Does any player have a case over Bird for most skilled ever?

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

I dont think so............that white boi could do it all. One of best shooters (FT, midrange, 3pt, spot up, transitione tc etc), best post players (passing, post defense, playmaking, scoring etc etc), GOAT offball player. GOAT nonPG passer/playmaker arguably GOAT overall TBH. GOAT BBALL IQ. Anticipation, double teaming on defense, smart rotations, GOAT SF rebounder on both glass..............

only weakness was defending athletic perimeter players on perimeter and that cuz he was white and slow not his fault:applause: :applause:

[riseagainst]

I dont think so............that white boi could do it all. One of best shooters (FT, midrange, 3pt, spot up, transitione tc etc), best post players (passing, post defense, playmaking, scoring etc etc), GOAT offball player. GOAT nonPG passer/playmaker arguably GOAT overall TBH. GOAT BBALL IQ. Anticipation, double teaming on defense, smart rotations, GOAT SF rebounder on both glass..............

only weakness was defending athletic perimeter players on perimeter and that cuz he was white and slow not his fault:applause: :applause:

made me giggle.

:lol

[moe94]

KG
Hakeem

[Kblaze8855]

Id say Steve nash, Kobe, and Pistol Pete are worth talking about but all fall short one way or another. Though in Nashs case its as a post scorer...and he was a better ball handler than Bird largely due to size so...maybe he has a case.

[riseagainst]

Id say Steve nash, Kobe, and Pistol Pete are worth talking about but all fall short one way or another. Though in Nashs case its as a post scorer...and he was a better ball handler than Bird largely due to size so...maybe he has a case.

MJ?

[Kblaze8855]

Falls short as a passer, long range shooter, and for most of his career as a midrange shooter as well. Kobe has less room to make up as a long range shooter id say. But hes a worse passer as well....

[oarabbus]

MJ?

Bird was more skilled than MJ man. Can you imagine Larry Bird in MJ or LeBrons body? Or even half as athletic as those guys?


Jordan would be a DISTANT second left in the dust if Larry Bird was blessed with similar freak athleticism... there are like maybe 3 Bird dunks on youtube and dude had horrible, horrible back problems.

[riseagainst]

Bird was more skilled than MJ man. Can you imagine Larry Bird in MJ or LeBrons body? Or even half as athletic as those guys?


Jordan would be a DISTANT second left in the dust if Larry Bird was blessed with similar freak athleticism... there are like maybe 3 Bird dunks on youtube and dude had horrible, horrible back problems.

i was asking about his comparisons to Bird's skills. He mentioned Nash, Kobe and Pistol Pete are worthy mentions. I was just wondering how does MJ compare to Bird in comparison to those guys. But he already explained.

[J Shuttlesworth]

OP, your boy Durant says Kobe is the most skilled of all time.

[HOoopCityJones]

Kobe Bean Bryant.


And who's Larry Bird's favorite player?

#24

[IncarceratedBob]

umm theres two who play today

lebron and durant are both clearly superior talent and skill wise to LB

[TylerOO]

only weakness was defending athletic perimeter players on perimeter and that cuz he was white and slow not his fault:applause: :applause:

Be careful what you say. I've been banned for calling white players white before.

[Uncle Drew]

umm theres two who play today

lebron and durant are both clearly superior talent and skill wise to LB
:facepalm

[Lamar Odumbb]

umm theres two who play today

lebron and durant are both clearly superior talent and skill wise to LB

Bird was mentally tough. Lebron is a mental midget. Durant has zero leadership skills.

Bird and Magic are the most skilled player ever.

[IncarceratedBob]

Bird was mentally tough. Lebron is a mental midget. Durant has zero leadership skills.

Bird and Magic are the most skilled player ever.
Magic couldnt shoot the ball to save his life

Bird was slow and couldnt keep up with lebron

[La Frescobaldi]

Magic couldnt shoot the ball to save his life

Bird was slow and couldnt keep up with lebron
false.

[Lamar Odumbb]

Magic couldnt shoot the ball to save his life

Bird was slow and couldnt keep up with lebron

Lebron cant shoot either and same for Magic. But Magics FG % is higher than Ray Allen and Bird because Magic scored most of his points in the post just like Lebron.

Lebron couldnt even guard Paul Peirce yesterday, what do you think Bird would do to him. Defense goes both ways, Lebron couldnt guard Bird and Bird couldnt guard Lebron. But Bird is taller 6'9 compared to Lebron who is actually 6'7 2/5 so he could get his shot over Lebron.

