Just want to see what people think about Dream team comment and Larry Bird???

[Kadamscards]

I was talking, or arguing, with a guy on my men's league team about the comments made by Kobe Bryant about the Dream Team.

Specifically, Larry Bird.....MY friend thinks that Larry Bird would be an average player in the league today and would not be able to score or defend anyone from the USA team today. Personally, I think the 80's was the best era of basketball, maybe because I was a kid growing up watching it then. HOwever, without the expansion teams in the 80's I feel the teams were much deeper because guys that were 6th and 7th men would have been starters in the 90's or now with the added teams. As far as LArry Bird goes, I feel he would bee dominate in today's game because his competitive nature and DRIVE (yeah I know it's his book..lol) was higher than almost any athlete I have watched in my life.

I'm just curious as to what others think about Bird playing today and the Dream team comment

[nightbreedbeats]

Just looking at today's skilled and powerful SF's in the NBA compared to Bird's time makes you realize how far the game has progressed in 20 years.

The match-ups would be hard and I dont think Bird would be able to dominate like he did. If you look back the reason he retired fairly early was because he couldnt keep up with the super athletic players coming into the NBA.

Bird will always be a great shooter, decent passer, decent rebounder, hustle player etc but imagine him vs guys like : Durant, Lebron, Igoudala, Melo, Danny Granger, etc what a nightmare.

Honestly, I think Larry Bird would be what Adam Morrison is today.... Perhaps a little better but not much.

[cgb_orl]

Give Bird the training, diet and advantages of today's players and it would translate accordingly.

btw - didn't he retire because of his back issues?

[Kadamscards]

hahahah yeah he did.. All great players retire because they can no longer keep up with the young players...that's waht happens with age and injuries..

not to mention bird was more than a decent passer...go watch a highlight video....at 6'9 SF he would still dominate

He is a much smarter player with great anticipation and court vision...The only players mentioned that could compete would be Durant and Lebron... I think it would be a nightmare for the other's..melo, iggy, and Granger..lol Dominique Wilkins was a far better athlete than them and Bird and him had great battles..Bird usually on the winning side

Watch the passes

[Kadamscards]

morrison?? no drive, no heart...smokes pot all the time. i went to class with someone that knew him and said after he signed the deal he was still driving around the Spokane area in the same van smoking weed..lol...He had no desire to be the best.

little longer video



Carmelo's highlight Reel---the only thing he can do better is dunk... 1 pass highlight. He is definitely comparable to bird as far as scoring, but that's it.. Bird, after watching the video's, seems to be a far better overall player

[whalechaser]

Larry Bird would still be extraordinary in today's league. Everyone is putting so much emphasis on athleticism, yes it's a factor but not everything. The fact that old Kobe, Dirk, Old Paul Pierce, etc. are still able to produce shows that you can still be a factor even if you're not ultra athletic. Bird's all around skills (shooting, driving, passing, rebounding), basketball IQ, court vision, ice cold veins, hustle, and drive will translate. Also Comparing Larry Bird to Adam Morrison is RIDICULOUS, I think there's absolutely no way that Larry Bird in his prime wouldn't command a max contract in today's league.

[jinsunited]

Just looking at today's skilled and powerful SF's in the NBA compared to Bird's time makes you realize how far the game has progressed in 20 years.

The match-ups would be hard and I dont think Bird would be able to dominate like he did. If you look back the reason he retired fairly early was because he couldnt keep up with the super athletic players coming into the NBA.

Bird will always be a great shooter, decent passer, decent rebounder, hustle player etc but imagine him vs guys like : Durant, Lebron, Igoudala, Melo, Danny Granger, etc what a nightmare.

Honestly, I think Larry Bird would be what Adam Morrison is today.... Perhaps a little better but not much.

People tend to think Larry Bird wasn't as great as people say he was because he was white, slow, and wasn't athletic.

Size, speed, and athleticism doesn't always translate to a good basketball player. Don't make that mistake of thinking just because players nowadays can jump higher and run the court faster that they would have dominated 20 years ago. The league was harder in the 80s. Defenses were tougher and much more physical, which much more leeway from the officials.

Larry Bird was physical and understood the game. He knew how to work with what skills he had and utilized them to its maximum potential. When I think of Larry Bird I think of current NBA stars like Kevin Love, Paul Pierce, even Joakim Noah. All slow, unathletic, but hard workers and a general understanding of how to make the biggest impact in the game.

In the NBA, hard work and good basketball IQ is what really makes you excel at the game, which leads me to believe why I think Larry Bird would have been just as great of a player as he was in the 80s.

[tiger tiger]

I think people who look back at the legends and say that they would get their butts handed to them today is a bit off base. It's like comparing a 2012 Mustang with an 1984 one. There should be some improvement because of conditioning, diet, training, etc. But these things help more with being able to play in the league younger and longer.

However, there are some things that does not necessarily improve over time. Basketball smarts or IQ is one of those things, and Bird had it. Plus an incredible competitive drive to win. The ones that have it, become the great ones. MJ, Magic, etc. Kobe has it to a degree. Lebron has less than those guys, IMO (but I know some will disagree with me on that), but still very competitive compared to most.

For me, the more a player is willing to yell at their own teammates to play better or call them out on a missed play/block/cover, that is a display of their level of competitiveness.

With his basketball IQ, Bird didn't need to be super athletic to be one of the greatest in his era. He was a great shooter and could handle the pressure to make the final game winning shot.

By saying that Bird would be sub-par is a huge disrespect to the other great players that played in that era because you're saying that any old bench warmer or scrub today would have been a star 20 years ago and that just isn't true. The basics/fundamentals of the game hasn't changed. Just because you're more athletic or bigger it doesn't mean that you can shoot the ball better (just ask Shaq, and I don't count dunking). If so, why hasn't free throw shooting percentages steadily improved over the years? This year it dropped. 3 point shooting? All sorts of records should be falling yearly by that argument, but it doesn't happen.

Plus it's a team sport. What happened to the "Dream Team" in 2004?

[nightbreedbeats]

For me, the more a player is willing to yell at their own teammates to play better or call them out on a missed play/block/cover, that is a display of their level of competitiveness.

Well then Lebron should be the most competitive player ever, all he did after each whistle in the playoffs was get on Mario Chalmers or some other Heat player who wasnt playing perfect.

Maybe comparing Bird to Adam Morrison wasnt the best analogy so how about Mike Dunleavy! Bird would be no better then a Mike Dunleavy in todays NBA

[tiger tiger]

Dunlevy is still a stretch. Then you insult Magic. The two of them had epic match ups. If Bird sucked so bad, then Magic sucked just as bad too then. I'd be curious who'd you compare Magic to. MJ would only be a semi-star according to your comparisons.

For me, Lebron finally showed his competitive nature by chewing out Chalmers. Hence, finally a championship.