Sometimes it's fun to read other Blazer forums

Cool story bro.

 

Bro you're trippin. Jordan was not a traveler. Not only was he the best ever but he was one of the most fundamentally sound players ever. I've seen PLENTY of Jordan. I was in HS during that era. You're just wrong on this one.

 

I agree with what Magic said about Jordan. He was a guard but he had the strength of a center. He may have started out soft when he was a shoot first type but he ran into the Pistons. By 91, he was ripped and nothing could stop him. That Jordan would translate very well into the old NBA.

 

I think the younger Jordan would thrive too. There was no one who was his height that had his quickness, ballhandling, defense, and scoring ability.

 

Just curious. How do you think Charles Barkley would have adapted to the old time game? He is my all time favorite player by a country mile (and that includes Blazers too.) He was small for his position but was unlike anybody else. I doubt will see his like again.

 

To be as small as Barkley was for his position, and to do the things he did, he would have been amazing too.

 

Very fair points. Just an aside, as your comments jogged my memory. I was fortunate enough during the 76/77 season to get tickets to watch the Blazers play the 76ers during the regular season. After a long stint on the floor, Gene Shue substituted for George McGinnis. McGinnis came off the floor, walked to the end of the bench and immediately lit up a cigarette! And did it at least twice more over the course of the game. But then, most everyone smoked, even in the arena during the games. Sometimes the fog of smoke was so bad it was hard to clearly see the action from the nosebleed seats. So yes, very different eras in many respects and comparisons are virtually useless. But it that doesn't make the memories ....or your observations.......any less valid. Again, good points.

 

First of all, Screw Jordan. If you're going to back up the truck, back it up all the way.

He's an 8 year old in racist as hell in the 50s North Carolina.
He doesn't have access to 90s workouts/trainers.
The NBA doesn't pay jack.
The NBA calls traveling.
...

Does he even become a basketball player, let alone a star?

 

Jordan in the 60's would have been a PF-sized player. So basically, equivalent to a modern LeBron but Jordan's brain... can you imagine how good that player would be today? That's how good Jordan would be in the 60's.

 

The prototypical PF back in those days were 6'8" - 6'9" and weighed roughly 220-240 lbs. I believe they call those "tweeners" these days. And I just can't help but believe that one venture by Jordan into the key against Bill Russell would have made him think very seriously about doing it again. Don't us geezers and our memory based opinions wear thin after awhile........? We just can't help it sometimes......

 

I hated Jordan with a passion, but the dude was a baller. He was as efficient as Shaq in the post, posting up 15ft from the basket. There has never been a player like him. He's the best ever to play the game.

 

Back in the good old days, if you drove to the basket, the forward enforcer broke your nose and the center enforcer broke your rib. Skinny Jordan would have to gain 40 pounds. His game would become like Baylor's.

Chic Hearn used to say that West's nose had been broken 9 times...then Chic would list another 10 or so major events in West's injury history while West held his head in pain. Then West would keep playing, so Chic ran out of time to list the rest.

 

There were a lot of 6'9" guys but they also played center (Wes Unseld was 6'8" and a C, Pettit at 6'9" was a PF/C too). There were a lot of SF/PF guys in the 6'6" - 6'7" range (Bailey Howell, Tom Heisohn, Dolph Schayes). I think young Jordan would have been a SF, and old Jordan a PF.

 

Pettit and Schayes almost belong in the '50s career wise, but you make a good point about Unseld. However, he was considered short, even for that time period. What made him so effective (besides brain and skills) was that he was twice as wide as any two players in the league. It took half a day to get around him. Jordan would have disappeared into the void trying to drive on Wes. And since you jogged my memory, Lloyd Neal was only 6'7" and he too was a helluva center. When Walton went down during the 77/78 season, Neal stepped in at center and Portland barely missed a beat....till Neal went down also. Then the wheels really came off. But I digress again. I certainly do wish a way back machine really existed just so we could try all these scenarios out. How much fun would that be?