[bizil]

On the offensive side of the rock, ya Bird is the man. The fact that he's a great dead eye shooter makes the difference. Other epic passers like Magic or Big O can't shoot as well. Other great shooters like Ray, Dirk, or Durant aren't epic passers like Bird. I would say Jerry West would come in second to Bird. And u also have a PG like Nash who was an epic shooter, passer, and dribble all in one. Plus u can't forget Pistol Pete or Rick Barry too. But Bird's size and versatility gives him the edge. But from there, or course u got the guys like Magic, MJ, Bron, Big O, and Kobe. I think on offense, u have to be a great scorer and great passer in one to qualify.

But when u include defense and offense, I think MJ, West, Kobe, Bron, Hondo, and Wade lead the pack. From a technical standpoint out of these guys, West is unique because he's a pure shooter from deep to with all the other attributes. But ultimately, I think MJ is the most skilled all time and Bron is the most versatile of all time.

[fpliii]

umm theres two who play today

lebron and durant are both clearly superior talent and skill wise to LB
Where's Deuce's thread?

[LAZERUSS]

Yep... Bird was a slow, unathletic white guy...who played 40+ mpg at the highest level without breaking a sweat. And those players assigned to defend him were worn ragged chasing him all over the floor.

And no Magic couldn't shoot. Not a lick. Let's forget the fact that he led the league in FT% one year, and had two years at over 90%.

[Young X]

Chris Paul. he's physically disadvantaged against 95% of the league yet the best player on the court 95% of the time just on skill/IQ alone. Think about it, there's NO REASON why he should be better than someone like John Wall or Jeff Teague or even Reggie Jackson when you look at their physical ability - but he is just because of how much more developed his skills (ballhandling, shooting, passing, IQ) are compared to everybody else.

[bizil]

U can break this down in so many ways. One way to look at skill is who is a great scorer, great passer, great rebounder, and great defender all in one. To be great at something, u have to be skilled at it. Because the bottom line is results. So for me, this comes down to MJ, Bron, Kobe, Wade, West, Hondo etc. for perimeter guys. For bigs, u got Wilt, Kareem, Walton, Duncan, Hakeem, KG and Robinson.

But if u are making a chart in terms of the fundamental skills of basketball like shooting, passing, and dribbling, I would say Nash is as good as anybody. And don't sleep on Mark Price or Steph Curry. But Bird is 6'9 and is the greatest rebounding SF of all time. And Bird at 6'9 could overpower smaller SF and shoot over them. And he also beat them with sick IQ and skills. So those are reasons I feel Bird is the most skilled when u take away defense.

[SyRyanYang]

Chris Paul. he's physically disadvantaged against 95% of the league yet the best player on the court 95% of the time just on skill/IQ alone. Think about it, there's NO REASON why he should be better than someone like John Wall or Jeff Teague or even Reggie Jackson when you look at their physical ability - but he is just because of how much more developed his skills (ballhandling, shooting, passing, IQ) are compared to everybody else.

Paul's strong as an ox and has quick feet and quick hands.

[K Xerxes]

Bird was more skilled than MJ man. Can you imagine Larry Bird in MJ or LeBrons body? Or even half as athletic as those guys?

Jordan would be a DISTANT second left in the dust if Larry Bird was blessed with similar freak athleticism... there are like maybe 3 Bird dunks on youtube and dude had horrible, horrible back problems.

Perhaps, but Bird may have focused on different areas of his game if he was more athletic and ultimately ended up as a different player. As always, this is a pointless hypothetical to consider.

[DonDadda59]

Probably not.


Bird was slow and couldnt keep up with lebron

Wouldn't have to 'keep up' with him, just do as the Lebron Stopper (Boris Diaw) does- give him 10 ft of space and watch him build a brick palace fit for a king.

[Akrazotile]

Bird is up there but I still have Kendrick Perkins at the top and then theres kind of a logjam after him.

[yobore]

Paul's strong as an ox and has quick feet and quick hands.

Most of Paul's quickness is him already knowing what the other player is going to do and where the ball is going to go. Height and speed limitations aside (which makes closing out shooters difficult), there is practically no time on defense where he isn't making the right move, funneling his guy to the right place, helping when it's right, or making the other ballhandler change plans, and he is a known wizard on offense.

