Kareem's Open Letter To Pippen For His Comments About Lebron...

[Brother Blues]

Today's NBA is so water downed due to expansion. Back in Wilts era you never had an off night where you were playing the Toronto Raptors. Every team you played was stacked. Wilt would be the best player in the NBA today by far and have no problem putting up 30 ppg 15 rpg 4 bpg with 4 apg. By the way he didn't face little white boys, every night he faced 6'10 and up , hall of fame centers like Bill Russell, Dave Cowens, Kareem, and Nate Thurmond (who is the exact weight and height as Dwight Howard). George Mikan's era was the era of skinny white boys, not Russell and Wilts.

Does this look like a skinny white boy to you?

Everything Kareem said was right, we don't give enough credit to guys who played pre-1980's

The guy saw a highlight of Wilt playing against Connie Dierking,who was 6 foot 9...hence the little white boy comment.
Centers back then would kill centers of today...you didn't even mention Walt Bellamy,Bob Lanier,Bob Rule,Zelmo Beatty,Wes Unseld and so on.

Every night Wilt got to face one of the 10 best centers in the world...all who would kill any center today,save D.Howard.

 

[crackheadlou]

Say what you want but Kareem was dead on and he saw BOTH eras.

 

[theoriginalgreatone]

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!~

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Yeah, it's a bunch of great big men today.

Such as Dwight Howard and......

Precisely.

I said in Jordan's era, Ewing, David Robinson, Hakeem, Shaq, Mourning. But there are more big men in the league today than it was back then, there are way more 6'10 to 7'0 in the league. They might not be great big men but they are very skilled.

First, you're mingling eras with Shaq and Alonzo and Hakeem, Robinson, and Patrick Ewing. The latter three were at their peak or on the downside when Shaq and Alonzo were coming up and were gone or badly faded as those two reached their peaks.
And of that list only Hakeem can claim to be the equal of Chamberlain and Russell and Kareem. The others are either too one dimensional or lack the same mental toughness.
Secondly, a multitude of big men doesn't equal a multitude of quality big men. Wilt and Russell would demolish most of these current players.

So ignorant (and inaccurate).

Completely.

Wilt was playing when the rules allowed for strong defense. The current NBA and the steady change of rules was made to make it a more offensive game.

http://newsok.com/since-hand-check-rule-change-nba-has-become-a-perimeter-players-league/article/3445220

That's been my point all along. There's nothing anyone playing today or the 80s (Magic and Bird's era) or the 90s (Ewing and Jordan's era) could do to stop any of the real Big Three if they were in their primes but the rules and the way they've been changed to favor perimeter players would harm them the most.

Bullshit. Current big men don't need true talent. they just need to be big and most never develop their game.

Only ones that would of given Wilt and Russell a hard time would of been Ewing, Hakeem, David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Too many of the others to be named have huge holes in their games.

Doubting on Robinson. Fantastic athlete but never exhibited the drive to be great. Just seemed to play basketball because he was 7 feet tall and could get rich doing it.

Today's NBA is so water downed due to expansion. Back in Wilts era you never had an off night where you were playing the Toronto Raptors. Every team you played was stacked. Wilt would be the best player in the NBA today by far and have no problem putting up 30 ppg 15 rpg 4 bpg with 4 apg. By the way he didn't face little white boys, every night he faced 6'10 and up , hall of fame centers like Bill Russell, Dave Cowens, Kareem, and Nate Thurmond (who is the exact weight and height as Dwight Howard). George Mikan's era was the era of skinny white boys, not Russell and Wilts.

Does this look like a skinny white boy to you?

Everything Kareem said was right, we don't give enough credit to guys who played pre-1980's

if 7ft1 young Shaq dominated why wouldnt Wilt? Wilt was taller faster and a way better rebounder than Shaq and this era had no answer for Shaq but injury and father time.

I keep seeing people fall back on current players "athleticism" but athleticism means shit in basketball if you can't use it to be a better basketball player. Jordan was a phenomenal athlete from day one but he didn't become great until he learned how to play the game similar to guys like Allen Iverson and now LeBron James. Being able to jump high and run fast can help but some of the best basketball players weren't great athletes.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Man please I would have made it to the NBA in those days...

Completely nonsense. If you could make it then, you should be in now.

 

[Blunt]

|Being able to jump high and run fast can help but some of the best basketball players weren't great athletes.

