Take MJ out of the 90's, which star (of Today's game) fits best?

And if you watch the links I posted you would see that if SAS played MJ like they played LBJ and Wade in the NBA finals he would have scored 50 points on those guys easy. You just don't dare MJ to shoot long 2s! Anything inside the arc and he was torching you. I agree that his 3pt shot was unreliable but he didn't need it nor did he choose to develop it because he was smart enough to know that he made defenses bleed FT line and below and inside the arc! I was laughing at how long it took MIA to beat the Spurs. MJ would have cooked those guys playing that zone defense they played in stretches! J after J until they came up. Dude was the master then and now!

Originally posted by Pillbusta:
The absence of athleticism? Look at the Chicago Bulls teams from the 90s and please tell me can you see how incredibly ripped and athletic Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Toni Kukoc were? They were long, strong and defensive minded! I don't know any of the current champion basketball teams that were as fit as those guys. Then talk of Hakeem Olajuwon, Barkley, Karl Malone, Stockton, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Dominique Wilkins, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Magic Johnson as a point guard? The NYK teams where you had bruisers like Anthony Mason and Xavier McDaniel and John Starks? That era was just as athletic as it is today. As a matter of fact the league is soft now and fools aint posterizing folk no more and straight punking fools. There needs to be high def from the 90s so folk can see what I am talking about. There is absolutely no edge to day in athleticism today over the 90s. Clyde Drexler and the whole Portland Trailblazers team? Cmon bro!

if i could high five, fist bump, chest bump you I would. or even buy you few cold ones. your post needs to get pinned for some pin heads of today. add rick smits and the davis twins as tough costumers to deal with. man NBA was infinite folds fun in the yesteryear's.

I think MJ in this era would keep yelling "Hand down, man down" to his teammates

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:
Either one of these teams would crush the Heat IMO. Edit: And you forget a lot of that talent you speak of, and expansion teams, didn't exist in the playoffs. Just like Joe Montana, that what made MJ what he was. Playing and winning in the playoffs. I feel that point is invalid respectfully. He was playing against just as good if not better talent than now. I mean, look at the East and tell me that's some great teams there. It's so damn week itself.

Of course those expansion teams weren't in playoffs - but they took away talent from other teams. Therefore - the rosters weren't as talented as the Lakers or Boston teams in 80s or today's teams like Miami, Spurs, OKC, Houston, Clippers.

Like I said - Chicago lost only 2 more games after losing Jordan and not bothering with replacing him. Btw...Bulls defensive efficiency remained the same or got slightly better the two years MJ didn't play. This is strictly because the talent on other teams was depleted due to expansion.

..and yes, East is weak just like it was weak in the 90s - as was the over combined talent on teams in NBA. 6 teams failed to win 21 games in one year in mid-90s and ppl think NBA is weak today because 2 teams can't win 20.

Originally posted by Pillbusta:
The absence of athleticism? Look at the Chicago Bulls teams from the 90s and please tell me can you see how incredibly ripped and athletic Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Toni Kukoc were? They were long, strong and defensive minded! I don't know any of the current champion basketball teams that were as fit as those guys. Then talk of Hakeem Olajuwon, Barkley, Karl Malone, Stockton, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Dominique Wilkins, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Magic Johnson as a point guard? The NYK teams where you had bruisers like Anthony Mason and Xavier McDaniel and John Starks? That era was just as athletic as it is today. As a matter of fact the league is soft now and fools aint posterizing folk no more and straight punking fools. There needs to be high def from the 90s so folk can see what I am talking about. There is absolutely no edge to day in athleticism today over the 90s. Clyde Drexler and the whole Portland Trailblazers team? Cmon bro!

lol you're taking the best players from an era and lookin' at their athleticism. The overall athleticism in NBA today is ridiculous and can't even be compared to the 90s. I watched basketball in the 90s too and yea - athleticism wise it's not even close.

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:
Either one of these teams would crush the Heat IMO. Edit: And you forget a lot of that talent you speak of, and expansion teams, didn't exist in the playoffs. Just like Joe Montana, that what made MJ what he was. Playing and winning in the playoffs. I feel that point is invalid respectfully. He was playing against just as good if not better talent than now. I mean, look at the East and tell me that's some great teams there. It's so damn week itself.

Of course those expansion teams weren't in playoffs - but they took away talent from other teams. Therefore - the rosters weren't as talented as the Lakers or Boston teams in 80s or today's teams like Miami, Spurs, OKC, Houston, Clippers.

