Youn Gala: 'NBA Legends & Players Explain Why Larry Bird Would Destroy Today's NBA'

Source:Youn Gala- left to right: the 2nd greatest forward in NBA history and the greatest guard in NBA history, talking about the greatest forward in NBA history, Larry Bird. No one wanted to beat Larry Bird, more than Julius Erving & Earvin Johnson.

"NBA Legends And Players Explain Why Larry Bird Would Destroy Today's NBA" 

From Youn Gala

As I talked about yesterday on The New Democrat: Larry Bird dominated the NBA mentally. And add his hand-eye coordination as well, I think only Magic Johnson comes close as far as eye-hand coordination in the NBA. 

And yes, Larry Legend had great size, 6'9, some people say 6'10, 230 pounds of muscle. The Boston Celtics always undersized him and said that Bird was 215-220 pounds. Maybe in his first few years, but not by the mid and late 1980s. But it's Bird's basketball intelligence, his homework and I'm sure being 6'9 helped him see very well, because he was generally so much bigger and stronger, as well as taller, than most of the small forwards back then that tried to cover him. James Worthy and Dominique Wilkins being the exceptions to that. 

Why would Larry Bird destroy the NBA today? 

There are several reasons and one of the main ones is that NBA is so much different now. A lot more teams, a lot more games on cable, including the NBA Finals, instead of on broadcast network TV, a lot more players, and just to be real frank about this, the players and teams just aren't as good as even in the 1990s, when the quality of play, teams, and players started to decline, from the 1980s, when the NBA was at it's peak as far as the quality of players and teams. But again, the style of play and the culture of the NBA is so much different now. 

When Larry Bird played, it was a big man's league and he was this 6'9 big man, who played like a great NBA guard, not just small forward. Because the NBA is so perimeter oriented today, where the power forward and center positions, have all been eliminated, where every NBA player now who is 6'8 or taller, wants to be the next great point forward, instead of power forward or center. Even if they are 6'11 or 7'0 and have good strength as well, they still want to be the next great point forward, not big man. Larry Legend could or would be a center today, because of his size and the style of play today. Or, you would need your center to try to cover him, because your small forward is just too damn short and small to try to match up with him. 

Plus, the fact that NBA defense is not emphasized nearly as much today, as even 30 years ago, where players are like: "I'll try to stay with him and perhaps even put my hands up, but I don't want to get into foul trouble and I want to conserve my energy for offense, especially 3-pointers." 

But nothing to fear, because Larry Bird is 66 today and he probably wouldn't want to play in today's NBA anyway, because it would be way too easy for him. And he would feel guilty about destroying young NBA players who simply aren't good enough to play with or against him.

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