Though Russell, Wilt, Havlicek and so many others from that era were great (multi-sport) athletes.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Though Russell, Wilt, Havlicek and so many others from that era were great (multi-sport) athletes.

No argument there.

Didn't really add anything to what I was saying but thanks anyway.

 

[THREAD_CRITIC]

You'd have a much better chance today with 30 teams (watered down with loads of stiffs) than back then when there were 8 or 12 teams (all stacked with the best players in the world).

Wilt faced Russell a DOZEN times during the regular season (and often another 7 in the post-season)!! The best against the best at all times. The Miami Heat don't even have a center, or a point guard worth a damn.

shit was a bunch of slow short white boys...

 

[Upgrade Dave]

And quoting Bob Cousy That nigga was the original And1 point guard, just dribbling to be fucking dribbling. There's a reason he didn't win until Russell and company got there. All flash, no substance. He's right, he wouldn't be successful in the modern NBA. He'd be Jason Williams.

 

[THREAD_CRITIC]

Completely nonsense. If you could make it then, you should be in now.

Nah people today have talent.......

 

[Upgrade Dave]

Nah people today have talent.......

Just going to stick to that story, huh?

That's borderline trolling.

 

[Built4Life]

exactly...even players of today are more advanced physically and skill wise than the 90's.

I agree, but I am partial to the 90's and late 80's, but I can admit my biases. The only difference today is the quality of big men around, but still some of those power forwards we are hailing to be so great would be centers in another era.

 

[THREAD_CRITIC]

Just going to stick to that story, huh?

That's borderline trolling.

Fact that you made a statement about me and don't know shit about me is borderline trolling.....

In 1960 there were only 5 players over 6'7......I'm 6'5 and played D1 ball......Today I'm a dime a dozen back then I could've been a center

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

i just read this thread
and its amazing the amount of people who don't know basketball
not even a little bit

1st argument people have said is the times.. meaning oh it was when there were 8 teams and not that many black players k.

if something is more exclusive, the better you have to be in order to actually make the team.
the better you actually have to be in order to play significant minutes.
the better you actually have to be in order to be a superstar.

wilt and bill were each others competitions. wilt was unstoppable. he averaged 50 because simply nobody could stop him. there isn't a current player now that could stop him and there hasn't been a player ever that could stop him.
the only thing that could stop him were rule changes (such as no dunking)
wilt averaged 50 against the best of the best of that time. when there were few teams and therefore you could literally FOCUS your entire scouting report on not letting him get 50.
guess what? they still couldn't stop him.

do you know how hard it is to score 100 points in a game?
do you know how many shots you have to make the entire game to hit 100?

if the players are better now then score 100
especially given the pussification of the way defense is played today. no hand check, no forearm in the back, no shoves, you can play a zone lol score 100

what center today would stop wilt from scoring every single time he wanted to?

wait not even wilt... what center today would stop kareem's sky hook. kareem could average 40 a night EASILY

wait not even kareem...what center today could handle moses malone and stop him from doing whatever he wanted on both ends of the floor. scoring, rebounding it would be his and there would be nothing you could do about it. just accept it and deal with it.

and imo there is no greatest player of all time but facts are facts
the soft ass players of the late 90's and up to now would be out of the league and working at the deli once they got beat up the way old players did...shit not even that old from 96 and back.

hate to burst some bubbles out there but some of your heroes who came out of high school wouldn't have gotten drafted if they tried that shit back then kobe included. the players they became isn't a factor in the players they were when they got drafted. kobe wasn't always kobe. he would have had to perfect his skills at duke and that's just being honest.

and let's not get into best all around players of all time either

yall don't wanna go there

 

[Upgrade Dave]

^^^^^^

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

exactly...even players of today are more advanced physically and skill wise than the 90's.

how big was wilt and kareem?

skill wise? are you out of your mind?????

kareem got 40,000+ points with 1 skill shot
that NONE of the big men after him seemed to have been able to even begin to replicate its success

if kareem were transported to today as a rookie and had the scientific advantages of today (don't think these dudes don't have the proper diet, pills, regime's supplements and stuff to get them physically built like that) armed with his skill set... he would have 40 a night easy season in and season out. literally the only shot you cannot defend.

so good a rookie came in and won the nba championship using his shot over bigger players

 

[Chuckles]

Bottom line while Wilt and Russell would be All Stars in this era I have no doubt most superstar big men of the last 15-20 years would have put up comparable numbers if they played back then.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

largebills has / this thread but I know it's not over.

