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My money is on this guy
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[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXwwSyJego0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXwwSyJego0[/URL]
The guy was like a freakin train :bowdown:
Not exactly underrated, but I think James Worthy would rule today.
[QUOTE=elementally morale]Not exactly underrated, but I think James Worthy would rule today.[/QUOTE]
exactly who I thought of right off. Worthy was incredible but gets bashed all the time
Jack Sikma
Robert Reid would be on a few all star teams :rockon:
Brad Daugherty would be the best center this year.
[QUOTE=La Frescobaldi]exactly who I thought of right off. Worthy was incredible but gets bashed all the time[/QUOTE]
Meh, people are clueless. Nobody in the league could guard him, ever. Would be interesting to see him go head to head against LBJ.
bob lanier
dude was not a power center , but a big man with an awesome touch... he would easily maintian his career average or better
On top of that no one gave him credit for being a great passer out of the high and low post.
jo jo white
connie hawkins
dave bing
big o
Kelly Tripucka
Isn't it the way this thread works? Name a borderline all-star and say how he would dominate this pitiful league now?
Michael Ray Richardson would probably kill it in today's NBA. Also, if he were a player today he could have avoided the 80s drug culture that destroyed him.
[QUOTE=elementally morale]Brad Daugherty would be the best center this year.[/QUOTE] Spot on.
Mark Eaton would lead the league in blocks.
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[QUOTE=Locked_Up_Tonight]Kelly Tripucka
Isn't it the way this thread works? Name a borderline all-star and say how he would dominate this pitiful league now?[/QUOTE]
With today's rules, Jeff Van Gundy.
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Kelly Tripucka. How did he got from 20ppg to 10ppg the next season, to then 7ppg, to then 22.6? Never mind, looked it up.
Walter Davis
Um, change of teams played a huge role in it. Utah with Malone and Stockton to being the "best player" on the Charlotte Hornets.
It reminds me of the quote that Scott Hastings uses about the expansion teams. He looked around at the group in Miami and said: You know you are in trouble when I'm the best player on the team.
[quote=elementally morale]Not exactly underrated, but I think James Worthy would rule today.[/quote]
He was/is overrated.
[QUOTE]Mark Eaton would lead the league in blocks. [/QUOTE]
He probably wouldn't even be in the league. Probably be the car mechanic he was when UCLA found him to sit at the end of their bench.
Bigger isn't necessarily better like it was during his day. Probably would have never played for anyone other than the Jazz anyway.
They played 4 on 5 on offense with him standing near half court so he could get back on D because he was so slow. He was pretty clueless. Only thing he had going for him was size.
It's no coincidence that the Jazz's best days were after he was forced into retirement. They struggled initially on D as they adjusted from having him guarding the rim but were eventually a better defensive team without him.
I'll go with Darrell Griffith. He was on the verge of being an all-star before breaking his foot while holding out which the Jazz(as they often did) never got over it and he lost his starting job to the 3rd string scrub Bobby Hansen and never got it back. First guy with the green light from 3 as he broke the record twice with 90 and 91 3's which is nothing today.
[img]http://www.writenowinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BernardKing1.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.slamonline.com/online/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/andrew_toney_display_image.jpg[/img]
[quote=Locked_Up_Tonight]Um, change of teams played a huge role in it. Utah with Malone and Stockton to being the "best player" on the Charlotte Hornets.[/quote]
Had more to do with the coach in Utah. He was stuck on the bench with Stockton. I didn't think much of him when they gave Dantley away to get him. I thought he was just a gunner but he was actually a pretty good player who could have helped the Jazz a lot more than he did if they'd played him.
[QUOTE=Xiao Yao You]He was/is overrated.[/QUOTE]
If anything, Worthy was underrated a little bit, but not criminally underrated. I think it is not really the point of the thread though. We are in search of 80s players who would be great today, and I think Worthy is a fine example. What he did back then would work very well today.
[quote]Had more to do with the coach in Utah. He was stuck on the bench with Stockton. I didn't think much of him when they gave Dantley away to get him. I thought he was just a gunner but he was actually a pretty good player who could have helped the Jazz a lot more than he did if they'd played him.[/quote]
I was hinting at that with the Stockton/Malone. Not that it was a bad choice but Sloan used it and everyone else was kind of an afterthought in the offense.
[quote=elementally morale]If anything, Worthy was underrated a little bit, but not criminally underrated. I think it is not really the point of the thread though. We are in search of 80s players who would be great today, and I think Worthy is a fine example. What he did back then would work very well today.[/quote]
He was perennial all-star starter and a HOFer. Don't see how he was ever underrated. What he did well was run the floor. He was lucky enough to play with Magic during the run and gun 80's. I never thought he was a whole lot better than Byron Scott personally and Scott was never an all-star nor a HOFer.
