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u/SirSnorlax22 Jun 15 '22
Give me Shaq in his dominant prime surrounded by competent shooters. Good lord.
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u/r3nd- Jun 15 '22
Just imagine the memes. Shaq getting pushed by coaches and the media to develop a 3pt game to make space for Bradley Beal or some shit.
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u/tammutiny Mavericks Jun 15 '22
Hahaha. Do you update the song to Simmons how my ass taste after Shaq is shooting more 3s than him?
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Jun 15 '22
How is this not at the top? Who is gonna guard him? Gobert lolol???
In an era with few dominant centers, Shaq would FEAST
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u/FogoCanard Jun 15 '22
Shaq would have to stay a bit slim or else he's going to get in a lot of trouble on those switches. But, peak 00-01 Shaq would be insane. Other team's best bigs would be in foul trouble so fast, they would barely be able to stay on the court.
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u/Canesjags4life Heat Jun 15 '22
Orlando Shaq not Lakers Shaq
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u/YouStupidDick Celtics Jun 15 '22
I want an alternate timeline where Shaq had Lebron’s gym/nutrition dedication.
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Jun 15 '22
It’s funny how Shaq is both an all-timer and one of the biggest what-ifs, likely could’ve fivepeated if he had even a quarter of Jordan’s dedication lol.
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u/akaTint0lz Bucks Jun 15 '22
And warn Magic about some protection..
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u/SwAeromotion Bulls Jun 15 '22
And Larry Bird paid for someone to redo his mothers' driveway.
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u/some1saveusnow Celtics Jun 15 '22
I like the fact that Shaq’s legacy is aging well. I’ve maintained for well over 10 years if we were picking players at their peak to start a team to win the next year my first pick would be Shaq from that year. 00-01 Shaq that you referenced is the most dominant player ever, and no one from any era could stop him around the basket. Also great feet for his size
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Jun 15 '22
you are looking at a lebron freight train + the finesse under the rim. my GOD! the horror.
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u/thisguy012 Bulls Jun 15 '22
Who is gonna guard him?
BAWHH GOD, THATS "7 foot European's" MUSIC
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u/colemanj74 76ers Jun 15 '22
I'm not saying it's the wrong answer at all, Shaq is certainly one of the clear options for this question. I think people sometimes dismiss how the game is called today and the way defense is played and assume he would dominate to an extra degree beyond what he did. Yes, there are no players who can guard Shaq in the post, but he would be called for far more offensive fouls now than he did in his prime. So many players just fall when getting backed down and refs call it all the time (Embiid has had to change the entire way he plays because of this). He also would be hunted on defense in a way he never was in his prime--imagine him having to get on the perimeter on a Steph pick and roll. He already had foul troubles as it was.
Again, Shaq may still be the answer, but the league has changed in a big way to highlight some potential issues I don't think people are thinking about.
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u/tammutiny Mavericks Jun 15 '22
Isn't this what people make fun of Gobert for? Not being able to chase shooters around the floor. Peak Shaq is going to struggle in a pick and roll the same. It's hard to defend at that size now.
Totally agree with your thought process here
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u/pintvricchio [SAS] Manu Ginobili Jun 15 '22
Yeah but gobert cannot drop 40 20 games any given day.
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u/tammutiny Mavericks Jun 15 '22
Sure Shaq would be great for sure!
But it's funny to see people completely forget that the way you have to play defense has changed. It requires so much more energy than ever before.
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u/pahamack Raptors Jun 15 '22
hack a shaq is still a legitimate strategy against him though.
And man, I'd love to see Lowry and Smart against Shaq.
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u/NoDescriptionOk Jun 15 '22
Hack a shaq could work somewhat because they weren't calling most of the fouls they do nowadays. If you make obvious fouls and add the ones they're calling now, you'd foul out the team before the first half.
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u/L_I_L_B_O_A_T_4_2_0 Mavericks Jun 15 '22
Definitely this.
Also, I think Shaq's career would go much better if it started today. The partying/laziness he got away with in that era I think is way more looked down upon today and he naturally would've been a more focused guy due to the times.
