True/False: The NBA has less talent now than years prior.

[somberbostonian]

There are currently 30 NBA teams, but only 17 D-League teams. That number needs to be an even 24-24 split to weed out all the scrubs who have no business playing at the top level.

[Y2K]

The bulk of the big men can't even post up and be legit scorers. The main bigs who do score rely far more on athleticism, not skill.

Shooters moving without the ball - I'm not exactly sure where you're going with this. Reddick, Durant, Curry, Korver, Martin, etc. all do a phenomenal job moving without the ball. Plus so many teams nowadays are focused on pick-and-rolls so it'd make more sense having shooters space the floor rather than draw up a series of off-ball screens to shoot a jumpshot that's going to be contested by a good defensive team

Point Guards bringing the ball up the sides - I literally only see this when they're calling a timeout or when teams are already pressing them to the sides. Not a big deal by any stretch of the imagination.

Not following your shot - You mean transition defense? It's more fundamentally sound to get back in transition.

Midrange jumpshot - Meh, that's just the transition of the game. Why not step back and go for 3 points instead of taking a long jumpshot for 2 points? Funny how players from the 80's and 90's never receive any criticism for failing to expand their range yet players nowadays are criticized for taking more efficient shots.

This is what's wrong with your type of argument. There is no objective method to keep track of something like how often players boxed out in the 90's compared to today. Everything is subjective and susceptible to human error/bias. It's an inherently poor argument.

As for big men, how many true post threats existed in the 90's anyways? Bigs like Garnett, Dirk, Amare, Webber, Love, Bosh, etc EXPANDED their games to involve perimeter skillsets to make them a more dynamic offensive threat. What fans don't realize is that not every team in the 90's had a Hakeem or Shaq on their roster. If you take the big men from the 90's and compare them to the bigs from the 00's, you'd realize as a collective group, the disparity in talent is nowhere near what the media wants you to believe. A player like Laimbeer would be a towel waver in today's league.

In today's NBA Laimbeer would probably put up KLove type numbers, a stretch 4 who could rebound and bang with the best of them and shoot the 3. Also remember Hakeem. Mourning, Robinson, Ewing, Shaq, etc. etc.
Did you ever see Laimbeer play? You are trying too hard and are getting owned in your own thread.

Lol, she doesn't know that Laim was one of the few elite PnR/PnP bigs of his era.

[l3bron]

This whole so and so good player from back then would be a 14th man DNP today is more of an insult to their basketball IQ than to the alleged "better athleticism" people try to make today's game out to be. You're assuming someone like Laimbeer, who was good enough to be close to an Ironman from 1983-91 (starting 81-82 games every one of those years) is somehow too stupid to adjust his play for today. There's a reason why Laimbeer will probably get into the Hall of Fame and someone like Greg Kite will not.

How do expect someone to adjust to lack of talent and athleticism?

[Smelters]

Is there a way to ignore users? This smelters guy is annoying.

I got a live one y'all. He is crying.

What did I do to you? the truth hurts.

#game,set,match
#checkmate.

Just like this era, fu(king crybabies and this dud calls out Laimbeer, LOL!!!

[Smelters]

Please love Lebron, please!!!!!

why do you want people to love LeBron?

That's the OP crying for love. hahaha

[l3bron]

Shooters moving without the ball - I'm not exactly sure where you're going with this. Reddick, Durant, Curry, Korver, Martin, etc. all do a phenomenal job moving without the ball. Plus so many teams nowadays are focused on pick-and-rolls so it'd make more sense having shooters space the floor rather than draw up a series of off-ball screens to shoot a jumpshot that's going to be contested by a good defensive team

Point Guards bringing the ball up the sides - I literally only see this when they're calling a timeout or when teams are already pressing them to the sides. Not a big deal by any stretch of the imagination.

Not following your shot - You mean transition defense? It's more fundamentally sound to get back in transition.

Midrange jumpshot - Meh, that's just the transition of the game. Why not step back and go for 3 points instead of taking a long jumpshot for 2 points? Funny how players from the 80's and 90's never receive any criticism for failing to expand their range yet players nowadays are criticized for taking more efficient shots.

This is what's wrong with your type of argument. There is no objective method to keep track of something like how often players boxed out in the 90's compared to today. Everything is subjective and susceptible to human error/bias. It's an inherently poor argument.

