Author Topic: Larry Bird athleticism comparison with current players  (Read 14325 times)

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Re: Larry Bird athleticism comparison with current players
« Reply #15 on: April 30, 2017, 07:08:11 PM »

Offline dysgenic

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He was def quicker than people give him credit for.  He also had very strong, quick hands and good lower body strength.

I think because his straight line foot speed was subpar, it made him appear to be a much worse athlete than he really was.  Kind of like Tom Brady.

Re: Larry Bird athleticism comparison with current players
« Reply #16 on: April 30, 2017, 07:20:04 PM »

Offline Celtics17

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The thing i never understood was why people talk about how this player or that is not athletic enough or is such a great athlete but few talk about how smart a player is. No pun intended but Marcus Smart is that way now and Bird was so far ahead of everyone else who played that it wasnt a contest.

Why is athleticism such a criteria to be an effective ball player. A player who can outthink his opponent is often times more valuable then a player who has elite athleticism! How many times have you seen a player throw down a vicious dunk and then celebrate while the other team is scoring at the other end?

Re: Larry Bird athleticism comparison with current players
« Reply #17 on: April 30, 2017, 08:03:36 PM »

Offline dysgenic

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The thing i never understood was why people talk about how this player or that is not athletic enough or is such a great athlete but few talk about how smart a player is. No pun intended but Marcus Smart is that way now and Bird was so far ahead of everyone else who played that it wasnt a contest.

Why is athleticism such a criteria to be an effective ball player. A player who can outthink his opponent is often times more valuable then a player who has elite athleticism! How many times have you seen a player throw down a vicious dunk and then celebrate while the other team is scoring at the other end?

Because elite athleticism correlates higher to effective play in sports relative to intelligence.  This is especially true in basketball.  Westbrook, Lebron, Kobe, Shaq, Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Haquim Olojuwan, etc etc...

You mention Marcus Smart, who I like as a rotational guy but not a starter.  There is no question that his lack of athleticism hurts him tremendously on the offensive end of the floor.








Re: Larry Bird athleticism comparison with current players
« Reply #18 on: April 30, 2017, 08:49:19 PM »

Offline Celtics17

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Danny Ainge had elite athleticism but I rarely hear about him being an elite basketball player. Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Detlef Schrempf, are just a few players who come to mind that were great basketball players who did not have elite athleticism. You mention Smart not having it but yet I see him make some key plays. Plays that really turn games around and ones that are made in crunch time.

It's going to be interesting to watch Jaylen's development since he has both elite athleticism as well as intelligence as a player. He made a couple key plays today that were based on both and going forward this is what will make him a great player.

Re: Larry Bird athleticism comparison with current players
« Reply #19 on: April 30, 2017, 09:55:55 PM »

Offline PhoSita

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Re: Larry Bird athleticism comparison with current players
« Reply #20 on: April 30, 2017, 10:15:07 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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Kevin Love doesn't have the ball handling, passing skills, court vision or BBIQ as Bird but he us about as close athleticallt as I can find in the league. Love is a great rebounder and outside shooter as well as an okay defender if he plays the passing laned, ala Bird but Bird was so much more than Love. Physically though...very similar. The only player that has most of Bird's other attributes is Lebron.