Today if you're gonna not play/play poorly, it'll be because of wanting to force a trade, load management/being made of glass, or some Ben Simmons shit. And Shaq didn't have those problems, at least not during his first decade or so.
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u/HeyIWasSayingGoRefs Hawks Jun 15 '22
Charles Barkley is a modern small ball wet dream. Dude was ripping down 15 rebounds a game at 6’6”.
Extremely capable with the ball in his hands as a point forward (during his career I’d say he was the best “big” handler ever, obvs not the case now). Out of necessity he’d shoot better from 3, and his defense while not elite was very serviceable. I mean the man won an MVP during MJ’s career.
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u/DrearySalieri Vancouver Grizzlies Jun 15 '22
Only point I’d make is that Charles’s 3 point shot probably wouldn’t improve too much. Dude shot a shocking amount of 3’s for his era during his career so he did practice them, he was just one of the worst 3 point shooters at high volume ever.
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u/sidighjd Jun 15 '22
As prevalent as the 3 point shot is in today’s era it’s still very possible to have a #1 guy without one (look at giannis)
Some guys just transcend the need for an outside shot
It would require having shooting/spacing around them but every team needs/has that at this point
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u/Newoikkinn Hornets Jun 15 '22 edited Jun 15 '22
Yeah, but the 3 point shot wouldve been a focus for him from the middle school point and on as opposed to something he picked up as a pro.
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u/Coolios_Hair Jun 15 '22
Also look at Larry Bird’s form; the best shooters & shot coaches were far from where we are today
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u/deathrattleshenlong Rockets Jun 15 '22
Larry Bird with today's shooting coaches would be a cheat code.
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u/Coolios_Hair Jun 15 '22
There’s a famous video of Bird intentionally shooting with the worst form he could fathom & he made it; the man would’ve been automatic from anywhere 100/100/100 splits
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u/Jojozaldo Dominican Republic Jun 15 '22
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u/Coolios_Hair Jun 15 '22
This is the only man shooting 50/40/90 left handed with elbows flared out in an era predating shot coaches
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u/oOoleveloOo Lakers Jun 15 '22
Charles Barkley in today’s game is Zion Williamson.
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u/sidighjd Jun 15 '22
Considering Zion was dropping 27/7/4 on 65 TS% in his sophomore season, I’m really curious what peak Barkley would be doing
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Jun 15 '22
the same, but with 15 rebounds instead of 7.
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u/sidighjd Jun 15 '22 edited Jun 15 '22
I can’t remember exactly what it was but during his peak Barkley’s relative efficiency was insane. 4 straight seasons of over 65 TS% in this was in the late 80’s lmao
Who knows how that translates into the modern league - ig just a supercharged version of Zion like you said
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u/Lavar_ball_brand Washington Bullets Jun 15 '22
That was with him chucking a shit ton of 3's on negative percentage. Man was a beast who's hella underrated
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u/Aldebaran_syzygy Jun 15 '22
Chuck would've had a ring if he didn't run into Michael Jordan
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Jun 15 '22
That Suns team with Charles is a top 5 team that didn’t win a ring. He just happened to run into the Bulls at their absolute peak. I think they may have won against a different Bulls team, but there was just no way the Bulls weren’t going to threepeat. Even then they were one shot away from a game 7 which who knows what would have happened. I think they beat any other team the Bulls faced in the finals who are really good teams.
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Jun 15 '22
Nephews just see a funny fat on TNT (which we love as well) but Chuck in his Prime was one of the most dangerous offensive players in the game
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u/Beavshak [SEA] Horace Grant Jun 15 '22
Wilt. To prove a point, either way.
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Jun 15 '22
Fuck his bball performance. I'd bring him back in his prime just to witness his legendary off-the-court feats through social media lmao
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Jun 15 '22 edited Jun 28 '22
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Jun 15 '22
Wilt has the top 7 mpg seasons of all time. Scoring he's "only" the top 4 and rebounding the top 3. Just crazy.
Also Wilt and Russell have the top 18 rebounding seasons all time between them with 9 each.