As for big men, how many true post threats existed in the 90's anyways? Bigs like Garnett, Dirk, Amare, Webber, Love, Bosh, etc EXPANDED their games to involve perimeter skillsets to make them a more dynamic offensive threat. What fans don't realize is that not every team in the 90's had a Hakeem or Shaq on their roster. If you take the big men from the 90's and compare them to the bigs from the 00's, you'd realize as a collective group, the disparity in talent is nowhere near what the media wants you to believe. A player like Laimbeer would be a towel waver in today's league.

In today's NBA Laimbeer would probably put up KLove type numbers, a stretch 4 who could rebound and bang with the best of them and shoot the 3. Also remember Hakeem. Mourning, Robinson, Ewing, Shaq, etc. etc.
Did you ever see Laimbeer play? You are trying too hard and are getting owned in your own thread.

Lol, she doesn't know that Laim was one of the few elite PnR/PnP bigs of his era.

What makes you say that?

[Repeat3peat]

This whole so and so good player from back then would be a 14th man DNP today is more of an insult to their basketball IQ than to the alleged "better athleticism" people try to make today's game out to be. You're assuming someone like Laimbeer, who was good enough to be close to an Ironman from 1983-91 (starting 81-82 games every one of those years) is somehow too stupid to adjust his play for today. There's a reason why Laimbeer will probably get into the Hall of Fame and someone like Greg Kite will not.

How do expect someone to adjust to lack of talent and athleticism?

Same way today's players do....PED's

[l3bron]

Is there a way to ignore users? This smelters guy is annoying.

I got a live one y'all. He is crying.

What did I do to you? the truth hurts.

#game,set,match
#checkmate.

Just like this era, fu(king crybabies and this dud calls out Laimbeer, LOL!!!

lol

[AbeVigodaLive]

What does "years prior" mean?

2011?
1956?

[vcsgrizzfan]

There are more good quality players in the NBA today than in prior years. The defences are much more sophisticated today than they were in prior eras.

It's not to say that one era is superior to another. That stuff is always bull crap. There are no magic time machines where you can take a player from today and put him in the game 50 years ago. LeBron born 50 years ago would not have a game remotely close to what his game looks like today. Conversely, a guy like Bob Cousy would look incredibly different today compared to how he looked when he played if he were born 60 years later. His game would look far, far more evolved for a ton of different reasons.

This era is weak stuff is bullshit, just like saying the 80s was weak and Bird would be a role player today. It's 100% nonsense.

[Havlicekstealsit]

What does "years prior" mean?

2011?
1956?

Which year better puts Lebron on a higher pedestal?

[AbeVigodaLive]

There are more good quality players in the NBA today than in prior years. The defences are much more sophisticated today than they were in prior eras.

It's not to say that one era is superior to another. That stuff is always bull crap. There are no magic time machines where you can take a player from today and put him in the game 50 years ago. LeBron born 50 years ago would not have a game remotely close to what his game looks like today. Conversely, a guy like Bob Cousy would look incredibly different today compared to how he looked when he played if he were born 60 years later. His game would look far, far more evolved for a ton of different reasons.

This era is weak stuff is bullshit, just like saying the 80s was weak and Bird would be a role player today. It's 100% nonsense.

That's just poor trolling.

Unless those people really do believe Ryan Anderson really is better than Bird.

[AbeVigodaLive]

What does "years prior" mean?

2011?
1956?

Which year better puts Lebron on a higher pedestal?

To be fair, there are no ESPN executives in this thread... so that shouldn't be part of the equation.

[Smelters]

This whole so and so good player from back then would be a 14th man DNP today is more of an insult to their basketball IQ than to the alleged "better athleticism" people try to make today's game out to be. You're assuming someone like Laimbeer, who was good enough to be close to an Ironman from 1983-91 (starting 81-82 games every one of those years) is somehow too stupid to adjust his play for today. There's a reason why Laimbeer will probably get into the Hall of Fame and someone like Greg Kite will not.

How do expect someone to adjust to lack of talent and athleticism?

Athleticism is overrated in basketball but in today's game the few who have it can dominate because guys lack the mental capacity (you know what I'm talking about, right?) awareness, skill and talent. Oh I forgot physical play, oh these players break down real fast nowadays, oh and what about roids?

Do you think Blake could put up his numbers in the 90s? and he is an athletic freak.

[Y2K]

In today's NBA Laimbeer would probably put up KLove type numbers, a stretch 4 who could rebound and bang with the best of them and shoot the 3. Also remember Hakeem. Mourning, Robinson, Ewing, Shaq, etc. etc.
Did you ever see Laimbeer play? You are trying too hard and are getting owned in your own thread.