[QUOTE]I was hinting at that with the Stockton/Malone. Not that it was a bad choice but Sloan used it and everyone else was kind of an afterthought in the offense.[/QUOTE]
Sloan was just an assistant. Layden was the clueless one at that time but yes Sloan relied to heavily on Stockton and Malone and it hurt them when Karl didn't show up in the finals and no one else was prepared to step up because they'd never had the opportunity.
You know I totally forgot about Layden. That is sad. For some reason I thought Sloan took over in the late 80's. I didn't realize it was 89 though.
[img]http://www.notinhalloffame.com/UserFiles/Image/article_images/Basketball/9.%20Sidney%20Moncrief.jpg[/img]
Sidney Moncrief
[img]http://www.nysun.com/pics/4209.jpg[/img]
Kiki Vandeweghe
[quote=Locked_Up_Tonight]You know I totally forgot about Layden. That is sad. For some reason I thought Sloan took over in the late 80's. I didn't realize it was 89 though.[/quote]
I wish I could forget about Frank.
[QUOTE=Locked_Up_Tonight]
Isn't it the way this thread works? Name a borderline all-star and say how he would dominate this pitiful league now?[/QUOTE]
Wrong choice of the word, way too hyperbolic.
Joe Dumars would be DPOY in 2012-2013.
What about Terry Cummings? Only 2 time all-star, about 22ppg with less than 19fga. Had an extremely accurate fadeaway jumper that nobody could block.
[QUOTE=Walker]Walter Davis[/QUOTE]
:cheers: When that guy got hot it was mesmerizing to watch. Had the most beautiful jumper I've ever seen.
Chris Mullin and Dale Ellis would have a field day. And Rik Smits, as limited as he was would be a max player.
[img]http://hoopedia.nba.com/images/6/69/AdrianDantleyPistons.jpg[/img]
Adrian Dantley
[QUOTE=Kovach]What about Terry Cummings? Only 2 time all-star, about 22ppg with less than 19fga. Had an extremely accurate fadeaway jumper that nobody could block.[/QUOTE]
Very good player. A rich man's Carlos Boozer.
[QUOTE=Rasheed1][img]http://hoopedia.nba.com/images/6/69/AdrianDantleyPistons.jpg[/img]
Adrian Dantley[/QUOTE]
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plenty of those today as well
Fat Lever. Super underrated considering a lot of basketball fans these days have never even heard of him. Triple double machine. 6th most career triple doubles in NBA history.
Lever 31pts/16rebs/12asts/6stlsvs VS Jordan's Bulls
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgDPFlbd3no"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgDPFlbd3no[/URL]
[URL="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/leverfa01.html"]http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/leverfa01.html[/URL]
[QUOTE=elementally morale]Chris Mullin and Dale Ellis would have a field day. And Rik Smits, as limited as he was would be a max player.[/QUOTE]
Smits in my opinion would of gotten the pacers to the finals , if he was used correctly...
seldom they used his low post prowls as effeciently as other centers.
Talk about under appreciated - his team did.
They were more than happy to sub him out with the Davis's.
However Smits would have a tough time of it in this era , because he lugged down the floor.. not great in our bball world now.
That being said , I retract my Bob Lanier prop's , cause he is in the same catagory -- - slow.
I do like the Terry Cummings props , Terry was a great defender as well as boards man.
Barkley
Kiki Vandeweghe and Tom Chambers.
[QUOTE=Xiao Yao You]He was perennial all-star starter and a HOFer. Don't see how he was ever underrated. What he did well was run the floor. He was lucky enough to play with Magic during the run and gun 80's. I never thought he was a whole lot better than Byron Scott personally and Scott was never an all-star nor a HOFer.[/QUOTE]
Its the fans who underrate him, especially today's younger fans. He was well respected by his peers and coaches. You see, he played on a team with 3 other guys who were hovering around 20 ppg. Had he played for a lesser team I believe his numbers would have been much higher. I watched the whole era, and people now put him below some of the other small forwards in the league like Wilkins, English, Dantly, king, etc. ,but the thing is none of those guys could stop Worthy, he played way bigger than any small forward in the league. Hell, there was no power forward in the league that could guard Worthy. When the Celtics put McHale on him, what happened? He got torched. Ask rodman, who's widely considered the best small forward defender of all time, who gave him fits, he'll say: James Worthy. And yes, he did run the floor well, but he also had the best post up game of any small forward I've seen. He was a beast in my opinion.
Players who'd thrive in todays game would be:
Sidney Moncrief
Alex English
Tom Chambers
BERNARD KING would be unarguable.
Sidney Moncrief