What player do you wish had a chance to redo their career? Not because of injuries, but because of era or system they played in? For me: Jimmer Ferdette Loved the idea of him outta college. Just feel like if he had focused system and played the kyle korver role solely his career could have been better in the nba..
Derek Colemon He could do anything and everything on the court being a knucklehead would not be as big a deal now Rocket River
regrettably his knuckleheadedness was even moreso; and, at least it seems to me, the NBA is more buttoned down today than yesteryear.
His career was still extremely successful, but in a post Steph Curry world Steve Nash would have been a megastar. He didn't shoot the ball nearly enough given how good of a shooter he was. On top of that in the Dallas part of his career his abilities as a playmaker were grossly underutilized. If Steve Nash was given a modern 4 out lineup with a PnR lob threat he could have spent a decade averaging 25/12 on yearly contenders and would be viewed as one of the 10/15 greatest ever. Teams now are much better equipped to cover for a defensively liability as long as that liability plays smart.
I disagree. Nash had a charmed career in Phoenix where the offense was designed for him to dominate the ball, he was surrounded with some very good scorers, won two consecutive MVPs and might have won a 3rd if it weren't for a lobbying effort by several prominent NBA players and media guys. The only aspect of Nash's career he might regret (like nearly every past NBA star) is they missed out on today's salary mega-explosion.
I actually wish the reverse. I'd like to see LeBron play in the 80's and 90's where he would have been slotted in as a 4 and they had hand checking and extremely physical play. Want to see what his averages look like then. I bet his scoring drops by 8 points a game.
Michael Beasley also I know you said not because of Injury but Brandon Roy was legit and wish he could’ve played much longer then he did.
RS was miscast with Dream, RS’ fault. Watching his ASG with Magic? A career of that would have been pure, uh magic.
Nash and Dan Tony have said they wished they'd have pushed the pace more and shot more threes. Nash already retired as the GOAT shooter...his numbers would be bonkers with a real green light.
Hmm... I think Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner would have been all stars in the modern NBA which lacks physicality. Drazen Petrovic would have scored close to 30 a night in the modern NBA with no hand checking. I think that Brad Daugherty would be a star in the modern NBA as well. Guys playing now that would have been better in the 80's and 90's? Amen Thompson comes to mind. Banchero playing under Don Nelson would have been nasty.
How many defensive player of the year awards would LeBron have won if he was allowed to hand check? Would any of those guys even be able to dribble it past half court on him? I can't believe anyone in their right mind believed LeBron would struggle in the 90s. He jumps like Mike but was bigger than Malone. Literally the most gifted athlete the league has ever seen. What could they really do to stop him? You actually think LeBron would play the 4? Dudes a point guard like magic. Magic thrived in that nba and he's less athletic and shoots way worse. Yet somehow LeBron would fail.
LeBron James is the rare player that would do well in any era. I don't think that LeBron James would dominate on defense though, is issue isn't an ability one - he just didn't consistently prioritize defense and that would likely be the same or worse in the 80's and 90's, because most perimeter stars didn't defend a whole lot. James is very strong, but I don't know if he would have liked the physical nature of the game - guys got away with a lot, video breaking down every angle did not exist.
What about shawn kemp? What would that type of finisher look like with todays spacing? Yao, not even era, what if he got to go directly into Adelmans system instead of jvg?
I never said LeBron would fail. I said he would be guarded more physically than he has ever been in his career. You have to remember that the 80's and 90's were the era of the big men. You had to be tough AF to be done in the paint much less the hand checking that was permitted on the perimeter. He would adapt to it but I highly doubt he would have the offensive numbers he has today. I don't think he would have surpassed Kareem.
