Is it Time to Remove the Oldies From the NBA’s All-Time List?
Image via Complex Original
With Stephen Curry now winning his first finals MVP and becoming a four-time champion, the NBA may have a new top 10 player on its hands. Many Sports analysts, like Undisputed’s Shannon Sharpe, have moved the “baby-faced assassin” into their top 10 all-time list for achieving accolades that only a few NBA players have obtained. Not to even mention the fact that Curry’s playstyle has changed the game for years to come.
But the question remains of who to remove from this legend-filled list.
To include Curry, analysts are having to make the tough decision to remove some all-time greats. Sharpe, for example, removed four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal from his top 10 list. Others are kicking legends like Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant out of theirs.
Yet, I believe there is an easy answer of who to remove.
Even if you don’t believe Curry is a top 10 player, eventually someone will break the barrier and move into the list unanimously. That is why we must remove the oldest players on the list – Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain without disrespecting their play.
Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images
Despite Russell being an 11-time champion and Chamberlain averaging almost 50-points-per-game in a span of a season, these dynamic centers simply dominated a different NBA.
One that doesn’t come close to today’s game.
During their reign, the NBA only had a total of 10 times with the level of talent not even compared to today’s game. The talent pool in the 1950s to 1960s was limited due to the unimportance of the game and the social restrictions of the time. In addition, the NBA had much shorter post-season and regular-season, allowing for easier championship quests and durability. Russell, for example, played between 10-14 games to win each of his first eight championships. The Warriors played 24 just to win their latest title.
Yet, the most important difference between their era and ours is Curry’s bread and butter – the three-point shot. The three-point line wasn’t invented until Magic and Larry Bird’s Rookie Season in 1979, years after the two dominant centers left the league.
And this is why the all-time list must change.
It must include players who faced similar trials and tribulations, even if not exact. I don’t believe this discredits the dominance of Russell and Chamberlain but acknowledges the fact that they played in a different NBA.
Their era is simply not the same as Jordon and Lebron’s time. And it will definitely never be the same as the one Curry has turned the game into - a three-point shooting nightmare.
