Bird may have the highest basketball IQ of any player I have ever seen, or maybe it was Magic, but they both were leaps and bounds ahead of the rest.
I don't have league shooting stats on jumpers in front of me, but I doubt he's average. Even if he were, it doesn't matter, because you didn't say his jump shot is average, but that he has 'no jump shot'.
Hated doing it, but repped ya! Replace Bird with Lebron on those Celtic teams and there is no doubt that they win more games and more championships.
Voted for Bird but just wanna hold it down for Rick Barry who was one of the best all around players at the 3. There wasn't anything on the court he couldn't do, he lead the Warriors to their only NBA title in a huge upset of Wes Unseld's Bullets, he was a fantastic athlete and insane competitor perhaps even more competitive than Bird.
wow, put lebron on that team and there goes the chemistry. The celtics of the 80's played the way basketball is supposed to be played. All of birds point, assists, rebounds etc all came in the flow of an offense. Unlike the cavs that have lebron hold the ball for 20 seconds, and if he can't get a shot off by then or is double teamed, he passes to a wide open teammate for a jumper. His 7 assists per game are probably the least impressive 7 assists anyone has ever gotten in the league. The cavs offensive "system" is a joke.
+1 Lebron is an amazing player, but if you didn't really watch Bird play then you can't understand the difference. If anyone hasn't watched at least one full game of Bird-Parish-McHale v. Magic-Worthy then just do it. Amazing team offenses.
There is a great deal of doubt, frankly. The Celtics of that era were a team that moved the ball almost constantly. In contrast, Cleveland is all about clearing out for LeBron with comparably little player movement. Though he might well be able to change his game, there is no evidence right now LeBron would thrive in such a system. The day LeBron tells the papers he is going to average 45 a game during a 5 game west coast road trip, then does so, I might change my mind. But right now Bird was the sickest small forward I have ever seen play.
I don't get why all of you guys are so in love with players that only play for themselves. watching guys like bird is so much fun because they are so freaking talented, yet listen to their coach and play with their teammates. Instead of the whole team being based on one guy, the teams have a system. So much more fun to watch and so much more impressive. I'd like to see what happened to lebron if he didn't take a shot in 5-6 possessions lol, he'd prolly start pouting and have no idea what to do.
Bird played at a significantly higher pace, which inflates raw stats. By pace-adjusted stats, Bird was all-time great, but James still eclipses him. Plus James has fashioned himself into a high-level defender, while Bird was average (above average team defense, below average man defense). James is the second-greatest player I've ever seen, after Jordan, and he's pretty close to Jordan. I think James is the best talent to play the position but he currently doesn't have the career to claim the top spot. For now, I'd say Bird is #1 and Pippen is #2. But assuming he suffers no injuries, I'd expect James to take the top spot and bump Bird and Pippen down a spot. Elgin Baylor would currently be #3 for me.
The problem with James is he dribbles the ball more than any star player I can think of. About half of his shots come towards the end of the clock, compared to 1/3 (or less) for pretty much every other star scorer or facilitator with handling ability. His peak has been met before by a few perimeter players already imo. Ultimately he'll have to have some more playoff seasoning and not pull any Dallas Maverick stuff, maintain his durability and such first.
LeBron is one of the best passing small forwards ever, I think. Bird was surrounded by all-stars and future Hall of Famers... James has had Ilgauskus and Mo Williams. I don't blame him for shooting as often as he does. I think that Bird is the best SF ever, but I will be surprised if James does not overtake him by the time he retires. Ed O.
Erving. Larry Bird and Rick Barry were the best two passing Fs in history, hands down. Erving was a champion who won with less talent (depth). 16 time all-star in both leagues. 4-time MVP 12-time all-nba 1st or 2nd team (that was with Worthy and Bird in the league) 30/12/5 kind of numbers in the ABA (find me others who put up those kinds of numbers, compare the pace, etc. - in the ABA). I don't think he ever played on a team that missed the playoffs. I picked him because he's way more of an athlete than Bird or Barry. He was Jordan before Jordan laced up the shoes.
Did someone seriously say LeBron was a better passer then Larry Legend? Someday LeBron will take the SF crown but he needs to win some rings first. The clutch, the insane skills, the complete lack of athleticism, the BBIQ and the fact that he is still the best shooter ever to play the game. LeBron will be better but Larry was truly mindblowing against great competition. LBJ could even become the best ever, but I want to see him win some rings and then we'll talk. LeBron is 1000x the athlete but right now I'd rather have Larry on my team then LeBron. [video=youtube;ULvo7__wwBU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULvo7__wwBU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULvo7__wwBU[/video]
If you have any respect for the game, you pick Bird without thinking. Maybe Lebron in 10 years, but even then its iffy...if you don't agree, just go watch a few Bird mix tapes
The amount of rings a player wins, should not count towards his greatness in my opinion. I'm sure I'm in the minority. But Adam Morrison and JR Rider have rings and Barkley, Malone, Stockton and Drexler do not. Some players land themselves on great teams and some don't. So many different things need to line up just perfectly to win a ring, so I don't hold it against a player if he hasn't won one.
