Joel Embiid

[pdub]

Wes Unseld.
6 foot 7 center.
Looked like this.



Imagine him going up against Giannis.
Lolz.

[Deleted User 880]

One could argue, well....They were inducted in to the Hall of Fame because they were being compared to those before them - who probably weren't so great - which made them look better than they were.
Also, were they inducted solely as NBA players or were their college careers a factor too? I honesty don't know.
But I agree with you in that as I said before, Kareem played against "collectively" some great Centers in the NBA.

[pdub]

One could argue, well....They were inducted in to the Hall of Fame because they were being compared to those before them - who probably weren't so great - which made them look better than they were.

Yes.
This is the argument.

[PhDhawk]

Wes Unseld.
6 foot 7 center.
Looked like this.



Imagine him going up against Giannis.
Lolz.

Unseld is a better athlete than Niang.



.....and Dudley

[ousdahl]

When exactly did the modern era come to be?

I think much of it was with the emergence of the modern Dubs dynasty? As far as positionless ball goes and stuff.

When did the “old school back to the basket big” become obsolete in favor of the modern switch on anybody kind of guy? Heck, a decade ago Cole Aldrich went lotto.

This seems like a broad brush

[pdub]

Niang isn't a center, will never sniff the hall of fame, and shoots 42 percent from 3.

[pdub]

When exactly did the modern era come to be?

I think much of it was with the emergence of the modern Dubs dynasty? As far as positionless ball goes and stuff.

When did the “old school back to the basket big” become obsolete in favor of the modern switch on anybody kind of guy? Heck, a decade ago Cole Aldrich went lotto.

This seems like a broad brush

Late 2000s...though Tim Duncan was so good he bucked whatever the trend was.
See Dirk Nowitzski.

[PhDhawk]

Niang isn't a center, will never sniff the hall of fame, and shoots 42 percent from 3.

Exactly, he plays a position that requires even MORE athleticism.

As long as the NBA employs guys that look like this...



...your argument about "so and so" would never be in the league in today's game has no value.

[CrimsonNBlue]

When exactly did the modern era come to be?

I think much of it was with the emergence of the modern Dubs dynasty? As far as positionless ball goes and stuff.

When did the “old school back to the basket big” become obsolete in favor of the modern switch on anybody kind of guy? Heck, a decade ago Cole Aldrich went lotto.

This seems like a broad brush

Not sure if it is confusing, but "Modern NBA" is considered approximately 1980 to present, roughly same time 3PT line entered and Bird/Magic were getting it going. NBA really started to become a job around that time.


I think what you are referring to, though, is the entry of analytics and shooting only 3's and layups. An immediate predecessor for that style was both D'Antoni and Poppovich emphasizing a lot of ball movement all over the half court to create open shots.

[pdub]

It does have value but cant be proven of course hence the round and round of this discussion. I think it's fairly obvious when looking at the game tape, beyond the fact there's more money, players, training, game tape, dedication and competition in the league. But it's an opinion in the end.

[hasbeen]

It's been years in the making, but I really think people underrate how severe the decline has been just in the last half decade.

I don't know how to post a pic here, but the graph early on in this story is crazy.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/12/2 ... oel-embiid

[ousdahl]

Yeah, it s very much an evolution more so than some static moment.

Dirk was a modern big, in the sense he had an elite J, could face up, operate from the outside in. Timmy was old school, but also so fundamental and versatile that he remained competitive. Being on a team with other all-stars and a HOF coach helped too.

But the 14 Spurs were prob the last team to win it with an old school big as their best player? It’s mostly perimeter guys winning it all now right?

[CrimsonNBlue]

It's been years in the making, but I really think people underrate how severe the decline has been just in the last half decade.

I don't know how to post a pic here, but the graph early on in this story is crazy.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/12/2 ... oel-embiid

It has been discussed many times before, but IMO, NBA is down from its peak in the 2010ish era.

I love the NBA, but this nonstop pick and roll with lob/kick-out or drive to the paint trying to get a soft foul called isn't as interesting. Players get taught very little team ball or smart floor positioning stuff, a lot because of how ridiculously athletic and talented they are--they can make millions off that alone. IMO, bring back post play and the mid-range. Probably means you take the 3 point line back quite a ways as it is way too close.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Yeah, it s very much an evolution more so than some static moment.

Dirk was a modern big, in the sense he had an elite J, could face up, operate from the outside in. Timmy was old school, but also so fundamental and versatile that he remained competitive. Being on a team with other all-stars and a HOF coach helped too.

But the 14 Spurs were prob the last team to win it with an old school big as their best player? It’s mostly perimeter guys winning it all now right?

That Spurs team is what I was referring to with Pop's ball movement. Diaw was huge for them as a point forward. And I'd have both TP and Kawhi as the more important players than TD at that age.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Joel doubtful for G5. I definitely feel like there is some legacy on the line here.

[hasbeen]

Requires further evaluation. Yikes.

[Deleted User 880]

I've said this on more than one occasion. I wonder what Naismith would think of today's NBA.
Of course he would have realized the game of Basketball would evolve through the years but would he prefer watching white kid Junior High games being played in Bumblefuck Iowa in 1940 or NBA guys "ballin'" in 2021?

[Deleted User 863]

Joel doubtful for G5. I definitely feel like there is some legacy on the line here.

Nah. They aren't getting by the nets anyway. They will win this series against washington with or without Embiid since they already have the 3-1 lead. He will be fine in a few days. He walked off the court. Even played a few possessions after the fall iirc.

[Deleted User 880]

Joel doubtful for G5. I definitely feel like there is some legacy on the line here.

Wonder if it was a game 7 if he would be playing.

[Deleted User 863]

Joel doubtful for G5. I definitely feel like there is some legacy on the line here.

Wonder if it was a game 7 if he would be playing.

Imo, if last game was game 6, he would have kept playing.

They had a lead at the time and looked poised to win the game. He probably thought he guys could pull the win out without him, and if not, they'd have 3 more chances to get 1 win.