Would you draft Bird or Wiggins today?

[Marchesk]

Seeing as how some wonder if Bird would be too slow to handle today's super athletes.

[noob cake]

Wigginstans are really reaching here

Top 5-6 GOAT vs one of the lowest skilled #1 pick of all times....

[Akrazotile]

[uber]

Seeing as how some wonder if Bird would be too slow to handle today's super athletes.

As i remember correctly that's what have been told about Bird before he came to the NBA back then either.

[HurricaneKid]

You know that saying "there are no stupid questions"?

OP proving it wrong.

[Marchesk]

As i remember correctly that's what have been told about Bird before he came to the NBA back then either.

Probably so. Were there any questions about Magic as a guard being quick or athletic enough?

[Marchesk]

You know that saying "there are no stupid questions"?

OP proving it wrong.

Should I have asked, would you draft Love or Wiggins? Would that make it more even?

[JohnMax]

Embiid would have been #1 pick if not for health problems.

[PHILA]

As i remember correctly that's what have been told about Bird before he came to the NBA back then either.

Alex Hannum, May 1979





Red Auerbach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcB43C0dawQ&t=19m14s

[Akrazotile]

Embiid would have been #1 pick if not for health problems.

He should still have been #1.

[StephHamann]

OP:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpuRcmPnSTM

[navy]

Alex Hannum, May 1979





Red Auerbach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcB43C0dawQ&t=19m14s

[Marchesk]

OP:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpuRcmPnSTM

I'm just a messenger, but hilarious clip.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Bird killed these playes, time and time again (just in case you don't know them)...

Bobby Jones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NxCr-3L8J4

Michael Cooper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7K-oa2bDFY

Larry Nance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdBDOyzh8T8

Orlando Woolridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ-CH_dHw8Q

Sidney Moncrief: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ADAo3W4Hos

Kenny Walker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5pVmmjLPlg

Xavier McDaniel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibgXpouwhgk

Buck Williams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLLDjCLXtU0

Jerome Kersey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLA8pj8yW58

As for the more well known names, he did this to them...

Dennis Rodman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5BJGCh_eCY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJd4H4QvUck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-42c470-MjM

Michael Jordan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKoXZ1f00Mc

Julius Erving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugW1oJuG7eo

Scottie Pippen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcXp3PSRGvw

James Worthy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKx8hWaG_2o

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjyfWn5uq5I

Hakeem Olajuwon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WivGOEznCU

... then you also got Paul Pressey, Dominique Wilkins, Rodney McCray, Horace Grant, Tom Chambers, Cliff Robinson (all-defensive in the 00's), Terry Cummings, so on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msEmcemLR7M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksp82aw-jqg

Lots of all-time great defenders and/or athletes, along with better bigs in the paint, and with more physicality going on, plus less superstar treatment...

I'm sorry but today's era couldn't "offer" as much in order to stop Bird, if anything Larry would've had it "easier" nowadays.

If you'd pick Wiggins you would be making the same mistake that some coaches, players, gm's and so on did back in the day, then Bird just proved them all dead wrong, having a top5 peak of all-time, playing unreal basketball.

In fact, Bird's athleticism is very underrated, he was a pretty solid athlete before serious injuries, all of that stuff was just to add to the "myth", being white and unathletic and whatnot.
Larry was 6'9'', played at over 220 lbs, was very mobile, two of the quickest hands ever, very coordinated, great footwork, very strong, deciptively quick especially in small spaces, same vertical as Karl Malone's, could run on the break, had some nice dunks...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX8ipponmSc

[choppermagic]

Are you kidding?

Look up Larry Bird's college career. Dude was a god and the only game they lost in his final year was against Magic Johnson's team in the title game. Guy was scoring a ton more than Wiggins and transformed his school's basketball program single handedly. No way Wiggins is getting the nod over Bird.