Anthony Edwards on 90s NBA: 'Jordan was the only one that had skill'

[1987_Lakers]

https://basketnews.com/news-210746-.html

They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don't think anybody had skill back then. [Michael Jordan] was the only one that really had skill, you know what I mean? So that's why when they saw Kobe [Bryant], they were like, 'Oh, my God.' But now everybody has skill," Edwards claimed.

[SATAN]

Absolutely ridiculous statement.





































































What about Pippen? :confusedshrug:

[SATAN]

But seriously to say "I didn't watch it back in the day so I can't speak on it." then proceed to claim only MJ had skill is ****ing stupid. Ant is a fun player to watch sometimes but doesn't seem very bright. Also, it's pathetic how the NBA is blatantly trying to make him the new face. Let fans decide without the manipulative bs. He's not MJ. Just stop it.

[Phoenix]

There's such a weird discourse around basketball with past vs present gens. I'm not into a sport like Hockey, but are any of the current greats saying shit like nobody but Wayne Gretzky had skill in the 80s? I guess the 90s are the cut-off because visually the ( especially) perimeter players from 20 years ago like Kobe, Wade, Tmac, Vince etc have more modern looking 'skilled' games so todays gen doesn't really say anything bad about them( and the aforementioned would be guys the current guys grew up watching).

[iamgine]

Lets not forget Ant was born in 2001.

To people who are born in, say, 1984 or something, it would be like being asked about basketball in the 70s. Except you never watched 70s basketball and don't have any research about it. You'd probably get your opinion from your cousin Ronnie who of course would suck up to you cause you the star and say stuff like "Man we are much superior today look at how they dribble, you'd get 10 steals a game cuz. They didn't even shoot 3s. Maybe Kareem can play but that's it."

[Phoenix]

Lets not forget Ant was born in 2001.

To people who are born in, say, 1984 or something, it would be like being asked about basketball in the 70s. Except you never watched 70s basketball and don't have any research about it. You'd probably get your opinion from your cousin Ronnie who of course would suck up to you cause you the star and say stuff like "Man we are much superior today look at how they dribble, you'd get 10 steals a game cuz. They didn't even shoot 3s. Maybe Kareem can play but that's it."

Even so, there seems to be something particular about basketball culture whereas the various generations like to prop their era by being completely dismissive of others. What people of Ant generation fail to realize that the skill 'limitations' of yesterday are partly a result of rules. There's alot of shit you can do now that 30 years ago was a travel or a ball carry. And of course, there was a lot of stuff in the 90s not allowed in the 60s and 70s.

I'm beginning to think the 2000-2010 period is the middle ground, defense had slackened mid 00s but not completely abandoned, the players have 'modern' athleticism and skillsets( at least aesthetically). Of course by 2050 that era will also be viewed as a relic, but they seem safe for now. And there was still greater variety in the game, the mid-range was still a thing, and guys like Shaq/Yao/Duncan etc were keeping the post game alive. Now it's just who makes more 3s that largely determines outcomes, less X's and O's like controlling the glass, low turnovers, etc. If you can shoot the lights out from 3 your odds for winning are high even if you're shit in other areas.

[bullettooth]

Dude sounds like every other LeBron nut hugger.

[Kblaze8855]

If you showed him George Girvin hitting falling out of bounds 20 foot half floaters or any number of things Larry Bird and plenty of others were doing. He would agree they had skill. This is pretty much just saying he doesn’t know or care about basketball before him. Which is pretty standard. a lot of young athletes only know the players you put in front of them. They know who they see and play. They don’t have much to gain tangibly by caring about what was happening 45 years ago. You can study some move from 1982 but it won’t necessarily make you better in 2024.

These kids rule the world around them as they are. And play others doing the same. They aren’t motivated to look very far back. Everyone is a generation from being a plumber in the eyes of the youth.

[hiphopanonymous]

The narcissism is strong with this generation

[Phoenix]

The narcissism is strong with this generation

Its as Blaze said, there's a time limit on how far back the current generation can go before they just outright become dismissive of what came before. I know I dismissed alot of shit growing up in the 80s, so I can't say it's unique to this generation. The difference is though, we all have greater access to data to be more informed so being ignorant of the past is less of an excuse than pre-internet. Crazy to think we have an entire generation of adults now who have no ****ing clue what the world was like before social media and the web.

