Can any current player become the first to play in 4 decades?
Kareem came close. He played from 1969 to 1989. Had he played just one more season, he would had done it. The people that have the best probability of doing this, are rookies from the 99-00 season and would have to play at least till the 2019-2020 season. Here is a list of active players who were rookies in 99-00 and how old they will be in the 2019-2020 season.
Elton Brand (41)
Baron Davis (41)
Lamar Odom (40)
Rip Hamilton (42)
Andre Miller (44)
Shawn Marion (42)
Jason Terry (43)
Corey Maggette (40)
Ron Artest (40)
From previous drafts....... T-Mac, Kobe and R. Lewis are also possibilities.
Re: Can any current player become the first to play in 4 decades?
Quote:
Originally Posted by boozehound
isnt a decade from 01-10?
That is one full decade. I am talking someone to play in 4 different decades. Like Kareem played in the 60s, 70s and 80s (3). I 'm saying someone who will play in the 1990s, 2000's, 2010's and 2020'.
Re: Can any current player become the first to play in 4 decades?
Elton Brand (41) - he's already an old man
Baron Davis (41) - he'll be 800 lbs by then
Lamar Odom (40) - not impossible. he'll HAVE to play unless he got a pre-nup
Rip Hamilton (42) - he has to constantly move to be effective and he's already way past his prime
Andre Miller (44) - no point guard has been in the league at 44
Shawn Marion (42) - he's wearing down
Jason Terry (43) - impossible
Corey Maggette (40) - a 40-year old black hole? the league will never be this desperate
Ron Artest (40) - he doesn't even want to play now
Re: Can any current player become the first to play in 4 decades?
Of the people listed above, I can see Jason Terry sticking around. Probably not for as long as you stated, but he'll be a veteran guy teams sign to hit big shots off the bench. If that's all he's expected to do for a team, I can see him having a place in the league for years to come. Look at the the kind of longevity exemplified in Ray Allen's career. If Terry managed to put even 1/3 the work Ray Allen puts into his own shot he'd be a great asset to sign on the cheap.
Obviously Terry isn't Ray Allen. But you get what I'm saying.
One of the more unlikely people on that list, in my opinion, is Artest... but stranger things have happened. Who would have thought Michael Finley would have played for as long as he did? His game fell off considerably over a fairly short period of time but he still managed to find a spot on respectable teams.
By that time, Artest will have already invested his entire fortune into the first night club in space or something.
Re: Can any current player become the first to play in 4 decades?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Droid101
Are you people nuts? It's going to be a big, not a guard, who does it.
Jason Terry, lol.
From the list you posted, Brand was the most likely until he busted his knee. Now I don't know.
The rest rely on athleticism too much.
You realize there are just as many arguments in favor of swing men having long careers as there are arguments against bigs having them?
If all a guy has to do is shoot and spread the floor for less than 12 minutes a game, I'd wager any related physical strain is manageable. On the other hand, get a PF/C in his early 40s and watch him buckle under the weight of his own body after less than 41 games. Look at Deke and Shaq. If you're talking smaller or even undersized bigs, guys like that won't have longstanding careers anyways because they're undersized and entirely replaceable. You can throw a rock in the crowd at the draft and hit twelve undersized PFs.
Can any current player become the first to play in 4 decades?
