Would Elgin Baylor be the best player in the NBA today?

BRINGTHEPAIN · Post #1 » by **BRINGTHEPAIN** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:50 am

I never saw him play, has anyone here seen him play? I hear great things about him, and like Jordan he didn't need the 3-point shot to dominant.

http://www.nba.com/history/players/baylor_bio.html

Had Elgin Baylor been born 25 years later, his acrobatic moves would have been captured on video, his name emblazoned on sneakers, and his face plastered on cereal boxes. But he played before the days of widespread television exposure, so among the only records of his prowess that remain are the words of those who saw one of the greatest ever to play. "He was one of the most spectacular shooters the game has ever known," Baylor's longtime teammate Jerry West told HOOP magazine in 1992. "I hear people talking about forwards today and I haven't seen many that can compare with him."

The 6-5 225lbs SF was ALL-NBA First Team for 10 years and averaged 27.4ppg 13.5rpg 4.3apg in 846 games.

Texas Longhorns · Post #2 » by **Texas Longhorns** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:51 am

Kobe has virtually beat all the former Lakers in anything involved with scoring. I think we would probably be 3rd, behind Kobe and LeBron.

shobe_81 · Post #3 » by **shobe_81** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:57 am

Yea and had Lebron been born 25 years before, he'd be God by now!

cb4_89 · Post #4 » by **cb4_89** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:59 am

BRINGTHEPAIN · Post #5 » by **BRINGTHEPAIN** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:03 am

If LeBron was in Baylor's era he would be defended by Russell and Wilt. Good luck. I'd have to think Baylor would be better.

writerman · Post #6 » by **writerman** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:05 am

I think he might fare maybe better today than he did then, for a couple of reasons--first of all, he had genuine three-point range and would thrive from the arc; and secondly, with the silly-arse touch foul rules today, he would be driving even more than he did then and getting to the line even more often. Baylor had great timing and had hops as good as anyone in the league today--they were constantly marvelling back then about what was referred to as his "hang time"--an ability to seemingly float at the top of his leap to do whatever he wanted with the ball at the hoop. He was compactly muscular and strong, a superior rebounder for his size--reminiscent of Charles Barkley.

You haven't seen Jordan or Kobe or anyone do anything that Baylor couldn't and didn't do just as well decades ahead of them. He'd be on a par with the best SFs in the league if he were playing in his prime today.

prekazi · Post #7 » by **prekazi** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:10 am

He would be archaic, I would wish him good luck getting in the NBA.

shobe_81 · Post #8 » by **shobe_81** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:10 am

You guys keep taking the stats up the arse! Just because he averaged 27ppg doesn't mean he'd be as effective! That is why I hate these stupid scenarios and the people who make these threads! He was in a different era, different physical level against different physical level competition! An era that might have been dominated with white-b-ball!

Zone-Defenses and other rules doesn't mean he'd be as effective now either!

BRINGTHEPAIN · Post #9 » by **BRINGTHEPAIN** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:11 am

His stats have nothing to do with it. A bio has to include career stats, but thats not part of the argument (not that there was one, I was asking a question for others to respond to). If I was focusing on stats there would be meaningless PER stats and %stats.

shobe_81 · Post #10 » by **shobe_81** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:12 am

BRINGTHEPAIN wrote:If LeBron was in Baylor's era he would be defended by Russell and Wilt. Good luck. I'd have to think Baylor would be better.

Yea a center guarding a SF! That is plain stupid! :nonono:

Patterns · Post #11 » by **Patterns** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:14 am

He'd be lucky to be in the rotation.

People think that oooh.... today's defense is so weak and you get a foul call all the time and that means every player from the past era would dominate every player today.

Look, Baylor would be lucky to be in the NBA today. The guy had a career TS% of .494.

BRINGTHEPAIN · Post #12 » by **BRINGTHEPAIN** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:14 am

shobe_81 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

Yea a center guarding a SF! That is plain stupid!

LeBron is the same size as Russell, and Russell is the best defender NBA history. And Wilt was more athletic than LeBron. Of course they would guard him. And any coach in their right mind in that era would play LeBron in the post, if LeBron could learn the post.

Buckeye-NBAFan · Post #13 » by **Buckeye-NBAFan** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:14 am

BRINGTHEPAIN wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

LeBron is the same size as Russell, and Russell is the best defender NBA history. And Wilt was more athletic than LeBron. Of course they would guard him. And any coach in their right mind in that era would play LeBron in the post, if LeBron could learn the post.

Shaq's more athletic than AI. Doesn't mean he could defend him.

BRINGTHEPAIN · Post #14 » by **BRINGTHEPAIN** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:17 am

Shaq's more athletic than AI? AI is more athletic than Jordan even, how do you figure Shaq is more athletic? Shaq is athletic for his size but he is slow overall compared to the fastest player in the NBA that AI is. Whereas Wilt could actually outrun LeBron he was that athletic.

shobe_81 · Post #15 » by **shobe_81** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:22 am

To say AI is more athletic than Jordan is pathetic, he might be faster but not more athletic :crazy:

eatyourchildren · Post #16 » by **eatyourchildren** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:23 am

Elgin Baylor is one of the guys that Kobe learned his game from. Kobe's on record as saying that he took Elgin's 'rocker' first-step.

With any of these kinds of questions, I imagine that any of the top 5 of any decade could compete in all other decades.

BRINGTHEPAIN · Post #17 » by **BRINGTHEPAIN** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:24 am

AI was a dunk machine when he wanted to be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvI_iTbgTwU

Quickness, speed, vertical, AI was a better athlete than Jordan. Jordan had the greatest hang-time of all-time but AI ruled in all other categories of athleticism.

pewing33ny · Post #18 » by **pewing33ny** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:24 am

there are probably less than 10 people who regularly watched the nba while he played on this forum. i bet 75% didn't even watch when jordan was on the bulls.

and watching a couple of youtube clips doesn't make you an expert. it's impossible to make all these crazy era comparisons.

maybe elgin was athletic for back then but now he'd be playign with much bigger players. even if he worked out with today's advanced training we don't even know if he'd be able to hit that potential.

BRINGTHEPAIN · Post #19 » by **BRINGTHEPAIN** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:25 am

Considering Baylor was a rebound machine in his era (Barkley-style), I'm sure he would have the muscle to deliver against any guard/forward today.

Egg Nog · Post #20 » by **Egg Nog** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:27 am

I can't believe some of you guys are saying Elgin Baylor would be lucky to crack the rotation.

You call yourselves basketball fans? That's just shameful.