Gervin " "I could get 30 or 40 every night real easy, these days"

[SayTownRy]

i see the ice man at the golf course from time to time. he still looks to be in great shape.

bet he's still got the shooting touch too.

[Psileas]

Actually, the point of the article (for anyone who cared to read) wasn't even what the thread title says. The real point is that Gervin was one of the underrated superstars of his days and that he'd be viewed differently if he played in today's era, when high scoring individual performances got so much exposure. That's what he says himself:

"When I played, the media wasn't as involved, the technology wasn't there," said Gervin. "If the world had a chance to see a lot of the guys - like myself - in this era, we would probably be looked at differently."

Whether you agree or not with his estimations of how good he'd be today, that's one thing. But you can't disagree with this quote. It's pretty obvious, really. Today, all of his good moves would be caught on camera, there would be Youtube videos here and there, young fans would be talking about him more. Most 70's and 80's players usually needed to win at least a championship as the #1 men or be complete showmen like Maravich or combine showmanship with drug problems or issues with the league, like D.Thompson or Connie Hawkins to even hope that their bio/career would be caught by a documentary, making them known to future generations. Gervin never won the title, wasn't a 100% showman and his drug problems came too late and never became such a big issue for him. That meant that he'd get no exposure. We don't need documentaries now to know about even second-rate stars, like Ginobili or Redd, let alone the top guns.

[Manute for Ever!]

I hear this bull**** like he would score 30 ppg or even 40, wtf he would even make the ****ing NBA!

Well, he is 56 years old, so you're probably right.

[Manute for Ever!]

Keep telling it like it is, Psileas

[Psileas]

I hear this bull**** like he would score 30 ppg or even 40, wtf he would even make the ****ing NBA!

[plowking]

Yes. yes they do. Flashier doesn't mean better.

Actually I'd say previous generations were flashier. The game has improved, there is no way that you think the 60's, 70's and 80's are better then todays basketball. Late 80's and 90's is probably the strongest point of basketball, though even now, defenders are better then they were before.

[Silverbullit]

It's not THAT easy to score 30 or 40 every night, so I don't believe it.

[RainierBeachPoet]

i grew up watching the iceman and he was a serious scoring machine.

in fact, i really liked the run and gun offense that san anton had in the late 70s/early 80s. they were a very entertaining team to watch and once they picked up artis gilmore, they had a very effective low post game too (although i liked mike mitchell in the post too). if a couple of playoff series games 7 went their way, that spurs team easily could have been champs

i wouldnt bet against gervin getting thirty a game (40 is a stretch but i think he was just speaking in hyperbole) if he were in his prime and playing in 2008. he got most of his points off of mid range jumpers so the changes in current rules hoops would be to his advantage as a scorer.

the one thing that would be very different for ice would be the size of the guards these days. ice used to be able to effectively isolate his man who was generally 3-7 inches shorter than he was. being a 6-7 guard was a big advantage for ice. most clubs these days could put a taller guard on him which i believe would make gervin have to work harder at scoring. but if i were his coach, i would just run him off of more screens to more easily free him up

one thing is for sure though: he is a legit hall of famer. the folks here at ish who didnt have a chance to see him play would know differently if you had seen him as many years as i did, he would flourish in any era because of his great jumper and aiblity to score-- every era looks for those kind of guys

[Scott Pippen]

Basketball is the only sport where the previous generation is considered better then the current generation. This is ridiculous first of all. People actually think the game has gone backwards and that players are becoming worse?

not always worse players, but it is the way the game is being played. Much easier to score now for wing players. Hard for centers. That is purpose of zone defense. Do you really think Shaquille declined THAT FAST?

Physical talent level is up, but fundamental IQ's and basketball skill combine with NBA rule changes in my opinion the true game is not what is used to be. Still great, but not the same.

[plowking]

not always worse players, but it is the way the game is being played. Much easier to score now for wing players. Hard for centers. That is purpose of zone defense. Do you really think Shaquille declined THAT FAST?

Physical talent level is up, but fundamental IQ's and basketball skill combine with NBA rule changes in my opinion the true game is not what is used to be. Still great, but not the same.

He really didn't decline that fast. Look at his numbers. There was a slow and steady drop.

[plowking]

not always worse players, but it is the way the game is being played. Much easier to score now for wing players. Hard for centers. That is purpose of zone defense. Do you really think Shaquille declined THAT FAST?

Physical talent level is up, but fundamental IQ's and basketball skill combine with NBA rule changes in my opinion the true game is not what is used to be. Still great, but not the same.

If anything it has more to do with IQ today. The game is simply not free flowing like it used to be, and thats why I think it is less enjoyable to most these days, as rankings would suggest.

The game has improved, as all sports and progressive activities do over time.

[NuggetsFan]

I love it how 75% of the posters are probably anywhere from 14-18 and have not seen the Ice man play and are just throwing there two cents in for the heck of it, I dont understand how they can really argue with someone who actauly was around during those eras? Just by looking at a boxscore and some espn classics and looking at some old game tape, Basically I never seen him play so I cant make an input to the extent to get into an argument with someone who has been around the game far longer then I have(Unless he is a complete moron. But I really just wanted to point that out, half of these kids think they know more than a adult who has been around the game before they were born, Sorry if I'm way off an all of you have seen him play or atleast were around close to that era lol

[picc84]

Is it true that Gervin once said his idea of teamwork was when a team mate passed him the ball?

Thats classic.

I miss those days when people could be as arrogant and cocky as they wanted to, as long as they were good/winning. Before you had to be all PC and careful about what you say. Bird, MJ, Barkley, and now Gervin have all become quotable icons to me.

Bring back the olden days.

[allball]

Allen Iverson, Earl Boykins and Gilbert Arenas can score in this league but Ice can't. too funny.

[allball]

i grew up watching the iceman and he was a serious scoring machine.

in fact, i really liked the run and gun offense that san anton had in the late 70s/early 80s. they were a very entertaining team to watch and once they picked up artis gilmore, they had a very effective low post game too (although i liked mike mitchell in the post too). if a couple of playoff series games 7 went their way, that spurs team easily could have been champs

i wouldnt bet against gervin getting thirty a game (40 is a stretch but i think he was just speaking in hyperbole) if he were in his prime and playing in 2008. he got most of his points off of mid range jumpers so the changes in current rules hoops would be to his advantage as a scorer.

the one thing that would be very different for ice would be the size of the guards these days. ice used to be able to effectively isolate his man who was generally 3-7 inches shorter than he was. being a 6-7 guard was a big advantage for ice. most clubs these days could put a taller guard on him which i believe would make gervin have to work harder at scoring. but if i were his coach, i would just run him off of more screens to more easily free him up

one thing is for sure though: he is a legit hall of famer. the folks here at ish who didnt have a chance to see him play would know differently if you had seen him as many years as i did, he would flourish in any era because of his great jumper and aiblity to score-- every era looks for those kind of guys

amen brother. most of these younguns are out there doing moves nowadays they didn't even know Ice invented.