According to the rule book, you're right. But that's now how hand-checking was actually implemented. Here's a quote from Brian Shaw talking about being guarded by Alvin Robertson. http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/5945/your-nightmare-defender-alvin-robertson-edition
Summary of this post: I have never watched MJ. If you don't know what you're talking about, Don't pretend to know.
Uh, isn't that the subject of the thread? Go make your own thread about the how they help their teams. We discuss anything and everything in the forum, not only the what some deem to be "meaningful discussions." Anyway, Jordan would destroy LeBron 1 on 1.
How do you know that? Have you ever watched them play one on one? Like I said, it's really not very meaningful to talk about them playing one on one because neither of them could guard the other guy one on one.
He basically destroyed everybody and everything they threw at him. Don't care about one on ones but Im sure say the 96 Bulls would suffocate this team.
I like this post, which has alot of truth in it. Defenses as whole, are much better now, like the NFL, than they were 20-30 years ago. Defensive schemes are much more complicated, involving, and is much more expected. This era has had way more completely "shut-teams down" defensively, hence the Spurs (w/Duncan), the Pistons (w/the Wallaces), the Rockets (w/Van Gundy and briefly Adelman), the Heat (w/Shaq and later the Big 3), The Grizzlies (today), the Pacers (in mid 2000s and today) and the Celtics. In all honesty, these last 15 years or so have presented some of the greatest defenses in NBA history. Teams did not really start to focus on defense, like that until the late 80s to mid 90s with teams, like Pistons, Bulls, Jazz, and Knicks. I sort of laugh when people say that they do not play defense in the NBA or have good fundamentals, which quickly shows me a person who has not watched in NBA game in over 25 years. Players are criticized more so now for "not" being two way basketball players, like a two way hockey players or a near five tool baseball player. In the 70s and 80s, superstar players more or less got way with much less criticism for not being a defensive stalwart. Nowadays, it's brought up in nearly every argument of a superstar who has less than decent defense.
Unintentionally, you've highlighted something about Brian Shaw that would not necessarily be disadvantaged in Lebron's behalf. Brian Shaw for his time in league was probably near or close to the average size of a wing 6,4-6,7 weighs about 175-225. Mid 80s to late 90s. Taking the higher end, Lebron still has a height advantage over every small forward and guard in that time period, and 20-30 pound size advantage. Don't get me started on the athleticism difference. Very few wing players are going to be ill-equipped to slowing LeBron down out on the wing, in the post, or both. I cannot see a 185-213 pound guard or forward putting an arm on LeBron and that magically shutting him down or severely cutting into his opportunities. He still can use his size and leverage against them, while he also has blazing speed. He's too much of a physical specimen and much too talented of a player to be limited by such rules. I know people would like to believe that, but it wouldn't change his game, very much. Another variable people tend not to look at is...wouldn't LeBron be allowed to play more physical on offense and use his size against opponents with less fear of offensive foul calls? He would in fact get away with alot more than he already does now. Moreover, we've seen LeBron play against world class defenses in the form of the Spurs, Celtics (w/KG), Pistons, Grizzlies and Pacers. If I traveled back to the mid 80s or 90s, how many teams actually played defense, like that outside of maybe the Pistons, Bulls, Knicks, Supersonics, and few others. It was not a league wide thing, in fact most teams at the time would be rather mediocre and lacking by today's standard of defense. If one wants to get technical about, really in mid to late 80s, the East only had about 3-5 times at most who were contenders and one or two who had real shot at the title. In the West, it was pretty much all about the Lakers, while the rest of the playoff teams barely could make it to 45 to 50 wins. For the most part, there were no teams that won most of their games due to having a dominant or overwheming defense, regularly until the the Bad Boy Pistons came along. Teams did not have the personnel or the commitment to creating a dominant defensive squad. Basketball was a game dominated by offensive execution. Most of the best teams tend to have a top 10 offense, more or less. Teams just did not play that way, physical yes, but not quite as people seem to want to overhype it up to something akin to football.
I don't care about Brian Shaw. My point was about hand-checking. You're underestimating the impact of hand-checking. It's not just putting an arm on him. It's using that arm to push him away from where he wants to go and to alter his balance. That would lower any offensive player's efficiency. I'll bet you also think that Wilt could average 40 ppg in today's era. Can you elaborate on how he would play more physical? Do you think he would start charging into everyone?