 

[losbreal]

This debate these players are having isn't about the best player player, it's about the biggest ego.

 

[FJP]

All i remember is seeing what I thought was tmac daddy due to the eye laziness.

Wilt was at kansas playing against cacs.

But no question he would dominate he 80s but would be another Loser when faces Jordan.

Ask Kareem and magic and worthy.

Jordan never beat a Kareem led team in the Finals( cause the Bulls didn't make it) and worthy was on his last leg in 91 when the Bulls won.

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

Fact that you made a statement about me and don't know shit about me is borderline trolling.....

In 1960 there were only 5 players over 6'7......I'm 6'5 and played D1 ball......Today I'm a dime a dozen back then I could've been a center

hate to break it to you, but you were a dime a dozen back then as well.
there were so many players who were that height and played d1 ball but they simply weren't good enough to make the cut in an 8 player league.
they didn't draft on potential like they do now, because they have so many players you can have a bad draft class and its ok. you can just go ahead and take a risk on a player that doesn't even play for you for a couple of years.
couldn't do that then.

you were 6'5'' ok cool
what skills do you possess that could make you a center back then? so you're saying you'd go up against wilt and russel?

the problem is the tape doesn't do them justice.



if you can't get 30 teams in the nba to use 1 of their 2 picks on you today
how could someone reasonable conclude that they could get 8 teams to give them a shot?

if you can't get in when there's more
how you gonna get in when there's less?

 

[jack walsh13]

if wilt was still living he would also say Jordan is better than him.

without a doubt.

Hell no he wouldn't. Trust me, Wilt ain't saying that bullshit. Without a doubt.

 

[lenny511]

kareem was 100% correct. the top all-time players in nba history are---bill russell elgin baylor wes unseld the big o jerry west. the reason i picked these guys are 1-russell (championships) 2-baylor (unbelievable scorer) 3-unseld (great rebounder and fast break outlet passes) 4-the big o (he can make this entire team look good with his assists also can score at will) 5- jerry west (mr. clutch need i say more). i saw all these guys play. p.s. i didn't pick wilt because russell was a better center. i think this team would be beat any 5 on earth. feel free to reply

 

[TB1996]

Wilt and Russell played against white boys................do that shit today........

 

[Dark Gable]

Ether.

Kareem's crazy for how he signed off too. Classic!

 

[jack walsh13]

Fact that you made a statement about me and don't know shit about me is borderline trolling.....

In 1960 there were only 5 players over 6'7......I'm 6'5 and played D1 ball......Today I'm a dime a dozen back then I could've been a center

There were three players on the Boston Celtics alone who were 6'8 or bigger so what the fuck are you talking about? Russell 6'9, Gene Conley 6'8, John Richter 6'9.

 

[ajamelh07]

kareem was 100% correct. the top all-time players in nba history are---bill russell elgin baylor wes unseld the big o jerry west. the reason i picked these guys are 1-russell (championships) 2-baylor (unbelievable scorer) 3-unseld (great rebounder and fast break outlet passes) 4-the big o (he can make this entire team look good with his assists also can score at will) 5- jerry west (mr. clutch need i say more). i saw all these guys play. p.s. i didn't pick wilt because russell was a better center. i think this team would be beat any 5 on earth. feel free to reply

C-Shaq
PF-Tim Duncan
SF-Larry Bird
SG-Michael Jordan
PG-Magic Johnson

Beats that squad

 

[THREAD_CRITIC]

hate to break it to you, but you were a dime a dozen back then as well.
there were so many players who were that height and played d1 ball but they simply weren't good enough to make the cut in an 8 player league.
they didn't draft on potential like they do now, because they have so many players you can have a bad draft class and its ok. you can just go ahead and take a risk on a player that doesn't even play for you for a couple of years.
couldn't do that then.

you were 6'5'' ok cool
what skills do you possess that could make you a center back then? so you're saying you'd go up against wilt and russel?

the problem is the tape doesn't do them justice.



if you can't get 30 teams in the nba to use 1 of their 2 picks on you today
how could someone reasonable conclude that they could get 8 teams to give them a shot?

if you can't get in when there's more
how you gonna get in when there's less?

