Clyde Drexler: Is he deliberately "underrated" & "underappreciated" all-time great ?

[KG215]

Ummm they weren't that close.

Thought Jordan kind of put that whole debate to rest in the '92 Finals? At least a little bit.

Jordan: 36-5-6-2 on .526/.429/.891

Drexler: 25-8-5-1-1 on .406/.150/.893

Now, I was four at the time and I've only see a couple of those games in their entirety and that's been a while. But did Jordan not guard Clyde in that series? Or was it Pippen?

And of course that's another one of those "Jordan was slighted and used it as motivation" stories that's been stretched a little over the years, but still.

This is what the article said, so I can see how Jordan could've taken that as a slight.

Perhaps he is being completely honest. But it's difficult for the Blazers to laugh off all the criticism routinely lobbed in their direction, criticism that falls most heavily upon the formidable shoulders of the 6'7" Drexler. This is the season in which Drexler, 29, has clearly elevated his game to the point where he now stands, in the estimation of most NBA insiders, right behind Michael Jordan as the league's best all-around player. "And the gap between them is not as great as a lot of people might think," says Jerry Reynolds, the director of player personnel for the Sacramento Kings.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...3760/index.htm

[gengiskhan]

Don't insult my intelligence with this revisionist history. The Blazers were loaded and favored to beat a talented '91 Laker team with Magic. Solid support? If that's solid support then great support must be very scary.

Are you really so stupid that you can only compare a player's help by comparing their single best teammates? It goes well beyond that, especially with a team that had as many quality players as those Blazer teams did.

Like I said. Nice try.

If Jordan had Pippen

If Shaq had Kobe

If Wade had Shaq

give Clyde Drexler a Barkley or an Ewing any given day and take away all those buck williams, danny ainges, jerome kersey. You'll see Blazers winning 2 rings.

only thing Drexler really had was a solid coach. He was missing a true 2nd punch that both Barkley & Ewing missed with Sixers/Suns & Knicks respectively.

we all know this. good role players will land you in the NBA Finals but Dont win it.

You need that solid 2nd fiddle to win it all.

[LAClipsFan33]

Drexler was nowhere near as talented as Jordan. ATHLETICALLY TALENTED? I guess - but even there MJ had him beat. But in terms of BASKETBALL talent (creativity, feel for the game, intuitive sense etc.), not even close.

Talent...meaning athleticism

They were close. Jordan edged him out a bit in athleticism and destroyed him in skills and the mental aspects of the game

[SlayerEnraged]

You have not seen ONE FULL GAME of Clyde Drexler. Your opinion is null and void.

Someone else posted how Clyde was fast as Wade without the awkard landing positions...PUHLEASE I've watched the 92 finals and just random youtube videos of Clyde and yup he's good but speed was not a major strength of his. Btw, hows ur quest for basketball shape coming along?

[guy]

Thought Jordan kind of put that whole debate to rest in the '92 Finals? At least a little bit.

Jordan: 36-5-6-2 on .526/.429/.891

Drexler: 25-8-5-1-1 on .406/.150/.893

Now, I was four at the time and I've only see a couple of those games in their entirety and that's been a while. But did Jordan not guard Clyde in that series? Or was it Pippen?

And of course that's another one of those "Jordan was slighted and used it as motivation" stories that's been stretched a little over the years, but still.

This is what the article said, so I can see how Jordan could've taken that as a slight.



http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...3760/index.htm

Jordan guarded him. He had an all-time great series better then any other wing player ever had even if you just take into account his offense. But on top of that he held down a top 5 SG of all-time in his prime defensively. Its hilarious how people think there are any wing players comparable to him.

[LAClipsFan33]

I guess it depends on your definition of close. There were things they were close at, but other then maybe rebounding, there was literally nothing Drexler was even arguably better then Jordan at. Jordan was clearly the better scorer in every aspect, the better passer, better defender, better clutch player, better big game performer, better leader, better decision-maker, better athlete, etc. So I wouldn't really call that close.

I was referring to god given talent...combine numbers basically.

If you transfer Jordan's brain into Drexler's body Jordan still becomes the same type of player because the drop off in athleticism was small.

Again...Clyde was dumb as rocks and didn't work as hard as Jordan, but physically he was nearly as gifted

[gengiskhan]

guys seriously!

Jordan would do that to anyone what he did to Drexler in 1992 finals?

Many call it, it was Jordan vs drexler nba finals.

others call it, Jordan + Pippen vs Drexler + Porter

to be fair to Clyde, It was in reality Jordan + Pippen vs Drexler. Pippen by 1992 was complete all time great player.

[guy]

guys seriously!

