Do you consider the current era in the NBA a weak era?

[MavsSuperFan]

With the lack of dominant big men nowadays, do you consider the current era weak? Would the Heat be able to win in the early-mid 2000s, the 90s, or the 80s?

I mean look at the best big men nowadays, Hibbert, Lopez, Bynum, D12, etc. Personally I think even Ewing and Robinson would crush any of them.

[KG215]

I do think that it's a little weak in the sense that the superstar/top players level isn't anything that special right now. LeBron would be the best, or top 3 at worst, player in almost any era; and Durant would be a great player (probably top 5 or so in most) in any era. Chris Paul, too, probably, but I'm not sure there's many other eras he's arguably the 3rd best player in the league. And after that, you've got players like older, past or at the end of their primes Wade and Kobe, Carmelo, Westbrook, Parker, 37 year old Duncan, Harden, etc. rounding out the top 10 or so.

I mean it was just 10 or so years ago when we had Shaq, Duncan, Kobe, Garnett, and Dirk in their primes and/or at their peak at roughly the same time. And it's not like the 90's when you had Jordan, Hakeem, Shaq, Ewing, Robinson, Barkley, and Malone at the top of the league.

Now, that doesn't mean it's automatically much weaker than those eras, but the top-end talent isn't as good as it's been throughout history. You'd probably have to go back to the pre-merger 70's to find weaker top-end talent. After LeBron, Durant, and maybe Chris Paul, you've got a bunch of players in the top 5-10 that wouldn't be anywhere close to that in most eras.

[wakencdukest]

It's only a weak era for big men.

[MavsSuperFan]

It's only a weak era for big men.

Big men > guards imo. A team with a great front court > Team with great perimeter players.

[TonyMontana]

The only real superstars in the NBA are LeBron and Durant.

Ten years ago, they would be the only two current NBA players to make any top 10 list.

Unless you have LeBron or Durant your best bet to win is to put together a tough gritty team that dominates the paint. Seeing as how LeBrons team sucks in the paint and Durants is eh you can still win a championship.

If Miami ever gets a real bigman though, noone has a chance.

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Watered down, perhaps.

[razzredazzre]

yea

[wakencdukest]

Big men > guards imo. A team with a great front court > Team with great perimeter players.


I agree. But, I think that a lot of people these days want to see more perimeter oriented small ball and iso, with the bigs being stretched out to the 3 point line. I miss back to the basket post play.

[tpols]

Can you imagine if the Heat had to go through

Shaq/Kobe Lakers
Webber/Bibby/Peja/Divac Kings
(Prime)Duncan/parker/manu Spurs
Dirk/Finley/Nash/Jamison Mavs
Hell even peak KG/Cassell/Sprewell Wolves were scary in 04 against a dominant Lakers team before the implosion.

East has been weak forever(except for a small stretch from 08 to 10/11ish) but West 8-10 years ago is stronger than if you combined seeds today for east/west into one 8 team bracket.

[kamil]

Easiest road to victory for LeBron* imaginable;

Rose, Deng, Heinrich, Rondo, Bynum, Granger, Amare, Westbrook, Kobe, Gasol, Love, Melo and Davis.

All seriously injured or having limited play and not even mentioning Dwight's bad back.

This is a far bigger asterisk for a championship than the shortened season.

The pathetic part? LeBron* still struggled and had TWO seven game series and was down 3-2 going into Game 6 in the Finals. And TonyMontana calls this guy greater than MJ?

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

[livinglegend]

Easiest road to victory for LeBron* imaginable;

Rose, Deng, Heinrich, Rondo, Bynum, Granger, Amare, Westbrook, Kobe, Gasol, Love, Melo and Davis.

All seriously injured or having limited play and not even mentioning Dwight's bad back.

This is a far bigger asterisk for a championship than the shortened season.

The pathetic part? LeBron* still struggled and had TWO seven game series and was down 3-2 going into Game 6 in the Finals. And TonyMontana calls this guy greater than MJ?

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm
You forgot to mention Wade. When Wade was healthy, Heat won 27 streak gms.

[SCdac]

Agree with KG215 for the most part.

Furthermore, the lack of elite big men makes the league different... because their scoring is such a different brand of scoring than swingmen. Players lack fundamentals (Dwight) or they want to shoot threes (Love), but there is still hope (Monroe, etc).

