Bill Russell was a **** NBA PLAYER. Sick & Tired of Old Athlete GLORIFICATION

[Miburo]

smdh here we go again with the ruth bull**** smdh. yes timing, eye sight and mechanics transcend........

if you were playing against everybody, against the very best competition.

RUTH ONLY PLAYED AGAINST WHITE PLAYERS. HE NEVER PLAYED AGAINST BLACK, LATINO, OR ASIAN ATHLETES.

This is not that hard to figure out.

He played against black players all the time in the offseason (that's how they made money), and was judged just as highly by them. Are you seriously arguing that the absolute best player of an era would be worse than the worst starters on a major league team now? You do realize baseball was infinitely more popular and played by many more people during that era than now, right? Guys like Prince Fielder are far from being elite athletes, yet until recently he was a top hitter in the game.

[The Tase]

He played against black players all the time in the offseason (that's how they made money), and was judged just as highly by them. Are you seriously arguing that the absolute best player of an era would be worse than the worst starters on a major league team now? You do realize baseball was infinitely more popular and played by many more people during that era than now, right? Guys like Prince Fielder are far from being elite athletes, yet until recently he was a top hitter in the game.

ohh my god smdh this is exactly what im talking about.

Prince Fielder plays in 2014. Ruth played from 1914 to 1935. Are you seriously gonna sit there and say there isnt a difference?

and your whole answer to ruth not playing against any other ethnicity other than white players in the dead ball era is that he played against black players in the offseason and they thought he was good?



this is what im talking about. old athlete dishonest glorification.

[Miburo]

ohh my god smdh this is exactly what im talking about.

Prince Fielder plays in 2014. Ruth played from 1914 to 1935. Are you seriously gonna sit there and say there isnt a difference?

and your whole answer to ruth not playing against any other ethnicity other than white players in the dead ball era is that he played against black players in the offseason and they thought he was good?

this is what im talking about. old athlete dishonest glorification.

You just proved you know nothing about the baseball of that time by not knowing what the dead ball era or barnstorming were

There is a difference: even after adjusting to the modern game, he certainly wouldn't be as dominant, the overall level of competition is higher. But he would absolutely still be a major league-level player (wouldn't be a right fielder though).

[The Tase]

You just proved you know nothing about the baseball of that time by not knowing what the dead ball era or barnstorming were

There is a difference: even after adjusting to the modern game, he certainly wouldn't be as dominant, the overall level of competition is higher. But he would absolutely still be a major league-level player (wouldn't be a right fielder though).

yes and you're dead ball era expert that can extrapolate dead ball era greatness into the modern game now?



Ruth only played against white players. in the freaking 20s.

Can you imagine any other athlete being taken seriously if he only played against white athletes in the roaring 20s?

[Miburo]

yes and you're dead ball era expert that can extrapolate dead ball era greatness into the modern game now?



Ruth only played against white players. in the freaking 20s.

Can you imagine any other athlete being taken seriously if he only played against white athletes in the roaring 20s?

Just a hint pal: the dead ball era wasn't the 20s

[The Tase]

Just a hint pal: the dead ball era wasn't the 20s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead-ball_era



close enough.

are you seriously gonna sit there and say ruth didnt play in the dead ball era and that the fact that prince fielder is fat means ruth would also succeed in today's mlb?

that is a false equivalency. Fielder is a mlb player in the modern era. he faces black, white, latino, and asian players.

[-Antonio-]

I'm starting to think people are wising up when it comes to this argument. Everything about the game was so different then. The competition (obvious), the playing style (many more shot attempts cause for more points and rebounds), the depth of the league (it's A LOT easier to win a title when the league is 10-12 teams deep with 2 playoff rounds).

You take a talent like Hakeem or a freak like Robinson and place them back then and they put up better numbers than either guy. It's not like Wilt and Russell would not be fine players today, but to rate each top 2 or 3 based purely on their accolades is nonsense.

For the record Kareem is one guy who absolutely would dominate today. There is still nobody who can duplicate the sky hook it's insane. That is not talked about enough.

[Joeyzagz]

I rank Bill Russell #3 of all time, but #1 defensively.

He INVENTED defense in basketball, no one ever really played it before him. And he guarded arguably the most ridculous genetic freak of all time in Wilt Chamberlain.

[AntonTheMeh]

dude was barely 6'9 and 220lbs.

HE SHOT 44% FOR HIS ENTIRE CAREER DESPITE BEING A STRICTLY DUNK/LAYUP PLAYER IN THE ****ING EARLY 60s!!!!!

i cannot stress that enough.

Look up all the big men who couldnt shoot and were strictly dunk layup offensive players. they all are at around 50% or higher.

to shoot 44% for your entire career in the early 60s is ABSOLUTELY DREADFUL.

russell was never an offensive power house to begin with. his value was on the defensive side of the ball. he was basically the ben wallace of his era. if there was as much parity in todays league as there use to be(and if the pistons were smart enough to take carmelo over darko) the pistons could have probably been a dynasty. and you probably would have heard those comparisons more often. it also help that auerbach was a mad genius who had an eye for talent and assembled some of the finest teams basketball has ever seen on more than one occasion.

[AntonTheMeh]

given the nature of this discussion, i thought this was interesting.