<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Pacers came to town without their president Thursday, which meant there was no Larry Bird in the house. Nor was there a Larry Bird wannabe. Perhaps the greatest statement on the evolution of Dirk Nowitzki's game is that those silly comparisons to Bird have cooled. A check of articles written this season came up with few references to the similarities between the two. Which is good because those comparisons have always been tenuous. That's not taking anything away from Dirk's brilliance, but it seems that a number of so-called analysts have tried to draw a comparison between two great shooters and have been swayed by two common physical traits. They are white and blond. "But," Mavericks assistant Del Harris said, "I don't think anyone ever accused Larry of being handsome." O.K. Give Nowitzki the edge on looks. Bird is the legend. Comparing any player to a legend is problematic, and it is common in sports to fall into the trap of limiting the comparisons to players of the same race. "It happens because it makes us comfortable," said Peter Roby, director of Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society. "It's the easiest way to make a comparison. There are many times when it is not accurate, but it is often uncomfortable to compare different races." But the Bird and Nowitzki comparison simply doesn't work. Consider the numbers: In his first eight seasons, Nowitzki was All-NBA first, second and third team twice each. He finished third in MVP voting twice. He won no titles. In his first eight seasons, Bird was All-NBA first team eight times. He won three MVP awards, finished second three times, third once and fourth once. He won three titles. Nowitzki and Bird? Even Mr. and Mrs. Nowitzki wouldn't make that comparison. "I don't see a lot of similarities in their games," Harris said. "In my 50-plus years of observing the game, I've not seen anyone with a better mental grasp of basketball than Larry Bird." Pacers TV analyst Quinn Buckner, former Mavs coach and Bird teammate, agreed. "Any comparison with Larry is unfair to Dirk," Buckner said. "Larry is in the conversation as the best forward in the history of the game in every category except individual defense. He was a great shooter, a great post-up player, a great passer and a great team defender. Dirk has a lot of work to do to catch up."</div> Source
This begs the question -- which player today is most comparable to Bird? And let's think out of the box and not restrict ourselves to white players. Bird was very unique. A great ball-handler, rebounder, and all around hustler. Superb passer. He had a knack for making big defensive plays, despite very limited athleticism. He could very well be the best pure shooter in the history of the league. He was ambidextrous, and could shoot comfortably with either hand around the basket. A supreme decision maker. Because of his unique skill-set, no one player is a satisfiable comparison. Lamar Odom, Kevin Garnett, and Dirk Nowitzki come to mind -- versatile bigs who can handle the ball, shoot from the perimeter, rebound, and pass. LeBron has some similarities, though he plays more like a guard than Bird. Any better comparisons?
When Rasheed Wallace applies himself, he has a lot of the same skillset and two-way dominace Bird had for Boston.
I see some of Birds qualities in KG,Bron,Kobe,Dirk, and even Melo, BUT none of those guys are near his level "yet"
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">KG is the closest, but he lacks that "closer's mentality".</div> Im a big fan of KG, but KG is not the pure shooter and passer Bird was. Bird could hit those treys like it was going out of style. His stroke was so smooth. I can understand the Dirk comparison, but I think I'd rather play it safe and say Bird was and continues to be in a league of his own.