Now that Duncan, Kobe, and Dirk are getting older, I think the Western Conference is going to continue coming down to earth relative to what we're all used to.

[kamil]

You forgot to mention Wade. When Wade was healthy, Heat won 27 streak gms.

I'm not including Wade cuz he still showed up bigtime in certain games during the finals. The fact that he's playing at all is reason enough to NOT include him on the list. The struggles LeBron* is showing discredits him from being GOAT though, the dude should be steamrolling through the competition with his supposed 'greatness' and the stacked team. Even against a badly crippled Bulls team the Heat didn't do all that well, where the Bulls were hanging around in almost every game... against mostly their BENCH players right before two seven game series and barely... BARELY getting by in game 6 in the finals.

You can't call this guy the GOAT, its just downright stupid.

[Young X]

The east is terrible.

[Ne 1]

Weakest for superstars, weakest era for bigs and the East was probably historically weaker than ever this year.

[Zodiac]

Could the Heat beat a healthy Rockets team with Yao, T-Mac, Scola, and Lowry?



Yes this era is very weak, guys like Josh Smith are considered borderline stars in this era, 10 years ago he would've been a rotational scrub

[RIP CITY]

This is the weakest era of my lifetime. There is only one truly great team, not very many All-Time greats in their prime, the game is less physical/softer than ever and it's one of the weaker defensive era's both individually and team wise.

It's a good era for PG's, but every other position is pretty shallow. There are basically only about 10 good big men in the League and most of those 10 are flawed in one way or another.

Team wise there are very few real contenders to the Heat, only 2-3 teams can even compete with them let alone beat them. It's just a weak era overall.

[sportjames23]

Easiest road to victory for LeBron* imaginable;

Rose, Deng, Heinrich, Rondo, Bynum, Granger, Amare, Westbrook, Kobe, Gasol, Love, Melo and Davis.

All seriously injured or having limited play and not even mentioning Dwight's bad back.

This is a far bigger asterisk for a championship than the shortened season.

The pathetic part? LeBron* still struggled and had TWO seven game series and was down 3-2 going into Game 6 in the Finals. And TonyMontana calls this guy greater than MJ?

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm


This. All this.

[Indian guy]

The last 2 seasons have been somewhat weak in terms of top-end talent(top 5 players). You have LeBron and Durant and there's a noticeable drop-off after that, what with the decline of Kobe, Wade and injuries to Rose and Dwight. In terms of teams though, the NBA has pretty much gone through a golden age over the last few years. The best teams are REALLY, REALLY loaded, unlike what we saw for the majority of the 00's. Let's just look at some of the teams Miami have defeated over the last 3 years. With the exception of the Shaq-Wade Heat of '05 and '06, I would say the '11 Celtics and '11 Bulls are better than ANY team in the East from 99-07. And the only team from 08-10 that I would say is better are the Celtics themselves. The '12 Thunder and '13 Spurs are also better than any non-champion West team in the 00's.

[Jacks3]

It's probably the weakest era in history.

-Weakest era for superstar players in history and it's not even close. Compare the top 5 the past couple of years to the top 5 players of the early-mid 00's or the 90's. It's laughable.
-By far the weakest era for bigs in history. I don't think is debatable. The best big might be a 38 yr old Duncan. :roll:
-Zero all-time teams. None.
-No hand-checking giving guys inflated stats.

It's pretty pathetic.

[livinglegend]

I'm not including Wade cuz he still showed up bigtime in certain games during the finals. The fact that he's playing at all is reason enough to NOT include him on the list. The struggles LeBron* is showing discredits him from being GOAT though, the dude should be steamrolling through the competition with his supposed 'greatness' and the stacked team. Even against a badly crippled Bulls team the Heat didn't do all that well, where the Bulls were hanging around in almost every game... against mostly their BENCH players right before two seven game series and barely... BARELY getting by in game 6 in the finals.

You can't call this guy the GOAT, its just downright stupid.

His team is not stacked cuz wade was injuried. His 2nd option scored 16 ppg and third 12 ppg. He didnt have any good rebounding big man. If that team was stacked, then, every championship team was stacked also.

