gtn130 wrote:payitforward wrote:Yup, gtn -- everybody knows that any player today is better than any player from long ago. Gerald Green is incomparably better than Dr. J, for example.
Oh, why hold back -- on this subject at least -- gtn, Mr. "I can and I did", these opinions you are putting forth are spectacularly dim.
A professor of physics at a community college today knows more about the world than Aristotle did. But, he's still Aristotle's inferior. And, brother, so are you....
Here's the thing: thinking about old players is pointless unless you're ranking by accolades or broad accomplishments, which is very boring. If you just want to sort by rings or points scored or whatever gets you off, then there is no reason to even having a discussion.
Your straw man tho is quite lol. You are clearly old
Oh, I am -- and you will be too one day. I mean if you're lucky. In the meantime, while you're young, enjoy knowing everything while having experienced next to nothing. I remember that state, and it was kind of fun. Not as much fun as actually having experiences in the world, but don't worry -- you'll get there!
There's no doubt that in one sense your point is correct. Guys who played decades ago, in an era when conditioning wasn't the science it is today, and when not nearly as many kids had the chance even to learn a sport at a high level, weren't elite athletes at the level of today's players.
And, I imagine that process of change and improvement will continue, so that the guys you rank high today will some day be dismissed compared to the guys playing then. No doubt when that happens you'll be complaining that it's unfair.
You'll be right too. For the moment, however, you'll just have to live with being wrong.