₦airaland Forum

birdman:
You are right about all this. But I would argue the old rules would have favored Lebron just as well. Guys like Ewing, Elton Brand, Malone, The forwards of the 90s did really well under those old rules you mentioned. A skilled forward like Lebron would still have dropped 40+ nightly with a PG like Pippen or Stockton, or Mark Jackson.

I was watching Lebron the other night, almost 20 years in the league, dribbling from the top of the key, sidestepping 2 defenders and finishing with a left hand roll. With a PF/C body! I dont care what era, that is beyond special. No way around it.

STOP IT!

Because no one plays defense in this era! Would he do it in the previous era? Yes, here and there but it definitely would not be his go to move or as easy as he gets it done now. Credit to Ajala he has evolved since he was drafted. He has improved his FT and not much of liability from the FT line and is a way better 3PT shooter. Making a case for Ajala doesn't translate into making a case for this era.

The term skilled is relative. The guys from that era were just as skilled maybe not as finessed as todays players. For example, the Centers and PF of that era were demonic under the rim with their foot works, movement and finishing. That was a skill you needed to have to succeed as a C/ PF in that era. Today, you have to be able to score 3's, set moving and weak screens and get out of the way of scoring guards. No one plays around Centers in the league anymore. So you see, skilled is relative.

Also, that era was more balanced in offense and defense 1-5. What do I mean? Offense was balanced between guards, forwards and Centers. Teams could beat you scoring on all 3 levels of offense and lock you down from all three levels. The case is not same today. Last year, I was discussing with someone on this thread, can't remember who but we were talking about how the mid-range shot was going extinct. We were praising the last rangers of the midrange like KD, CP3, Booker, Middleton, Kyrie, DeRozan.

birdman:
3 teams have tried to get rid of those off the court issues and failed. At some point, someone will realize the offcourt issues are way bigger than the on court. If you cant fix the former, best to stay away

Fair point that I can't argue against. At this point, we all know who Kyrie is but I also think he is worth the risk for the Mavs. The Mavs have been building their roster laterally for a long time by stacking up wings. They need a good/ serviceable Center and a capable scoring wing because Tim Hardaway doesn't inspire a lot.

Roland17:
STOP IT!

Because no one plays defense in this era! Would he do it in the previous era? Yes, here and there but it definitely would not be his go to move or as easy as he gets it done now. Credit to Ajala he has evolved since he was drafted. He has improved his FT and not much of liability from the FT line and is a way better 3PT shooter. Making a case for Ajala doesn't translate into making a case for this era.

The term skilled is relative. The guys from that era were just as skilled maybe not as finessed as todays players. For example, the Centers and PF of that era were demonic under the rim with their foot works, movement and finishing. That was a skill you needed to have to succeed as a C/ PF in that era. Today, you have to be able to score 3's, set moving and weak screens and get out of the way of scoring guards. No one plays around Centers in the league anymore. So you see, skilled is relative.

Also, that era was more balanced in offense and defense 1-5. What do I mean? Offense was balanced between guards, forwards and Centers. Teams could beat you scoring on all 3 levels of offense and lock you down from all three levels. The case is not same today. Last year, I was discussing with someone on this thread, can't remember who but we were talking about how the mid-range shot was going extinct. We were praising the last rangers of the midrange like KD, CP3, Booker, Middleton, Kyrie, DeRozan.

On your last 2 points, thats exactly what would make Lebron thrive. The physical game was acceptable then, which would favor Lebron. A PG would never guard Elton Brand or Malone back in the day for example, because the refs will allow Brand to dominate physically. In today's NBA, Curry can guard Lebron and Lebron has to be careful - he cant just power over smalls. Back in the day, Malone is running towards the basket and you try to catch his body? LOL, joke is on you. Today, the big man will get an offensive foul. The game has moved away from bigs. The fact that Lebron can still have this type of success in a league designed for guards is very special. And just about every NBA player past and present recognizes this. This really is something to watch.

Roland17:
Fair point that I can't argue against. At this point, we all know who Kyrie is but I also think he is worth the risk for the Mavs. The Mavs have been building their roster laterally for a long time by stacking up wings. They need a good/ serviceable Center and a capable scoring wing because Tim Hardaway doesn't inspire a lot.

I will never understand the man Kyrie Irving. It seems he thrives on controversy. Just when you think the Nets might get their shit together and pull a few surprises in this year's playoffs, Mr 'The world is flat' pulls the rug from underneath them. KD would have to leave Nets sooner leaving the franchise with long seasons of heartbreaking losses. Just two years ago, they thought they got their shit together with the Harden-Kyrie-KD combo.

greypencils:
I will never understand the man Kyrie Irving. It seems he thrives on controversy. Just when you think the Nets might get their shit together and pull a few surprises in this year's playoffs, Mr 'The world is flat' pulls the rug from underneath them. KD would have to leave Nets sooner leaving the franchise with long seasons of heartbreaking losses. Just two years ago, they thought they got their shit together with the Harden-Kyrie-KD combo.