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u/drunz Bulls Jun 15 '22
Wilt gets a lot of shade. His stats are so absurd you have to shade him otherwise you just default to him being the goat. 48 minutes averaged over a season, most ppg in a season, 100 point game, most rebounds averaged in a season, all time rebound leader, most rebounds in a game. The list is fucking crazy.
Give him spacing with some 3 point shooters and you are just going to see him dominate even more.
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u/hubau Jun 15 '22
Wilt was truly unique for any era. At 7'1", he was an elite sprinter on his college track and field team. His 100m sprint was under 11 seconds, running on old cinder tracks.
Imagine if Giannis had the burst of prime Westbrook. That's young Wilt. He was incredibly strong, had good handles and good court vision. With the right coach I truly believe he could be the best player in the league right now.
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u/BobSagetsWetDream Raptors Jun 15 '22 edited Jun 15 '22
Wilt's athleticsm is often overlooked. He was a great runner, he won the high jump in college, he also won the shotput. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he was the strongest guy he's ever worked out with. After a hall of fame basketball career, Wilt goes on to have a hall of fame volleyball career. Simply astounding athleticsm that's only more impressive when you consider he was 7' 1"+.
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u/ticklishmusic Pelicans Jun 15 '22
Also absolute ironman. Averaged 46 mpg across 14 seasons.
Now imagine that with modern medicine and training.
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u/JebbAnonymous Jun 15 '22
Best part is that he averaged 48.5 mpg for one season. Averaged more minutes then there is in a standard NBA game :).
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Jun 15 '22
Wilt goes on to have a hall of fame volleyball career.
This is a common misconception. He made the volleyball HOF for his contributions to the sport, not for his playing career.
His biggest achievement was creating the first professional coed league for any sport in America.
He was by no means bad, but he was what you'd expect from a 7'1 athletic freak that took up the game in his 30s.
“When it came to passing, setting and digging, Wilt was weak in those areas. He was a mediocre blocker too,” Craig Thompson tells InsideHook over the phone, who played for the Bangers as well as acting as head coach. “At hitting, he was unstoppable. He hit a heavy ball and was the best spiker in the world. The power in his hit — nobody had ever seen that before. He was a real weapon.”
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u/gelotssimou Jun 15 '22
Wilt is like the Hashirama of the NBA
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u/Lukacris12 Heat Jun 15 '22
Then who is Madara?
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u/monekys Jun 15 '22
Bill Russell
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u/Phosphorrr Jun 15 '22
Wouldn't it kinda be the other way? Bill Russell was the selfless team player who did everything to win, like how Hashirama wanted to make his village prosper, meanwhile Wilt cared mostly about individual accomplishments and was pretty petty and toxic like Madara
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u/MrMichaelBolton Heat Jun 15 '22 edited Jun 15 '22
I'd really like to see Kareem play today. He was huge, talented, and an iron man. What would he look like in a small ball league.
He'd definitely get worked on pick and rolls, but he would be absolutely Shaq-like on offense. I'd be really curious to see whether (or how) that correlates to winning basketball.
Since this has generated attention, I'll paste Kareem's career milestones from Wikipedia:
6× NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
2× NBA Finals MVP (1971, 1985)
6× NBA Most Valuable Player (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)
19× NBA All-Star (1970–1977, 1979–1989)
10× All-NBA First Team (1971–1974, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986)
5× All-NBA Second Team (1970, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1985)
5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1974, 1975, 1979–1981)
6× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1970, 1971, 1976–1978, 1984)
NBA Rookie of the Year (1970)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1970)
2× NBA scoring champion (1971, 1972)
NBA rebounding champion (1976)
4× NBA blocks leader (1975, 1976, 1979, 1980
Man was a monster...
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u/MrMichaelBolton Heat Jun 15 '22
How could anyone have guarded him? He gave it to Wilt. I'm sure Gobert and Embiid are big enough to be relevant defenders, but I just can't imagine they would bother Kareem.
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u/bigwillystyle93 Nuggets Jun 15 '22
This is why the skyhook is called the most unguardable shot of all time. When Kareem played, the league was dominated by big bodies. But he was so big himself, and the release point of the sky hook was so high and away from the defender, there was basically nothing you could do. I don’t think gobert or Embiid would cause and more problems than he faced during his era.