[mugiwara]

Strong era for athleticism. This makes it the weakest era for skills, fundamentals and basketball IQ. The game is now driven on stats, statistical efficiency has become a huge part of the way things are run i.e. SVG not wanting mid range shots as they are deemed a low % shot, a very sad thing for Dwight towards development. Players being obsessed with stats i.e. Durant wanting to get 10 assists making terrible passes when he should be scoring, trying to fill up on rebounds (all defensive) instead of running the floor trying to get easy fast break points. This is especially frustrating when the thunder don't even have a half court offensive system at all. D wade only being a good mid range shooter with hand his face, falling back and over on seemingly open jump shots. Anyone 6ft 7 and up perfecting the crossover before they even have a mildly consistent baby hook.... i could go on forever. Its good to see teams like chicago, spurs, indiana and memphis doing well this post season, hopefully it opens up some eyes. Hoping paul george works on his mid range, post up game instead of his handle.

[NumberSix]

short white guys

[iamgine]

With the lack of dominant big men nowadays, do you consider the current era weak? Would the Heat be able to win in the early-mid 2000s, the 90s, or the 80s?

I mean look at the best big men nowadays, Hibbert, Lopez, Bynum, D12, etc. Personally I think even Ewing and Robinson would crush any of them.
Perhaps not current Heat but if they had played in an era with plenty of good bigs, wouldn't they also have better bigs?

[Mr. Jabbar]

yes, and that was before injuries. perhaps its not about skills but from a competitive mental point of view and rivalries, it is.

danny green partying with miami = exhibit A

[Rose'sACL]

I'm not including Wade cuz he still showed up bigtime in certain games during the finals. The fact that he's playing at all is reason enough to NOT include him on the list. The struggles LeBron* is showing discredits him from being GOAT though, the dude should be steamrolling through the competition with his supposed 'greatness' and the stacked team. Even against a badly crippled Bulls team the Heat didn't do all that well, where the Bulls were hanging around in almost every game... against mostly their BENCH players right before two seven game series and barely... BARELY getting by in game 6 in the finals.

You can't call this guy the GOAT, its just downright stupid.
there is a reason to include him. He was really injured and if he was healthy heat would have probably only lost 1 games at most till the finals. Spurs defense was based around the idea that only lebron can get to the rim and they were not worried about wade that much.
Also, if Heat would have been constructed differently in there were enough offensively good big men around. They would have picked a really good big man who can defend and rebound. They wouldn't have needed much offense from him. all that big man would have had to do was rebound and make other team's big men work hard for their points.

[andgar923]

The NBA has turned to 'fining' FLOPPING.

Read that again and let it simmer.

Flopping has become so common that the NBA has been forced to start handing out fines to eliminate it. Flopping of some sorts has been part of the game to some degree for ages, anybody stating that it never existed is misled. But it was rare and not as obvious. it has become second nature for players to flop today. It's literally a f*ckin reflex for many players… again… re-read that and let it sink in.

Exactly how does that fit in to the argument?

Players are softer now plain and simple. Players are too pampered and the offensive player more than ever is getting the benefit of the doubt.

Ya'll wanna know how weak this era is?

The best player of this generation, one of the new heirs to the Air crown is purposely getting WIDE OPEN looks at the rim in the Finals.

F*ckin unheard of and embarrassing.

I heard of players sagging off before but what happened in the Finals was embarrassing as a fan of the game.

You have point guards that shoot on almost every possession.
You have big men that shoot 3s and can't post up (for various reasons).
Combo guards that have low IQs and jack up shots like they're playing a video game.
Players can't run pick and rolls.
Players are soft and athletic superstars are getting exposed by inferior athletes and making them their bitches.
Coaches that get fired after one or two seasons, highly important because it doesn't allow a team to get an identity, it doesn't allow players to grow, it doesn't give an organization any legitimacy.
Iso iso iso iso iso iso iso iso iso…. basically almost every play by almost every team on almost every night.

There's more reasons of course, just getting warmed up.

[poido123]

there is a reason to include him. He was really injured and if he was healthy heat would have probably only lost 1 games at most till the finals. Spurs defense was based around the idea that only lebron can get to the rim and they were not worried about wade that much.
Also, if Heat would have been constructed differently in there were enough offensively good big men around. They would have picked a really good big man who can defend and rebound. They wouldn't have needed much offense from him. all that big man would have had to do was rebound and make other team's big men work hard for their points.

