Replace 1990-94 Ewing with 2019-23 Embiid

[migya]

Title of thread and would the Knicks be better?

I think not. Ewing was great in the RS and held up in the PS, in a much tougher, physical, slower paced era.

Ewing had a bad performance in 91 in the playoffs and his most notable was 90 playoffs but he was very good every other year while Embiid has dropped mostly. Don't see Embiid holding up in the physical environment of the early 90s, his durability is bad now.

Would the Knicks be better and would Embiid not be such a shoot happy player?

[Jaivl]

I don't know, Embiid's durability is certainly a concern, but there is no way he can't compete in "toughness" if he doesn't get rewarded for his flopping.

I would pay money to see 7-foot Embiid next to """"7-foot"""" Ewing and some of the other """giants""" of his era.

[RCM88x]

I feel like the slower pace would be a benefit to Embiid and his health not a detriment.

[TheWhiteMamba]

Embiid is not mentally suited to play in the 90...

[70sFan]

I would pay money to see 7-foot Embiid next to """"7-foot"""" Ewing and some of the other """giants""" of his era.

Yeah, looking at 7-foot Embiid next to 7-foot Hakeem would be funny

[migya]

I feel like the slower pace would be a benefit to Embiid and his health not a detriment.

Don't see how more physicality would lead to less injuries.

[RCM88x]

I feel like the slower pace would be a benefit to Embiid and his health not a detriment.

Don't see how more physicality would lead to less injuries.

You don't get injured from physicality you get injured form sprinting around the court contesting shots at high pace.

Do you think players get injured more these days because they're just weak?

[henshao]

I would pay money to see 7-foot Embiid next to """"7-foot"""" Ewing and some of the other """giants""" of his era.

Yeah, looking at 7-foot Embiid next to 7-foot Hakeem would be funny

(Joel and Kareem are probably pretty close in true height)

[migya]

I feel like the slower pace would be a benefit to Embiid and his health not a detriment.

Don't see how more physicality would lead to less injuries.

You don't get injured from physicality you get injured form sprinting around the court contesting shots at high pace.

Do you think players get injured more these days because they're just weak?

Look at the games from the 80s and 90s, you see how they can get injured.

[RCM88x]

Don't see how more physicality would lead to less injuries.

You don't get injured from physicality you get injured form sprinting around the court contesting shots at high pace.

Do you think players get injured more these days because they're just weak?

Look at the games from the 80s and 90s, you see how they can get injured.

Great we've gotten to the "watch them play" part of the argument

[70sFan]

I would pay money to see 7-foot Embiid next to """"7-foot"""" Ewing and some of the other """giants""" of his era.

Yeah, looking at 7-foot Embiid next to 7-foot Hakeem would be funny

(Joel and Kareem are probably pretty close in true height)

They are quite now, though Kareem looks still taller and he probably used to be a little taller in his prime:

[NO-KG-AI]

Joel's intensity and effort on defense waxes and wanes too much to replace Ewing and effectively man that defense.

[migya]

You don't get injured from physicality you get injured form sprinting around the court contesting shots at high pace.

Do you think players get injured more these days because they're just weak?

Look at the games from the 80s and 90s, you see how they can get injured.

Great we've gotten to the "watch them play" part of the argument

That's a proper starting point when talking about a subject.

[70sFan]

Look at the games from the 80s and 90s, you see how they can get injured.

Great we've gotten to the "watch them play" part of the argument

That's a proper starting point when talking about a subject.

Why do you assume that posters, who are active on the best place to learn about the league history, never watched 1990s games?

[migya]

Great we've gotten to the "watch them play" part of the argument

That's a proper starting point when talking about a subject.

Why do you assume that posters, who are active on the best place to learn about the league history, never watched 1990s games?

I was going by the initial reply.

[cupcakesnake]

Embiid is pretty terrifying as a rim protector, so put him in an era where he can stay near the basket for the entire game and I think he's battling Hakeem, DK, and Robinson for the DPOY every year he's healthy. He's bigger than any of them besides Dikembe, and despite having more mass I think his vertical quicks are as good as Hakeem or Robinson. Not having to close out and recover as much would do wonders for his feet and knees.

[B_Creamy]

That's a proper starting point when talking about a subject.

Why do you assume that posters, who are active on the best place to learn about the league history, never watched 1990s games?

I was going by the initial reply.

So your thought process was: He doesn't agree with me, so he must have never even seen them play basketball back then. Does that sum it up?

[magicman1978]

Embiid is pretty terrifying as a rim protector, so put him in an era where he can stay near the basket for the entire game and I think he's battling Hakeem, DK, and Robinson for the DPOY every year he's healthy. He's bigger than any of them besides Dikembe, and despite having more mass I think his vertical quicks are as good as Hakeem or Robinson. Not having to close out and recover as much would do wonders for his feet and knees.

I feel like he doesn't have the stamina/focus to do it for a full season like Hakeem and DRob. His defense gets a lot better in the post season, but look at how he impacts shots around the basket (<6 feet) per NBA.com (league / Embiid / Difference):

2023 - 64.6 / 63.2 / -1.4
2022 - 64.1 / 57.5 / -6.6
2021 - 62.3 / 57.0 / -5.3
2020 - 62.7 / 57.5 / -5.2

While good, those numbers don't compare against guys like JJJ, Brook Lopez, Giannis, Draymond, etc so having trouble seeing his rim protection on the same level as Hakeem and DRob and competing with them for DPOY, even if he somehow managed to play as much as them.

[HeartBreakKid]

I feel like the slower pace would be a benefit to Embiid and his health not a detriment.

Don't see how more physicality would lead to less injuries.

He'd be among the biggest guys during that time period. Who is going to get physical with him and not end up on the worse end of it?

I don't think Hakeem is going to start beating him up.

[magicman1978]

Healthwise, Embiid had issues with his feet and knees before he even played an NBA game - I'd be more concerned about how the medical staff / procedures recommended in the 80s/90s would have impacted his longevity.