Has the Talent Level on NBA teams Dropped Off?

[magicfan4life05]

I'm watching the 2002 conference finals, and im looking at the rosters and there is just sooo much talent on these two teams. It seems if you took those 2 teams and divided them into 3/4 mediocre teams today, i think that talent level on each would equivalent to today's game. Maybe that's an stretch, but i feel there is a huge difference.

I was initially going to post the roster of the top 2 teams in the west/east up till now from 2000, but that's too much so I'll just post some of the Top Teams rosters from 2000.

2000 Pacers

Rik Smits
Reggie Miller
Jalen Rose
Jeff Foster
Jonathan Bender
Austin Croshere
Travis Best
Chris Mullen
Dale Davis (Traded for Jermaine O'neal next season)
Marc Jackson
Sam Perkins
Al Harrington
Derrick Mckey
Zan Tabak

2000 Blazers

Rasheed Wallace
Steve Smith
Scottie Pippen
Damon Stoudamire
Arvydas Sabonis
Bonzi Wells
Detlef Schrempf
Greg Anthony
Brian Grant
Jermaine O'neal (Traded for Dale Davis next season)
Stacey Augmon
Antonio Harvey
Gary Grant
Joe Kleine

2002 Kings

Peja Stojakovic
Mike Bibby (Traded for Jason Williams last season)
Chris Webber
Hedo Turkoglu
Doug Christie
Bobby Jackson
Vlade Divac
Scott Pollard
Gerald Wallace
Lawrence Funderburke
Mateen Cleaves
Brent Price
Chucky Brown
Jabari Smith

2003 Spurs

Tim Duncan
Tony Parker
Stephen Jackson
Malik Rose
Bruce Bowen
David Robinson
Manu Ginobili
Steve Smith
Steve Kerr
Kevin Willis
Speedy Claxton
Danny Ferry
Devin Brown
Anthony Goldwire
Mengke Bateer

2000-03 Lakers

Shaquille O'neal
Kobe bryant
Derek Fisher
Rick Fox
Horace Grant
Devean George
Robert Horry
Brian Shaw
Ron Harper
Tyronn Lue
Mark Madsen
jannero Pargo
Medvedenko
Lindsay Hunter
Mitch Richmond
samalki walker
other fringe role players

The Don Nelson Mavs had so much talent too, nash, finley, dirk, jamison, walker, lafrentz, van exel...

Now if we compare this to 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 champs for example or even the top 2 teams in each conference over 4-5 years, i think the talent level has dropped off per team...do you?

If you look at those teams above, they are STACKED, i think they would DEMOLISH any teams today (this is excluding this year's top 2 teams). There are so many other teams I should have posted but I didnt want to bore you, you can post them if you want to compare, I'm sure I'm missing some great loaded ones.


So the question is has the talent level per team dropped off, if so, what are some reasons for this?

Also, what do you guys think of this, am i completely wrong with this thinking, or do i have some credence in what im saying, or this is total bull?


i need your thoughts!


BTW the reason why i didnt want to use the top 2 teams this year is because they go against this 'theory' of mine, i actually think these two teams talent level do compare to years past, but i didnt want to use them in this post because it's so rare that these deals got done for each team (lakers/celts) but now they are just like those teams in the past i mentioned, but i think now they are the same talent level as years passed, so my point is it took major deals for that to happen and that doesnt happen all the time...if that made any sense...

[Patterns]

No drop off. You just miss some of the players.

If you count Bynum, the Lakers would probably be the most talented team ever.

The Celtics have KG, Ray, Pierce. When was that last time you saw 3 previous franchise players together?

The Suns was loaded but couldn't get through SA.

The Mavs were loaded too but had a bad system.

The Hornets are also extremely talented.

The Pistons? All 5 of their starters are talented.

No drop off. Just different names.

[Serpo]

No drop off. Just different names.

Seriously take a look at the Spurs for example ALOT players that where big in their primes that dropped of significantly.

[Da big3]

lrts remember these players back then that are around today were not as established as thay are today...

[Rooster]

The Blazers were an anomaly and should have had at least one ring. The rest were no better than the best today.

[HarlemHeat37]

the 2003 Spurs team is one of the least talented winning teams I've ever seen..

[OldSchoolNoBull]

If you count Bynum, the Lakers would probably be the most talented team ever.

Are you kidding me?

Magic/Kareem/Worthy/Cooper/Scott/McAdoo(1985)?

Parish/McHale/Bird/DJ/Walton/Ainge?

Isiah/Dumars/Laimbeer/Aguire/Rodman/Dantley/Mahorn/V.Johnson?

Russell/Cousy/Sharman/Heinsohn?

Russell/Jones/Havlicek/Heinsohn?

West/Baylor/Chamberlin/Goodrich?

Pippen/Sheed/Sabonis/Smith/J.O'Neal/Shrempf?

Shaq/Malone/Kobe/Payton?

Hakeem/Barkley/Drexler?