Wade looked alright to me in Game 7? The very last game he has played...I don't buy into the injured Wade BS, he has declined but he can step up his play when it matters and he showed that in this finals.

[poido123]

Hmm, weak era? It's hard to say, I mean there's an obvious lack of great centres, and lack of toughness in today's league.

IMO this era is alot weaker, but not weak. You have a lack of good centres, but some great, good, and average SF's, some good and average PG's, and some great PF's out of their primes...

To every Lebron, you had a prime Jordan, Pippen, Drexler, Miller, Stockton, Richmond, Rice, Mullin, Sprewell, McGrady, Penny, Grant Hill and the list goes on...A lot of those were hall of famers.

To every out of prime Duncan, Dirk, KG, you had a prime Ewing, Mutumbo, D.Robinson, Mourning, Webber, Shaq, Olajuwon, Barkley and the list goes on.

I mean, how can people call the late 80's, 90's basketball a watered down era when you look at the level of players from that era?

[Soundwave]

I think the NBA is kinda weak because the draft has sucked for the last little while IMO.

Aside from Durant and Rose coming in (and Oden was a huge bust, he should be the dominant NBA big today), it seems like there are an awful lot of "weak draft years" from 1999 onwards with the exception of 2003 which was loaded.

Compared to the 90s, where you had Shaq, Webber, Penny, GHill, Garnett, Kobe, Nash, Iverson, T-Mac, Vince Carter, Duncan all being drafted between 92 and 98.

Is there something wrong with player development or something? We haven't had a great big in a long, long time. It was supposed to be Oden.

[sportjames23]

[QUOTE=andgar923]The NBA has turned to 'fining' FLOPPING.

Read that again and let it simmer.

Flopping has become so common that the NBA has been forced to start handing out fines to eliminate it. Flopping of some sorts has been part of the game to some degree for ages, anybody stating that it never existed is misled. But it was rare and not as obvious. it has become second nature for players to flop today. It's literally a f*ckin reflex for many players

[BlazerRed]

Weak era for big men and shooting guards. Good era for PGs and SFs.

Overall though yes I'd consider it a weak era.

[poido123]

The NBA has turned to 'fining' FLOPPING.

Read that again and let it simmer.

Flopping has become so common that the NBA has been forced to start handing out fines to eliminate it. Flopping of some sorts has been part of the game to some degree for ages, anybody stating that it never existed is misled. But it was rare and not as obvious. it has become second nature for players to flop today. It's literally a f*ckin reflex for many players… again… re-read that and let it sink in.

Exactly how does that fit in to the argument?

Players are softer now plain and simple. Players are too pampered and the offensive player more than ever is getting the benefit of the doubt.

Ya'll wanna know how weak this era is?

The best player of this generation, one of the new heirs to the Air crown is purposely getting WIDE OPEN looks at the rim in the Finals.

F*ckin unheard of and embarrassing.

I heard of players sagging off before but what happened in the Finals was embarrassing as a fan of the game.

You have point guards that shoot on almost every possession.
You have big men that shoot 3s and can't post up (for various reasons).
Combo guards that have low IQs and jack up shots like they're playing a video game.
Players can't run pick and rolls.
Players are soft and athletic superstars are getting exposed by inferior athletes and making them their bitches.
Coaches that get fired after one or two seasons, highly important because it doesn't allow a team to get an identity, it doesn't allow players to grow, it doesn't give an organization any legitimacy.
Iso iso iso iso iso iso iso iso iso…. basically almost every play by almost every team on almost every night.

There's more reasons of course, just getting warmed up.


Expecting this post to go unnoticed by the throng of Heat fans, claiming how great Lebron is.

Post of the day :applause:

[poido123]

most talent stacked era

90s was weak but jordan fans on here insist that it was strong

they are so biased they probably actually believe his era was "the golden era"

LOL:lol

April 2013.

Move along little boy :lol:

[BoutPractice]

There has been no real "weak" era in the history of the league since the shot clock arrived, though the 70s were handicapped by the NBA/ABA split.

