So, this was basically what Wilt was like in the 50s and 60s right?

[CavaliersFTW]

Brown brothers do not fret, IQ > Athleticism.

Tell that to the Frankenstein in the mixtape...

[CavaliersFTW]

This dude just made it into the NBA!? Seriously!?

[dubeta]

The Indian Wilt Chamberlain awaits


Hopefully his finals ppg average doesn't half from his regular season

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Confirmed: Wilt would be a late second rounder in this era.

[CavaliersFTW]

I mean this just makes Wilt seem incredible, guy is 7-2 290 aka he's probably about 7-1 without shoes. His mobility is practically non-existent, but he is deemed automatically good enough to play in the NBA..


Wilt is the same size, and moves like this: https://youtu.be/G94iJr8ZbzM?t=9m26s

Shit it isn't even human to move like that at that size

[Cleverness]

Just in case people missed it - the guy was 14 years old in that original video.

Newer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO19TMV6tR0

[LAZERUSS]

Confirmed: Wilt would be a late second rounder in this era.

If he were still alive, yes, a near 80 year old Wilt would probably go late in the second round.

[LAZERUSS]

I predict jlauber/lazarus takes this to heart and treats us with another one of his essays about how competition back then was as good as ever, including calculations on the mean height + weight of Wilt's competitors compared to this Indian kid's ones.

Wilt's competition included the likes of Reed, Bellamy, Hayes, Unseld, Cowens, Lanier, Thurmond, Gilmore, Russell, and Kareem.

I doubt this "Indian Kid" has ever faced anyone remotely as gifted as those guys were. NOR, will he ever.

[9erempiree]

Wilt would destroy that guy without scoring a point. Wilt can run for days. I don't know a big guy like the Indian kid would do so.

He's 25 minutes max in a NBA game.

[FKAri]

Wilt's competition included the likes of Reed, Bellamy, Hayes, Unseld, Cowens, Lanier, Thurmond, Gilmore, Russell, and Kareem.

I doubt this "Indian Kid" has ever faced anyone remotely as gifted as those guys were. NOR, will he ever.

Gifted to play in the 40's

[sd3035]

Brown brothers do not fret, IQ > Athleticism.

This guy was too dumb to get into a college

[LAZERUSS]

It is not as if there weren't a plethora of seven-footers in Wilt's era. The 7-3 Swede Halbrook put up solid numbers in his college career (and BTW, his Oregon St. team had another seven-footer in their starting line-up Phil Shadoin.) Halbrook still holds the Beavers rebounding record, with 36 in a game. BTW, he was also a track star in high school. Yet, he had a mediocre NBA career. How come?

Vanderbilt had the 7-2 Steve Turner (who was listed as tall as 7-4), and he was a decent center. And he had battles with the 7-2 Tom Payne in the SEC. Turner was never drafted, and Payne had one awful season in the NBA. How come?

Henry Finkel, Reggie Harding, Dave Newmark, and Rich Niemann were all seven-footers playing in the NBA in the Wilt-era, and none accomplished much.

Then there were the decent 7-0+ players that played in the Chamberlain-era. Mel Counts, who had 15-20 foot range, Walter Dukes, and Tom Boerwinkle (just ask Kareem how good he was.)

And finally, the good-to-great 7-0+ players that Chamberlain faced. Kareem and Gilmore (yes, the two squared off in the first ABA-NBA ASG, and Chamberlain easily outplayed him.)

Then, how about the 6-11 guys that would probably measure 7-0+ in today's NBA? Walt Wesley (BTW, he had a 50 point game in the NBA, and was a career 9 ppg scorer); Ray Felix, Chuck Share, Craig Raymond, Elmore Smith, Bob Lanier, Walt Bellamy, and Nate Thurmond, just to mention a few.

The reality was, Wilt faced tall, skilled, and even athletic big men his entire career.

Of course, take a look at the centers of today's NBA. Demarcus Cousins, Dwight Drummond, Deandre Jordan, and Dwight Howard...all 6-9 1/2. The same exact height as Bill Russell. And we have seen a 6-5 1/2 STARTING center in THIS era (Chuck Hayes.) And how about a 6-7 center winning DPOY's, and RPG titles (Ben Wallace)? BTW, Wallace easily outrebounded a prime Shaq in the '04 Finals.

This notion that Wilt just faced 6-6 nerds has to come to an end.

[sundizz]

It is not as if there weren't a plethora of seven-footers in Wilt's era. The 7-3 Swede Halbrook put up solid numbers in his college career (and BTW, his Oregon St. team had another seven-footer in their starting line-up Phil Shadoin.) Halbrook still holds the Beavers rebounding record, with 36 in a game. BTW, he was also a track star in high school. Yet, he had a mediocre NBA career. How come?

