Kansas Crimson

Its ok that you are as well.

Beats arguing over politics and the pandemic!

I think it is hard to know definitively. Players continue to get bigger stronger faster and more skilled. Rick Smits was an all star back in the day. Can't imagine he's much better than Cole Aldrich who was never much more than a role player.

I tend to think teams now are better than teams back then in general. But there are exceptions. Those bulls teams would still be great in any era. But so would the championship teams from the last 10-20 years.

Always tough to compare different eras.

IllinoisJayhawk wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 2:22 pm Beats arguing over politics and the pandemic!

I think it is hard to know definitively. Players continue to get bigger stronger faster and more skilled. Rick Smits was an all star back in the day. Can't imagine he's much better than Cole Aldrich who was never much more than a role player.

I tend to think teams now are better than teams back then in general. But there are exceptions. Those bulls teams would still be great in any era. But so would the championship teams from the last 10-20 years.

Always tough to compare different eras.

Deeper talent pool now, but top end talent is comparable from the 80's through today. Before that time is kind of like the dead ball era of baseball.

Dudes like Giannis and Joel Embiid would wreak havok on guys like Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley.

I'm confused. What do Giannis and Joel have to do with Cartwright and Longley? Are you picking two athletically dominant players from 2020 and comparing them to two guys who were unathletic serviceable role players in the 90s to prove that guys playing now are more athletic?
I don't think anyone would or should argue that - but I also don't think you should completely discount the athleticism in the 90s.
How do you feel guys like Hakeem, Shaq, and Karl Malone would do in today's game?
How would today's athletic players do in the 90s?

Like CnB mentioned the top end guys (Hakeem, Shaq, Malone) would do fine.

The difference is big guys like Longley and Cartwright would get abused by guys like Brook Lopez and Vucevic. Bigs who space the floor and shoot. Im trying to come up with role players and not just Giannis and Embiid types who are top 10 players in the world.

Today's players would ball screen / pick and roll the slower players of yesteryear to death. There's really no way around that.

Today's role players would be better in the 90s I think (compared to what they are now). Like others have pointed out, the overly physical play back in the day was still a foul. Just not a flagrant or ejection. Hand checking would play a role no doubt, but you can only hand check so much if a guy has the speed to burn past.

I'd rather have Giannis and/or Joel but I think those 3 guys would still do great in todays NBA.
I'd consider taking Shaq 99-00 over both of them - but we're talking 90's.
I'm not arguing careers - because all 3 of those players have had far better careers.

As far as Giannis 2019 being inserted into 90's NBA - good luck everyone else.

I would still take 90s Shaq and plug him into today's game just fine. LA Shaq physically overpowered people. Orlando Shaq would take rebounds and block shots then go coast to coast with it. If he came into the league today, the same player he was in 1992, he would probably be just as dominant.

saw a cool video of Jordan being asked about who is the GOAT...he basically said he'd never call himself the GOAT because its disrespectful to other eras he didn't play in/against and to guys like Wilt and Jerry West (those were the 2 guys he mentioned specifically). And that it makes him cringe when people try to argue about who is the GOAT because its just an opinion.

Thought that was pretty cool/humble.

Well, it's pretty easy to be humble when you basically have everything to back it up and, most importantly, 70+% of the living population already believe that you are.

pdub wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 2:29 pm Dudes like Giannis and Joel Embiid would wreak havok on guys like Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley.

how about embiid vs kemp or the dream?

TraditionKU wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 7:10 pm

pdub wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 2:29 pm Dudes like Giannis and Joel Embiid would wreak havok on guys like Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley.

how about embiid vs kemp or the dream?

He would dominate Kemp.

He would be better than the dream imo. They are basically the same style of player (Embiid has said many times he molded his game after Hakeem) except Embiid is stronger and a better shooter.

There are only 2 true centers that I dont think Embiid at 100% is better than and those 2 guys are Wilt and Shaq. If Embiid stays healthy long enough he's going to go down as a top 20 player of all time.

IllinoisJayhawk wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 7:19 pm

TraditionKU wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 7:10 pm

pdub wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 2:29 pm Dudes like Giannis and Joel Embiid would wreak havok on guys like Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley.

how about embiid vs kemp or the dream?

He would dominate Kemp.

He would be better than the dream imo. They are basically the same style of player (Embiid has said many times he molded his game after Hakeem) except Embiid is stronger and a better shooter.

There are only 2 true centers that I dont think Embiid at 100% is better than and those 2 guys are Wilt and Shaq. If Embiid stays healthy long enough he's going to go down as a top 20 player of all time.

Wow. Let’s pump the brakes until Embiid even sniffs Hakeem’s playoff performances. More than just Jordan dominated in the 90’s.

Hakeem was one of those guys. Especially in 94 and 95 including dropping 33 and 12 per game in a sweep of your boy Shaq.

IllinoisJayhawk wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 7:19 pm

TraditionKU wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 7:10 pm

pdub wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 2:29 pm Dudes like Giannis and Joel Embiid would wreak havok on guys like Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley.

how about embiid vs kemp or the dream?

He would dominate Kemp.

He would be better than the dream imo. They are basically the same style of player (Embiid has said many times he molded his game after Hakeem) except Embiid is stronger and a better shooter.

There are only 2 true centers that I dont think Embiid at 100% is better than and those 2 guys are Wilt and Shaq. If Embiid stays healthy long enough he's going to go down as a top 20 player of all time.

I think you underestimate Reign Man

Well I'm only 33 so I also am not the right generation to evaluate Hakeem very well probably...but don't punish me for being an Embiid homer!

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 5:23 pm Well, it's pretty easy to be humble when you basically have everything to back it up and, most importantly, 70+% of the living population already believe that you are.

And the other 30% share an IQ similar to your average Trumper.

IllinoisJayhawk wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 7:56 pm Well I'm only 33 so I also am not the right generation to evaluate Hakeem very well probably...but don't punish me for being an Embiid homer!

Thanks for the laugh!
First off, Reign Man was Kemp, not Hakeem.
Second, you have no problem evaluating Wilt - do you?
Third, I will not punish you for being an Embiid homer. Hopefully all of us in here are Embiid homers too.

Grandma wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 8:02 pm

IllinoisJayhawk wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 7:56 pm Well I'm only 33 so I also am not the right generation to evaluate Hakeem very well probably...but don't punish me for being an Embiid homer!

Thanks for the laugh!
First off, Reign Man was Kemp, not Hakeem.
Second, you have no problem evaluating Wilt - do you?
Third, I will not punish you for being an Embiid homer. Hopefully all of us in here are Embiid homers too.

Haha I know Reign Man is Kemp (he and the glove were why I had a sonics starter jacket in grade school LOL)...sorry I didn't quote anyone, and only read CnBs comment before starting my reply, so that was confusing.

I am probably not qualified to evaluate Wilt either, but he is a jayhawk (so I know a bit of his history) and played before most of us here were alive/old enough to remember, and before basketball was broadcast on TV anywhere similar to the way it is today...so it is more a level playing field when talking about him. Not to mention it wouldn't be the first time I've talked out of my ass around here, being uneducated about a subject has never stopped me before!

pdub wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 2:13 pm Its ok that you are as well.

Yea, it would be fine. Just hasnt happened yet.