[sportjames23]

most talent stacked era

90s was weak but jordan fans on here insist that it was strong

they are so biased they probably actually believe his era was "the golden era"

LOL:lol


trollolololololololololol

[turnaroundJ]

Maybe it's just less top heavy in terms of superstars, which has something to do with injures, but I think it's as stacked as ever considering the non-superstar talent. There are a lot of good roleplayer to star level players.

[Rose'sACL]

There has been no real "weak" era in the history of the league since the shot clock arrived, though the 70s were handicapped by the NBA/ABA split.
This.

[Soundwave]

Team 1995

C - Shaq/D.Robinson
PF- Olajuwon/Malone
SF- Pippen/Barkley
SG- Jordan/Drexler
PG- Payton/Stockton
11th Man - Penny Hardaway

Team 2013

C - Dwight/Hibbert (?)
PF- Duncan (37 yo)/Bosh
SF- LeBron/Durant
SG- Kobe (34 yo)/Wade
PG- Paul/Westbrook
11th Man - Carmelo Anthony

Guys like Chris Webber or Shawn Kemp or Patrick Ewing who wouldn't even make the above 90s team would be starters on team 2013.

The 95 squad of the best players in the world would eat today's group alive IMO especially on the boards and in the paint. I kinda feel sorry for the 2013 team in this matchup, they'd be reduced to shooting outside jumpers, and on the perimeter would be hounded by the three best perimeter defenders in NBA history (arguably) in Jordan/Pip/Payton.

[leMVP]

Yes, Lebron's winning because it's a weak era.

[Blue&Orange]

Was there any other era with so may old guys dominating? Even a guy like Andre Miller that barely can move, still schools people left and right based only on footwork, yes it's a weak era.

You got a 36 old Argentinian playing for the first time in the NBA getting his name chanted on the MSG, yes it's a weak era.

The big man landscape is horrible, exactly when spacing it's at it's best thanks to the 3pt becoming a huge weapon. Never the paint was so open and available. I don't know if Jordan would average 40ppg, but he definitely would average more than he averaged in the 90's. Yes it's a weak era.


I blame it on the athleticism craze that scouts and GM fall for, at the end of the day, the game it's called basketball and you still need to be able to play it.


Like it wasn't bad already, injuries and more injuries, the amount of top players getting severe injuries didn't helped.

[deja vu]

Many people consider the current era as weak (compared to the 80s and 90s) because of the lack of quality big men and the loosening of the rules. Many fans grew up watching the 80s Showtime Lakers, 80s Celtics, tough Pistons defenses, dominant 90s Bulls, as well as the dominant centers and big men of the 90s. It didn't help that defensive rules like handchecking were relaxed. The rules today are now more favorable to perimeter players which further degraded the center position.

Back in the 90s and before that, players were more reliant on skills and fundamentals more than athleticism. Of course, there were players who can jump out of the gym like Jordan and Nique, but they were mostly fundamentally sound. Too much premium is being put on athleticism nowadays.

It also didn't help that young players come to the NBA earlier than before. In the past, most players finished four years of college before going to the NBA.

[icewill36]

I don't think this era is weak at all, and the 90s are highly overrated, and one of the reasons the bulls could completely dominate it. cmon, they could have won 8 titles in a row if mj didn't retire. Pathetic era IMO.

[sportjames23]

I don't think this era is weak at all, and the 90s are highly overrated, and one of the reasons the bulls could completely dominate it. cmon, they could have won 8 titles in a row if mj didn't retire. Pathetic era IMO.


Because MJ and the Bulls were just that damn good means the 90s were weak?

LOL, the shit you stans say to justify this pvssy-ass era.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Not weak, just weaker. Honestly this season could have been one of the more memorable (and strongest) ones had it not been for ALL the injuries.

[plowking]

No. Its better than the 90's.

Look through the All NBA teams to get a gauge of how good the eras were. Guys like Chris Mullin, Mark Price, Anfernee Hardaway, Sprewell, Stockton were getting on the first teams. Just comparatively at each of those positions, guys like Durant are better than Mullin, Nash is better than Price, Kobe is better than Hardaway, Wade is better than Sprewell, Paul is better than Stockton, etc.

The 80's were a lot better, but I'd take the current crop over the 90's.

