Haha. If you take that Bird and put him in todays game? No way. If you update Bird with todays natural athleticism/training and all that then maybe.
Yes. A person's skin color and hair color completely describe their skillset and aptitudes. This is why Yao Ming and Jeremy Lin are the exact same player.
"todays natural athleticism" like Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, CP3, Steve Nash, post-30 Kobe Bryant, need I go on? Bird was 6'9" of toughness and pure effort and instincts and basketball IQ. He would school any of these guys on his combination of skill and effort.
yes, Jordan killed so many players because he really was the part of the first batch of todays "prototype super athlete" Jordan was on a whole other athletic level, only matched by the likes of players such as Dexler at the wings.
no Bird utilized the physical play to his advantage. He was a hugh small forward at the time (still would be decently big today) and he put his ass on somebody to box out. Without the handchecking rules Bird would get burned every time on defense, his lateral quickness is not present at all. Furthermore, a lot of the dirty plays he did would not pass in today's NBA. Bird would not be nearly as effective.
These three you listed here are some of the finest total athletes on the planet. Kobe is probably in the best shape of his life. CP3 and Nash? How are they NOT gifted athletes? Paul and Nash are two of the fastest guys I have ever witnessed running with a basketball. And all the others you listed are Forward/Centers...they are different animals.
Bird was deceptively strong and had big, strong hands. Two physical qualities that are very important yet very underrated. He would be beast in today's league.
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Bird would live at the free throw line in today's game. The most FTA per game he ever had was 6.1, in today's NBA he easily shoots 10+ per game and would probably top 30ppg more than once. So yeah Bird would still be a star in today's league, plenty of guys without elite athleticism still succeed today. (see: Love, Kevin) Also you might forget that even though he didn't have elite athleticism he still had elite size/length for his position (still would) and was really strong inside. Also consider the fact that the 3pt line was something implemented shortly before Bird's pro career began. Had the 3pt line been in place for 20 years prior to his turning pro, would it have shaped his game differently? Would he have been even better (as a shooter) even sooner? If you look at his stats, the three didn't became a huge part of his game until his 6/7th years. Anyway just something to consider. In my opinion when you start talking about a certain stratosphere of elite players (ie the best 15-20 players ever), era becomes irrelevant.
He can't do a 360 dunk mid air whilst grabbing his crotch. Therefore, he wouldn't fit into today's league. Yup, that makes great sense Bird was 6'9, had a great shot, knew how to play the game, was cerebral, tough, gave full effort all the time, had great fundamentals and could work you in the paint. How does that not translate? Scola isn't very athletic and also isn't near the shooter Bird was. You can also give a Bird an edge in all around skill set and athleticism. yet Scola managed to be a very good pro. Think of chuck Hayes being 6'9 with great ball handling and having a deadly outside shot and a repertoire of post moves....then tell me Bird would be a stud in today's game If you don't think Bird would be a superstar today then there is something wrong with your understanding of how basketball works.
Generally, I think players get better with time. But, great players from the shot clock era would all still be great. It's the borderline all-star type players that I'd question from era to era.
Other than the finals when he just seemed scared he pretty much shut down everyone else including rose and paul. Lebron would make Larry bird his b****.
I think it would have been better to have had everyone put their age after their opinion... cause I gotta believe the people who dont think Larry Bird would have dominated weren't around when he did! For those who think LeBron or whoever would've owned Larry - do you think the same of Magic Johnson in his prime? Greatness always finds a way - and Larry was great.
All you are saying is his defense would suffer with no hand-checking rules. Odd argument, since the reverse of that is his offense would thrive -- and his longevity. And you argument is just an argument. He could be smart enough to not lose a bit of defense, either. You are ignoring superstar treatment peeps get now vs before...and he'd get superstar treatment for sure.
You ruin you own argument. You said that Lebron got scared and basically folded under the pressure and tough competition. So you're basically saying Bird wins.
