# 70's and 80's vs 90's and new millenium NBA players



## NK1990 (Mar 26, 2011)

Okay so I was arguing with my dad that Kobe Bryant was better than Michael Jordan (mind you I don't believe that). Then I was saying how since Ray Allen has the most three pointers in the history of the NBA I started to trash talk and say how Ray Allen is heads and shoulders better than Reggie at just 3 point shooting (once again I don't actually think that). Then finally I said I could make a squad from my generation of basketball and my team could beat my dads generation of basketball, (once again I don't believe that). Now I was doing this just to mess with my dad but I decided to try it anyway, it was really difficult to try and beat his team because he had SOOOOO many great players to work with, so I was curious to see if you guys could do any better building a team to try and beat my dads generation of NBA basketball players. Here is an example, it's quite challening...I think anyway lol. All these players will be during their season when they were at their best.


*70's and 80's*

C: Hakeem Olajuwan
PF: Charles Barkley
SF: Larry Bird
SG: Michael Jordan
PG: Magic Johnson

6th man: John Stockton
7th man: Karl Malone
8th man: Kareem Abdul Jabar
9th man: Reggie Miller
10th man: Scottie Pippen
11th man: David Robinson
12th man: Isiah Thomas


Injury Reserves

Clyde Drexler
Patrick Ewing
Dennis Rodman

vs


*90's and New Millenium*

C: Shaquille O'neal
PF: Tim Duncan
SF: Kevin Garnett (I thought he might be able to guard Larry)
SG: Kobe Bryant
PG: LeBron James (I think he's the only one big enough who could play point guard and guard Magic in the post)

6th man: Steve Nash
7th man: Blake Griffin
8th man: Alonzo Mourning
9th man: Ray Allen
10th man: Ron Artest (strictly for defensive purposes, in his prime Artest was VERY GOOD)
11th man: Dwight Howard
12th man: Jason Kidd

*Injury Reserves*

Tracy McGrady
Amare Stoudamire
Vince Carter

(so maybe you guys could do better beating my dads generation of players...I found it fun, maybe you guys will too. I found it very difficult to find a person that would guard Karl Malone, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul Jabar. Also if you notice my dad had Rodman as a reserve and I had Artest on my team. I would love to see those two nut jobs go at it lol)

P.S. (also players that were drafted in the 80's but had their primes in the 90's still belong in the 70's and 80's team. So guys like Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, John Stockton, etc. They are still in the 70's and 80's category)


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## Luke (Dec 7, 2008)

Fun thread. My only problem is it seems like you're misplacing some of the players. Pippen, Hakeem, Stockton, Robinson, Miller, and Malone should absolutely be classified as 90's players, not 80's. You could make a case for Jordan as well. They enjoyed their primes in the 90's and should be placed as such. I'll make my teams and conclusion later on.


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## NK1990 (Mar 26, 2011)

sure sure, the primes of Malone and Stockton were in the 90's but they were drafted in the 80's. SOrry I should of mentioned, the cut off. Any player that was drafted in the 70's and 80's belongs in the 70's and 80's category...even if their prime years were in the 90's. See my dad found it rediculous for me to get Karl Malone when I only watched him for 2 years tops in basketball lol. So players that were drafted in the 90's and 00's are in the new millenium and 90's team. I'll put that in my first post.


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## AirJay (Aug 5, 2005)

Just skimmed but how is Dwyane Wade not on that team?

EDIT: Or Chris Paul for that matter?


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

*70s and 80s*
PG: Magic / Isiah
SG: West / Drexler
SF: Bird / King
PF: Barkley / McHale
C: Kareem / Moses

*90s and 00s*
PG: Payton / Stockton
SG: Jordan / Kobe
SF: LeBron / Pippen
PF: Duncan / Malone
C: Olajuwon / Shaq


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## Sugashane (Mar 29, 2011)

NK1990 said:


> Okay so I was arguing with my dad that Kobe Bryant was better than Michael Jordan (mind you I don't believe that). Then I was saying how since Ray Allen has the most three pointers in the history of the NBA I started to trash talk and say how Ray Allen is heads and shoulders better than Reggie at just 3 point shooting (once again I don't actually think that). Then finally I said I could make a squad from my generation of basketball and my team could beat my dads generation of basketball, (once again I don't believe that). Now I was doing this just to mess with my dad but I decided to try it anyway, it was really difficult to try and beat his team because he had SOOOOO many great players to work with, so I was curious to see if you guys could do any better building a team to try and beat my dads generation of NBA basketball players. Here is an example, it's quite challening...I think anyway lol. All these players will be during their season when they were at their best.
> 
> 
> *70's and 80's*
> ...


