Often on Sports Tik Tok, I will encounter those who think that today's players are evolutionarily better than the old heads.
That is humanism, Darwinism. Man is not "evolving from a species standpoint. What has developed is technology, science, and knowledge. For example, Elgin Baylor put heat on his knees. We now know that you put ice on your knees. Again, E Baylor and Gayle Sayers, when they tore their knee up, they had to cut through the muscle, the ligaments, and cartilage. And it took months to recover. If you ripped and Achilles, you were done. Not so today. And let us not even mention the nutrition supplements, PEDs, and better training regimens.
If someone were great back in the day, he would be great today. Remember, they would have the same advantages that today's players have. Kevin Durant back in the day would be a back to the basket player. He would not be a perimeter player.
Welcome To The Big House
Clarence "Big House" Gaines, was the legendary coach at Winston Salem University. "Big House" was awarded the CIAA coach of the year a record six times. When he retired he was the second winningest coach of all time. Only Adolph Rupp had more wins. Gaines has been inducted into multiple basketball hall of fames. Among them being:
• Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
• CIAA Hall of Fame
• NAIA Helms Hall of Fame
• North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
• College Basketball Hall of Fame( part of the founding class)
Gaines once spoke of a player he had post World War II. He said, "Magic Johnson, my foot." This guy could do all those things. But Coach Gaines noted, he had no one else to play center, so he put his best point guard, ball-handler and distributor, and perimeter player on the low block.
Show Time
Speaking of Magic Johnson, many believe that his game does not translate well to today. They
will reference the importance of the three-point shot. Critics state that Johnson was not a three-
point shooter and would not be nearly as efficient with the current playing style. To validate their
argument, they compare Magic to Ben Simmons, a player who is a dreadful shooter. I would
counter that with several points.
Magic Johnson and Ben Simmons both play the same position; however, they do not play
the "position the same." Ben Simmons is no Earvin Johnson. Johnson came into the
league as a facilitator, someone who was no offensive threat.; this being especially true
from the outside. However, in the 1980 NBA Finals, he demonstrated that he could score.
Had he chosen to, he could have been a 25 point per game player.Russell Westbrook does not have an outside shot and is a premier player in the league.
With today's spacing and free agency, it would magnify Johnson's court vision and
passing ability. He would be fearsomely leading the Fastbreak. It would be Showtime on
steroids.Moreover, the three-point shot did not exist when Johnson was coming of age. An
invention of the American Basketball Association, it disappeared when that league folded
in 1976.
When Johnson entered the league, the NBA revived the shot Johnson's rookie season. The three-
pointer was viewed strictly as a novelty play. From there, it evolved into the basketball's version
of the Hail Mary football pass, to a specialty shot, to being incorporated into a normal part of the
offense, to eventually shaping and dominating the game today. Magic's growth as an outside
shooter mirrors that same arc. By the end of his career, Magic was a more than a reliable outside
shooter. If he played today, he would most likely be among the league's better shooters. The
reason being is that the great ones can adapt to their environment. He is an example of an old
school player who would be even better today.
Kobe's dad, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant would be a point guard in today's NBA. In the 1970s he was a power forward. People say that back in the day, the league was primarily slow White guys. True. But some of those speed impaired white guys cold play today. How do we know? Because we have "slow" white guys playing in the league today and dominating. Luka Doncic is by no means a speed demon. I have seen turtles running backward with more foot speed than Nikola Jokic.
Slow Ball
Let's take a look at Jerry West ( who was a monarch athlete, by the way), John Havlicek, and Rick Barry. Three slow white players that started their careers in the NBA in the 1960s when it was a predominantly opaque league and played into the 1970s when it was primarily a colored league. They were still giving brothers the business.
If they played today, they would be as dominant. Remember, the basket is still only 10feet high; the court has the same dimensions. And they get the same advantages as today's players. You are not allowed to hand-check them; the lane is wide open, and there is floor spacing, and they get to take four steps, just like today's players.
Old School
And back to the old school players who would dominate today. The numbers Wilt Chamberlain would be putting up would be video game-like just like back then; Especially if you let him play "bully ball" as Shaq did. Shaq went through you; Wilt usually went over or around you. He handled the ball like a guard. Wilt would rebound and lead the fast break hitting a wing player in stride. He would routinely make 18-foot bank shots, ala Tim Duncan. And contrary to popular belief, it was Wilt who invented the finger roll and not George Gervin. They called this move "The Big Dipper" instead of a finger roll.
The True GOAT
Bill Russell, arguably the GOAT. I go with Wilt. However, there is a strong argument for Russell. The guy could run like a gazelle. He could jump out of the gym, and according to himself, he was a superior athlete to Lebron James. No one refuted that statement, by the way. Hey, take it for what it is worth. But no one said Russell was lying.
Russ is, without question, the possessor of the highest BB IQ ever. He is the most competitive player ever. You do not win at the level that he did for as long as he did without being an epic butt-kicker and someone who hated to lose and would not tolerate losers around him.
What Does It Mean To Be Clutch
Also, Russ is the most clutch player in the history of the league. Let him who has ears to hear, let him hear.
When you look at his numbers in elimination games, they were legendary numbers. In closeout games, he would take on the added burden of scoring and quarterbacking the defense and offensively, ensuring that everyone understood their role and was doing their part. That is why Auerbach had no trouble turning over the reins of the dynasty to Russ. Please do not say something uninformed like he only averaged 16 points a game. You got Tom Heinsohn, who needs the ball to be at his best. You do not earn the nickname of "Ack-Ack" or "Tommy Gun" if you are sheepish about letting the ball fly. His belief was if you passed him the ball, it was because you wanted him to shoot. Besides, there is Sharman, Cousy, Ramsey, and Havlicek; all these need to score. If Russ decides that he wants to shoot more, you must take shots away from someone. Whose effectiveness and morale do you minimize? However, when it was "go time," Russ took on the burden of the team. He said, "follow me." He would elevate his game and the game of his teammates.
You are averaging 16, and you give us 37 in a winner take all contest, and we need all 37? That is the very epitome of being clutch. So, spare me when you say guys from back in the day "were good for their day" The great ones are good on any day.
