Some people just can't see clearly when it comes to their teams. Players back in the day, even the 80's, would have a harder time in the current league. NBA players have gone beyond natural talent and skills. It was rare to see a chisled player back in the 80's, no most players partake in some kind of weight lifting and/or body building program. FYI Lakers were the first team to implement that as a team wide requirement, of course Magic got off light when ever he felt like it. IMO players are using performance enhance substances, like b-ball, in the league today, the NBA seems to be lask in that dept.
I've seen Wilt play many times. He came into the league with a phsyique that was a cross between Ewing and Robinson. He had Ewings length and Robinsons athleticism, a combo never seen before. Later in his career he filled out and had a more thick muscular build ala young Shaq. Wilt was just so much quicker and bigger than 99% of his opponents that he could just have his way. Wilt didn't have moves like McHale, Dream or Duncan, he was more about effectiveness like Shaq. Alot of his moves were Shaq like or finger rolls litterally over the heads of his defenders. You'd be hard pressed to finger roll over your average center in the 80's - 00's, just ask Duncan. On offense there is no player in history that could possibly defend Shaq in his prime in any way shape or form. Shaq's combo of strength, speed and footwork is just too much for anyone including Wilt, Russel, Kareem, DRob, Gilmore, Walton, Mourning and Dream (IMO some of if not the greatest C's of all time on both ends) On the flip side Wilt could not go through or over Shaq on defense, he'd have to go around and it would be something new for him.
Wilt never became a fat pig like Shaq. And Shaq never scored 100 pts. in a game. And he could never, ever have led the league in assists like Wilt did! Wilt's court sense and understanding is a magnitude of order higher than the big Aristotle. Face it, Shaq isn't the sharpest tack in the box, and Wilt got away with everything becaues he could and still was the strongest quickest big man on the court.
Don't forget that Wilt had to play against Kareem, Lanier, Russel and the other big centers of his day. Don't forget that he saw these guys many more times in his carreer because their were fewer teams and the level of talent on each team was much greater. There was a good deal more strategy then, and there were very few one dimensional players. A player would get beat, and his coach and he would figure out something else to try. No one could ever figure out a way to beat Wilt until the end of his career.
Shaq couldn't have handled the pace of the game back then. Teams scored 120 pts. regularly. Fatso would have gotten winded pretty quickly back then.
You really think Shaq could get to a postion faster than Wilt? :crazy:
You think Shaq could stop Wilt from running up and down the floor?
Shaq was pretty much in his young prime when Hakeem Olujuwon made him look sick. Wilt had that speed too, or maybe you forget some of his battles with Russel.
There's no way you can compare Shaq's speed with Wilt. In a foot race, Shaq would finish last. Shaq is a bit bigger, so I wouldn't disagree that he was stronger, but Wilt was so much quicker, that Shaq wouldn't able to even keep up with him. He wouldn't need any post up moves, because Shaq would still be standing in the same place after Wilt made a move and dunked the ball.
The moves that Shaq used would have been called fouls in the old NBA, you could never back an opponent down, you had to go around them. Shaq did have the ability, but he has no finesse. Wilt did.
I saw them both play, and it's a joke to compare them. Shaq is the best Center of the modern era, but he couldn't do the things that Wilt did in his career. They allow players to get away with so much more today, because the talent level is lower. They even allow zone defenses these days!
A Jordan led bulls team could never have won in the 60's and 70's. There were too many complete teams around to let one 2 guard beat you. In that era, Jordan would have become another Oscar Roberston- a great player that never got a ring, until he hooked up with Kareem at the end of his career.
The game was played at much higher level then. I remember it.
