a few small 1954 and 55 ASG clips just uploaded by the NBA

[jongib369]

http://youtu.be/tAuQLyeB9mM

Best highlight ever

[Dr.J4ever]

http://youtu.be/tAuQLyeB9mM

Best highlight ever

Stray Cats and those hooks

[swagga]

http://youtu.be/tAuQLyeB9mM

Best highlight ever

not a single black man seen in a 500 mile radius
just a bunch of white boys throwing bricks while listening to country music.

[mehyaM24]

not a single black man seen in a 500 mile radius
just a bunch of white boys throwing bricks while listening to country music.

[CavaliersFTW]

learn to read. I didn't suggest they didn't exist. I actually I clearly said that they did exist. I just said that it is unlikely that the best of the best (in terms of athletes) were making it to the NBA. This is due to a combination of racial issues, economic issues, scouting, etc.

I don't know how many times I need to say this...the top 5% of the league back then would do just fine in any era. It's the other 95% that is much worse than today's league. Superstars can easily transcend eras. Scrub mcdub regular players can't by any sort of simple logic.

Wilt type players defies the odds of statistics, they are complete anomalies.

Talent Pool Group A (90's - 00's):
190 million 12 year old kids worldwide nowadays (my guess) who play basketball..

Talent Pool Group B (40's - 50's):
20 million 12 year old kids worldwide who play basketball worldwide (even though the real, available pool is less because of the lack of visibility back then in terms of scouting foreign country players).

Of course if there is some freak 12 year old that is 6'9, athletic, is coordinated, happens to live in the US, loves basketball he would be make it in either situation.

If you chose 500 total from the combined talent pools, this is how it'd end up:
10 superstars from Pool A
10 superstars from Pool B
480 rotational level players from Pool A

The best of the best were making it to the NBA in the 60's... they had integrated, and by the late 50's they were already sweeping up the best black players. That's how professional sports work. The cream rises to the top. Those competitive franchises wanted to field the best guys on the floor. The racial stigmas of the 40's and early to mid 50's was destined not to last in a competitive environment, and it didn't last. So rest assured the very best guys in the world were in the NBA by the 1960's. By that time your best argument would be maybe the NBA missed a small handful of players behind the Iron curtain. But there were no Wilt Chamberlains or Oscar Robertson in the soviet union at that time that's for sure, might have had a couple guys that could round out an NBA bench that's about it.

[swagga]

don't you facepalm me son, they used to lynch people back then, once brothers got into the game it was over.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

learn to read. I didn't suggest they didn't exist. I actually I clearly said that they did exist. I just said that it is unlikely that the best of the best (in terms of athletes) were making it to the NBA. This is due to a combination of racial issues, economic issues, scouting, etc.

I don't know how many times I need to say this...the top 5% of the league back then would do just fine in any era. It's the other 95% that is much worse than today's league. Superstars can easily transcend eras. Scrub mcdub regular players can't by any sort of simple logic.

Wilt type players defies the odds of statistics, they are complete anomalies.

Talent Pool Group A (90's - 00's):
190 million 12 year old kids worldwide nowadays (my guess) who play basketball..

Talent Pool Group B (40's - 50's):
20 million 12 year old kids worldwide who play basketball worldwide (even though the real, available pool is less because of the lack of visibility back then in terms of scouting foreign country players).

Of course if there is some freak 12 year old that is 6'9, athletic, is coordinated, happens to live in the US, loves basketball he would be make it in either situation.

If you chose 500 total from the combined talent pools, this is how it'd end up:
10 superstars from Pool A
10 superstars from Pool B
480 rotational level players from Pool A

sensational post

[CavaliersFTW]

sensational post

it was drivel actually

[jongib369]

Some truths to it, but numbers like "only 5%" are ludicrous and pulled from his ass imo lol

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Some truths to it, but numbers like "only 5%" are ludicrous and pulled from his ass imo lol

Agreed. I think most big men would translate - Guards would not.

[CavaliersFTW]

Some truths to it, but numbers like "only 5%" are ludicrous and pulled from his ass imo lol

He's speaking assumptions so there's a slight difference.

I mean based on his logic he honestly thinks someone like Dave Bing wouldn't find a spot on a roster today, let alone be an all-star? To say 95% of the league in the 60's wouldn't make it today is laughable. A Wayne Embry would be/is a valuable type of piece to a team today let alone a Walt Bellamy. A lot of guys from the 60's are legit NBA talent, not a little, a lot. I'd say the overwhelming majority. Their skills reflect the game of their time, but their abilities/talents the way I see it are elite. All highly coordinated hard working giant athletes with long arms and big hands, they're professional basketball players. Sundizz can drivel all he wants about some formula in his head so as to try and diminish them but the fact is all the players he sees in 60's footage are faceless and nameless so it's really easy for him to assume they're just a bunch of nobody's.

