[hoopster3977]

The myth that the NBA was tougher in the 80's/90's is just that, a myth.

I would argue that the physicality in basketball is at an all-time high at all levels. Scoring is down, yet shooting percentages have stayed relatively stagnant.

Kevin Durant would score 35+ a night in the 80's.
LeBron James would dominate in any era. To think otherwise is just silly. 6'8" 260 and possibly that fastest man in the NBA.

If you where born during this era, you have no idea how the game was played. I'll take Dr J over Durant anyday of the week, and twice on Sunday.

The greatest decade of NBA basketball was played durning the '80's. FTW, I had NBA season tickets during this time, I saw all the greats.



A young MJ before the masses really knew who he was.


I you want to compare this year's all-star rosters to this one, the '80's all-star's would mop the floor with this years roster.


The "Greatest" Olympic Basketball team ever. Better than the 1992 squad.



Please check the roster of the 80 invities and coaches. Lots of HOF'ers here. Just think, John Stockton, Karl Malone,Charles Barkley, Mark Price, and Terry Porter didn't make the cut.

RIP Nick Vanos, Efrem Winters.

 

[hoopster3977]

I get your overall point, but confused with some of the guys you mention. I could make a case that Noah is better than Parish. Laimbeer's numbers are pretty damn close for scoring and rebounding, but worse in assists, blocks, and steals.

Harden scores like Aguirre, but also has the well rounded game that Aguirre didn't.

Cheeks in 87 has stats that are almost identical to Holiday.

I'm all for nostalgia, but older does not automatically mean better.

So, how many of the players you listed above have won NBA championships? Wake up a bit. Jrue Holiday couldn't carry Mo Cheeks' jock strap, Noah is a one trick pony, and never ever should be compared to the "Chief'.

I'll throw this one out here, Harden couldn't even be compared to Andrew Toney, much less Mark Aquirre.

Charles Barkley, former 76ers teammate – “Toney was amazingly strong, he and Moses were the only ones that could post me up!” Charles continued, “I thought he was the best player on the team when I got here. We had Bobby Jones, Moses Malone and Julius Erving but the only one I was in awe of was Andrew.” Taken from Barkley’s book “Outrageous!”

Pat Riley, Former Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers – “He’s the greatest clutch player I’ve ever seen. The hell with Jerry West.”
The highest honor may have come from a man who saw The Strangler first hand.

Larry Bird, Former Boston Celtic Great – “Do I remember Andrew Toney? The Boston Strangler? Yeah. I remember him. I wish we had him. He was a killer. We called him the Boston Strangler because every time he got a hold of the ball we knew he was going to score. He was the absolute best I’ve ever seen at shooting the ball at crucial times. We had nobody who could come close to stopping him. Nobody.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCNcCDYDlXY

 

[hoopster3977]

is it true that in the NBA today you're not even allowed to hand check?

Yea, that's correct E. But you can put your forearm against the opposing player outside the paint.

It's tough to compare era's due to the rules now. It's become a point guard driven league, but when has a point guard lead a team to a championship? The kids today are too soft, and all they want to do is complain about not getting calls. LeBron would be a very good player in the '80's, but there was so much better talent than him during that decade of play.

And to add to the point about better play, expansion did dilute the talent pool greatly in the '90's. Most of the players today should be in college for more than one season just to prepare for the NBA.

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

So, how many of the players you listed above have won NBA championships? Wake up a bit. Jrue Holiday couldn't carry Mo Cheeks' jock strap, Noah is a one trick pony, and never ever should be compared to the "Chief'.

I'll throw this one out here, Harden couldn't even be compared to Andrew Toney, much less Mark Aquirre.

Isn't it kind of strange that you dismiss players that I listed because they didn't win championships, and then in another post you mention a USA team was so good that even Stockton and Malone didn't make the cut? Championships are important, but have no bearing on who are the best individual players in a given year. Looking strictly at statistics, I don't get what made these guys so much better than their counterparts that I'm comparing them to? Statistically they're very similar. So to say so and so shouldn't even be compared, or this guy can't hold this guys jock is crazy.

For the record, I agree with you. The 80's was the golden age of the NBA. With Bird, Magic and Jordan it revitalized a struggling NBA. What I hate is when people like you dismiss that stars of the game now because these old guys were good. To say Lebron would have been good in the 80's but there was far more talent than him is insane. Lebron dominates a game where as a whole each player is stronger, faster and more athletically gifted than the 80's. Throw him back in that time and only Jordan stands a chance, and not because of his talent. Jordan would dominate Lebron because of his mental toughness and drive.

 

[hoopster3977]

The reason I used Stockton and Malone as an example is that they tried out for the "Dream Team", and got cut. The talent level was so much greater than now. There is too much 1 on 1 play in the league right now due to the defensive rule changes. And they didn't win a championship, but that was in the '90's.

Even Jordan couldn't cash in during the '80's either. He had to wait until Bird, Erving, Magic, Jabbar, Moses Malone, Lanier all retired before getting his first ring.

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

The reason I used Stockton and Malone as an example is that they tried out for the "Dream Team", and got cut. The talent level was so much greater than now. There is too much 1 on 1 play in the league right now due to the defensive rule changes. And they didn't win a championship, but that was in the '90's.

Even Jordan couldn't cash in during the '80's either. He had to wait until Bird, Erving, Magic, Jabbar, Moses Malone, Lanier all retired before getting his first ring.

That and he didn't get Scottie until 87-88. At that point it was just Isiah that he was waiting for after Pippen's rookie year.

Again, no disagreement with you on the 80's being the greatest era in the NBA. Just disagree with discounting today's individual players because they aren't from the 80's. Durant would dominate then and now.

 

[hoopster3977]

I'm not saying Durant wouldn't dominate, it's just that he would be in company of other players at level above him.

In this era, he has elite skills that no one else has in the league at this time.

Now only if Lebron could only make a free throw...................................................

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

I'm not saying Durant wouldn't dominate, it's just that he would be in company of other players at level above him.

In this era, he has elite skills that no one else has in the league at this time.

Now only if Lebron could only make a free throw...................................................

75% isn't terrible. I guess it is the one flaw in the best offensive and defensive player on the court at any given time. He is shooting 57% from the field and 42% from 3, so his other shooting numbers are good. I know I'd prefer a 28 year old Lebron to Larry Bird at 28.

 

[jbhofmann]

Durant has elite skills that nobody has ever had prior to him. If you can't see that, I can't value your nostalgic opinion.
6'10" assassin at a very very young age.