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I think the tradition part of if is being a bit undersold. People and particular fans (in this case probably better to use the full term: fanatics) love legacy and comparing greats. Look at the Lebron stuff. If you change 81 games it will change the full season stats and while states nerds love stuff like per possession metrics etc that stuff does matter to a lot of folks.

I'm not saying anyone is wrong in trying to get rid of back to backs but I do think we underestimate how things would change and the controversy it would cause. Just can't wait to hear all the Inside the NBA start b****ing about how soft the new generation is and why even advanced metrics should get thrown out the door if they make the schedule change. They'd have a point too as less tired players would cause them to be more efficient have less awful games!

 

You're right but it'll never change because of money .

The schedule isn't the only problem though .

How come so many players around the league can't stay healthy for the 1st week of the season ???

This is RIDICULOUS

 

None of the old timers want to hear this but the game is harder - the amount of effort you have to be put into defense due the overall talent plus to close out at the 3 point line while still avoiding getting back court is hard work. There just so much more movement nowadays

 

I get this and it's true but not 2-3 games into season .. Some players body preservation and preparation are just not good enough/careless during the offseason

 

I think it's a combination of a lot of things.

Back then, players didn't have the lateral quickness and first-step movements that players today have. So you have far more sudden movements. The game was a lot more stationary back then and the players played stiff. Nowadays, defenders are so good you need a whole arsenal of dribbling skills to get past them whereas back then, you just dump it to the post and everyone watches and can get a break.

It's just a more complicated game. Older folks might dislike that narrative but it's true. You're chasing players from three point line every play and all of these guards can dribble right past you so you're always on your feet.

The current NBA players all played basketball intensively dating back to before they were even teenagers. That probably plays a role in how their body just has more wear & tear.

People like to say that the 90's were tougher and had harder fouls. Yeah, that was mainly just shoving and players getting elbowed. Those aren't serious injuries that we're talking about today where you blow an ankle or knee. Getting elbowed in the back isn't going to put you out of the game for 3 weeks. It'll just hurt for a few hours.

And another thing is precautionary. The NBA players today, especially the good ones, are seen as investments. You can't put them out when they aren't at least 90% healthy, risk a long-term injury, and now that four year contract you just gave them becomes a dead contract because they can't recover to what they used to be. It's more business-minded than ever. Luka could play today if it was the playoffs. But the Lakers aren't going to risk his injury becoming a bigger one and then all of a sudden, he's gone for months.

 

Yes.Qnd todays players almost never practice ,it's been like that since COVID
A lot of former players and coaches said that repeatedly

 

this was kind of my argument re: bird with svtzr last week. i just don't know that bird could defend at the same level he did in the 80s with how the game is played currently.

 

Bird was a big dude: they'd move him to PF. He would have been fine - he lost a lot of agility once the back went out. If Dirk survived so would Larry

 

All true. I truly despise the old head "the game is soft today" arguments about how it was so much better when people could beat each other up, so it was more "physical", and yet, the game was so much more unathletic, with worse defense, even though they think it was better back then than now. Just old man yells at clouds level stuff.

 

dirk was 7ft. bird was 6'9".

and ironically, dirk would have trouble defending in the league his skillset helped create.

like, luka's laterally as quick or quicker than bird was, and we have to live in fear of him being iso'd by a mediocre nba guard on any given possession. bird wouldn't escape that, either. no chance. keyonte george will score on him.

my old man yells at cloud stance is that the three point line is too close, and it diminishes the quality of the game. otherwise, yeah, it's been all advances. hell, it's the advance in skill that has made the three point distance a problem.

 

I'm a Magic guy but I just think this is very disrespectful to Bird. The data both in terms of stats and reputationally really go against this idea that Bird was some sort of awful defender who couldn't compete nowadays. His steal rate I believe was the highest among NBA forwards in the 80's and only the Doctor himself Julius Erving had a comparable steal rate in the same vicinity. Of course, steals is not an overall defensive metric but from my understanding it is a measure most NBA scouts and data people feel translates well in detemining a players athletic ability to play defense at the NBA level. Gives you an idea if a player has the agility plus reaction time for scouting purposes for example.

In addition, he made 3 all-NBA defensive second teams: even if you think that was some combo of racism and Boston homerism, he was not seen as a bad defender but a good one reputation wise.

As a comparison: his steal rate is just much higher than Luka and way higher than a guy like Dirk. Don't believe either has sniffed an All NBA defense consideration. Bird and Julius had these ludicrously high steal rates compared to their peers but it's been forgotten due to their other exploits. These dudes were special