Tim Duncan, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis (PF's) Don't Play Like This

[QUOTE=navy]What the fvck is 3ball arguing.[/QUOTE]

That Bird is more of a 3 than a 4 and it's better to play him as a 3 than a 4 in this era.

[QUOTE=Micku]That Bird is more of a 3 than a 4 and it's better to play him as a 3 than a 4 in this era.[/QUOTE]
Pretty sure it's widely accepted he could do both just fine but is obviously a natural 3 in any era. I swear he's arguing with himself.

[QUOTE=swagga]niggga fck you and your thread.

if duncan played instead of karl malone on those jazz squad your boy jordan would've lost in both them finals. real talk.[/QUOTE]


Truth

[QUOTE=navy]What the fvck is 3ball arguing.[/QUOTE]
My argument is that Bird would play small forward in today's game just as much as he did in prior eras.

And he wouldn't only play SF in today's game when he can post up smaller players... Bird didn't ONLY post up Pippen, Dominique, Rodman and other SF's back in the day, so he wouldn't ONLY post up today's SF's.

Also, people assume Bird was just a jumpshooter, and completely disregard his playmaking - if he HAD BEEN mainly a jumpshooter, he'd never have a higher assist average than Lebron... You can only accumulate assists like that by attacking the rim from the perimeter, which was a STANDARD part of Bird's game.... Catch-and-go and triple-threat ARE ways to attack from the perimeter - Bird got at least half his points and assists this way, and he did it expertly against all SF's of the 80's... and his off-ball game was actually more optimal than today's ball-dominant approaches that use existing, live dribbling forays to create play-finishing opportunities for teammates.

Other posters have said that Bird would play PF to shoot 3's and draw big men out of the paint - but there were more rim-protecting bigs in previous eras, so the motivation to draw bigs out of the paint would be no greater today than previous eras.

The playmaking Bird did on the perimeter, his shooting style and form, running off screens like Reggie Miller, and the moves he made for pull-up jumpers - only wings play like this - PF's like Duncan, Blake and the like simply don't play like that, so it doesn't make sense to fit Bird's game in with theirs... He's a completely different player.
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lol.

Basically you are saying what everyone has ever said about Bird and will always say and forming an argument with yourself when nobody really disputes it despite you trying to frame it as so.

[QUOTE=navy]lol.

Basically you are saying what everyone has ever said about Bird and will always say and forming an argument with yourself when nobody really disputes it despite you trying to frame it as so.[/QUOTE]
not really... a lot of people say bird would be forced to play PF today... they don't think he would work at SF, even though Pippen and Rodman are better defenders than any players we have today.

and there's a misconception that if Bird played SF today, it would only work when he posted up smaller players... people figure he wouldn't be able to take guys off the dribble... this is just a lack of understanding that the most optimal way to playmake is actually the way Bird did it: he got half his points and assists attacking the basket via catch-and-go and triple threat.. and he did it against the best wing defenders of all time.

so my point is that he doesn't have a PF's game... The playmaking Bird did on the perimeter, his shooting style and form, running off screens like Reggie Miller, and the moves he made for pull-up jumpers - only wings play like this - PF's like Duncan, Blake, Davis, Aldridge, and MATT BONNER simply don't play like that, so it doesn't make sense to fit Bird's game in with theirs... He's a completely different player.
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[QUOTE=3ball]A lot of people think he would play PF in today's game... when all the things he did were wing-player things[/QUOTE]

Larry Bird literally said he'd play PF and he won Executive of the Year...and Coach of the Year...and MVP

searching for where he said that, but I swear I saw the quote before.

No one thinks Bird would be [I]forced[/I] to play PF, just that he would perhaps be an even greater weapon as a stretch-four than as a regular SF. It's scary how much energy you're wasting on this discussion.

And this whole business about how Bird had guard handles, and played on the perimeter, and beat guys off the dribble, and attacked from catch-and-go or triple threat... and acting like we don't know that... just makes it sound like an even better idea to play him at PF. It makes him a greater mismatch for his defenders, even though he could rebound and defend the post well enough to not be giving up anything on the other end for it.

Speaking of which, I think we can all agree that Bird was better at defending the post than he was at defending the perimeter. This is yet another reason to play him at PF.

[QUOTE=Prometheus]No one thinks Bird would be [I]forced[/I] to play PF, just that he would perhaps be an even greater weapon as a stretch-four than as a regular SF. It's scary how much energy you're wasting on this discussion.[/QUOTE]
nah... if he was a stretch 4, he'd be along the lines of the stretch 4's we have in today's game - Bosh (from last year), Love, Matt Bonner, etc.

those guys suck compared to Bird.

[QUOTE=3ball]nah... if he was a stretch 4, he'd be along the lines of the stretch 4's we have in today's game - Bosh (from last year), Love, Matt Bonner, etc.

those guys suck compared to Bird.[/QUOTE]
Okay?

What about Lebron, Durant, and Melo who also log minutes at the four?

[QUOTE=navy]Okay?

What about Lebron, Durant, and Melo who also log minutes at the four?[/QUOTE]
but they play mostly SF, just like Bird did and would...

coaches won't waste the ability of a do-it-all SF and turn him into a stretch 4.

and no coach would think it's a good idea to turn Bird's practically unlimited offensive ability, diversified off-ball scoring, and sophisticated passing into a stretch 4 whose primary job is to spread the floor.

a play-making, do-it-all 3 is vastly better than a stretch-4.

[QUOTE=3ball]but they play mostly SF, just like Bird did and would...

coaches won't waste the ability of a do-it-all SF and turn him into a stretch 4.

and no coach would think it's a good idea to turn Bird's practically unlimited offensive ability, diversified off-ball scoring ability and sophisticated passing into a stretch 4 whose primary job is to spread the floor.

a play-making, do-it-all 3 is vastly better than a stretch-4.[/QUOTE]
Melo mostly plays pf. Lebron played pf last year. Durant half and half. Hell even Paul pierce played pf last year on the nets.

Were any of those guys just floor spacers? No. He would still be the same player. Just the second biggest guy on the floor. A 3 at the 4 position.

[QUOTE=navy]Melo mostly plays pf. Lebron played pf last year. Durant half and half. Hell even Paul pierce played pf last year on the nets.

Were any of those guys just floor spacers? No. He would still be the same player. Just the second biggest guy on the floor.[/QUOTE]
for their careers, all those guys are SF's.

and in today's game, Bird would be a SF too.. maybe occasionally play PF, or occasionally listed at PF, but still mostly SF.

[QUOTE=3ball]for their careers, all those guys are SF's.

and in today's game, Bird would be a SF too.. maybe occasionally play PF, or occasionally listed at PF, but still mostly SF.[/QUOTE]
Nikka arguing with himself.

No shit.