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Jerry West vs Dwyane Wade, how close is the debate? I saw a few people say Wade was better than the LOGO in the other thread.

Not close at all.

Wade by far. No one from the 60s shold be compared to any player of this era.

NYK0605 wrote:Not close at all.

Wade by far. No one from the 60s shold be compared to any player of this era.

I wouldn't completely agree with you since many of Bob Cousy's playstyle influenced many players from this day.

Had those 60's Hall of Players played in this era with the modern training system, then they'll most likely play as top tier players at this present.

Anyhow, Wade > West.

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West by a country mile and Wade has little shot of catching him. Just see Doc's rundown above.

All depends on Wade's longevity. Right now I'd say their peaks are comparable, with Wade's possibly being better in the regular season. In terms of accolades, West has got Wade with his huge number of All-NBA 1st team selections, and a few All-Defensive 1st team selections. West was a better post-season performer, although it's comparable seeing as how in the year he averaged 40PPG in the playoffs, the Lakers were averaging over 110PPG, with West taking 32FGA per game...Wade, meanwhile, has been on slow-paced defensive teams where he's generally taken between 20-25 FGA per game. Besides the volume of their scoring, their post-season numbers are very similar.

Overall, if Wade has 3-4 more seasons of elite play, and collects a few more rings and Finals MVP's (along with a few All-NBA and All-Defensive selection), then I'd probably give the nod to Wade. A player like West who's SO decorated is almost impossible to top for an 8th year player with only one ring, no matter how good he is. I do think Wade has a great chance, though, if he simply sustains this level of play a few more seasons.

However, it all depends on how you judge player from back in the '60's compared to now. If you're one of those people who thinks no way would West have much success in today's NBA, then Wade already is ahead of West. There may be truth to that, but I tend to give player's from back then more credit for what they did in their respective era as opposed to discrediting them for not being able to play at that same level in today's NBA.

Laimbeer wrote:West by a country mile and Wade has little shot of catching him. Just see Doc's rundown above.

I don't think that post said what you think it said:

DocHoops wrote:It's too soon to put Wade above a guy like Jerry West, but it's not to soon to speculate that he will one day reach that status.

I still have West ahead of Wade, but I also have West as a PG

If people are just looking at numbers one has to remember that Jerry West played in a much faster pace team than this era's Miami heat.If you skew it you could see Wade's prime was slightly better statistically.

DocHoops wrote:It's too soon to put Wade above a guy like Jerry West, but it's not to soon to speculate that he will one day reach that status.

I actually think that Wade/LeBron as a duo is most comparable to West/Baylor in NBA history. One is the games most awesome athletic force and the other is an undersized do-it-all players whose unique athletic skills and attributes mask any physical disadvantage. The catch is though, for the modern pair, there is no Wilt or Russell standing in their way. That's a whole other topic though.

Nice analogy. I like it better than the Jordan-Pippen storyline that the media is trying to peddle right now.

DocHoops wrote:I actually think that Wade/LeBron as a duo is most comparable to West/Baylor in NBA history.

West - ... he is four players to have led the league in both points and assists per game (Oscar, Wilt, Tiny). ...

Nice comparisom though LeBron is more efficiency and less of a rebounding machine than Baylor.

Any Wilt never led the league in assists per game. He led the league in total assists in 67 when Oscar played only 65 games but Oscar had enough games to qualify for the assist title and averaged 9.7apg to Wilt's 8.6apg. (Yeah, I know, nitpicking, but had to get some credibility back after you caught me out TWICE in the Russell/Hakeem thread, lol)

In terms of Career I have west ahead of him....in terms of who would win? Wade...West couldn't go to his left

Remember when adjusting for era that West played without a 3-point line. Given the nature of his game, I have to think it would have added at least 2-3 ppg at his peak.

In terms of resume, West is by far the better player.

But as individual talent goes, Wade is the 3rd best SG in history.
Lets wait and see how Wade's career pans out to see if his accolades can reach West's (I doubt it since he has been screwed royally for the past 3 years in All-NBA and All-Defensive selections)

mopper8 wrote:

Laimbeer wrote:West by a country mile and Wade has little shot of catching him. Just see Doc's rundown above.

I don't think that post said what you think it said:

DocHoops wrote:It's too soon to put Wade above a guy like Jerry West, but it's not to soon to speculate that he will one day reach that status.

I guess I was referring to the factual part rather than the speculation. Doc nevers says how he'll catch him - it hardly seems possible.

Peak - Wade narrowly

Overall career and body of work - West easily right now

But I see Wade making his way into the range West is now (11-15)

Wade is the better player and has the better peak. West has had the better career (so far) and has better (albeit inflated stats).

Speaking of which could you imagine how much **** West if his career played out today? Losing in 7 Finals without winning one, he'd be labeled a loser who didn't have "what it took" to win it all. No way he would get the Mr. Clutch nickname in modern times with a record like that.

As with a lot of guys from the 60s, he just doesn't compare side by side with a modern star as a player. Wade is vastly more explosive and dangerous as a scorer.

On the flip side, West's career accomplishments and dominance over his peers at the position are extremely unlikely to be matched by Wade.

Kind of unfair since Wade a top 3 SG of all time is competing with another top 3 SG in the same era despite outplaying him in terms of accolades/awards.

Dr Mufasa wrote:Peak - Wade narrowly

Overall career and body of work - West easily right now

But I see Wade making his way into the range West is now (11-15)

How?