Only 5 players over 6'7 alone shows I wouldn't have been a dime a dozen.....Now I could go into scientific facts proving todays players are taller, stronger, and faster....the fact that from the age of 5 players today have been in AAU and other youth ball....Where in the 50s and 60s high school was the first time most of these players picked up a ball....and even go into how baseball was far more popular among black youth...but I'm posting from my phone and I don't care about the topic enough.....You believe the NBA was stacked back then......I believe Uconn womens team would dominate.....life goes on

 

[TheKingofVa]

There were three players on the Boston Celtics alone who were 6'8 or bigger so what the fuck are you talking about? Russell 6'9, Gene Conley 6'8, John Richter 6'9.

Also the players were measured bare foot back in the day. So by todays NBA standards Russell would be listed at 6'10 or 6'11 and Wilt 7'3 because players are measured in their shoes now. Bill Russell is almost the same height as Kevin Garnett who is listed at 6'11 (some people say he is 7 feet tall)

 

[FJP]

Man I been saying that for a minute. When people
Bring up Wilt as the greatest cats try to dismiss it. I call Jordan the greatest because that's the greatest but that's only from who I've seen. To be honest the ring is not the only thing. Basketball is a team sport. Wilt based on numbers is clearly the greatest. His stats look like cartoon numbers. Wilt is the optimum example of why team matters. No matter how good one man is he can't win alone.

Far as competition cats have to take into account that in the 60s many blacks were not allowed to play in the NBA. But whoever tr competition was he dominated it. You can't penalize someone for playing who they had no choice in playing. The only thing I wonder is when people compare it to today. Cats are bigger and stronger than ever. On girth alone I don't think Russell would be able to deal with Prime Shaq, yeah Russell was great but 7'2 330 is hard to get around. Yeah people always talk about how Hakeem got him
But Shaq was young. I don't think 2000 Lakers Shaq loses to The 94 rockets. But we never know.

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

Wilt and Russell played against white boys................do that shit today........

they could do it today easier than back then
do you not know what era they were in? if you think the refs might have a motive now...imagine the white refs back then

they took away dunking man...
took away a shot

wilt and russell would dominate today easy

 

[THREAD_CRITIC]

There were three players on the Boston Celtics alone who were 6'8 or bigger so what the fuck are you talking about? Russell 6'9, Gene Conley 6'8, John Richter 6'9.

I said 5 you named 3 and are asking me what the fuck am I talking about....go play outside

 

[BronxBomber]

So wait the consensus is Wilt would have AVG 50 pts a game today? LOL

Feel like Im in the bizarro world.

One man doesnt stop one man. And game is way more competitive because of the sheer amount of exposure. You didnt have EVERYBODY trying to get to the NBA back then.

Again I do respect the brother and think he would no doubt be Hakeem, Shaq, Ewing, etc caliber no way. No way he scores 50 a night. Got to be on that dope.

 

[jack walsh13]

Wilt and Russell played against white boys................do that shit today........

That's your point? Riiiiiiigggghhhht. Cause no waaaaaaaaaaaay Wilt can bust Al Jefferson , Elton Brand, Dwight Howard, Or Serge Ibaka's ass right? There's just noooooooooo waaaaaaaay that can happen. I mean, with that great Defense from
Hasheem Thabeet,Greg Monroe and Al Horford, Wilt would be lucky to average 15 points. Stop with this punk pussy smooth shit will ya please.

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

C-Shaq
PF-Tim Duncan
SF-Larry Bird
SG-Michael Jordan
PG-Magic Johnson

Beats that squad

oscar roberston gets a triple double every night
kareem shoots the hook
wilt grabs the boards
jordan and bird get their points.

Only 5 players over 6'7 alone shows I wouldn't have been a dime a dozen.....Now I could go into scientific facts proving todays players are taller, stronger, and faster....the fact that from the age of 5 players today have been in AAU and other youth ball....Where in the 50s and 60s high school was the first time most of these players picked up a ball....and even go into how baseball was far more popular among black youth...but I'm posting from my phone and I don't care about the topic enough.....You believe the NBA was stacked back then......I believe Uconn womens team would dominate.....life goes on

but what you said about the height back then just isn't true.
and you also have to take into account that people didn't draft like they do today...you don't draft cause a player is tall you draft cause a player is good.
how are they taller how tall was wilt homie? how hard is that to understand nobody is saying everyone
i am saying WILT and russell
and again i said give them the same scientific advantages (supplements workout techniques etc etc)
an acl tear meant the end of your career back then
now you can come back in 9 months

the women would dominate?

ok homie, no more responses towards you concerning basketball

enjoy your day