The next "plumbers and firemen" comment -- now including the 80s and 90s

[penbeast0]

"They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then. [Michael Jordan] was the only one that really had skill, you know what I mean? So that’s why when they saw Kobe [Bryant], they were like, 'Oh, my God.' But now everybody has skill."

Congrats to the generations of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, etc. You have achieved the same status with some of today's youngbloods that your generation used to say about Russell, Oscar, West, etc. Do you agree?

[Cavsfansince84]

I think every generation from now until the end of the world will have a good portion who look back on the prior generation(s) in a similar way. Just human nature or w/e. They see 2-3 guys who look like they are really unathletic and unskilled then paint the whole league that way but can also overlook how dominant a guy like Jokic is who is among the most unathletic in the entire league in the traditional sense.

[OhayoKD]

I think every generation from now until the end of the world will have a good portion who look back on the prior generation(s) in a similar way. Just human nature or w/e. They see 2-3 guys who look like they are really unathletic and unskilled then paint the whole league that way but can also overlook how dominant a guy like Jokic is who is among the most unathletic in the entire league in the traditional sense.

Jokic being this league's Bird equivalent pretty much makes Anthony Edwards point lol

[Cavsfansince84]

I think every generation from now until the end of the world will have a good portion who look back on the prior generation(s) in a similar way. Just human nature or w/e. They see 2-3 guys who look like they are really unathletic and unskilled then paint the whole league that way but can also overlook how dominant a guy like Jokic is who is among the most unathletic in the entire league in the traditional sense.

Jokic being this league's Bird equivalent pretty much makes Anthony Edwards point lol

I don't think there is much of a point. It's him arguing with a subjective idea of toughness and is just the usual 'previous generations were so x y z' compared to today's stuff which goes back for centuries. Same way that older generations will say the younger generation(usually 16-25) are so a b c.

[jalengreen]

"They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then. [Michael Jordan] was the only one that really had skill, you know what I mean? So that’s why when they saw Kobe [Bryant], they were like, 'Oh, my God.' But now everybody has skill."

Congrats to the generations of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, etc. You have achieved the same status with some of today's youngbloods that your generation used to say about Russell, Oscar, West, etc. Do you agree?

The sentence that came right before this quote is "I didn’t watch it back in the day so I can’t speak on it." fwiw

[falcolombardi]

There will always be a battlei balance between younger fans who dismiss thinghs from before their time being different to what they have grown into

and older fans who dislike the new thinghs also for being different to what they grew with

Is the nature of people developing their tastes and preferences usually in their youth

[eminence]

I just don't think Wemby could hold up in a post singularity league. Good for his time, but c'mon.

[70sFan]

It's expected, especially when you realize that Jordan and company is closer to the 1960s than to 2024.

[SlimShady83]

I just wish we call go In a time machine, grab old school players In their primes, come back and put them Into today's game and vice versa, today's players Into the tougher times.

Maybe Instead of the allstar game, they should start doing 2v2, 3v3 pick up games might be more exciting to see.

[SlimShady83]

I just don't think Wemby could hold up in a post singularity league. Good for his time, but c'mon.

Wonder what Wemby would be like In the 90's I think he'd get wrecked IMO.

[One_and_Done]

Ant has something of a point. Players were much less skilled back then.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

Ant has something of a point. Players were much less skilled back then.

they way he phrased it he didn't.
The average player was probably less skilled, but the top guys were as skilled as today

[penbeast0]

Were they less skilled or were the skills just different, like the ballhandling rules? It could be that identifying the players earlier and more training year round has actually made them more skilled. I don't think for the top players that's actually true. I do think they are generally significantly more athletic thanks to modern weight work, medicine, PEDs, etc. but again, the difference is probably much larger among the rank and file than the top 1-5%.

[onedayattatime]

George Gervin was actually the opposite of a fireman.

[henshao]

I tend to view past achievements with the opposite mindset...How much did these people overcome to get there, as compared to today?

[oaktownwarriors87]

Ant has something of a point. Players were much less skilled back then.

they way he phrased it he didn't.
The average player was probably less skilled, but the top guys were as skilled as today

I think it's easier to look more skilled when the defense can't touch you and big men can't camp in the paint.

Also, the NBA has turned into a development league. It's the youngest it's every been and there 100+ more players that are 23 and under today than there were in 1996.

