kendogg wrote:Jerry is a shoot first combo guard, like AI. Is AI a PG too? Yes he handled it a lot because he was a better handler than most PG's. I still feel in my heart he is more of a SG and would absolutely play SG in a world where he could pick his backcourt mate.
There are a lot of these combo guards for whom positional designation is hard. Jerry West has more of a SG's body, and was [usually], as you said, a "shoot first combo guard".
otoh, he was CONSISTENTLY the guy bringing the ball up and initiating the offense (traditional PG role), and this in an era that was
not inclined to have players adopt non-traditional roles (no "point forwards" yet at that time). He also once led the league in apg (was 2nd in the league two other years). Additionally, he initially played alongside other guards of similar height (Frank Selvy and Dick Barnett), and all other guards he played with (Selvy, Barnett, and subsequently Gail Goodrich) were all at least equally, if not MORE, "shoot first" in their approach.
So if we had to designate who was the PG for most of those Laker teams, it generally seems clear it was West. Would that be the same on other teams? idk, maybe not.
At any rate, I lump him in with my PG's for those reasons. But I don't particularly fault anyone for putting him with the SG's (indeed, that seems to be how history wants to classify him).
With Iverson, I could go either way. I tend to put him with my SG's, but I can see the other side of the coin. He was very much PG's body, but played significantly more "shoot first" than West. Additionally, he had so many years starting next to Eric Snow (who definitely had more of a traditional PG role on offense--->though on defense it was often Snow guarding the SG and AI guarding the PG). So idk, I can see either side.
Guys like Tracy McGrady (SG or SF?), Penny Hardaway (PG or SG [or SF???]?), Dennis Johnson (PG or SG?), Tim Duncan (PF or C), and Pau Gasol (PF or C) can also be tough. Almost comes down to preference.
kendogg wrote:Why do I think the 90's are the strongest era? ****, I thought that was pretty much commonly accepted. It includes many of the highest rated playoffs of all time, and was so stacked with talent, that several absolute legends struggled to even get to the finals. Generally there is only a few total powerhouse teams in an era. The 90's were stacked. I've honestly never read a ranking of eras that didn't put the 90's first.
Really? I've read lots of opinions that do NOT put the 90's as the strongest era (though they're never near the bottom). The reasons usually revolve around the expansions (talent dilution) that happened in the late 80's and then again in the mid-90's, and smaller player pool (relative to more recent eras: with the ever-expanding global popularity of basketball and the league's increasing willingness to scout talent overseas).
It's true that a lot of the biggest all-time talents played the bulk of their careers in the 90's, but there was frequently some depth issues at that time that are more rarely seen today. For instance, a lot of people claim the early-mid 90's was the zenith or golden age for centers. And as far as competing for All-NBA honors as a center, I agree: the competition at the top was never better than it was as the early 90's inched into the mid-90's--->between prime Hakeem, Robinson, Ewing and Daugherty, and the appearance of young Shaq, Mourning, and Mutombo......yeah, that's crazy. But these people also ignore the fact that AT THE SAME TIME as those teams had all-time great talents at C, there were other teams who really didn't even have someone as good as a decent back-up level center, and were forced to start any lumbering big body they had. I'm just gonna throw a few names and numbers out there to augment this point:
Danny Schayes ('90-'95) - started 104 rs games in that span, and averaged 18.3 mpg overall in those years (between the ages of 30-35 at the time, too)
Mike Brown ('90-'94) - started 64 rs games and averaged 19.6 mpg
Charles Shackleford ('90, '92-'93) - started 99 rs games in those three years, and averaged 18.5 mpg
Randy Breuer ('90-'92) - started 124 rs games in those three years, averaging 20.6 mpg overall
Joe Kleine ('90-'95) - started 57 rs games and was a consistent rotational player avg 13.7 mpg overall in those years.
Greg Kite ('90-'92) - started 173 rs games and averaged 23.2 mpg in those years.
Bill Cartwright ('90-'95) - aging (32-37 years old, and post-injury) started 337 rs games and averaged 24.0 mpg collectively in these years.
Duane Causwell ('90-'95) - started 209 rs games and averaged 21.7 mpg collectively in those years
Olden Polynice ('91-'95) - started 259 rs games and averaged 27.4 mpg collectively in those years
Frank Brickowski ('90, '92-'93 [playing predominantly C those years]) - started 122 rs games those three years, averaging 26.1 mpg overall (all north of age 30, too).
I'll stop there 'cause RealGM's acting kinda buggy for me right now; but it boils down to roughly 1/5 of the league [or more??] at that time was
starting someone who was Olden Polynice quality
or worse during the early-mid 90's. Presently there are teams with better centers
coming of the bench.
"The fact that a proposition is absurd has never hindered those who wish to believe it." -Edward Rutherfurd
"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire