How good would Larry Bird be in today's game?

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Y'all made a debate out of this.
 
Didn't bird match up with Dominique Wilkins a lot back in the day?

I'm pretty sure he matched up well against Wilkins and I think many would agree that Wilkins was as athletic as they come back then and even now.

Bird would still dominate in today's league imo.
 
I think a better comparison as far as a player with equal bball iq would be Tim Duncan and last I checked he's a 4 time champion and a 13 time all star. Granted Larry plays a much more stacked position but he brings a skillset that still hasn't been duplicated at his position so I think he would more than hold his own.

Talbert
 
first off larry bird played through the magic johnson and michael jordan era , so lets calm down.

bird won 3 straight mvps's during the magic era

bird in 1992 at age 35  with a bad back that plagued him for years and forced him to retire put up 20.8 , 9.6 and 6.8

his career numbers are crazy too 24 , 10 , 6 .

my dude wouldve balled in any era
 
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I can't believe these arguments come up....Great players could play in any era. Bird would straight house most of these fools & tell them while he was doing it & when he was done. I hated the Celts growing up but Larry balled. Period, end of story...
 
CoupeIt88 said:
slickp42189 said:
LMAO, that that was hardly a lesson guy, i was actually reading your post to receive knowledge and all you did was poorly compare bird to dirk, and dirk is not top 10 in the past decade man, bird played in an era where there defense was barely defense (not to mention crossovers were in the fetus part of development)
that lebron statement was stupid, honestly, that guy is one of the few in the league who can guard 1-5 and play 2-4, it goes without saying all elite players in the NBA arent a bunch of lebrons (i think you were lowkey trying to say not all elite players are black so chill)
you didnt dumb anything down but give one fact and then theoretically compared it to bird (which still wasnt a valid theory)
youre assuming bird wouldve been that guy in NCAA............highly unlikely, more like A guy with noise but again, not Bird
nice try doe
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Crossovers :lol:

Racecard in full effect. :lol:
You're an idiot bro, go back to your little world. Don't have time for your ignorent self
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You trippy mane, idk whats dumber, you thinking you know so much about basketball and then proceed to "school me" with no stat comparisons/competition matchups

Or you saying "race card in full effect" when I only posted ONE LINE that mentioned race, the rest of my post didn't even have any racial undertones

Nah, I think you're the imbecile mane
 
RyGuy45 said:
I agree these are never easy to answer but you also have to factor in then putting today's training methods into Bird's body too.

Back in the day Larry wasn't going down to Phoenix to work at athlete's performance camps nor working with dieticians and new age weight training and body work. He was throwin back beers with McHale, workin on the farm, and shooting jumpers all day
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It's a valid question though by OP I think because it is so rare you see a white American wing player, let alone one that is very good.
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Exactly.
 
You are incorrect slickp42189, defense was much more physical in Bird's era than now. It was also more difficult to score because they allowed aggressive hand checking back then too. You were able to keep a forearm on the offensive player on the perimeter & in the low post which is illegal now.

There was a great link that used to illustrate this, but most of the vids aren't available any more....

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDF8F59F1922BFFDE

I'm old enough to have seen these players outside of youtube vids. It seems like the younger guys always think players like Bird couldn't hack it in this era. I'll reiterate, great players in the NBA can play in any era.

I remember seeing Bird & the Celts in the old Capital Center when they played "The Bullets". He was telling the Kevin Loughery (coach at the time) where he was going to shoot on the next possession & pleaded with him to get someone to defend him. Sure enough, he'd hit the shot right in the defenders face. The Bullets kept trying different people to guard him & couldn't (Mike Adams, Jeff Malone, Charles Jones, etc)

Robin Ficker used to get extra spicy when Bird & the Celts came into town.
 
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PMatic said:
But the scouting and schemes invested into team defense have improved, no?
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It's hard to say with that one but here's what I know. In the last 15 years or so, teams have cut back drastically on scouting, specifically advanced scouting. Many clubs don't even have them on their staffs anymore but I don't know the number but perhaps technology helps counter that. If I had to venture a guess no scouting isn't better.

Schemes are about the same I think. Everyone's kinda rehashing what's already been done. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Tex Winter's Triangle offense was the last offensive innovation I can remember...Zones defenses were allowed into the NBA several years ago which was not allowed in Bird/Magic's era...
 
psk2310 said:
It's hard to say with that one but here's what I know. In the last 15 years or so, teams have cut back drastically on scouting, specifically advanced scouting. Many clubs don't even have them on their staffs anymore but I don't know the number but perhaps technology helps counter that. If I had to venture a guess no scouting isn't better.
Schemes are about the same I think. Everyone's kinda rehashing what's already been done. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Tex Winter's Triangle offense was the last offensive innovation I can remember...Zones defenses were allowed into the NBA several years ago which was not allowed in Bird/Magic's era...
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So with NBA being bigger than ever, more money than ever in the sport, technology at its PEAK - you think teams have cut down scouting DRASTICALLY? Saying they cut down scouting is crazy enough but DRASTICALLY? Please explain what makes you say this. That statement is so outlandish I can't even respond to the rest.
 
mgrand15 said:
psk2310 said:
It's hard to say with that one but here's what I know. In the last 15 years or so, teams have cut back drastically on scouting, specifically advanced scouting. Many clubs don't even have them on their staffs anymore but I don't know the number but perhaps technology helps counter that. If I had to venture a guess no scouting isn't better.
Schemes are about the same I think. Everyone's kinda rehashing what's already been done. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Tex Winter's Triangle offense was the last offensive innovation I can remember...Zones defenses were allowed into the NBA several years ago which was not allowed in Bird/Magic's era...
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So with NBA being bigger than ever, more money than ever in the sport, technology at its PEAK - you think teams have cut down scouting DRASTICALLY? Saying they cut down scouting is crazy enough but DRASTICALLY? Please explain what makes you say this. That statement is so outlandish I can't even respond to the rest.
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I don't want to come across remotely arrogant like you did but what makes you think the NBA is bigger & better than ever? The only true revenue stream thats helping the league (not individual teams) to turn a profit is the TV money. Outside of major markets like NY, LA, Boston, teams are struggling to sell tickets.

The economy in case you haven't noticed is having a huge impact on the NBA. Prior to the lock out, it was said that 22 of the 30 teams were not turning a profit. Realistically, it was probably less than that but it did make teams cut drastically back in all areas like scouting.

Teams like the Grizzlies, the Nets, The Warriors, & even the Mavericks started cutting back in areas like advanced scouting back in 2009 with some even eliminating advanced scouting altogether & outsourcing it to companies like Snergy Sports or regional freelance scouts.
 
I think Larry would be fine offensively, maybe even better with the rule changes over the years. I think he would be a big defensive liability, He would have to depend on his defensive smarts even more, but in todays NBA there are a lot more Athletes than in his time.
 
LocomotiveCurt said:
I think Larry would be fine offensively, maybe even better with the rule changes over the years. I think he would be a big defensive liability, He would have to depend on his defensive smarts even more, but in todays NBA there are a lot more Athletes than in his time.
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With zone defenses in the NBA today, you don't have to be a good defender to be in the league. This is the reason why players like Jason Kapono & the dudes mentioned above can play for several years in the NBA.
 
psk2310 said:
I don't want to come across remotely arrogant like you did but what makes you think the NBA is bigger & better than ever? The only true revenue stream thats helping the league (not individual teams) to turn a profit is the TV money. Outside of major markets like NY, LA, Boston, teams are struggling to sell tickets.
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I think by bigger and better, people are speaking about talent and the visibility of the league. The NBA is experiencing a renaissance right now, and is at its highest point in 20 years.

Edit: add in the fact the NBA recognizes it's role as entertainment better than any other league, and has accepted (and even encouraged) new media more freely than any other league, and it all plays a role.
 
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i cant take some of you dudes seriously; Bird is one of the ALL TIME GREATS. Yes he would dominate and be havoc for any team he played against
 
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