Teams are guaranteed to own their first round pick for 5-9 years and the players can't negotiate their rookie contract. The NBA is getting younger because teams want to swing for the fences on cheap talent.

[tsherkin]

"They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then. [Michael Jordan] was the only one that really had skill, you know what I mean? So that’s why when they saw Kobe [Bryant], they were like, 'Oh, my God.' But now everybody has skill."

Congrats to the generations of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, etc. You have achieved the same status with some of today's youngbloods that your generation used to say about Russell, Oscar, West, etc. Do you agree?

There's a very visible difference in quality of team offensive scheme, for starters. In the 90s, the Utah PnR offense was advanced and complex. So was their spacing. That... is no longer true in this environment. Obviously, everything is progressive, so there are plenty of guys back then who could adapt into today's game, but not all. As with earlier eras of the NBA. The farther we go back, the larger proportion of the league we find would be left behind, but still some would do well enough, and some would even stand out and excel.

It's not wrong to look at the 90s, see a bunch of expansion teams, see a bunch of thin squads, see Jordan guarded by guys who were not his athletic peers and wonder about certain things. But like with, say, the 60s, the stars were still incredible. So to a degree, someone like Ant is talking out of his ass. Which is the same that could be said of, say, JJ Redick when he was cracking off about certain things.

[Hair Jordan]

"They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then. [Michael Jordan] was the only one that really had skill, you know what I mean? So that’s why when they saw Kobe [Bryant], they were like, 'Oh, my God.' But now everybody has skill."

Congrats to the generations of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, etc. You have achieved the same status with some of today's youngbloods that your generation used to say about Russell, Oscar, West, etc. Do you agree?

There's a very visible difference in quality of team offensive scheme, for starters. In the 90s, the Utah PnR offense was advanced and complex. So was their spacing. That... is no longer true in this environment. Obviously, everything is progressive, so there are plenty of guys back then who could adapt into today's game, but not all. As with earlier eras of the NBA. The farther we go back, the larger proportion of the league we find would be left behind, but still some would do well enough, and some would even stand out and excel.

It's not wrong to look at the 90s, see a bunch of expansion teams, see a bunch of thin squads, see Jordan guarded by guys who were not his athletic peers and wonder about certain things. But like with, say, the 60s, the stars were still incredible. So to a degree, someone like Ant is talking out of his ass. Which is the same that could be said of, say, JJ Redick when he was cracking off about certain things.

I think people overstate the advancements that take place over 30 years. At the end of the day it’s just basketball. Acting like 80’s or 90’s players would struggle with these modern defenses because they’re “much more sophisticated” is a joke. That’s like saying Albert Einstein was a good physicist in his day but would struggle with the much more sophisticated physics of today Ridiculous. If anything, he’d be even better with all of the technology at his fingertips. Players would be the same.

[OhayoKD]

Congrats to the generations of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, etc. You have achieved the same status with some of today's youngbloods that your generation used to say about Russell, Oscar, West, etc. Do you agree?

There's a very visible difference in quality of team offensive scheme, for starters. In the 90s, the Utah PnR offense was advanced and complex. So was their spacing. That... is no longer true in this environment. Obviously, everything is progressive, so there are plenty of guys back then who could adapt into today's game, but not all. As with earlier eras of the NBA. The farther we go back, the larger proportion of the league we find would be left behind, but still some would do well enough, and some would even stand out and excel.

It's not wrong to look at the 90s, see a bunch of expansion teams, see a bunch of thin squads, see Jordan guarded by guys who were not his athletic peers and wonder about certain things. But like with, say, the 60s, the stars were still incredible. So to a degree, someone like Ant is talking out of his ass. Which is the same that could be said of, say, JJ Redick when he was cracking off about certain things.

I think people overstate the advancements that take place over 30 years. At the end of the day it’s just basketball. Acting like 80’s or 90’s players would struggle with these modern defenses because they’re “much more sophisticated” is a joke. That’s like saying Albert Einstein was a good physicist in his day but would struggle with the much more sophisticated physics of today Ridiculous. If anything, he’d be even better with all of the technology at his fingertips. Players would be the same.

Einstein would struggle far more to stand out just as any player from the 80's/90's would lol

[MiltownMadness]

Comparing basketball to physics is....something. That is a false equivalence brother