Like I said - Chicago lost only 2 more games after losing Jordan and not bothering with replacing him. Btw...Bulls defensive efficiency remained the same or got slightly better the two years MJ didn't play. This is strictly because the talent on other teams was depleted due to expansion.

..and yes, East is weak just like it was weak in the 90s - as was the over combined talent on teams in NBA. 6 teams failed to win 21 games in one year in mid-90s and ppl think NBA is weak today because 2 teams can't win 20.

You should know that in the NBA you have to have your star players bring home the chip! You can't hide on the playoff stage and LBJ found that out. Heat didn't win until LBJ stepped his game up and led those boys! MJ in his last 6 seasons as a Bull 3 peated! The year and a half he was out Hakeem won and he also had to lead his team to the championships! MJ value was really evident in the postseason and that is primarily where his legend was made. 6-0 in the NBA Finals!

It's clearly the Kobe of yesteryear. Same body type. Same ferocious D. Same killer fade away jumper. Same ability to drive to the basket (when I say 'same', it's more like very comparable). I'm not here to say Kobe was better than MJ. I'm here to answer the question of the thread and clearly it's Kobe that fits in MJ's spot the best. Would Kobe have led the bulls in multiple 3-peats? Possibly. He still would have had Phil at the helm and an amazing cast of support players.



Now imagine MJ on the Kobe/Shaq Lakers instead of Kobe. You think MJ would share the ball with Shaq?

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by Pillbusta:
The absence of athleticism? Look at the Chicago Bulls teams from the 90s and please tell me can you see how incredibly ripped and athletic Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Toni Kukoc were? They were long, strong and defensive minded! I don't know any of the current champion basketball teams that were as fit as those guys. Then talk of Hakeem Olajuwon, Barkley, Karl Malone, Stockton, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Dominique Wilkins, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Magic Johnson as a point guard? The NYK teams where you had bruisers like Anthony Mason and Xavier McDaniel and John Starks? That era was just as athletic as it is today. As a matter of fact the league is soft now and fools aint posterizing folk no more and straight punking fools. There needs to be high def from the 90s so folk can see what I am talking about. There is absolutely no edge to day in athleticism today over the 90s. Clyde Drexler and the whole Portland Trailblazers team? Cmon bro!

lol you're taking the best players from an era and lookin' at their athleticism. The overall athleticism in NBA today is ridiculous and can't even be compared to the 90s. I watched basketball in the 90s too and yea - athleticism wise it's not even close.

I don't know how much ball you have played and whether or not you have street balled or not but the way I came up that's what we did and we did hoop vs some pros as well. The one thing we all quickly discovered was that it was a difference vs playing ball vs men and vs boys! I am talking about with the bruhs a 19-22 year old aint balling and banging and even getting the respect vs real grown men 26-34! You might have different experiences than I but the dudes I came up with and interacted with and that went pro ball can vouch that the game ain't the same no more and it is pussified! You got very young dudes leading teams now that I know would get punked back then! I grew up with this man! Testing nuts is what we did all day every day. You got foreign bodies on the court now that don't even know what that is today! The game is PC since the Malice at the Palace!

Originally posted by StOnEy333:
Now imagine MJ on the Kobe/Shaq Lakers instead of Kobe. You think MJ would share the ball with Shaq?

YES. and that's an EMPHATIC YES. ask Jon Paxon/Steve Kerr. there were games where Jordan and Pip had 40+ games. one thing is clear though MJ made folks around him infinite folds better. did he get his....most def but noway in hell did he run folks out of town. matter of fact it's been said he made it clear to upper management that he wasn't going to comeback if Phil and Scottie weren't coming back

in your boy Kobe's case it was beef as usual. he may say I won't come be back if Phil is not back but he sure wouldn't include Shaq in that conversation.

Originally posted by StOnEy333:
It's clearly the Kobe of yesteryear. Same body type. Same ferocious D. Same killer fade away jumper. Same ability to drive to the basket (when I say 'same', it's more like very comparable). I'm not here to say Kobe was better than MJ. I'm here to answer the question of the thread and clearly it's Kobe that fits in MJ's spot the best. Would Kobe have led the bulls in multiple 3-peats? Possibly. He still would have had Phil at the helm and an amazing cast of support players.



Now imagine MJ on the Kobe/Shaq Lakers instead of Kobe. You think MJ would share the ball with Shaq?

MJ would have not played second fiddle. MJ was a great passer as indicated by his career assists but he was much too much of an explosive scorer. He simply would have been the best option most of the time. Kobe career wise is the closest I have seen to MJ. If Penny Hardaway would have stayed healthy I think he would have been a stud!

