I assume that Dr. J, playing in today’s era, would be privy to all of the workouts and recovery that today’s players are using. I think you have to take that into account as well when comparing eras.
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I think that’s kinda the point I’m trying to make. There are players who aren’t even stars now that are more athletic than Dr. J. I’m not, nor was I ever talking about them as players as a whole. Just that Dr. J would not be in the top 2% of athletes with how athletic almost everyone in the league is right now.
Yeah it’s a really dicey conversation, I usually try not to get into it at all. I don’t think it makes sense to compare players from different eras as much as people do. That’s why the whole GOAT debate imo will always be going on. There’s no way to get a definitive answer to it.
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Does anyone else think that the Ball family would pull an Archie Manning and go “Detroit? Nah.”
Hopefully.
I’m talking about star players - functional athleticism. There are guys in the league in the 1980s who were more athletic than Jordan, but couldn’t play.
I’m saying Dr. J, in today’s game, would be a star and would be among the most impressive dunkers in the game. I don’t care if he doesn’t have the vertical of Glenn Robinson III; neither does LeBron.
But that has nothing to do with what I was saying. That’s a completely valid point but it’s not relevant to the initial comment you responded to.
The NBA player most like Michael Jordan, pre-Jordan was without a doubt David (Skywalker) Thompson. Scored 73 points in the last game ever played at Detroit’s Cobo Arena in 1978 in an effort to win the scoring title over George Gervin. Gervin scored 63 points later that day to win the title. The attached link tells that story and has a top ten plays by Thompson. After that season, Thompson’s love of cocaine hindered his performance and he was out of the league by age 29. The 1974 NCAA semi-final between NC State and UCLA (Thompson vs Walton) was a fantastic game. David Thompson, one of the greats, (Skywalker before Star Wars), could’ve been greater.
I feel like your argument assumes Dr. J was the very best athlete of his time, and that’s why he was so successful.
He probably wasn’t. Michael probably wasn’t either. I mean, Spud Webb played in the 1980s. He was 5-6 and could throw down dunks. You see guys in the dunk competition all the time who are insane athletes, but not great basketball players. In the college game, for example, look at a Doug Anderson or a Brent Petway.
My point is simply that Dr. J would still be a great player today, and his effectiveness scoring at the rim would be the same.
I’d also say that across generations, size and speed really matter. For example, it’s been 30 years since Bo Jackson played in the NFL. He was rumored to have run a 4.25 40, at 225 pounds. There’s still no one in the NFL like that. Similarly, take Barry Sanders. He last played 21 years ago. No one in today’s game has his acceleration or his moves. For both of those guys, their game would translate just fine.
But what you do see now are OL and DL who are 30-40 pounds heavier and just as fast or even faster. That’s a big difference. And occasionally there’s a guy the size of Calvin Johnson who can also run like a deer. Gronk, too, would be a huge outlier - I can’t recall anyone like him (maybe Winslow Sr., but he wasn’t as big).
In basketball, the meaningful difference will come when everyone is like LeBron - huge, but with guard skills and insane leaping ability.
And then when you look at big guys, paradoxically, they were bigger, stronger and more athletic in the 1980s and 1990s. There are no Shaqs, or Ewings, or Robinson’s, or Hakeem’s, in today’s game.
Dude, someone said Dr. J would be a better athlete than 98% of players today. I said that’s not true. That’s all I was talking about. This entire argument you’re having is with yourself.
But he doesn’t have two minutes to sign up for a subscription and support the site.
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I have other reasons, which have nothing to do with the quality of the site or anything like that. I find it kinda ridiculous that you keep trying to call me out on this, though. I’m certainly not the only person who posts and is not a subscriber, why are you only focused on what I do all the time? I also don’t get all the benefits that come from being a subscriber.
How is that relevant
I’d say Doncic is athletic, in terms of nimbleness and agility. He’s not earthbound either. He’s in that Magic Johnson realm.
There’s still not a player that’s come close to duplicating a move like Doc makes at the 4:12 mark. Part of that is due to his huge hands but that move is just insane.
We know there are zero Pistons. D-Rose pre-injury, sure, and pre-injury Blake would be in the mix. I’d guess Christian Wood comes the closest.
Over/under on the amount of carries in that video?