What if Wilt and Kareem both replaced each other in the 60's and 70's

[coastalmarker99]

So in this what-if about the two greatest centres of all time, I ask the question what if Kareem started his Career in 1958 or 1959 would he have dominated the 60's more then he did the 70's facing all those legendary centers such as Russell.


Also, I would like to know do you think that he would have stopped the Celtics from winning 11 rings if he started his career in that era.


Give me your thoughts on what a prime Kareem would have averaged in the '1960s.





As for Wilt well he starts his career in 1969 so a prime Wilt plays in the 70's the question is does he win more then one ring in that era with the Celtics no longer being in his way or does he pull a Kareem and only win one ring in the 70's while racking up Mvp's after Mvp's.




Also, does Wilt put up the same stats as he did in the '1960s in the 1970s if not please give me your honest thoughts on what a prime Wilt would have averaged in the '70s against Kareem's competition?







Here is another question for you guys Russell vs Kareem who do you think wins that match up in the '1960s do you think Kareem would have been better suited to go up against Russell and the Celtics with his skyhook plus more height and better free throw shooting in the playoffs.




Unlike Wilt who was a horrible free throw shooter which might have cost his teams some of those close game 7's against the Celtics and for him personally 4 to 7 rings throughout his 14 year Nba career.







Also, does anyone think that it is possible that a prime Russell could block the skyhook with his lack of height compared to Kareem's?

[coastalmarker99]

The main question is can Russell handle Kareem I honestly think that Kareem would average 30 to 35 against him most years as Russell is just too small for Kareem and he has that deadly skyhook he can use as well plus if you foul him Kareem will hit his free throws, unlike a Shaq or Wilt despite their individual dominance.




Though I do think that Russell would beat Kareem on the boards as Kareem was never a great rebounder and both Moses and Wilt exposed that weakness in his game which I think Russell would as well.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Wilt wins more and Kareem less being the obvious answer.

Kareem was great although if you put him on those Philly teams, and they still had to go through Boston, he isn't winning as many titles. Kareem could outplay Russell just like Wilt did in their H2Hs, and it probably wouldn't matter.

Wilt with Showtime would've been incredible though. That dude running the break with Magic and finishing all those easy buckets - would be a sight to see. If Wilt had no qualms putting himself behind the team ie. the 70s, and lets Magic do his thing, LA still wins plenty.

Know that you asked about the 60s and 70s. But imo here is Kareem swapping places with Wilt.

[coastalmarker99]

Wilt wins more and Kareem less being the obvious answer.

Kareem was great although if you put him on those Philly teams, and they still had to go through Boston, he isn't winning as many titles. Kareem could outplay Russell just like Wilt did in their H2Hs, and it probably wouldn't matter.

Wilt with Showtime would've been incredible though. That dude running the break with Magic and finishing all those easy buckets - would be a sight to see. If Wilt had no qualms putting himself behind the team ie. the 70s, and lets Magic do his thing, LA still wins plenty.

Know that you asked about the 60s and 70s. But imo here is Kareem swapping places with Wilt.


Thanks for giving me your thoughts here is a video of a rare Wilt game-winner in 1964 I found against the Lakers


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M01aonSi8FE




And about the 76ers with Kareem that would have been a disgusting team


For the Lakers good god Magic and Wilt on the fast break are you kidding me along with supporting cast man the Lakers are 100 per cent going to win more than 5 rings in the 1980's maybe they 4 peat from 1982 to 1985 as Moses never dominates Wilt on the boards as badly as he did to Kareem that series.

[Psileas]

The main question is can Russell handle Kareem I honestly think that Kareem would average 30 to 35 against him most years as Russell is just too small for Kareem and he has that deadly skyhook he can use as well plus if you foul him Kareem will hit his free throws, unlike a Shaq or Wilt despite their individual dominance.




Though I do think that Russell would beat Kareem on the boards as Kareem was never a great rebounder and both Moses and Wilt exposed that weakness in his game which I think Russell would as well.