[CavaliersFTW]

Agreed. I think most big men would translate - Guards would not.

So Oscar, West, Wilkins, Rodgers these guys could not translate today? I don't get why not?

[RoundMoundOfReb]

So Oscar, West, Wilkins, Rodgers these guys could not translate today? I don't get why not?

Most guards would not - not every guard would not. I think that someone like Cousy absolutely would not.

[CavaliersFTW]

Most guards would not - not every guard would not. I think that someone like Cousy absolutely would not.

He's a 50's era guard, not a 60's era guard.


Either way though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-xa6546ixc

really? Name a player not named magic johnson in the entire history of the game who conducted fast breaks like that.

That's what all-time talent looks like. He can't be pigeonholed as a one era type of player.

[LAZERUSS]

The best of the best were making it to the NBA in the 60's... they had integrated, and by the late 50's they were already sweeping up the best black players. That's how professional sports work. The cream rises to the top. Those competitive franchises wanted to field the best guys on the floor. The racial stigmas of the 40's and early to mid 50's was destined not to last in a competitive environment, and it didn't last. So rest assured the very best guys in the world were in the NBA by the 1960's. By that time your best argument would be maybe the NBA missed a small handful of players behind the Iron curtain. But there were no Wilt Chamberlains or Oscar Robertson in the soviet union at that time that's for sure, might have had a couple guys that could round out an NBA bench that's about it.

This.

Those who claim that the "population explosion" and "world-wide" game need to explain why we haven't had a single Shaq since he retired. Or MJ. Or D-Rob. Or Hakeem. Or Bird. Or Magic. Or Moses. Or Walton. Or Kareem. Or Wilt. Not one. Not even close.

Or the fact that a 38 year old Duncan is still among the best players in the league. Hell, I would take him over a prime Marc Gasol in a heartbeat.

Or the fact this population boom has not brought us seven-foot "Magic's." Nope...all we have are a slew of 6-9 centers who can't shoot from three-plus feet. A few years ago a 6-8 Kevin Love ran away with the rebounding title. A few years before him, a 6-7 Ben Wallace (who could't shoot from point-blank range) not only was running away with rebounding titles, he was also winning multiple DPOY's.

For those idiots who laugh at footage of Bob Cousy...how about the worst shooter in NBA history playing in TODAY's NBA? I give you Ricky Rubio...who wouldn't have sniffed a top college roster in the 60's and 70's. Oh, and while Cousy won one MVP...how about a 6-3 Steve Nash winning TWO in the 00's? Hell, a 37 year old Nash, playing 33 mpg, led the league assists.

How do the bashers of the 60's explain the fact that the NBA shot FTs better in 1959, than the CURRENT NBA? With all of this modern training and technology...and players TODAY are FAR worse at shooting FT's than those in the 70's (the '74 NBA shot .771...today's NBA is at .754.)

Furthermore, in the "weak" 60's and 70's, there were quite a plethora of LEGIT 7-0+ players, many of whom were successful in college...that were ordinary to mediocre in the NBA. Steve Turner was a full 7-4. Swede Halbrook was a full 7-3. Tommy Burleson (who battled Walton to a draw in their two H2H's in college) was a full 7-2.

And of course, thanks to the research of CavsFTW, we now know that the LISTED heights of players since the 80's has been a joke. "7-0" Hakeem...barely 6-10. "7-4" Ralph Sampson...shorter than 7-2 Kareem. Today's NBA is littered with 6-11 to 7-0+ players who are barely 6-9 and 6-10. Cousins, Whiteside, Howard, Jordan, and Drummond...NONE even 6-10. Hell, the "7-1" Spencer Hawes is ACTUALLY a little over 6-10.

Meanwhile, in the 60's and 70's...many players were actually TALLER than their listed heights. For his entire college career Elvin Hayes was listed at 6-8. Turns out he was just as tall as the "6-11" Dwight Howard. Russell was listed at 6-9 his entire NBA career...same actual height as the "6-11" Hassan Whiteside. Wilt was listed at 7-1, but was certainly taller. Bill Walton was listed at 6-11, and there are accounts as high as 7-2.

Continued...