In real life, have you ever met or encountered someone who believes he is smarter than everyone else and who constantly tries to make you see that he is different intellectually? That is Kyrie, I have met people like that.

Despite his issues, I have and will continue to defend Kyrie because we are different as humans and that is the beauty of life.

Roland17:
In real life, have you ever met or encountered someone who believes he is smarter than everyone else and who constantly tries to make you see that he is different intellectually? That is Kyrie, I have met people like that.

Despite his issues, I have and will continue to defend Kyrie because we are different as humans and that is the beauty of life.

Kyrie is the best ball handler that I have ever seen other than iverson and maybe steph curry. I stan Kyrie like kilode but i cant deal with someone who is just bent on having his own way without consideration for team. Bball is a team sport. Iso all you want, at the end of the day, teamball is what gets you wins, it is what gets you MVPs. Stat pad all you want, scoring titles hardly translate to MVPs. Embiid and Harden will bear witness to that. Irving has always been selfish and basketball history would remember him for that.

And before I forget, Ja needs to slow it down with his friends. I know he is young and wants to keep his friends but he needs to be careful before his friends ruin his career.

Roland17:
And before I forget, Ja needs to slow it down with his friends. I know he is young and wants to keep his friends but he needs to be careful before his friends ruin his career.

I hope he listens to what shannon sharpe has to say on this.

birdman:
On your last 2 points, thats exactly what would make Lebron thrive. The physical game was acceptable then, which would favor Lebron. A PG would never guard Elton Brand or Malone back in the day for example, because the refs will allow Brand to dominate physically. In today's NBA, Curry can guard Lebron and Lebron has to be careful - he cant just power over smalls. Back in the day, Malone is running towards the basket and you try to catch his body? LOL, joke is on you. Today, the big man will get an offensive foul. The game has moved away from bigs. The fact that Lebron can still have this type of success in a league designed for guards is very special. And just about every NBA player past and present recognizes this. This really is something to watch.

The way people hype the 90s is just illogical, is it not the same 90s that Drexler was so dominant in the people erroneously said he was as good as MJ.
The same 90s that Grant Hill without a semblance of a jumper walked right in and was an all-star starter as a rookie.
The same 90s that sir Charles was giving the so called tough league, the business at 6ft5, at PF for that matter
I remember Kyrie's godfather, Strickland, the guy could not shoot to save his life and was as lanky as anything, but dude was still averaging double double on a steady.
Just leave them with their nostalgia that nobody can play in the 90s, na beer parlor talk abeg

Khanben:
The way people hype the 90s is just illogical, is it not the same 90s that Drexler was so dominant in the people erroneously said he was as good as MJ.
The same 90s that Grant Hill without a semblance of a jumper walked right in and was an all-star starter as a rookie.
The same 90s that sir Charles was giving the so called tough league, the business at 6ft5, at PF for that matter
I remember Kyrie's godfather, Strickland, the guy could not shoot to save his life and was as lanky as anything, but dude was still averaging double double on a steady.
Just leave them with their nostalgia that nobody can play in the 90s, na beer parlor talk abeg

Agreed to all this. Case in point, shawn kemp, that power dunker would be near useless in today's league. That league was more physical, but less skilled. And thats why a lot of guys didnt need to develop their shots. And the few who did were special. If Lebron had played in that league, he likely too wouldnt have had to develop more than a fadeaway jumper like Malone or Brand. The players in today's league are specimens. Less physical, but more athletic and waaaay more talented.

Brodie don suffer sha! If you were Westbrook how do you feel? How do you move on from this latest public insult. Man has been shattered, shredded and has 0 support from the Lakers..

Khanben:
The way people hype the 90s is just illogical, is it not the same 90s that Drexler was so dominant in the people erroneously said he was as good as MJ.
The same 90s that Grant Hill without a semblance of a jumper walked right in and was an all-star starter as a rookie.
The same 90s that sir Charles was giving the so called tough league, the business at 6ft5, at PF for that matter
I remember Kyrie's godfather, Strickland, the guy could not shoot to save his life and was as lanky as anything, but dude was still averaging double double on a steady.
Just leave them with their nostalgia that nobody can play in the 90s, na beer parlor talk abeg

Are you trying to slander Clyde the Glide? Let me try to understand the logic behind this post.

You can't name two SFs or SGs today that move the ball up the court as quickly and with as much grace as Clyde Drexler. Arguably the best transition player the league ever saw.