Originally posted by Negrodamus:

Originally posted by StOnEy333:
Now imagine MJ on the Kobe/Shaq Lakers instead of Kobe. You think MJ would share the ball with Shaq?

YES. and that's an EMPHATIC YES. ask Jon Paxon/Steve Kerr. there were games where Jordan and Pip had 40+ games. one thing is clear though MJ made folks around him infinite folds better. did he get his....most def but noway in hell did he run folks out of town. matter of fact it's been said he made it clear to upper management that he wasn't going to comeback if Phil and Scottie weren't coming back

in your boy Kobe's case it was beef as usual. he may say I won't come be back if Phil is not back but he sure wouldn't include Shaq in that conversation.

You ar eright MJ would share the ball with Shaq but MJ would have been the leading scorer both regular season and playoffs. He was simply too explosive. Dude was a 4.3 forty 48 inch vertical hella strong dude!

Originally posted by Pillbusta:

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:
Either one of these teams would crush the Heat IMO. Edit: And you forget a lot of that talent you speak of, and expansion teams, didn't exist in the playoffs. Just like Joe Montana, that what made MJ what he was. Playing and winning in the playoffs. I feel that point is invalid respectfully. He was playing against just as good if not better talent than now. I mean, look at the East and tell me that's some great teams there. It's so damn week itself.

Of course those expansion teams weren't in playoffs - but they took away talent from other teams. Therefore - the rosters weren't as talented as the Lakers or Boston teams in 80s or today's teams like Miami, Spurs, OKC, Houston, Clippers.

Like I said - Chicago lost only 2 more games after losing Jordan and not bothering with replacing him. Btw...Bulls defensive efficiency remained the same or got slightly better the two years MJ didn't play. This is strictly because the talent on other teams was depleted due to expansion.

..and yes, East is weak just like it was weak in the 90s - as was the over combined talent on teams in NBA. 6 teams failed to win 21 games in one year in mid-90s and ppl think NBA is weak today because 2 teams can't win 20.

You should know that in the NBA you have to have your star players bring home the chip! You can't hide on the playoff stage and LBJ found that out. Heat didn't win until LBJ stepped his game up and led those boys! MJ in his last 6 seasons as a Bull 3 peated! The year and a half he was out Hakeem won and he also had to lead his team to the championships! MJ value was really evident in the postseason and that is primarily where his legend was made. 6-0 in the NBA Finals!

Oh yes, the dumbest stat ever - 6-0 in the Finals or unbeaten in SuperBowl. That stat holds meaning only if you've won every single year. According to this ridiculous stat - it is better to be 3rd, 4th, 5th or last than be 2nd. lol

Jordan couldn't get out of 1st freaking round without having Pippen next to him.

So much for the "this isn't an MJ thread"

#truthknuckle

Originally posted by Pillbusta:

Originally posted by Negrodamus:

Originally posted by StOnEy333:
Now imagine MJ on the Kobe/Shaq Lakers instead of Kobe. You think MJ would share the ball with Shaq?

YES. and that's an EMPHATIC YES. ask Jon Paxon/Steve Kerr. there were games where Jordan and Pip had 40+ games. one thing is clear though MJ made folks around him infinite folds better. did he get his....most def but noway in hell did he run folks out of town. matter of fact it's been said he made it clear to upper management that he wasn't going to comeback if Phil and Scottie weren't coming back

in your boy Kobe's case it was beef as usual. he may say I won't come be back if Phil is not back but he sure wouldn't include Shaq in that conversation.

You ar eright MJ would share the ball with Shaq but MJ would have been the leading scorer both regular season and playoffs. He was simply too explosive. Dude was a 4.3 forty 48 inch vertical hella strong dude!

Are you sure he wasn't running 3.9 40, jump 60 in. vertical and won the World's strongest man competition?

Originally posted by Pillbusta:
I don't know how much ball you have played and whether or not you have street balled or not but the way I came up that's what we did and we did hoop vs some pros as well. The one thing we all quickly discovered was that it was a difference vs playing ball vs men and vs boys! I am talking about with the bruhs a 19-22 year old aint balling and banging and even getting the respect vs real grown men 26-34! You might have different experiences than I but the dudes I came up with and interacted with and that went pro ball can vouch that the game ain't the same no more and it is pussified! You got very young dudes leading teams now that I know would get punked back then! I grew up with this man! Testing nuts is what we did all day every day. You got foreign bodies on the court now that don't even know what that is today! The game is PC since the Malice at the Palace!

I wonder how much street ball Gregg Popovich has played.