[fpliii]

It's been a while since expansion, so talent isn't diluted. I think the league is perceived as weaker primarily due to three factors:

1) Excess specialists. On any contender now, it's not atypical to have four guys in your rotation who serve a singular purpose (generally 3pt shooters or perimeter defenders).

2) Scoring is down. Not as many guys above 20ppg, 25ppg, 30ppg. It's not abnormal to see most of a night's games ending with scores below 100, or even 90.

3) No dominant bigs. The 20-10 center is dead, let alone a 25-12 type. There's no talent coming through the pipelines, and the few great prospects coming up have size are either injury-prone or have more perimeter-oriented games.

That being said, I don't know that the perception is reality. There have always been role players. There a fewer possessions now, and defensive schemes have become more sophisticated. Rule changes have pushed the game outwards. It is what it is, and IMO the league isn't necessarily any worse off than it was 20 years ago (though I think it was probably as good or better in the 80s).

[MavsSuperFan]

It's been a while since expansion, so talent isn't diluted. I think the league is perceived as weaker primarily due to three factors:

1) Excess specialists. On any contender now, it's not atypical to have four guys in your rotation who serve a singular purpose (generally 3pt shooters or perimeter defenders).

2) Scoring is down. Not as many guys above 20ppg, 25ppg, 30ppg. It's not abnormal to see most of a night's games ending with scores below 100, or even 90.

3) No dominant bigs. The 20-10 center is dead, let alone a 25-12 type. There's no talent coming through the pipelines, and the few great prospects coming up have size are either injury-prone or have more perimeter-oriented games.

That being said, I don't know that the perception is reality. There have always been role players. There a fewer possessions now, and defensive schemes have become more sophisticated. Rule changes have pushed the game outwards. It is what it is, and IMO the league isn't necessarily any worse off than it was 20 years ago (though I think it was probably as good or better in the 80s).

It is reality that the quality of big men his diminished greatly. Post play is almost dead. What would Hakeem olajuwon do to the NBA today? Ewing and Robinson would be the best centers today by a wide margin. Barkley and Malone would destroy teams unused to defending the post. The lack of bigs clogging the lanes is also making perimeter players dependant on driving, look better, because of wider lanes.

[fpliii]

It is reality that the quality of big men his diminished greatly. Post play is almost dead. What would Hakeem olajuwon do to the NBA today? Ewing and Robinson would be the best centers today by a wide margin. Barkley and Malone would destroy teams unused to defending the post. The lack of bigs clogging the lanes is also making perimeter players dependant on driving, look better, because of wider lanes.

Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson would be great for sure, as they were dominant two way players. Barkley attacked the basket relentlessly, so I don't see why that'd change (same with Malone and the PnR). But rules like 5 seconds back to the basket and new illegal defense guidelines make it difficult for bigs to succeed. With the new hand-checking guidelines, coaches are running teams through perimeter players more often, and turning bigs into jump shooters. I don't think you can blame the dearth entirely on a lack of talent.

[diamenz]

[QUOTE=andgar923]The NBA has turned to 'fining' FLOPPING.

Read that again and let it simmer.

Flopping has become so common that the NBA has been forced to start handing out fines to eliminate it. Flopping of some sorts has been part of the game to some degree for ages, anybody stating that it never existed is misled. But it was rare and not as obvious. it has become second nature for players to flop today. It's literally a f*ckin reflex for many players

[senelcoolidge]

I think it's a weak era, but that's not to say somethings haven't gotten better. The league is watered down. The lack of quality big men/post game hurts the game. The current rules make the NBA a guard league which I don't like that much. I think defenses have become more crafty because of the new rules that favor offenses. Rules are much more lax. Stats come by easier. Players today are stronger but that's in every sport. With time comes advances in medicine and training. But players in the past were just as athletic as they are now and more skilled since players tended to stay in school. Players today many times play one year and come into the league very raw..more athlete than basketball player. This is rampant in the league today.

[imnew09]

You know it's pathetic when Superstar Durant gets to shoot freethrow when he swings his arms around the defenders...

[97 bulls]

Theres no such thing as a "weak" era. Most of the people that make this claim have an agenda or stuck in nostalgia.


The Center position is weak when compared to the past. But what if Ming, Oden, and Bynum were still able to play? Injuries are a part of the game.

