Ask how good (or bad) any player was. I want to know how good Dr. J was. I never really got to watch him play and I always thought he was definitively the 2nd best SF of all time after Bird. So how good was he?
That's another one that intrigues me. People always make it sound Kobe is no shoe in for best SG of all time Lakers.
Best example of Dr J and Larry Bird I could find online. <iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E2Zi6udU5BE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Jerry West was the premier scoring guard of his day. He was regarded as a great shooter who scored a lot of points too. To put his game in perspective think of a clutch shooter like Reggie Miller x 10. There is a reason he is the model on the NBA logo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8oGUyREHcQ
I can't help but think that Jerry West would get burned every single time defending today's SG's. He seems like the type that's not particularly athletic, but made the most out of everything he's got. Like Battier. Makes me wonder that 50 years from now, people would look back and think that if their superstar SG were to play in the 90's or 2000's, they would absolutely kill today's competition.
Jerry West could flat out score the ball, but in today's game he'd definitely be prone to turnover the ball. From what I've seen, he'd almost always dribble with his right hand, even when he was going left. Today, he'd get the ball stolen very often if he dribbled like he did.
How good was Clyde Drexler? His shot was so strange + his progressive balding make me hard pressed to think he was just that good, but apparently he is.
He was awesome. He was definitely the 2nd best SG in the league behind MJ during his time in the league. Supremely athletic, ridiculous hops, great passer, subpar jump-shooter, fantastic post-game, and quick hands (though not very quick feet) on defense. He could get to the basket at-will and did it often--hence the high FG% in spite of his shaky jumper. As Hakeem said, Clyde Drexler was a "one-man fast break." If he had played in a bigger market he'd been even more highly regarded than he is now. It was only after he retired and started doing the tv stuff did we see how dorky he can be. He was really even-tempered for the most part and rarely showed alot of emotion (Jake O'Donnell might disagree LOL). I can think of maybe just a few times that he celebrated after a dunk. Think Barry Sanders flipping the ball to the ref after scoring a touchdown--that was Clyde's demeanor. How good was Oscar Robertson? I've seen the video game-like stats, but he was before my time.
how good was Pete Maravich, I've seen some highlights, but I wonder how he was perceived by the people.
I think it's safe to say that any player who played before 1980 would get burned in today's game. amirite or what??
Yea, but Jordan dominated Drexler. No doubt Drexler was 2nd best, but MJ's dominance proves just how good MJ really was.
Jerry West would get burned even by Wade. The game only improved each decade players of old are not as good as the players of today.