Your set up the 70s/80s would win by double digits. 

In Hakeem's then the 90s/00s would win.


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

NK1990 said:


> *70's and 80's*
> 
> C: Hakeem Olajuwan
> PF: Charles Barkley
> ...


No, no, no, young grasshopper. 
Severall things wrong with this line-up:
1- KAJ takes a back seast to nobody not named Wilt. He's the starting center.
2- Karl Malone over Charles;
3- Isiah over stockton in the rotation;
4- Moncrief over Reggie;
5- Where's Mo Lucas? You gotta have Mo Lucas!!!


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## NK1990 (Mar 26, 2011)

@ Airjay: I was thinking about match ups and I thought a prime Vince Carter would match better against Clyde Drexler than Dwyane Wade. Mainly I just like Carters size more than anything. Plus I already had a prime Jason Kidd and Steve Nash running the point. Having a Prime Chris Paul would just be over kill considering i'm also using Lebron James as my point guard to guard Magic Johnson.



@ PauloCatarino: The 70's and 80's roster isn't mine. My dad made that and he loves the chuckster lol. Plus he wasn't a fan of Isiah Thomas, I just typed what he put on a sheet of paper lol. But thanks for calling me a young grasshopper anyway, I would gladly be put under your wing if you'd be willing...lol:laugh:


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## Drewbs (Feb 16, 2004)

The current crop of NBA talent is amazing imo, but the bigs suck. That being said, as a collective, I would take today's wings and guards over any other decade in NBA history.


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## Sugashane (Mar 29, 2011)

I honestly believe this is the one sport where players are not improving over the last decade. They are bigger, stronger, but not better. 

80's and 90's players would demolish the players of today (Especially in the post). The league's talent pool was deeper and the game was much more physical than today's. Players today are COMPARED to the players to evaluate them.

There's no comparison. Rik Smits would have a good chance of being an All Star for years on end in today's league. I think he made 1 or 2 in his career. 

Ok, post players aside. LBJ would get owned by MJ (Rodman would drive him NUTS, but he would get burned due to the speed difference), Kobe might be better than Pippen, but Pippen's defense is a great match on Kobe. Wade would not do well against Cylde. Who would take on Malone, Magic, Penny Hardaway, etc.

Great passing with Nash and Kidd- They had Stockton, Bird, Magic, Jackson, Gary Payton, Isiah Thomas, etc
3 pointers from Ray Allen, Kidd, etc- Meet Miller, Drazen Petrovick, Majerle, Glenn Rice, Ellis
Defense- You realize Hakeem is in the top 10 in steals? He tended to block a lot of shots too. MJ, Stockton, Payton, Pip, and almost all the best were great ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL. 

Throw any name from today out there, and someone can easily match up from the 80's or 90's. Let Shaq be in the 00's, Hakeem owned him, Kareem would score on him all day, and Mutumbo would bully him with those elbows.


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## Luke (Dec 7, 2008)

Sugashane said:


> I honestly believe this is the one sport where players are not improving over the last decade. They are bigger, stronger, but not better.
> 
> 80's and 90's players would demolish the players of today (Especially in the post). The league's talent pool was deeper and the game was much more physical than today's. Players today are COMPARED to the players to evaluate them.
> 
> ...


Debatable.

Yes, the older team has a distinct advantage in the post. That's really the only place where they dominate today's players, though.

No he wouldn't.

If anyone would have a chance at guarding LeBron it would be Pippen. Jordan wasn't strong enough or tall enough. Lol at Kobe "maybe" being better than Pippen. It's not and hasn't been for nearly a decade. Wade is better than Clyde ever was. Malone wouldn't be able to do anything against Duncan and LeBron could guard Magic. Wasn't Penny drafted in the 90's?

Nash, Kidd, Paul, Williams, Payton, and LeBron are all more than adaquate falicitators. The young bucks would be fine in that department.

Ray Allen is the best pure shooter in NBA history, and Nash is top five. No clear advantage there.

Kobe, Duncan, LeBron, Howard, Garnett, and Kidd were/are all pretty good defenders if I'm remembering correctly.

Hakeem outplayed a Shaquille that was in his third year in the league whilst he was enjoying his prime. People are constantly pointing to that series to try and prop Hakeem over O'Neal but they're forgetting that Shaquille wasn't near his prime. Put a '00 Shaq on that team and nobody is stopping him. Not just from that era, from any point in NBA history. Oh, and Kareem always had trouble with huge, strong, aggresive players. He would still get his, but he would be dominated on the boards and Shaq would score on him at will.

At the end of the day I'm still going to give the 70s and 80s team the edge, but it's certainly not as big of a landslide as you are infering.


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