[taabhimself]

Dirk/Finley/Nash/Jamison Mavs

Hell even peak KG/Cassell/Sprewell Wolves were scary in 04 against a dominant Lakers team before the implosion.


if you think this heat team would have had any trouble against those teams... you've lost it, bud.

[memetherapy]

This weak era shit is stupid... the game changes, teams adapt and players change... just like the late 80s and 90s saw a change to a slower paced defensive minded game...now the game has changed into a faster, slashing and 3pt shooting offensive style... swinging the ball is key and so versatile players are essential to team success now... hence the lack of big men. Shit changes...appreciate it for what it is.

[andgar923]

People are bringing up superstars as tho they make or define the league, that's not correct imo. What makes the NBA are the regular role players because they are the majority.

Yes they may be more skilled in some areas but are inferior in others to their predecessors. But what hurts the game is the redefining of traditional roles. Big men for the most part are weak. Aside from a handful of players the post game is gone. Aside from a handful of players the true point guard is gone. Aside from a few teams ball movement and team work (fundamentals) is gone.

We started to see the trend towards isolation play begin to increase in the 90s, but that was mostly left to star players only. Today you have no name players going one on one as soon as they touch the ball. Role players and niche players are almost all but gone, those players are needed to fill certain roles. Back then point guards may not have been as flashy and athletic as they are today, but guess what? they could run the f*ckin offense and get back on defense. Big men may not have been able to jump over cars and dribble like point guards, but they were able to set picks, be physical inside, hit mid range jumpers and post up.

We've seen examples of throwback players, non athletic players and fundamentally based niche players that know their role get the most of today's overrated athletic ones. We've seen how tough minded hard nosed teams can do to today's best stars.

The sentiments that 'today's era is inferior' aren't ramblings of nostalgic aging fans that have no merit, the evidence is right in front of your faces!!! It's like some of you are digging your face under the sand or are simply to stupid to understand basketball.

I'll be nice and just scratch some of you off as simply being too young to know what true basketball is supposed to be played like. Not your fault you were to young to experience true basketball.

[Soundwave]

Team 1990:

C- Olajuwon/Ewing
PF- Barkley/Malone
SF- Bird/Worthy
SG- Jordan/Drexler
PG- Magic/Isiah
11th Man: David Robinson

Team 1995

C - Shaq/D.Robinson
PF- Olajuwon/Malone
SF- Pippen/Barkley
SG- Jordan/Drexler
PG- Payton/Stockton
11th Man - Penny Hardaway

Team 1999:

C- Shaq/Duncan
PF- Malone/Garnett
SF- GHill/Pippen
SG- Kobe/Iverson
PG- J. Kidd/Payton
11th Man: Chris Webber


Team 2013

C - Dwight/Hibbert (?)
PF- Duncan (37 yo)/Bosh
SF- LeBron/Durant
SG- Kobe (34 yo)/Wade
PG- Paul/Westbrook
11th Man - Carmelo Anthony


I think in every case the 90s team beats today's team.

[lilojmayo]

Weakest for superstars, weakest era for bigs and the East was probably historically weaker than ever this year.
this

[ConanRulesNBC]

Absolutely. Without a doubt the weakest era ever.

A 37 year old Tim Duncan is able to dominate in the NBA right now. If this was prime Duncan he'd be averaging about 25-30 PPG and about 15 RPG and DESTROYING everyone in this current league. I thought the early/mid 2000s were weak. But compared to the NBA right now? I'll take prime Kidd, Shaq, Garnett, Duncan, Nash, Pierce and those Lakers, Pistons, Spurs, Suns, Nets teams of the mid '00s over so many stars/teams right now.

[poido123]

No. Its better than the 90's.

Look through the All NBA teams to get a gauge of how good the eras were. Guys like Chris Mullin, Mark Price, Anfernee Hardaway, Sprewell, Stockton were getting on the first teams. Just comparatively at each of those positions, guys like Durant are better than Mullin, Nash is better than Price, Kobe is better than Hardaway, Wade is better than Sprewell, Paul is better than Stockton, etc.

The 80's were a lot better, but I'd take the current crop over the 90's.

Wow.

