Author Topic: If Larry was a rookie in 1991 with the Bulls, how many rings  (Read 1592 times)

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Offline KG Living Legend

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 No Jordan. Replace him with Larry. Bird does not try to play baseball after he wins three straight.
 
 Bird plays with  all the same players as MJ did.

 Does he have a real shot at winning six titles in this scenario.
 

Re: If Larry was a rookie in 1991 with the Bulls, how many rings
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2011, 11:44:05 AM »

Online Roy H.

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It's probably a bit harder for Larry with the same players, since both Pippen and Kukoc largely player the same position as him.  Similarly, if you move Larry to PF, Rodman or Grant is there, while there's a hole at SG.

However, I do think if you put a Prime Larry in the 1990s, he could have won 6+ rings.  Larry made the ECF 8 times, and the Finals 5 times, playing against better competition (LA, Philly, the underrated Milwaukee). 


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Re: If Larry was a rookie in 1991 with the Bulls, how many rings
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2011, 11:53:59 AM »

Offline Moranis

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It's probably a bit harder for Larry with the same players, since both Pippen and Kukoc largely player the same position as him.  Similarly, if you move Larry to PF, Rodman or Grant is there, while there's a hole at SG.

However, I do think if you put a Prime Larry in the 1990s, he could have won 6+ rings.  Larry made the ECF 8 times, and the Finals 5 times, playing against better competition (LA, Philly, the underrated Milwaukee). 
I know expansion thinned out the league a bit, but one could argue that the 90's have just as many good teams as the 80's, which come playoff time is all anyone is going to see anyway.
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Re: If Larry was a rookie in 1991 with the Bulls, how many rings
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2011, 12:11:23 PM »

Offline BballTim

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 No Jordan. Replace him with Larry. Bird does not try to play baseball after he wins three straight.
 
 Bird plays with  all the same players as MJ did.

 Does he have a real shot at winning six titles in this scenario.
 

  In general that only works with players who play the same position. Replace Shaq with Jordan on those threepeat teams and you have two shooting guards and no center, no titles at all.

Re: If Larry was a rookie in 1991 with the Bulls, how many rings
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2011, 12:24:35 PM »

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It's probably a bit harder for Larry with the same players, since both Pippen and Kukoc largely player the same position as him. 
I think Pippen could have easily adjusted to playing the shooting guard position.

Pippen's defensive range was incredible. That is the #1 issue with players and their ability to play multiple positions. He was also an above average rebounder with excellent athleticism so rebounding wouldn't have been an issue.

Pippen also had those point forward skills so ball-handling and passing ability were right there. A slasher offensively with a good post game. He'd be even more of a threat in the post, he'd absolutely kill smaller two guards in the post. More of a power game offensively than the quickness-based SF game he played offensively.

I also think Larry and Kukoc would complement one another well when Kukoc enters the game as a sixth man.

Re: If Larry was a rookie in 1991 with the Bulls, how many rings
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2011, 12:25:58 PM »

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 No Jordan. Replace him with Larry. Bird does not try to play baseball after he wins three straight.
 
 Bird plays with  all the same players as MJ did.

 Does he have a real shot at winning six titles in this scenario.
 

Yes, I think so.

If he has those two extra seasons that MJ lost (choose to lose), good chance Bird wins more than 6 titles with the same teammates that MJ had.

Re: If Larry was a rookie in 1991 with the Bulls, how many rings
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2011, 12:30:43 PM »

Online Roy H.

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It's probably a bit harder for Larry with the same players, since both Pippen and Kukoc largely player the same position as him.
I think Pippen could have easily adjusted to playing the shooting guard position.

Pippen's defensive range was incredible. That is the #1 issue with players and their ability to play multiple positions. He was also an above average rebounder with excellent athleticism so rebounding wouldn't have been an issue.

Pippen also had those point forward skills so ball-handling and passing ability were right there. A slasher offensively with a good post game. He'd be even more of a threat in the post, he'd absolutely kill smaller two guards in the post. More of a power game offensively than the quickness-based SF game he played offensively.

Yeah, after some initial trepidation, I have largely the same thoughts.  Larry and Scottie would complement each other fairly well, and arguably Larry's shooting would even bring a dimension that MJ didn't have.  I think it's very possible that Pippen would actually have been better playing with Larry.


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