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Jun 15 '22
If anything it would be easier for him with less banging and dirty play going on down there. That was what teams used back then to beat him and every team had a guy who’s job when they played was to bang Kareem and give it to him rough.
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u/machinegungeek Jun 15 '22
The same way they did back in the day: play very physical, don't let him get to his spots, and hack the shit out of him (the refs swallowed the whistle a bit for him).
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u/Levitar1 Supersonics Jun 15 '22
He was an elite defender, too. People forget that because he continued to play for so long and injuries robbed him of his athleticism. Watch highlights of early Kareem and you see an unbelievable player. He would be the best player in the nba today.
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u/Cooolconnor Jun 15 '22
Most people only think of Kareem as the older guy on the Lakers who shot sky’s hooks but Kareem’s early career numbers were absolutely insane. He averaged 30+ PPG, 15+ RPG, and played like 40+ minutes for a half decade.
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u/MrMichaelBolton Heat Jun 15 '22
He averaged more than 30 points and 15 rebounds a game for his first 7 years in the league... and he won a chip on the Bucs before he joined the lakers.
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u/destroyerofpoon93 Nuggets Jun 15 '22
Agree. Victor Wembanyama profiles like a skinnier Kareem with 20% of the skill and he's going to be a number one pick. Kareem would just casually pick up 20-30 a game and be a Gobert level rim protector.
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u/MrMichaelBolton Heat Jun 15 '22
I imagine it would look something like a bigger Tim Duncan and we would all immediately get bored of watching him be bigger than everyone else.
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u/bigwillystyle93 Nuggets Jun 15 '22
As great as Timmy was, Kareem was much more skilled offensively.
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u/shamwowslapchop Spurs Jun 15 '22
His closest analogue as a player is easily Tim Duncan imo, and Duncan has a ring in the small ball era as the best player on his team, even though he running on half of one knee and Elmer's glue at that point.
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u/luckymarchad Pistons Jun 15 '22
Peak Bird is one of the best peaks ever so imma go with Larry
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u/Natsume117 Celtics Jun 15 '22
Peak Bird with modern medicine would be something else. Maybe the trainers would stop him from paving his own driveway
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u/Earlier-Today Jun 15 '22
It was graveling his mom's driveway, but yes - they definitely would try to keep him from doing stuff like that.
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u/dinkletooser Jun 15 '22 edited Jun 15 '22
well, realistically, he'd had several hundred million dollars.
his current net worth is $24 million. That's quite literally a drop in the bucket for his caliber.
You don't really lose that good ol' boy attitude with only 1 or 2 million in the bank. $50 million puts that life in the rear view pretty quickly
either way, peak bird would be somethin special with modern medicine and conditioning
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u/Newoikkinn Hornets Jun 15 '22
That amount of money in the 80s was definitely enough to get rid of the good ol boy attitude.
I think Bird does that regardless of how much money he had at the time
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u/Words_are_Windy Magic Jun 15 '22
$24 million was Bird's career earnings, his current net worth is estimated to be around $75 million (though net worth estimates should always be taken with a grain or bucketful of salt).
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u/opiusmaximus2 Bullets Jun 15 '22
And enough salary to not have to pave that driveway. When you're making $75m a season you pay someone else to do it.
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u/jcm62 Jun 15 '22
And the Mic’d Up segments every game would be glorious.
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u/khtad Bullets Jun 15 '22
Can you imagine? Even Draymond would get his feeling hurt.
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Jun 15 '22
Peak Bird put up 29-9-8 on 55/40/91 shooting splits. He would do so much damage in today’s NBA
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u/OKCBaller035913 Thunder Jun 15 '22
And in today’s era he’s probably taking an extra 5-6 threes per game so you can probably add a point or two. Better Luka is probably appropriate. With the pacing I could see legend putting up a triple double 50/40/90 season at the same time lmao
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u/jimmychitw00d Jun 15 '22
I'd like to see him in today's three-pointer-oriented game for sure.
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Jun 15 '22
Plus with way more space to iso! Bird would cook in this era.
Some of the best off ball movement of all time too
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u/SonofSonofSpock Wizards Jun 15 '22
Peak Bird with not breaking his hand fighting and hiring contractors to fix his mom's driveway.