Jordan would do that to anyone what he did to Drexler in 1992 finals?

Many call it, it was Jordan vs drexler nba finals.

others call it, Jordan + Pippen vs Drexler + Porter

to be fair to Clyde, It was in reality Jordan + Pippen vs Drexler. Pippen by 1992 was complete all time great player.

Switch Jordan on the Blazers/Rockets and Clyde on the Bulls, and Jordan has 7-8 titles instead of 6. 1990-1993 with the Blazers, and 1995-1997 or 1998 with the Rockets.

[Joshumitsu]

Clyde was great. Very underrated in that he doesn't get the reputation he deserves. Some aspects, he was just as talented as anyone. Others, not so much.

Let me put it this way:

Clyde could hold his own against Magic, Bird, Jordan, etc. But while he had a spectacular combination of skills/athleticism, he's still below them. Why? Well, for starters, he wasn't a smart basketball player, his ball handling wasn't that great, and his 3-pt shooting/mid-range game was flawed. He could be dominant (ex. playoff performances, two career quadruple double games, amazing athleticism) but was overall inconsistent.

Think of a more skilled Vince Carter.

Don't get me wrong. Clyde could easily hold his own against the best of today's league. But his mindset is not Wade or Kobe.

[ShaqAttack3234]

Like I said. Nice try.

If Jordan had Pippen

If Shaq had Kobe

If Wade had Shaq

give Clyde Drexler a Barkley or an Ewing any given day and take away all those buck williams, danny ainges, jerome kersey. You'll see Blazers winning 2 rings.

only thing Drexler really had was a solid coach. He was missing a true 2nd punch that both Barkley & Ewing missed with Sixers/Suns & Knicks respectively.

we all know this. good role players will land you in the NBA Finals but Dont win it.

You need that solid 2nd fiddle to win it all.

If Clyde "had" Ewing or Barkley, he'd be the sidekick anyway.

We all know that it matters who those players were surrounded by. And your definition of role players is a stretch. The Blazers weren't role players.

If Clyde was better, he might've won a ring or 2 with those Blazers. It has nothing to do with his cast. He had more talent on those teams than anyone could hope for. For comparison, he had more talent on his cast than Jordan's Bulls at that same time. Jordan was just a much better player. And I don't care if Shaq had Kobe and Wade had Shaq. They have nothing to do with Clyde, but I can tell you for a fact that the '90-'92 Blazer casts were more talented than the 3peat Lakers or the '06 Heat casts. But just like Clyde was not capable of performing like Jordan, he was also not capable of performing like 3peat Shaq or even '06 Wade during the finals.

[LAClipsFan33]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsk1dx-73VA

Drexler was a freak of nature. Big, fast and strong...too bad he was a dummy

[L.Kizzle]

Clyde was not 100% goin into the playoffs in 92. The evidence is in the pudding as he had a major fall of the next season as he never recovered.

Not to mention him being guarded by either Jordan or Pippen the whole game.

[tpols]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsk1dx-73VA

Drexler was a freak of nature. Big, fast and strong...too bad he was a dummy

Wow.. he doesnt look that fast. Strong and can jump.. but the whole time I was watching I was imagining Lebron in these same fast break situations except Bron would've been down the court twice as fast.

[ShaqAttack3234]

As far as talent between MJ and Clyde? Not close, imo. MJ had natural basketball skills that Clyde couldn't match no matter how hard he tried. It was obvious that Clyde could never have the footwork, pure shooting ability, creativity, defensive instincts ect. Basically what OldSchoolBBall said. He was definitely not as quick either. Clyde compared as a rebounder and passer, but that's it.

Clyde was not 100% goin into the playoffs in 92. The evidence is in the pudding as he had a major fall of the next season as he never recovered.

Not to mention him being guarded by either Jordan or Pippen the whole game.

True, though he still played easily his best ball that year. It was an injured toe that bothered him initially starting in February and then a sprained right knee in the playoffs, though Jordan actually had a thigh injury himself.

'92 was the one year I'd say Clyde might've been a top 5 player in the league. Debatable though with Jordan, Ewing, Malone, Robinson, Hakeem, Barkley and Pippen.

[JtotheIzzo]

Kobe and Wade shit on his Drex. Next.

Prime Drexler would own Wade. Bigger, stronger, just a quick if not quicker, a solid combination of physical attributes (strength, quickness, dunk contest hops) and a full skill set.

Drexler had a handful of years where he was second only to Jordan. And this was in the late 80s and early 90s when there was a lot of talent in the league.

Punk ass little ISH b*tches weren't around and think the L started with MJ and Iverson. Anyone dissing Clyde in this thread is dumb.