Grant Hill was basically Lebron without muscles. What is this guy talking about? This man was 21-8-6 before his ankle injury. Dude was a 6'8 athletic specimen. Go watch tapes man. He had enough tools to not need an elite jumper

Just 6'5? Why didn't you list his weight. Charles was 6'5 and 250 pounds. In his younger years he was pushing 300. He was basically Zion before Zion. He would give everyone the business Today!!

You see the problem with you today NBA fans is you believe players now are reinventing some type of wheel but I hate to break it to you. The human species has not evolved that much physically over the last 30 years. There's no one today who doesn't have a comp from the past. Not a single player. Without a prototype

A40:
Are you trying to slander Clyde the Glide? Let me try to understand the logic behind this post.

You can't name two SFs or SGs today that move the ball up the court as quickly and with as much grace as Clyde Drexler. Arguably the best transition player the league ever saw.

Grant Hill was basically Lebron without muscles. What is this guy talking about? This man was 21-8-6 before his ankle injury. Dude was a 6'8 athletic specimen. Go watch tapes man. He had enough tools to not need an elite jumper

Just 6'5? Why didn't you list his weight. Charles was 6'5 and 250 pounds. In his younger years he was pushing 300. He was basically Zion before Zion. He would give everyone the business Today!!

You see the problem with you today NBA fans is you believe players now are reinventing some type of wheel but I hate to break it to you. The human species has not evolved that much physically over the last 30 years. There's no one today who doesn't have a comp from the past. Not a single player. Without a prototype

Hahaha.. Even @Birdman is trying to clue him that he is misyarning with some of his takes.

birdman:
Agreed to all this. Case in point, shawn kemp, that power dunker would be near useless in today's league. That league was more physical, but less skilled. And thats why a lot of guys didnt need to develop their shots. And the few who did were special. If Lebron had played in that league, he likely too wouldnt have had to develop more than a fadeaway jumper like Malone or Brand. The players in today's league are specimens. Less physical, but more athletic and waaaay more talented.

Bloody hell. Shawn Kemp was a better midrange shooter (he shot 42.5% from 16-23ft) than Blake Griffin and Lebron James and you think he would be useless in today's league?

The league Pascal Siakam is making All NBA? La hawla

The way you lot overrate this current set of players is so amusing. But I'm not surprised shey it's you that was comparing KAT to KG

Roland17:
Hahaha.. Even @Birdman is trying to clue him that he is misyarning with some of his takes.

These people are funny. He really mentioned Charles Barkley and thought it was a diss.

Which player today is stopping a 6'5 250+ pounder. He thinks it's by height

Roland17:
And before I forget, Ja needs to slow it down with his friends. I know he is young and wants to keep his friends but he needs to be careful before his friends ruin his career.

T-Mac said something about Memphis needing a vet going into the season. It seems the guys in the know know something isn't right with those boys

Ja really need to stop displaying this fatherless behavior. He was on Twitter the other day talking about hollow tips.

Someone he respects better rein him in and remind him of what he has to lose

Jaylen Brown was a late scratch off for today’s game against the Pistons. The rumors of a KD/ JB swap is heating up…

We could witness history tonight fellas. Don’t miss it

birdman, wetin dey do you? I get favorable physique no mean say I go love play in an era when everybody bumps everybody. Getting clobbered repeatedly is serious business. It doesn't favor anybody. Heck no. Do you not understand that while it's fair to argue that some of those bulldozing drives in the 90s would be offensive fouls today, breathing on Lebron could be considered a foul too? You don't get to pick one part and call him special.

birdman:
On your last 2 points, thats exactly what would make Lebron thrive. The physical game was acceptable then, which would favor Lebron. A PG would never guard Elton Brand or Malone back in the day for example, because the refs will allow Brand to dominate physically. In today's NBA, Curry can guard Lebron and Lebron has to be careful - he cant just power over smalls. Back in the day, Malone is running towards the basket and you try to catch his body? LOL, joke is on you. Today, the big man will get an offensive foul. The game has moved away from bigs. The fact that Lebron can still have this type of success in a league designed for guards is very special. And just about every NBA player past and present recognizes this. This really is something to watch.

That's it. There's nothing new. Even though I agree that perhaps some skills are becoming increasingly necessary, the elite pool today is not better skilled than that of the 90s. For instance on the issue of bigs shooting 3s, Draymond interviewed Kenny recently and he said Olajuwon shoots threes well in training(Certainly quite different from shooting in actual games), so why then doesn't he shoot it in games? He said, well there are about 3 centers that faze him in the league, so he almost never needs it.

A40:
Are you trying to slander Clyde the Glide? Let me try to understand the logic behind this post.

You can't name two SFs or SGs today that move the ball up the court as quickly and with as much grace as Clyde Drexler. Arguably the best transition player the league ever saw.

