POLL If prime Jordan played in today's NBA - would he be the best?

[Bart]

I don’t have to listen to anyone. I watched Jordan’s entire career and I’ve watched Lebron’s career.
I was a Pistons fan, so I got to watch Jordan a ton.

In Jordan’s Era — teams played defense and there was no such thing as a ‘flagrant foul’. Every team hammered players trying to get to the basket and no team did it more than the Pistons, hence the nickname Bad Boys.

Today’s NBA you can’t breathe on a player without getting whistled for a foul and players look like soccer players the way they flop all over the place, even when they aren’t even tocuhed. Lebron is the #1 offender when it comes to this.

I like Lebron (I have a framed autographed jersey from his rookie season in my basement) — he is the most physically gifted player the NBA has seen, but not the most talented. He lacks the killer instinct the all time great had and disappears way too often when the game is on the line.

They did a survey of the current GM’s a year or two ago — asked them the question:
Last possession and you need to score to win, who would you pick to have the ball in his hands? Jordan, Lebron, Bird, Kobe

Bird and Kobe each had 2 votes. Lebron had 0 votes (these are the GM’s watching him on a nightly basis)
Jordan was the vote for the rest of them.

You Jordan nutthuggers love to exaggerate the physical contact as if players were clotheslined like Rambis on every play. I watched during that time too and it clearly wasn't the case and especially for Jordan. I don't even think the lack of hard fouls would be a huge benefit to Jordan's game since it happened less frequently that fans want to contend. Jordan should really be worried about the superior athletic talent he would have had to face in today's game. Long, tall, fast players that would make Jordan look ordinary in comparison to how he looked playing the stiffs of the 90's.

Oh yes, the myth of the killer instinct, created by our friends from Nike to give Jordan that allure of invincibility. I see you and the GM's have bought into it. BTW, lol @ GM's knowing anything. They make horrible decisions all the time.

 

[CitySushi]

With today's rules? No hand checking, no hard fouls at the rim...easily the best player. Look at another great player in today's game, Steph Curry, awesomely skilled player..yet when they let them play..a little..rough I'm the playoffs, he's not close to the same guy. Imagine him going against the rugby teams MJ faced in Detroit and NY. MJ could not be guarded with these rules

First off...how dare you.

Second off, look at Curry's post seasons numbers. They're every bit as good as his regular season.

That's the end of my homer rant for the day.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

Yeah, I'm not saying that he has the killer instinct of MJ or Kobe. But to be fair, who does? Those 2 had/have a level of competitiveness and killer instinct that would probably qualify as a mental disorder. lol

What I'm saying is that Lebron learned to take control of the game more and not to disappear in big moments after the loss to the Mavs.

I agree, he has gotten better in the 4th quarter of big games, but when guys have the killer instinct, they raise the level of play of those around them as they try to match their intensity.

If I had a choice at the end of the game where the player would make the right play, I’d pick the Lebron. But the right play isn’t always the best play, as the open player isn’t used to the pressure of big game shots.

As I’ve said twice — there is a reason no GM chose Lebron to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game when they had the choice between Jordan, Kobe and Lebron. Lebron is an unbelievable player and one of the best 5 players of all time, but if he had that killer instinct — he’d be the GOAT already. Unfortunately he will never get there though.

 

[msgkings322]

Again, the fallacy is the assumption that the players from the past wouldn't use the advances today like today's players do.

If the technology that is in cars today was available in the 80's, then cars in the 80's would have been like today's cars.

As far as the way he plays, Lebron is a bigger, faster, stronger version of Magic. But if Magic had the use of the same advances that Lebron has, he's likely as big, strong and fast as Lebron.

Eh, not so sure
A big part of big, strong, fast is genetic. Otherwise every tall guy could just use modern advances and be an NBA level player

 

[msgkings322]

First off...how dare you.

Second off, look at Curry's post seasons numbers. They're every bit as good as his regular season.

That's the end of my homer rant for the day.

It's not homerish if it's a fact

 

[SJ76]

With today's rules? No hand checking, no hard fouls at the rim...easily the best player. Look at another great player in today's game, Steph Curry, awesomely skilled player..yet when they let them play..a little..rough I'm the playoffs, he's not close to the same guy. Imagine him going against the rugby teams MJ faced in Detroit and NY. MJ could not be guarded with these rules

Steph is multi skilled no doubt. I think you put him back then he’s probably going to have games where he struggles a bit and some where he goes off.

Put the Glove on him with hand checking and bumping him all in his pocket yeah he’s gonna get frustrated but I still think he gets his. Stockton used to frustrate people the same way

Super intensity like Jordan

 

[SJ76]

Steph Curry > Reggie Miller



And Reggie was no slouch shooter. Reggie didn’t have Stephs vision tho

 

[trojanfan12]

Eh, not so sure
A big part of big, strong, fast is genetic. Otherwise every tall guy could just use modern advances and be an NBA level player

True, but Magic was already big, strong, fast and athletic. So today's advances would likely just make him bigger, stronger, faster and more athletic.

