(Dirty Sports) LeBron would dominate the 80's and 90's

It's silly to compare modern athletes to guys 20/ 30+ years ago - in just about every case an average modern athlete would dominate the elites of whatever sport you look at - everyone is bigger, stronger, faster, and specialized.

 

I do believe outliers exist with all-time great talents. But, generally speaking I do agree.

 

Of course, I think the classic example is is Wilt - he would most likely be able to be a high level player in the modern NBA - most of the guys he played against wouldn't even make an NBA team today though.

 

Let's not forget, Lebron plays in a weak conference. His accomplishments, as amazing as they are, are blown up to the Nth degree due to the fact inferior competition around him. If he always played in the West, we won't be having the same conversation. Don't get me wrong, he's still top 3 of all time.

 

Lebrons larger than Dennis Rodman

 

LeBron James wouldn't be LeBron James if he was born in the 60s and played in the 80s and 90s. He'd probably idolize and play like Dr. J or Elgin Baylor or Connie Hawkins. These time travel situations are stupid. Magic would be a different player if he was born in 2000, would probably want to be like LeBron. MJ born in 2000 would want to play like Kobe or Curry. Everyone would be different. Maybe Larry would be the same style, but better conditioned and seeing the stache making returns, he'd probably still rock the stache but with a hipster top knot(hilarious to imagine). Curry wouldn't be the 3 pt shooter that he is if he was born in the 60s or 70s.
"Lebron James would average 200pts in the 1950s NBA!" "Oscar Robertson couldn't even make a high school team today!" So stupid. Humans don't physically evolve in such a short amount of time. Everything else around them advanced. Give those old guys the same advancements of today and the same ability to look back at 70 years of NBA history to learn from and they'll adapt and become stars but different. Take away todays players benefits and make them born and raised in another era and they'll adapt and become stars in their own right all the same, but different.

And if you think that's copping out and it should be fair to throw todays players in whatever era and say they'll dominate, fine. You can just as easily say LeBron and many of his era won't adapt mentally and socially and possibly even physically. Physically because the game was built for runners and stamina. Too much bulk and these guys will tire out by crunch time. Mentally and socially? Can you take these guys making 30+ million a year and all the luxurious lifestyles they know and put them in the 80s making 3 million or less and be forced to play 40+ minutes for all 82 games with no rest getting pushed around every game? Running up and down, using full explosion on sprints and jumps in some flat footed converse all stars? Can they just instantly adapt after being born and raised and play through a generation of NBA basketball that babied them and made them entitled, and whiny over every little touch foul? Can they bring their flops with them and the refs will fall for them?
Throw Kyrie Irving into Jerry Wests era all you want. Can he adapt to the dribbling rules and dribble only palm down? Hell no. He'll get called for carrying and turn the ball over and he'll have no clue how to play that eras game after a lifetime of practicing ball handling with the freedom of movement of todays players.

 

He was born in 84, so probably idolized Jordan, but loved and modeled his game after Grant Hill and Penny and even Pippen. He's like a bigger stronger and faster Grant Hill to me. Nothing at all like Magic Johnson.

 

I don't know, basketball skills seem more important now than they did when football players like Ben Wallace were running around. Would Ryan Anderson get paid max money in 1995? I don't think so...

 

newb

 

LeBron would be dominant in any era. There's never been anyone with his combination of strength, quickness and skills in the NBA. He'd be such a beast on defense if he were allowed to handcheck.

 

After reading my first post again, im sure my point was clear, but i feel like i was the kind that would be in agreement that todays players are bigger, stronger, faster blah blah and that it wouldn't be fair. That's just not true. The average scrub might have more muscle or athleticism than the average guy in the 80s and 90s because today the emphasis on drafting is athleticism and physical potential. Of course, most of these guys are scrubs and never pan out so who cares? The argument is the cream of the crop and the lower tier near all star level guys and high level role players.

Let's just stop pretending everyone today on every roster is LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. Nor every good player is a super athlete. Klay/Dirk/Curry/Porzingis/Nash/CP3/Harden the list goes on. There's tons and tons and tons of regular joe schmo looking guys STARTING and playing pivotal roles and rotting on the bench all the same as any era. Hell! Our Rockets just got done playing against Joe Ingles. The guy basically beat us 1 game and gave us trouble the whole series and you think Larry Bird and Chris Mullin are too slow and wouldn't be good or much less even make it to the NBA? Bullshit! Bird had no problem scoring on Centers, PF's or athleitc SFs. Mullin had no problem schooling Pippen every time they faced each other and being the 4th leading scorer on the Dream Team or the 2nd leading scorer behind MJ on the 84 Olympic team. Athleticism isn't everything and what is the point of big muscles anyway if you're not even allowed to be physical in todays NBA?

80s was on the whole far more lean and built for stamina and running just as the NBA was for 30 years before it, but by the late 80s/early 90s heading into the mid to late 90s, the game slowed down drastically and weight lifting started to become the norm to body up in the half court. All the super ripped, or swole guys you see today were lean youngsters in their first few seasons, yes even Lebron. Same thing with guys from the 90s who were ripped or huge, they were once slimmer when young just as well.

The 90s weren't even that long ago. Todays players are not going to suddenly dominate the 90s and those 90s players aren't suddenly too slow and unskilled for today. That's ****ing ridiculous. Curry is not going to suddenly be a scrub in the 90s. Nor is Lebron. They'll be stars just as they are, but obviously with a drop off in stats with the slower game and less emphasis on 3s. At the same time, it's easier to imagine some guys who aren't so great today that would be much better in the 90s and some guys who weren't so great in the 90s be big time players today because of it being a different game. If someone like Westbrook is allowed to rack up all time high USG with low efficiency and become a star just due to the stat line, guys like Sprewell or Stackhouse would thrive today. In the 90s they had like 1 or 2 shots at carrying a team with high USG and when they were inefficient and it didn't translate to wins, they were shut down and forced to change their game and adapt to new roles. Today? It's free reign.

 

This is best post. Sure rules like hand checking or no zone defense and etc would impact these players and visa versa. But some people acting like today's scrubs would be great in years before and starts of 80's or whateva would hold Lebron's towel is just funny.

 

Wilt's era wouldn't adapt to todays benefits?
He looked like this in his prime- now put him in todays league with all focus on weight training with the advancements of today. 7'1 barefoot(7'3 in shoes today most likely. 325 playing weight according to him(weights were rarely updated even into the 90s). Longer wingspan than anyone. Bigger hands than anyone and through the roof athleticism.


DeAndre Jordan, Drummond, Whiteside, Dwight would be too big too strong for him?

Oscar couldn't adapt?


Nate would get punked by ZaZa?



Pettit couldn't adapt and build muscle and skill?

Their peers couldn't adapt their skills and their bodies? Would someone like West even need to adapt his body like there's only super swole, insanely fast point guards? He wouldn't be bigger than most point guards with his height and reach?
Listed at "6'1" but was actually 6'4 according to himself and photos next to others near that height.


Bill Russell's a midget C that would get punked around too right? Old Duncan who beat Lebron too big too strong, too fast? Dirk who beat LeBron, too big too strong, too fast!

"Hey 80s and 90s legends! Were too big, too strong, too fast for you!!!"

 

Can you remind me when it was that Lebron was exposed by Kawhi in the playoffs? Was it in the 2014 Finals when Lebron "only" averaged 28/8/4 on 57/52/79 shooting?

 

LeBron could play in any era

However, Joe Chee wouldn't survive in the 80s

I hope you realize that humans have existed for a very long time

however in 99, the best Rockets fans of all time united.