Vanderbilt had the 7-2 Steve Turner (who was listed as tall as 7-4), and he was a decent center. And he had battles with the 7-2 Tom Payne in the SEC. Turner was never drafted, and Payne had one awful season in the NBA. How come?

Henry Finkel, Reggie Harding, Dave Newmark, and Rich Niemann were all seven-footers playing in the NBA in the Wilt-era, and none accomplished much.

Then there were the decent 7-0+ players that played in the Chamberlain-era. Mel Counts, who had 15-20 foot range, Walter Dukes, and Tom Boerwinkle (just ask Kareem how good he was.)

And finally, the good-to-great 7-0+ players that Chamberlain faced. Kareem and Gilmore (yes, the two squared off in the first ABA-NBA ASG, and Chamberlain easily outplayed him.)

Then, how about the 6-11 guys that would probably measure 7-0+ in today's NBA? Walt Wesley (BTW, he had a 50 point game in the NBA, and was a career 9 ppg scorer); Ray Felix, Chuck Share, Craig Raymond, Elmore Smith, Bob Lanier, Walt Bellamy, and Nate Thurmond, just to mention a few.

The reality was, Wilt faced tall, skilled, and even athletic big men his entire career.

Of course, take a look at the centers of today's NBA. Demarcus Cousins, Dwight Drummond, Deandre Jordan, and Dwight Howard...all 6-9 1/2. The same exact height as Bill Russell. And we have seen a 6-5 1/2 STARTING center in THIS era (Chuck Hayes.) And how about a 6-7 center winning DPOY's, and RPG titles (Ben Wallace)? BTW, Wallace easily outrebounded a prime Shaq in the '04 Finals.

This notion that Wilt just faced 6-6 nerds has to come to an end.

You do get that it is not all about height and weight though. It is about how many other people of the same size you had to compete with to make the NBA.

In 1960 probably 10,000 people that were legit 6'9 or taller played basketball.

In 2015 probably 120,000 people that are a legit 6'9 or over and play basketball. In those days Robert Upshaw would of made the NBA easily for example and been a starter. Nowadays, he has at best a minor chance.

[LAZERUSS]

You do get that it is not all about height and weight though. It is about how many other people of the same size you had to compete with to make the NBA.

In 1960 probably 10,000 people that were legit 6'9 or taller played basketball.

In 2015 probably 120,000 people that are a legit 6'9 or over and play basketball. In those days Robert Upshaw would of made the NBA easily for example and been a starter. Nowadays, he has at best a minor chance.

I don't even know who Robert Shaw is, nor do I care to.

Look, if the 6-9 1/2 Deandre Jordan can average 12 ppg on a .710 FG%, without being able to hit the rim from three feet away...that is all I need to know about how talented the current NBA is.

A 6-9 1/2 Cousins, with a 28" vertical, just averaged a 24-13, and in only 34 mpg.

A few years ago the 6-8 Kevin Love, who can barely dunk, led the NBA in rpg, at 15.2 rpg, and in 36 mpg. And a couple of years ago he posted a 26-13 in 36 mpg. The 6-8 Jerry Lucas was just as great a rebounder, and shooter, in the 60's.

The 6-3 Ricky Rubio has been a starter in this league, and yet he can't throw the ball into the Grand Canyon from the ledge.

The 6-1 Rajon Rondo, who also can't shoot to save his life, had a post-season run of 17-7-12. How do you explain that?

The 6-0 Chris Paul is generally considered the best PG in the game. Oscar and Pistol Pete were both 6-5.

The 6-9 Kevin Durant has been the best pure-shooting scorer in this era. The 6-9 1/2 Bob McAdoo was his equal in the 70's.

And, as has been proven throughout history, height alone, means very little. The history of the NBA is littered with 7-0+ flops. Hell, 7-3+ flops.

Wilt played in leagues with 8-17 teams, and faced a plethora of seven-footers in that era. And he was still winning RPG, FG% (all-time record BTW), and First-Team All-Defense in his LAST season. Hell, research has indicated that he averaged 5.4 bpg in his last season. Not only that, but he averaged 22.5 rpg in his 17 playoff games, in an NBA that averaged 50.6 rpg per team. The next highest since...18.7 rpg by Kevin Garnett in 2002.

Do you think he would struggle against the many seven-foot clods who stumble around in the current NBA?

[sundizz]

Old man waves stick at clouds

Again, you talk about everything but logic. Transcendent superstars like a Wilt can dominate in any era. The rest of the league he played against wouldn't make the modern NBA. They would of gotten weeded out well before then. Getting drafted out of 50,000 players is much easier than getting drafted out of 1,000,000's from all over the world.