Also, while every tall guy may not necessarily be able to use modern advances to be an NBA level player, anyone can use them to improve their performance. Maybe that doesn't get them to the NBA, but it would make them better players and possibly take them a little farther than they otherwise would have gotten.

 

[SJ76]

Here’s a good question..

Who had better vision at PG? Steph Curry or John Stockton



@Bart this would be a better poll

 

[Bart]

Here’s a good question..

Who had better vision at PG? Steph Curry or John Stockton



@Bart this would be a better poll

That is good question. You should start it. The right answer is Steph Curry.

 

[SJ76]

That is good question. You should start it. The right answer is Steph Curry.

I agree. I’ll put him with Magic and Pistol Pete. Stockton was no slouch obviously

 

[CitySushi]

Here’s a good question..

Who had better vision at PG? Steph Curry or John Stockton



@Bart this would be a better poll

Curry has the better vision. Stockton has MUCH MUCH better execution though. Curry tries to thread the needle too much causing him way more turnovers than he should have. But his vision is excellent.

Stockton could put on a clinic though and even though you knew what he was going to do, could still put the ball exactly where it needed to be.

So PG wise, Stockton over Curry all day as a facilitator. But just on vision alone, I lean Curry.

 

[SJ76]

Curry has the better vision. Stockton has MUCH MUCH better execution though. Curry tries to thread the needle too much causing him way more turnovers than he should have. But his vision is excellent.

Stockton could put on a clinic though and even though you knew what he was going to do, could still put the ball exactly where it needed to be.

So PG wise, Stockton over Curry all day as a facilitator. But just on vision alone, I lean Curry.

I think that’s probably due to more fundamentals and less flash. Another detail of older b-ball. Along with the emphasis on getting quality 2 point shots. Higher % shots has been the norm since Naismith was in Kansas.

 

[Bart]

I agree. I’ll put him with Magic and Pistol Pete. Stockton was no slouch obviously

How about Nash or Stockton poll?

 

[Bart]

Curry has the better vision. Stockton has MUCH MUCH better execution though. Curry tries to thread the needle too much causing him way more turnovers than he should have. But his vision is excellent.

Stockton could put on a clinic though and even though you knew what he was going to do, could still put the ball exactly where it needed to be.

So PG wise, Stockton over Curry all day as a facilitator. But just on vision alone, I lean Curry.

What's your opinion as to why Curry is so careless when passing at times? I mean he did it the finals trying to be fancy with a behind the back pass during a critical point in the game that maybe cost the W's a title.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

You Jordan nutthuggers love to exaggerate the physical contact as if players were clotheslined like Rambis on every play. I watched during that time too and it clearly wasn't the case and especially for Jordan. I don't even think the lack of hard fouls would be a huge benefit to Jordan's game since it happened less frequently that fans want to contend. Jordan should really be worried about the superior athletic talent he would have had to face in today's game. Long, tall, fast players that would make Jordan look ordinary in comparison to how he looked playing the stiffs of the 90's.

Oh yes, the myth of the killer instinct, created by our friends from Nike to give Jordan that allure of invincibility. I see you and the GM's have bought into it. BTW, lol @ GM's knowing anything. They make horrible decisions all the time.

The killer instinct wasn’t invented by Nike or for Jordan. They had that trait long before Jordan and long after Jordan. It is used often now because one guy had it (Michael Jordan) and one guy doesn’t (Lebron James).

And if you watched the NBA in 80’s and 90’s and think the physical was ANYTHING like today — you are clueless. It’d be like saying the NHL has the same amount of fights now as they did in the 80’s and 90’s. The violence of sports is slowly going wayward after all the CTE issues now.

And if it is quite easy to watch a clip of only physical plays in the 80’s and 90’s in the NBA. Just look on YouTube. Hell — Just look up Laimbeer and Mahorn. I can think of a dozen times Laimbeer alone clotheslined guys. That is what him and Mahorn did and why Detroit was so good.

 

[SJ76]

How about Nash or Stockton poll?

If I’m doing a poll, it’s gonna be on who makes the best sammich between you and @lebron23james

 

[CitySushi]

What's your opinion as to why Curry is so careless when passing at times? I mean he did it the finals trying to be fancy with a behind the back pass during a critical point in the game that maybe cost the W's a title.

Lots of things, but I think mostly it has to do with his confidence level. It's his biggest strength but also one of his biggest flaws. He feels he can accomplish anything, at any time. So instead of reverting to fundamentals in crunch time, his style of play never wavers. It's what allows him to pull up from 38 feet to take a game winning shot against OKC. But it's also what causes him to throw a behind the back pass when it's not necessary.

 

[PickleRick]

LOL...Kobe wasn't a great 3 point shooter.

No shit. But you said Jordan would struggle in todays nba because he wasnt a great 3 point shooter. Kobe did just fine with his 3 point shooting which is similar. Therefore, your idiotic premise is inaccurate. Derp city.

 

[dtgold88]

Yes. And he wouldn't need all those rest days that today's wimps need.

other than his 1.5 year rest to play baseball?