Lol, she doesn't know that Laim was one of the few elite PnR/PnP bigs of his era.

What makes you say that?

Your original comment on Laim. Isn't this era the era of the stretch big and the PnR big? To think that he would be a towel waver is nonsense.

[Smelters]

There are more good quality players in the NBA today than in prior years. The defences are much more sophisticated today than they were in prior eras.

It's not to say that one era is superior to another. That stuff is always bull crap. There are no magic time machines where you can take a player from today and put him in the game 50 years ago. LeBron born 50 years ago would not have a game remotely close to what his game looks like today. Conversely, a guy like Bob Cousy would look incredibly different today compared to how he looked when he played if he were born 60 years later. His game would look far, far more evolved for a ton of different reasons.

This era is weak stuff is bullshit, just like saying the 80s was weak and Bird would be a role player today. It's 100% nonsense.

Please stop listening to the media, espn about defenses being more sophisticated. What defense would a bball player with good or great awareness (see guys not athleticism but some brains) have trouble with? a zone is a zone and a man to man is all the same, wow, the b$ the media puts in peeps mind so that we can have social media discussions about wannabes trying to be like ...., oh just too easy!!!

[Sudanese Sensation]

Games are more sophisticated now in all three major sports because of Big Data. i was reading this book about Wilt and the litany of coaches he played for. All one of his coaches did is tell flatulence jokes and his pre game planning consisted of asking his players "what are we going to do today, fellas?"

[vcsgrizzfan]

There are more good quality players in the NBA today than in prior years. The defences are much more sophisticated today than they were in prior eras.

It's not to say that one era is superior to another. That stuff is always bull crap. There are no magic time machines where you can take a player from today and put him in the game 50 years ago. LeBron born 50 years ago would not have a game remotely close to what his game looks like today. Conversely, a guy like Bob Cousy would look incredibly different today compared to how he looked when he played if he were born 60 years later. His game would look far, far more evolved for a ton of different reasons.

This era is weak stuff is bullshit, just like saying the 80s was weak and Bird would be a role player today. It's 100% nonsense.

Please stop listening to the media, espn about defenses being more sophisticated. What defense would a bball player with good or great awareness (see guys not athleticism but some brains) have trouble with? a zone is a zone and a man to man is all the same, wow, the b$ the media puts in peeps mind so that we can have social media discussions about wannabes trying to be like ...., oh just too easy!!!

You are trying way too hard. I've been watching hoops since the 1970s and trying to pretend that team defence hasn't evolved immeasurably is just ridiculous. It was much more of a I'll take mine and you'll take yours league than it is today.

[Smelters]

Games are more sophisticated now in all three major sports because of Big Data. i was reading this book about Wilt and the litany of coaches he played for. All one of his coaches did is tell flatulence jokes and his pre game planning consisted of asking his players "what are we going to do today, fellas?"

and all major sports and hockey (which attendance has surpassed the NBA) have made it easier to get numbers.

example. last year 4 QBs (and 2 others came close) broke Dan Marino's season yardage record after 27 years because you can barely touch WRs now.

[Y2K]

There are more good quality players in the NBA today than in prior years. The defences are much more sophisticated today than they were in prior eras.

It's not to say that one era is superior to another. That stuff is always bull crap. There are no magic time machines where you can take a player from today and put him in the game 50 years ago. LeBron born 50 years ago would not have a game remotely close to what his game looks like today. Conversely, a guy like Bob Cousy would look incredibly different today compared to how he looked when he played if he were born 60 years later. His game would look far, far more evolved for a ton of different reasons.

This era is weak stuff is bullshit, just like saying the 80s was weak and Bird would be a role player today. It's 100% nonsense.

Please stop listening to the media, espn about defenses being more sophisticated. What defense would a bball player with good or great awareness (see guys not athleticism but some brains) have trouble with? a zone is a zone and a man to man is all the same, wow, the b$ the media puts in peeps mind so that we can have social media discussions about wannabes trying to be like ...., oh just too easy!!!

You are trying way too hard. I've been watching hoops since the 1970s and trying to pretend that team defence hasn't evolved immeasurably is just ridiculous. It was much more of a I'll take mine and you'll take yours league than it is today.

It's evolved because of the science involved now. More film, data, scouts, etc. have allowed coaches far more access 4 game planning an opponent.