[hold this L]

But seriously to say "I didn't watch it back in the day so I can't speak on it." then proceed to claim only MJ had skill is ****ing stupid. Ant is a fun player to watch sometimes but doesn't seem very bright. Also, it's pathetic how the NBA is blatantly trying to make him the new face. Let fans decide without the manipulative bs. He's not MJ. Just stop it.
Just sometimes?

[Soundwave]

He's an idiot.

Guys like a Penny Hardaway, Clyde Drexler, Gary Payton, Dominque Wilkins, Grant Hill, even a Latrell Sprewell would do great in the modern NBA and a lot of the bigs of that era would flat out dominate.

[ArbitraryWater]

Why does no one respect MJ?

[Phoenix]

Why does no one respect MJ?

Because its now the time for the modern, younger fan to denigrate his legacy. Lebron's will be pissed on around 2040 when Gen Alpha comes of age.

[RRR3]

Because its now the time for the modern, younger fan to denigrate his legacy. Lebron's will be pissed on around 2040 when Gen Alpha comes of age.
LeBron has been getting shit on for two decades, how would that be anything new? MJ fans just can't handle him getting the same treatment LeBron gets.

[Phoenix]

LeBron has been getting shit on for two decades, how would that be anything new? MJ fans just can't handle him getting the same treatment LeBron gets.

Yes but he also has a growing number of people who think he's the GOAT, on this forum and elsewhere. May not be the consensus but the percentage will grow the further we get from MJs time and the older Millenials/Gen Z get. As far as him getting REALLY shit on, inclusive of his era as being 'plumbers'? That level of rhetoric? As I said, wait till Gen Alpha grows up and the average PG looks like Wemby.

[Gudo]

LeBron has been getting shit on for two decades, how would that be anything new? MJ fans just can't handle him getting the same treatment LeBron gets.

Lebron's going to be shit on worse by future generations that won't necessarily be Jordan fans. Face it, it is because of Lebron himself and not Jordan. Bransexuals need to see and accept this.

[tpols]

Because its now the time for the modern, younger fan to denigrate his legacy. Lebron's will be pissed on around 2040 when Gen Alpha comes of age.

By then it will probably be a league of wemby sized cyborgs and they'll be laughing at us puny apes and our unsophisticated biological forms.

[Phoenix]

By then it will probably be a league of wemby sized cyborgs and they'll be laughing at us puny apes and our unsophisticated biological forms.

Lol basically....

[RRR3]

Yes but he also has a growing number of people who think he's the GOAT, on this forum and elsewhere. May not be the consensus but the percentage will grow the further we get from MJs time and the older Millenials/Gen Z get. As far as him getting REALLY shit on, inclusive of his era as being 'plumbers'? That level of rhetoric? As I said, wait till Gen Alpha grows up and the average PG looks like Wemby.
So he'll have a bunch of old heads who think he's GOAT and a bunch of young kids who think he sucks aka the opposite of what he has now. Trust me, us LeBron fans are used to tons of people thinking he sucks. A huge chunk of this forum thinks LeBron sucks. It's MJ fans who are having to deal with this for the first time and they can't handle it.

[Axe]

Spurs m8 (aka dingleberry bogan) should have been here by now trying to get mad at op. :ohwell:

[SATAN]

The narcissism is strong with this generation

As opposed to dickheads like Chuck, Shaq, Kenny etc who constantly talked down to them?

[SATAN]

So he'll have a bunch of old heads who think he's GOAT and a bunch of young kids who think he sucks aka the opposite of what he has now. Trust me, us LeBron fans are used to tons of people thinking he sucks. A huge chunk of this forum thinks LeBron sucks. It's MJ fans who are having to deal with this for the first time and they can't handle it.

They are very sensitive...

[sdot_thadon]

So he'll have a bunch of old heads who think he's GOAT and a bunch of young kids who think he sucks aka the opposite of what he has now. Trust me, us LeBron fans are used to tons of people thinking he sucks. A huge chunk of this forum thinks LeBron sucks. It's MJ fans who are having to deal with this for the first time and they can't handle it.

You know the bolded is what made me start defending Lebron in some of these debates before he had truly earned it in my eyes. The whole double standard thing is and has been ridiculous.

[SATAN]

You know the bolded is what made me start defending Lebron in some of these debates before he had truly earned it in my eyes. The whole double standard thing is and has been ridiculous.

Same for me. LeBron basically became my favorite player because of MJ/Kobe stans and their ignorance.