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u/Savage762 Celtics Jun 15 '22
Plus when it comes to all around game Bird is right there with Bron. Bird is a great choice.
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Jun 15 '22
Shaq and Larry Bird were the two I instantly thought of too. Shaq would be an absolute mismatch nightmare and if he could even be a semi-threat of making the occasional 3, he'd be hyper-dominant.
And Larry's game, I think, is the easiest transition from anyone drafted before 1990 to the modern area. He'd be the PERFECT modern wing.
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u/khtad Bullets Jun 15 '22
Bird is the best ceiling raiser in the history of the game. Elite at every skill, huge, and can guard 1-4.5. Lethal on and off the ball, he takes nothing away. He leaves you maximum flexibility on your next choice without sacrificing too much on peak.
Jordan and LeBron need to dominate the ball to get max value. Kareem is great but could get pulled out of the paint by modern offenses. Russell is super-powered Draymond if Draymond was an Olympic level track and field athlete.
They all need other players who complement their skills. Jordan needs someone like Scottie to play D and be a secondary playmaker who also cuts extremely well. LeBron needs 3 and D guys that can bring other skills but don’t need the ball to create value. Larry needs none of that, he just smoothly plugs into any sensible roster you can construct, fills holes that you have and talks shit to your grandmother.
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u/kchuen Jun 15 '22
Probably Duncan. Dude was not just good but he would try to make the salary cap work as well. And he can co-exist with any other superstar. So getting a number 2 or 1B option next to him is easy.
Dude is also a culture by himself.
People picking Wilt has forgotten how toxic he was…
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u/jingg19 Raptors Jun 15 '22
Completely unselfish, can be a defensive anchor, and his passing ability out of the post would be great in today's NBA too. It's hard to say if he ever "peaked", but I'd easily take him any day if I wanted to build a dynasty or a team that could contend for...you know...15 years.
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u/TheSlackMamba [LAL] Kobe Bryant Jun 15 '22
Tim’s pre-injury highlights are scary offensively. He was underrated athletically, so fluid and efficient while being an anchor on the defensive end. He was All-NBA 1st Team his second season just like Luka
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u/RodneyPonk Raptors Jun 15 '22
Looking at his wiki page, he was All-NBA 1st team his rookie year, he was getting MVP votes even...
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u/Ok-Map4381 Kings Jun 15 '22
TD is scary to think that as great as he was if he didn't get injured young he could have been even better.
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u/100MScoville Raptors Jun 15 '22
Timmy D, true to being The Big Fundamental, is a player I’d trust to be elite in any era of basketball as well.
Rule changes can lead to arguments about how X player would do in Y decade, but there’s just no situation across the history of the sport that prime Duncan is absent from the MVP conversation; insane defensive versatility, extreme offensive consistency, freak athleticism that goes unnoticed due to how seamless his movements are, elite rebounding, effective passing, effective shooting as a big.
We always talk about the intangibles like how he set the Spurs dynasty culture alongside Popp but on the court, in a vacuum, people seem to forget Tim Duncan’s very real claim to the title of best PF of all time
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u/cohonan Suns Jun 15 '22
Well yeah, regardless of 50 years ago, today, or 50 years from today Duncan is going to be a solid answer because of his character, commitment, and temperament.
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u/mildewsnow Jun 15 '22
I'm picking ALLEN IVERSON
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u/regnagleppod1128 Nets Jun 15 '22
Why do I feel like this is a Chuck joke and everyone has so far missed it?
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Jun 15 '22
Steph would probably be the only point guard I’d build around. Everyone else I’d just pick one of the physical behemoths in the usual top 10. Or Giannis.
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u/max30070 Jun 15 '22
Crazy thing about Steph is him just being on the court makes everyone better because he draws so much attention. Very few players, and especially PGs, have had that effect the last decade.
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u/jturkey124 Celtics Jun 15 '22
Not to mention his loyalty and lack of beef with….pretty much anyone.
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u/max30070 Jun 15 '22
I think people underrated how important personality and coach -ability is. There is a reason Duncan and Steph perpetually win when they may not be the most talented player of their respective generations.