Ever since 09-10 he has been one of the least athletic and shortest PGs in the league. Either one of those is usually enough to keep a player from being good. He doesn't even have long arms like some others who have made up for their height like Bledsoe. If BBall IQ is a skill he has a case for most skilled ever because that combined with his dribbling/passing/midrange shooting skills are what has kept him in the league and made him a top player.

[NBASTATMAN]

Nash is the most skilled player I have ever seen. He has been able to show great skill while very efficient..

Kobe and Mj are two of the most skilled athletic bball players in my opinion... Kobe IMO a bit more skilled.

[Pointguard]

On the offensive side of the rock, ya Bird is the man. The fact that he's a great dead eye shooter makes the difference. Other epic passers like Magic or Big O can't shoot as well. Other great shooters like Ray, Dirk, or Durant aren't epic passers like Bird. I would say Jerry West would come in second to Bird. And u also have a PG like Nash who was an epic shooter, passer, and dribble all in one. Plus u can't forget Pistol Pete or Rick Barry too. But Bird's size and versatility gives him the edge. But from there, or course u got the guys like Magic, MJ, Bron, Big O, and Kobe. I think on offense, u have to be a great scorer and great passer in one to qualify.

But when u include defense and offense, I think MJ, West, Kobe, Bron, Hondo, and Wade lead the pack. From a technical standpoint out of these guys, West is unique because he's a pure shooter from deep to with all the other attributes. But ultimately, I think MJ is the most skilled all time and Bron is the most versatile of all time.
This.

I wouldn't put long distance shooting over handling the ball - which is a way more used skill. I wouldn't put anybody over Bird, Lebron, Kobe, Magic, West and Oscar. Lebron is in the mix because it is a different skill set to guard quick pointguards and powerforwards effectively. Oscar and West were guarding post up players as well. The differences are a matter of small tweeking. Bird is the most interesting because of how he used skill to totally put himself on the level of more gifted players.

[aboss4real24]

kobe

[The-Legend-24]

Kobe's the most skilled player ever, everybody else is fighting for 2nd.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Others are up there with him and have a case but if you wanna name THE most skilled ever the best case belongs to Larry Bird, clear as day when you look at everything.

Add that to the fact that he was really tall, brought off-the-charts intangibles, and was an above average athlete, let's not kid ourselves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX8ipponmSc

[bizil]

This.

I wouldn't put long distance shooting over handling the ball - which is a way more used skill. I wouldn't put anybody over Bird, Lebron, Kobe, Magic, West and Oscar. Lebron is in the mix because it is a different skill set to guard quick pointguards and powerforwards effectively. Oscar and West were guarding post up players as well. The differences are a matter of small tweeking. Bird is the most interesting because of how he used skill to totally put himself on the level of more gifted players.

I agree! The differences in a certain class of players is a matter of small differences. I also agree that great ball handling to get where u need to go has to be a huge difference as well. And the versatility King James brings on both sides of the floor makes him HANDS DOWN the most versatile player of all time. And Bron happens to be a freak athlete who has the 3rd best PPG average of all time. When u think about that, Bron has an EASY CASE to be the most skilled of all time too. So i agree with u, the perimeter guys u named all have a case to be most skilled of all time, MJ, Bird, Bron, Kobe, Magic, West, and Oscar are frankly the Magnificent Seven of perimeter players. All seven has a case in certain instances at the most skilled ever!

Even with THE LOGO to this day, name another pure shooter who is as skilled on both sides of the rock as West? U can't! Even though Kobe is so similar to MJ, Kobe explored the three ball way more than MJ did. And Kobe also was of the And 1 generation and took on that ball handling swagger of the generation. Basically, Kobe explored the boundaries of shooting and handles more than MJ did. Big O from a numbers standpoint looks to be the most skilled of all time in terms of triple double seasons racked up. Magic was a 6'9 phenom who's the greatest floor general of all time bar none. But could dominate scoring when he wanted and of course could play four and even at times all five positions. And with MJ, he was flat out the GOAT to me period in terms of skills on both sides on the ball. MJ was so efficient and was the first freak athlete to be FLAWLESS in terms of technical skills. It was as if he was he combined Dr.J and Thompson type athletic ability with Gervin's scoring skillset, and West's all around domination (great scorer, great passer, great defender, great rebounder for a SG) of the position. And for the big three stats of scoring, passing, and rebounding, Bird has the most impressive career averages for a perimeter player of all time at 24 PPG, 10 rpg, and 6 dimes.