Forget about the next Jordan, let's talk about the next Larry Bird. It seems every few years, there will be a guy from college that's touted as the next Larry Bird. Here are some of their traits: White, 6-9, called "incredibly smart", bad hair (or no hair), soft, no athletic ability, plays no D, drafted very high... There was Danny Ferry, (EDIT: add Keith Van Horn here), Mike Dunleavy and now Adam Morrison's name is called. In my opinion, if someone is dubbed the "next Larry Bird", it's a very very bad sign. It usually means the guy can't jump, is very soft and has no defensive ability. Larry Bird was the anomaly of the NBA with his legendary shooting ability and clutchness. Some of this intangibles simply can't be duplicated. I wish Morrison pans out, but let's not call him the "next Larry Bird".
I tend to agree. Christening someone the next "Bird" not only comes with tremendously high expectations, but also saddles them with some traits that may not even apply. Usually we inherently think white players lack athletic ability. Oh, and they're soft. But they're always 'floor generals', or whatever. What's funny is that there are white players who, upon comparison, have games that more closely mirror a player who happens to be black. Conversely, there are black players who's games are almost identical to players who happen to be white. Stereotyping and pigeon-holing people is rarely a good thing. Folks should just leave the "Bird" comparisons alone.
don't forget Keith Van Horn! I couldn't agree more. I am of the opinion that Bird would be ordinary in todays NBA. Defenses are better and everyone seems to be more athletic. Hell, if you go back to his legendary shootout with Dominique, Wilkens played as much defense as sieve.
There will never be another Larry Bird, just like there will never be another Magic Johnson. They are impossible to duplicate. Even the greatest, Michael Jordan, could not do what Magic did. There will never be another MJ either. Those are the 3 greatest players to ever lace on sneakers. None of them could do what the other did. All that said, Morrison is a unique player too. I'm not sure how good it will translate to the NBA though. Remember, he is an insulin dependent diabetic. And the NBA season is 82 games long.
For some reason, American white cannot ball anymore. Who is the best American white player in NBA after stockton retired? Maybe B Miller. Nash doesn't count.
You must not have seem Bird in his prime. He could shoot, pass, fast break, and he was clutch. A lot of people don't seem to know Bird was a GREAT passer, he had great court vision (on par with Magic I would say). All in all, just know how to play the game, and a true leader. Think Dirk, except Bird could pass and was clutch. So yeah, he would still be great in today's game. Top 10 all time no doubt.
I wish we could have these discussions without throwing in the race part of the equation. The next, "Larry Bird," may very well be Black, Latino, Chinese, or some other ethnic group. I agree with the poster above who said there won't be another Bird or Magic or Jordan... or Dream. The comparisons will never die. It's human nature to compare past players with those of today. I'm just glad I got to see them all play, and I wasn't a kid at the time. Who knows? We may see better players. I wish we could see basketball in the NBA that is as good as it was then. It's a different league today. Different rules, expansion, salary caps. We still have amazing players, thank god, but not so often amazing teams.
Have you ever watched Larry Bird play. He would be like Dirk,except that he could actually play defense and also would have a Jordan type winning mentality. He would probably be better today considering how many dumb players there are out there. ala Swift
I agree with the thread. But would like to point out that the history of good white American players who aren't in the NBA just because of size does extend beyond Larry Bird. If Morrison turns out to be Mike Newlin, that'd be okay, too. Not saying he will cause, frankly, Newlin was pretty good, too, but you never know. Note, the same problem exists with black players as well. Anointing the next MJ never works. You have complete busts (Harold Minor types) to good to amazing players (Kobe, Lebron) who nonetheless have yet to show on their own MJ's drive.
Are some of you guys implying Bird couldn't play defense, or are you just talking about the stereotype? Because you're crazy if you think he couldn't defend, rebound, and pass with the best, on top of shooting...
There will NEVER be another Larry Bird That's like people compare KOBE to Jordan or people comparing 50 cent to Tupac or comparing Champ Baily to Deion Sander There will never be another Legends if they are THAT good they would make a name for themself alone
Let's be fair here. Bird was a great and all, but defense wasn't something he was great at. People called his an adequate team defender. He was OK, but not a worldbeater at it.