Grant Hill was basically Lebron without muscles. What is this guy talking about? This man was 21-8-6 before his ankle injury. Dude was a 6'8 athletic specimen. Go watch tapes man. He had enough tools to not need an elite jumper

Just 6'5? Why didn't you list his weight. Charles was 6'5 and 250 pounds. In his younger years he was pushing 300. He was basically Zion before Zion. He would give everyone the business Today!!

You see the problem with you today NBA fans is you believe players now are reinventing some type of wheel but I hate to break it to you. The human species has not evolved that much physically over the last 30 years. There's no one today who doesn't have a comp from the past. Not a single player. Without a prototype

benji93:
birdman, wetin dey do you? I get favorable physique no mean say I go love play in an era when everybody bumps everybody. Getting clobbered repeatedly is serious business. It doesn't favor anybody. Heck no. Do you not understand that while it's fair to argue that some of those bulldozing drives in the 90s would be offensive fouls today, breathing on Lebron could be considered a foul too? You don't get to pick one part and call him special.

Lebron like most bigs do not get calls. They get hacked and fouled often by smaller guards and are expected to take it. Embiid, Jokic also come to mind

A40:
Grant Hill was basically Lebron without muscles.

Haaaaa!!! . No need to take you seriously after this bwahahaaha ol boy i go dey laugh all day 2day...lebron without muscles

A40:
Are you trying to slander Clyde the Glide? Let me try to understand the logic behind this post.

You can't name two SFs or SGs today that move the ball up the court as quickly and with as much grace as Clyde Drexler. Arguably the best transition player the league ever saw.

Grant Hill was basically Lebron without muscles. What is this guy talking about? This man was 21-8-6 before his ankle injury. Dude was a 6'8 athletic specimen. Go watch tapes man. He had enough tools to not need an elite jumper

Just 6'5? Why didn't you list his weight. Charles was 6'5 and 250 pounds. In his younger years he was pushing 300. He was basically Zion before Zion. He would give everyone the business Today!!

You see the problem with you today NBA fans is you believe players now are reinventing some type of wheel but I hate to break it to you. The human species has not evolved that much physically over the last 30 years. There's no one today who doesn't have a comp from the past. Not a single player. Without a prototype

You wrote a whole epistle about how Lebron would find it hard to get to the rim in the 90s while we all know of players who he is way better than, faster and stronger than, who had no issues getting to the rim. Or will you now say Drexler or Hill was better than Lebron.
My thing is simple, you can claim that MJ is better than Lebron allyou want, but don't act like lebron will not dominate the 90s, if Malone can get 2 MVPs in that era then Lebron will get his.

PS: Saying Grant Hill is like Lebron without muscles is like me saying DeRozan is MJ without the efficiency.

benji93:
That's it. There's nothing new. Even though I agree that perhaps some skills are becoming increasingly necessary, the elite pool today is not better skilled than that of the 90s. For instance on the issue of bigs shooting 3s, Draymond interviewed Kenny recently and he said Olajuwon shoots threes well in training(Certainly quite different from shooting in actual games), so why then doesn't he shoot it in games? He said, well there are about 3 centers that faze him in the league, so he almost never needs it.

The issue is Hakeem like Kobe made a living taking and making bad shots at a reasonable percentage. We all saw what happened to Tatum those few months he wanted to play like Kobe, his efficiency went down the drain, in the 90s, the media would applaud him for taking those shots like they applauded AI, Tmac and co, but in the nba today where efficiency is king, he was buried until he went back to taking high percentage shots.
People wants guys to play the game the way it was in the 90s,but either they forget or don't know that most contracts these days are efficiency based. Do people really expect players to lose money because they are taking less efficient shots just to feed their nostalgia?

A40:
Bloody hell. Shawn Kemp was a better midrange shooter (he shot 42.5% from 16-23ft) than Blake Griffin and Lebron James and you think he would be useless in today's league?

The league Pascal Siakam is making All NBA? La hawla

The way you lot overrate this current set of players is so amusing. But I'm not surprised shey it's you that was comparing KAT to KG

That is the thing that 42.5% is worse than shooting 30% from 3.

Nigg*s would say Cam Thomas is doing what he's doing because they're not playing good defense on him. This is pure talent. Deal with it. Average Joes back then can't relate.

Lebron doing it tonight, the all time point record.

History's been made tonight folks. LEBRON JAMES

The King has done it🙌.

Basketball 🐐

To have this level of pressure from your first moment as an NBA player and still deliver.

20yrs of unavoidable spotlight.

He said it.. He did it.

He is the🐐

1st in all time scoring
4th in all time assists


For a player labelled as 'pass first'

Lmao it would be a very hard job hating going forward. Very very hard job😂😂

And he broke the record with a fade away jumper🤭