You conveniently leave out so much in this post to suit your agenda its laughable Plowking :oldlol:

Payton, Penny, Pippen, Jordan, Shaq, Mutumbo, Ewing, Zo, Rice, Richmond, Mullin, Sprewell, Cassell, Stockton, KG, Iverson, Carter, and there is so many too list that its embarassing and many of these are hall of famers.

90's basketball is the deepest crop of talent the NBA has seen, most of those guys at some point were in their prime in the 90's.

From a guy who isn't of the Bieber generation, I find it puzzling that you totally ignore all this. I think I know who has the agenda :pimp:

Kidd, Grant Hill, Webber, Malone, Barkley, Van exel, Kemp, Duncan, Dirk, Nash, list can keep going and going...agaiin, most of these guys in their prime during the 90's.

[Soundwave]

The problem is player development I think.

It seems like there are too many draft years that aren't producing superstars.

I mean since the 2003 crop which was loaded, we've had Durant and Rose come into the league in the last 10 years since ... but who else has really rocked the league?

In the 90s, it seemed like every year or two there was some new big time phenom/franchise player coming into the league like Shaq or Webber or Penny or Grant Hill or Iverson or the high school kids movement with Kobe and Garnett and T-Mac coming into the league.

Many of the drafts since 1999 onwards seem to have been crappy, I think it's resulting in a poor league. Kwame Brown, Olawonkandi, Bargnani, etc. etc.

Maybe it's bad luck too but it seems like a lot of guys are having their careers curtailed by injury like Yao, Oden, Roy, etc. (then again I guess you could say the same for Penny and GHill in the 90s).

[ConanRulesNBC]

It is an era of mentally weak players and it is total development. So many players would be ready if they played 4 years of college.

[TonyMontana]

The problem is player development I think.

It seems like there are too many draft years that aren't producing superstars.

I mean since the 2003 crop which was loaded, we've had Durant and Rose come into the league in the last 10 years since ... but who else has really rocked the league?

In the 90s, it seemed like every year or two there was some new big time phenom/franchise player coming into the league like Shaq or Webber or Penny or Grant Hill or Iverson or the high school kids movement with Kobe and Garnett and T-Mac coming into the league.

Many of the drafts since 1999 onwards seem to have been crappy, I think it's resulting in a poor league.

One of the reasons there arn't as many bigman coming up is because of the greater emphasis on weight training. Being bigger certainly helps when your able to play, but humans weren't meant to be 7 foot tall and when you put slabs of muscle on these bodies and then have them go through basketball games each and every day it takes a toll on their joints.

You see Tim Duncan still dominating out there because he is still skinny so it's not as bad on his joints. Dunno if he still does the swimming thing, but swimming is great cardio that doesn't mess with your joints.Same thing with Kareem. He was like 7'3 but only weighed 220 pounds. A total stick.

Yao/Bynum/Oden. These guys were all BIG and I think their huge frames had an effect on them getting hurt. Yao never got hurt in his early years, but once he put all that muscle on you couldn't keep him on the court.

Even Shaq started missing games a lot when he got excessively heavy. His work ethic(or lack of) probably helped him to be honest. If he was going hard for all 82 regular season games and heavy intensive practices every day I dont think he would've been fresh for the playoffs and dominating the way he did.

[poido123]

One of the reasons there arn't as many bigman coming up is because of the greater emphasis on weight training. Being bigger certainly helps when your able to play, but humans weren't meant to be 7 foot tall and when you put slabs of muscle on these bodies and then have them go through basketball games each and every day it takes a toll on their joints.

You see Tim Duncan still dominating out there because he is still skinny so it's not as bad on his joints. Dunno if he still does the swimming thing, but swimming is great cardio that doesn't mess with your joints.Same thing with Kareem. He was like 7'3 but only weighed 220 pounds. A total stick.

Yao/Bynum/Oden. These guys were all BIG and I think their huge frames had an effect on them getting hurt. Yao never got hurt in his early years, but once he put all that muscle on you couldn't keep him on the court.

Even Shaq started missing games a lot when he got excessively heavy. His work ethic(or lack of) probably helped him to be honest. If he was going hard for all 82 regular season games and heavy intensive practices every day I dont think he would've been fresh for the playoffs and dominating the way he did.


As completely insane as this sounds, I kind of agree with you