Jordan/Pippen/Rodman/Harper(who was a 20+ppg guy before he blew he knee out)/Kukoc(who was considered one of the best players in Europe before he came over)?

Frazier/Monroe/Reed/DeBusschere?

You're saying Kobe/Gasol/Odom/Bynum ranks over all of that? Take Kobe off that list. Is Gasol/Odom/Bynum scaring anyone without Kobe?

[NO-KG-AI]

Lol at the Lakers being the most talented team ever. Bynum is not the type of player that turns a great team into the most talented team ever.

[RJM]

We don't know yet how he will be post-surgery/recovery, but if he gives you 19-9, he'll make the Lakers into the most talented team RIGHT NOW. Not ever. Blah at whoever said that.

[walchy]

No drop off. You just miss some of the players.

If you count Bynum, the Lakers would probably be the most talented team ever.

definitely. On a similar note, Kobe >>>> Jordan, Pau>>>>>>>>>> Olojuwon, Odom >>>>>>>> Pippen and Bynum >>>>> God.

[exkonvict]

-= original quote snipped =-




definitely. On a similar note, Kobe >>>> Jordan, Pau>>>>>>>>>> Olojuwon, Odom >>>>>>>> Pippen and Bynum >>>>> God.

QFMFTUMFKRS.

[chrice]

It's harder to create a stacked team these days, because of higher player salaries in relation to the cap and also luxury tax. Way back when, star players could be signed for 1 million/year.

[Jordan23Forever]

If you count Bynum, the Lakers would probably be the most talented team ever.

I think the '85 Sixers would have something to say about that:

Dr. J
Andrew Toney
Barkley
Moses
Mo Cheeks
Bobby Jones

So would the '86 Celts:

Bird
Dennis Johnson
Danny Ainge
McHale
Parish
Walton

And Showtime:

Magic
KAJ
Cooper
Green
Worthy
Scott
Maurice Lucas

[richboy]

I think your looking more at names than what level of play some of those players were at. Now the Blazers and Pacers were pretty deep teams. Most teams in the NBA were not like them. The 2002 Kings are not that deep. Gerald Wallace wasn't even that good back then. 2003 Spurs are okay but there not that deep. Some of those guys are just hanging on at the end of there careers.

In terms of could the Lakers be the most talented team ever. That really depends on how good you think Bynum is. I have said that IMO Bynum if healthy in 3 years will be compariable to Dwight Howard. That he could be a 20 13 type of player. Probably be a much better post player. If Bynum reaches that level I could say that the Lakers will be more talented than just about any team ever. I would take those 4 over the Bulls 72-10 4 of Kukoc, Jordan, Rodman, and Pippen. Thats if Bynum reaches the potential of becoming one of the 3 or 4 best centers in the game.

[feedthebuddha]

If your question is has the level of talent dropped off since say 2000, I would say no. But if the question is has it dropped since the 80's, I would say without out a doubt. Expansion has diluted the talent level, even with the influx of foreign players. You take some of those teams from the 80's and they destroy the competition today. Teams like the Lakers, Celtics, Pistons, Bulls, Trailblazers, heck even some of the Cavs and Bucks teams from then were amazingly deep.

[Simplicity0]

No drop off. You just miss some of the players.

If you count Bynum, the Lakers would probably be the most talented team ever.

The Celtics have KG, Ray, Pierce. When was that last time you saw 3 previous franchise players together?

The Suns was loaded but couldn't get through SA.

The Mavs were loaded too but had a bad system.

The Hornets are also extremely talented.

The Pistons? All 5 of their starters are talented.

No drop off. Just different names.

I agree with the rest, but no. Bynum is still not that good. Above average, maybe, but that's about it. Honestly, I find it hard calling him above average after watching him play.

[writerman]

No drop off. You just miss some of the players.

If you count Bynum, the Lakers would probably be the most talented team ever.

The Celtics have KG, Ray, Pierce. When was that last time you saw 3 previous franchise players together?

The Suns was loaded but couldn't get through SA.

The Mavs were loaded too but had a bad system.

The Hornets are also extremely talented.

The Pistons? All 5 of their starters are talented.

No drop off. Just different names.

That statement, if nothing else, ought to get you laughed right off this board...

[dockingsched]

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I agree with the rest, but no. Bynum is still not that good. Above average, maybe, but that's about it. Honestly, I find it hard calling him above average after watching him play.

one ridiculous comment deserves another eh?

find it hard to call him above average, even after watching him?

[Simplicity0]

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one ridiculous comment deserves another eh?

find it hard to call him above average, even after watching him?

Seriously, maybe I watch him at the wrong times. I shake my head every time I watch him play. He looks bad, makes awkward plays, but he ends gets some easy dunks, so he's still able to come out with decent stats. Just my impression of him. I just don't consider him that good.

[legacyinthemakin89c]

Bynum's a solid player, but he hasn't shown anything to prove he isn't anything other then an above average center in this league. I'm not saying he won't be a top tier center in todays game, but as of what we have seen right now, he hasn't proven anything.