[paksat]

dude should go watch some early grant hill film

just another narcissistic part of this generation

[SATAN]

https://cdn.drawception.com/images/panels/2017/3-13/e45bMWNXLq-2.png:mad::mad::mad:


:rolleyes:

[nayte]

Same for me. LeBron basically became my favorite player because of MJ/Kobe stans and their ignorance.

You let other fanbases decide who you like?
That's very odd

[ArbitraryWater]

Because its now the time for the modern, younger fan to denigrate his legacy. Lebron's will be pissed on around 2040 when Gen Alpha comes of age.

Doubt it because there wont be a successor to LeBron.


Or actually maybe Wemby is that guy lol. Arrived like LeBron did on nearly retired MJ.

[Wally450]

Ant must not know who Hakeem Olajuwon is.

[ILLsmak]

He’s just not good enough to talk like this. Sad.

Dude needs to surpass Tatum aiyeee.

-Smak

[Norcaliblunt]

Hate to say it but this kind of ignorance to history is a cultural thing.

Yeah cliche generational debates are universal across all demographics but they tend to be way more ignorant amongst different communities.

Music is a good example. Rock kids do not usually diss rock legends at the rate or with the hate rap kids will diss and hate on rap legends.

[SATAN]

You let other fanbases decide who you like?
That's very odd

I always liked his game. It became like an underdog thing. Suffering through finals games with Jordan stans/casual basketball fans was the final straw I think. The hate was unjustified and yeah, I know the game better than them so I wasn't seeing things the same way. No player is perfect. These people I mention still slander him out of nowhere and try to get me to bite since I've tried to point out that they were being morons a couple of times. It's actually crazy how ignorant and immature Jordan stans can be and their opinions are usually just some bullshit they read on social media since they obviously don't watch many games. Literally don't even have their own thoughts.

I'm talking about casuals obviously. Not all MJ fans.

The worship of this guy is frankly appalling. Imagine sitting down to watch a game and just thinking "MJ would have such and such...". Like, **** off. Find something else to do.

[SATAN]

Inb4 "meltdown"

[90sgoat]

I don't really see Ant as having all that much "skill".

He has the talent to be skilled, but his current game is too much "drive by line" or shoot 3s. He remind me more of Vince Carter, then Kobe, MJ, Wade or even T-Mac.

He's not a good passer, he's not a clutch midrange shooter like Kawhi, he's not an exceptional 3 point shooter like Reggie. He is what Tatum would like to be.

[Phoenix]

Doubt it because there wont be a successor to LeBron.


Or actually maybe Wemby is that guy lol. Arrived like LeBron did on nearly retired MJ.

That's who I'm thinking....

[Phoenix]

I don't really see Ant as having all that much "skill".

He has the talent to be skilled, but his current game is too much "drive by line" or shoot 3s. He remind me more of Vince Carter, then Kobe, MJ, Wade or even T-Mac.

He's not a good passer, he's not a clutch midrange shooter like Kawhi, he's not an exceptional 3 point shooter like Reggie. He is what Tatum would like to be.

He's not as skilled as Vince either. Vince was highly skilled, probably underrated because of how athletic he was.

[nayte]

I always liked his game. It became like an underdog thing. Suffering through finals games with Jordan stans/casual basketball fans was the final straw I think. The hate was unjustified and yeah, I know the game better than them so I wasn't seeing things the same way. No player is perfect. These people I mention still slander him out of nowhere and try to get me to bite since I've tried to point out that they were being morons a couple of times. It's actually crazy how ignorant and immature Jordan stans can be and their opinions are usually just some bullshit they read on social media since they obviously don't watch many games. Literally don't even have their own thoughts.

I'm talking about casuals obviously. Not all MJ fans.

The worship of this guy is frankly appalling. Imagine sitting down to watch a game and just thinking "MJ would have such and such...". Like, **** off. Find something else to do.

Thank you for an actual reasonable response.
I get what your saying . It does revolve around other fam bases which I don't get but you were reasonable and not a dick about it so thank you.

[90sgoat]

He's not as skilled as Vince either. Vince was highly skilled, probably underrated because of how athletic he was.

Is he better than Gilbert Arenas?

[ralph_i_el]

What's funny to me is that he clearly has someone in his camp that respects the old school, because they're teaching him that footwork and midrange game.

43% of his shots last year were 2's outside of 3 feet. That is a crazy high percentage for modern players. He was abusing guys with the step-through, which is predicated on people being afraid of his turnaround/fadeaway.