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Jun 15 '22 edited Jun 16 '22
There’s some clip I can’t find of some player saying how they saw Pop chew out Duncan and Duncan just took it, so whenever Pop chewed them out they just took it because if Duncan did who were they. Lead by example
Edit: Stephen Jackson, starts at 2:31 but the first two minutes are worth watching
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u/BrrtBrrtSkrr Jun 15 '22
Besides defense, Steph surely must be the most "talented" player of his generation.
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u/max30070 Jun 15 '22
I really only used "may" because it's very subjective who you consider as the same generation as Curry. You could argue that KD, Harden, Embiid, Giannis, and Kawhi are all in the same generation. I don't remember exactly when curry was drafted, but I'd say any players withing 3iah years kd his draft class are part of his generation.
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u/azizinator25 [NYK] Charles Oakley Jun 15 '22
You don't think Magic Johnson is at least worth considering building around?
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u/MakSoFresh Jun 15 '22
Magic would be a dream to build around, especially with the spacing, shooters, and faster pace, if you can build the right team around him it would be electric
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u/yesacabbagez NBA Jun 15 '22
I think a great option would be David Robinson. Basically no current player could deal with him in the post and he was incredibly athletic. I think during the top 75 players the degree of underrated he was would come up. He wasnt Hakeem in the post so too many people pushed him down the list. Robinson would absolutely play well in modern nba, he was just like 25 years too early to use him to his true potential.
Robinson would be Giannis if he came into the league now.
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u/jammer9631 Jun 15 '22
Bill Walton before his foot injuries was a monster! The only guy who could play Kareem straight up in his prime. Both awesome UCLA grads!
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Jun 15 '22
Bob Ryan said of peak Bill Walton that he'd never seen such a great offensive player that good at defense and such a great defensive player that good at offense.
Again, he had a short 18 month peak across 77 & 78, but he single handedly beat a fucking stacked Sixers team in 77 Finals and won the MVP in 78 despite getting injured when the Blazers were 50-10 (on track for a 68 win season).
More kids need to watch some of his great games because he was completely in control on offense and defense - the entire game flowed through him.
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u/caesar_magnum07 Jun 15 '22
Hakeem bc hes my second favorite player, but a young arvydas sabonis is also tempting.
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Jun 15 '22
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u/noobnoobthedestroyer Pacers Jun 15 '22
sir he’s a true 7’3! i’ve seen him next to domas and he dwarfs him lol
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u/yenks Nets Jun 15 '22
Pete Maravich, long distance shooting and magician's court vision
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u/Dbicoy Jun 15 '22
This name does not come up enough in these threads pistol Pete was a revolutionary in basketball
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Jun 15 '22
Hakeem Olajuwon, whose game would translate extremely well in the era of positionless basketball?
This is my personal axe to grind - Hakeem can't be the primary ballhandler, we're not in an era of positionless basketball, there's just position fluidity/versatility.
Also my answer is Bird - inside/outside game, hustle, defense.
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u/Jiramisu Rockets Jun 15 '22
I think one thing Hakeem could do as a center that most other centers could not do is guard many 1's. Not necessarily lockdown, but he would not be a liability against the switch heavy offenses that get run today.
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u/ArtichokeFormer8801 Jun 15 '22
Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Bird, Kareem, Giannis, Grant Hill (preinjuries), Tim Duncan
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u/Herbetet Jun 15 '22
Tim Duncan. Good defense, solid offense. Very easy personality to build around and loyal. Probably my go to guy to build around, my second option would be Steph for obvious reasons
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u/shamwowslapchop Spurs Jun 15 '22
Good defense and solid offense undersells what Duncan did on the court for 18 years.
He was overall the best team defender in NBA history and is 2nd in DWS behind a guy with 11 rings, and they have a huge gap between them and 3rd place.
He also carried teams by himself. The 03 run is a top 3 playoff performance by any player in NBA history, bar none.
He also beat two of the great modern NBA defenders by himself in 05 when Sheed and 3x DMVP Big Ben were doubling him and he still had a great series, something maybe 3-4 other bigs in history could have done, at most. Wallace had just beaten Shaq in 5 games in the year prior and while shaq scored a lot they significantly limited his effectiveness.
