Gary Payton: LeBron wouldn't be as good in our era

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

You can't guard him now because it seems like you can't put your hands on him. You know what I'm saying?" Payton said during the All-Star break. "With LeBron, if somebody can hand check him and muscle him, I still think it could be the same. It's a lot different when somebody can hand-check you and control you and be stronger than you on the block or whatever and not let you go anywhere.

"It's a little bit different, as being free and being a freak of nature and his body that he has right now, nobody can guard him, you know what I'm saying? So right now, if he could come back in our era and we could hand check him and guard him and bigger guys get on him and when he gets to the bucket we hit him and knock him like (Bill) Laimbeer, like the Boston Celtic days, it'd be a little bit different. I guarantee you it would be. But he's still great, he's still a great basketball player and like I said he's playing in a great era because he can get to the bucket whenever he feels like it.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/0...#ixzz2MO3ME5ut

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQAdKkh5CJo

Funny Bruceblitz video on the topic. He's right though.

[Lebron23]

He would still be better than you Mr. Payton.

[jimmy77x]

nb4 lebron nut huggers arrive ... too late

[FireDavidKahn]

Gary Payton: "I'm really jealous at how good Lebron is"

[unbreakable]

of course he wouldnt be as good.

brb NO FLOPPING
brb they actually call TRAVELING
brb he'd get murdered the second he tried to FLOP like he does sometimes

[Orlando Magic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQAdKkh5CJo

Funny Bruceblitz video on the topic. He's right though.

HAHAHAHA... WOW THE RAGE.

Regardless if Bruce is right or not, citing a former players' opinion as evidence that your viewpoint is correct is bullshit. I'm so sick of those types of arguments. IDGAF what former players have to say... just because they could kick my ass on the court doesn't mean they can out analyze me.

LeBron James is one of the best basketball players we have ever seen. If you transport current LeBron back in time to the 80s and early 90s, he is the best perimeter player in the league in terms of getting a team wins... as he would be in any area. Even with hand checking he would still blow by defenders.

[Lebron23]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAiAzRSoq1w

[inclinerator]

lebron could also use his hands to ward of defenders like mj use to do

[gengiskhan]

Could'nt have said it better myself.

LBJ looks unstoppable. If LBJ looks like this. imagine how great SHAWN KEMP would've been. 'Nique would've been in today's era.

severe Hand checking + physical "CONTACT" D will limit LBJ, Wade, Kobe all of them.

Offense just DONT flow smoothly with those IMPEDIMENTS.

Kobe aint crossing 21 PPG at age 34 as fatigue, burn out kicks in much more quickly.

LBJ be missing more shots than not.

Wade's EURO STEP will be neutralized completely with hand on him.

Peyton is completely correct. No 2nd thoughts on this.

[PJR]

Every past player is always going to think their era was the best.


Wilt once said Magic wouldn't be as good in his era.

It's all a crock of shit. Franchise/Superstar level players are transcendent.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

A great player is a great player in any era.

[Lebron23]

lebron could also use his hands to ward of defenders like mj use to do

LeBron would be a much more dangerous defender without the hand check rule. I like Payton as a player, but LBJ would be an elite NBA player in any era from the 1950's up to the Present Era.

[All Net]

A great player is a great player in any era.

Yep

Lebron would be an all-time great no matter what era he's in.

[2010splash]

Clearly Payton has reached the age where delusion and senility sets in.