[Phoenix]

Is he better than Gilbert Arenas?

That's a hard comparison, they're different players. Ant falls more in the MJ/Kobe/Tmac/Vince lineage stylistically/athletically than he does Arenas.

[Manny98]

My mate said the other day with a straight face that John Stockton wouldn't even make a g league roster today

That's just how people in my age group view players from older generations

[tpols]

I don't really see Ant as having all that much "skill".

He has the talent to be skilled, but his current game is too much "drive by line" or shoot 3s. He remind me more of Vince Carter, then Kobe, MJ, Wade or even T-Mac.

He's not a good passer, he's not a clutch midrange shooter like Kawhi, he's not an exceptional 3 point shooter like Reggie. He is what Tatum would like to be.

Yup.

Todays role players, which is most of the league... are more "skilled" in the sense that they have much better shooting skill which unlocks higher team efficiency and gives star players more spacing to operate... but as a result superstars of today are far more line drive in their approach and lack the nuance to navigate more crowded defenses both in terms of scoring and passing.

Superstars of the past had far more intuition and anticipation and creativity because they had to have it to make it. Chucking 3s and sprinting at the hoop begging for calls isn't really all that skillful.

[Phoenix]

My mate said the other day with a straight face that John Stockton wouldn't even make a g league roster today

That's just how people in my age group view players from older generations

I mean Austin Reeves starts for the Lakers. Surely your generation doesn't think he's better than Stockton was? Stockton was starting at 40 years old back in 2002-3 and was among the league assist leaders. 20 years ago you had Kobe,Shaq, Duncan, Garnett in their primes.

[Phoenix]

Yup.

Todays role players, which is most of the league... are more "skilled" in the sense that they have much better shooting skill which unlocks higher team efficiency and gives star players more spacing to operate... but as a result superstars of today are far more line drive in their approach and lack the nuance to navigate more crowded defenses both in terms of scoring and passing.

Superstars of the past had far more intuition and anticipation and creativity because they had to have it to make it. Chucking 3s and sprinting at the hoop begging for calls isn't really all that skillful.

If you were an elite mid-range scorer years ago, when you actually had to create your own spacing to get off decent looks, today's spaced out courts is straight BBQ chicken.

[90sgoat]

Yup.

Todays role players, which is most of the league... are more "skilled" in the sense that they have much better shooting skill which unlocks higher team efficiency and gives star players more spacing to operate... but as a result superstars of today are far more line drive in their approach and lack the nuance to navigate more crowded defenses both in terms of scoring and passing.

Superstars of the past had far more intuition and anticipation and creativity because they had to have it to make it. Chucking 3s and sprinting at the hoop begging for calls isn't really all that skillful.

Reminds me of Jerry Stackhouse, who *checks notes* led the league in scoring once.

Stack wasn't a good 3-point shooter, but he could score, the thing is, when he got the ball, he only looked at the basket, there was no greater understanding of the game.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEPuT0gmiJg

You could mention someone like Isiah Rider too who shot the 3 pointer efficiently.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBC-6hRXPPY

[ralph_i_el]

I mean Austin Reeves starts for the Lakers. Surely your generation doesn't think he's better than Stockton was? Stockton was starting at 40 years old back in 2002-3 and was among the league assist leaders. 20 years ago you had Kobe,Shaq, Duncan, Garnett in their primes.

Heck, Stockton's own kid isn't as good as him and he got a 10-day with the Kings.

[Gudo]

Lol why are we acting like lebron has a ton of skills and still gets to put up numbers in this game. He does not have advanced anything. He's gifted athletically and gets to capitalize on that in today's game.

[L.Kizzle]

I don't blame him, or maybe I do. This generation just doesn't care about the past nor has no desire to learn.
Terry Rozier didn't know the Bulls 3-peat twice in the 90s until the Last Dance came out.

[ILLsmak]

I don't blame him, or maybe I do. This generation just doesn't care about the past nor has no desire to learn.
Terry Rozier didn't know the Bulls 3-peat twice in the 90s until the Last Dance came out.

That’s depressing, man.

It’s shocking how people are now. You have to at least gloss over shit. I really think that lack of knowledge affects their bball iq ceiling. Like how can you not know what mj did and be in the league, like it wouldn’t come up in a conversation? You have to be super absorbed in something that isn’t bball.

-Smak