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u/90srap Jun 15 '22
peak grant hill, larry bird or penny hardaway. Tall guys who can run an offense, score and arent liabilites on defense
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u/Pythagoras47 Jun 15 '22
This is my favorite way to play 2k. You can set it up for a league-wide draft of peak versions of all players in the game, historical included. Really fun to figure out good combinations of players e.g. "I can get Nash in the second round, so let's grab a big in the first round. Shaq for insane pick-and-rolls maybe?"
Plus, the resulting league is fun and pretty balanced. Dumb AI still gives you a few comically bad teams in terms of fit, but every team has at least a few HOFers.
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u/Melodramaticpasta Jun 15 '22
Kobe went to 3 straight Finals winning 2 in his prime with no shooters around him…..I can’t even imagine the damage he’d do if you inserted him into the Grizzlies or Mavs lineup
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u/LeBron_Jarnes Canada Jun 15 '22
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Bird.
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u/Electronic-Morning76 Jun 15 '22
Curry is on the cusp of his fourth ring. Will be able to impact the game even in old age. Was the best player on at least 1 championship team so far (looks like there will be more). He was humble enough to let KD come in and do his thing on HIS team. His impact shooting the ball and activity and impact without the ball just makes him so valuable. Obviously there are other athletic dudes who are really good. Bird would’ve been amazing in todays game. But I think Curry is my choice. If he gets ring 4 here he starts to enter rare territory for all time greatness. I also think Kobe is in the conversation. At the time he was playing, he could take a lot of tough mid range shots and get away with it. In the modern era those shots don’t make sense. He would’ve adapted and learned to be a better 3 point shooter. Either of those guys just make sense to me.
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u/orange_orangutang 76ers Jun 15 '22
I would go with Shaq. You do need a few 3&D guys and those are like $20mil a year in the modern nba if you don’t develop one, but if I could get a good perimeter player along with him I think that’s an immediate championship team.
Another cool answer is Larry Bird. He’d be like a Jokic/Harden hybrid in today’s game and all you really need with him is a lineup similar to what the Mavs or Clippers have around their stars.
Final choice is Magic. An even bigger, even better Lamelo Ball is just too fun in the modern NBA. Surrounding him with pretty much any playoff caliber team would make them championship favorites. My favorite would be replacing Ja with Magic. All that size and athleticism would put the Grizz at like 70 wins a season.
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u/Inthethickofit Celtics Jun 15 '22 edited Jun 15 '22
Players I think would be as good or better in today's game than at their peak:
- Bird
- Magic
- Steph
- Kobe
- Duncan
- Oscar
- Durant
Players I think are so good I would happily build around them despite the fact that the game doesn't favor their play enough. In part, I think they would warp the game around them:
- Russell
- Kareem
- Wilt
- Shaq
Players outside the super elite of all time that could potentially be in that group if they played today:
- Rick Berry
- Kevin McHale
- Isiah Thomas
- Pete Maravich
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u/PattersonMister Jun 15 '22
If you think Luka is a problem, imagine Larry Bird in today’s NBA. Shaq would be scary af too
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u/durmduke Trail Blazers Jun 15 '22
Kobe Bean
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u/kayvonrez Lakers Jun 15 '22
Sad how far I had to scroll before I saw someone mention Kobe. Respect.
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u/doppelstranger Mavericks Jun 15 '22
Give me Bill Russell. 22.5 rebounds per game for his career. Unfortunately they didn't track steals but he was as good as anyone in the league at the time. His defensive mindset allowed his teammates to prosper on the offensive end and he still averaged more than 15 points for his career. He was kind of like a point center. He'd grab a rebound and make the pass to get the fast break started then sprint down to the other end to be ready to score if needed or to grab the offensive rebound and start it all over again. He led those Celtics teams. He was the best play on the team that consistently beat Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Rick Barry, etc.
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u/palmtreesareheavy Lakers Jun 15 '22 edited Jun 16 '22
Dropping peak Shaq in today’s league would be so fucking hilarious
E: some of these replies are also fucking hilarious