If Kareem averaged 30-35 vs Russell, he wouldn't do it on a good efficiency, much like what he did vs Wilt. Russell would definitely study Kareem's tendencies and would try to keep him away from his favorite spots and from the 10 ft range, like N.Thurmond did, often with great success. Of course, Russell wasn't as strong at Thurmond, but neither was Kareem as strong as Wilt. The skyhook would still be almost unblockble, but shooting from unliked spots would cut % points off Kareem.
And, yes, Wilt would obviously win more if they swapped places and would last longer than he did, due to better medicine and to Magic feeding him easy baskets late on. He might not have 40+ ppg seasons in the 70's, but, being allowed to be a little more physical offensively, he probably wouldn't be asked to change his dominant scoring game and turn into a "Russell" Wilt or a "Walton" Wilt either. His ppg numbers would fade more slowly than dropping from 33.5 to 24.1 within 1 season.
Btw, what would happen if the already irritable Kareem was punched in the teeth by Lovellette and almost lost his life because of the blood infection that followed?

[coastalmarker99]

If Kareem averaged 30-35 vs Russell, he wouldn't do it on a good efficiency, much like what he did vs Wilt. Russell would definitely study Kareem's tendencies and would try to keep him away from his favorite spots and from the 10 ft range, like N.Thurmond did, often with great success. Of course, Russell wasn't as strong at Thurmond, but neither was Kareem as strong as Wilt. The skyhook would still be almost unblockble, but shooting from unliked spots would cut % points off Kareem.
And, yes, Wilt would obviously win more if they swapped places and would last longer than he did, due to better medicine and to Magic feeding him easy baskets late on. He might not have 40+ ppg seasons in the 70's, but, being allowed to be a little more physical offensively, he probably wouldn't be asked to change his dominant scoring game and turn into a "Russell" Wilt or a "Walton" Wilt either. His ppg numbers would fade more slowly than dropping from 33.5 to 24.1 within 1 season.
Btw, what would happen if the already irritable Kareem was punched in the teeth by Lovellette and almost lost his life because of the blood infection that followed?


Lovellette gets the crap beat out of him afterwards and in future games by a deeply pissed off Kareem


Yeah I can see Wilt more efficient if he is allowed to use his strength in the post and his scoring also not declining so rapidly as a result

[Psileas]

Τhe game winner by Wilt was a great find, obviously, although it wasn't an overall very efficient game by him. You can see he was active enough to roll by Krebs the moment his teammate launched a shot and make a game winning effort that was allowed back then (but, seemingly, not if you dunked it). Then he manhandles poor Krebs defensively, almost throwing him off court and forcing him to take a bad shot.

[Roundball_Rock]

Agree with Kuniva. If you are talking essentially equal players, then the team results are dictated by team strength relative to their comp so KAJ would win less and Wilt more if they swapped teams (although KAJ's stats would rise, Wilt's decline). Which is why the team success obsession (basically the only argument you hear against Wilt) among basketball fans is a bit absurd since players can control only so much.

One comment: KAJ had trouble (by his standards) with strong, physical defenders like Wilt and Thurmond. He won a chip in his second season. If he starts in the 60's and loses year after year maybe he bulks up earlier than he did in the 70's.

[coastalmarker99]

Agree with Kuniva. If you are talking essentially equal players, then the team results are dictated by team strength relative to their comp so KAJ would win less and Wilt more if they swapped teams (although KAJ's stats would rise, Wilt's decline). Which is why the team success obsession (basically the only argument you hear against Wilt) among basketball fans is a bit absurd since players can control only so much.

One comment: KAJ had trouble (by his standards) with strong, physical defenders like Wilt and Thurmond. He won a chip in his second season. If he starts in the 60's and loses year after year maybe he bulks up earlier than he did in the 70's.


You may be right with that so Kareem bulks up to his 1977 frame in the mid-'1960s to deal with Nate who always gave him nightmares when they matched up and he was an old man in his prime maybe Nate shuts him down even harder if Kareem does not bulk up and stays at his bucks frame for the 1960s.

[Psileas]

Now that you mention it, Kareem vs Thurmond is a matchup that I don't remember having watched in either a full game or in extensive highlights, like the extensive highlights from the '67 Finals - for Wilt vs Nate. You may add this one into the "wanted" list.

[coastalmarker99]

Now that you mention it, Kareem vs Thurmond is a matchup that I don't remember having watched in either a full game or in extensive highlights, like the extensive highlights from the '67 Finals - for Wilt vs Nate. You may add this one into the "wanted" list.

Will do I will see if I can the get the game where Nate held Kareem to under 10 points and 10 rebounds I think.