Yes
No
Did you forget that Admiral was on the bench along w/ Porker when the Spurs made the comeback against the Mavs in Gm 6 & he wasn't that much better than Malik Rose against the Lakers?
None were second stars for a championship team.
He didn't, at least from the mid aughts on. But for some reason it's forgotten, both by the masses and many Spurs fans, that Duncan somehow kept a terrible roster (especially on the perimeter), in the early aughts, among the top few teams in the league.
Did you forget that Admiral was on the bench along w/ Porker when the Spurs made the comeback against the Mavs in Gm 6?
Of course he changed the game. Before he came to the scene, the league was dominated by Centers. His explosive slashing moves to the basket, handling of the ball, great shooting, and a great post up game was lacking in many shooting guards at the time as well. When he came, that changed because players "wanted to be like Mike". He even changed how defense was played at the perimeter. His impact was so dramatic that the league eventually outlawed hand-checking to make the game "more enjoyable" and to make it possible for other athletic guards after MJ retired to blossom into the "next MJ".
The list begins with George Mikan. How do you think Bird and Magic collectively revolutionized basketball?
Definitely did. Has never been someone that big who was that athletic and fast. Could take guys off the dribble at will. Would be close to the best player in the game today, given how much bigger he would be than other Centers and still to quick.
Why do you think the word "philanthropist" needs to be capitalized?
To revolutionize, it would mean change the way others that followed. David was a great player, but no one in the league is copying his game. He was a unique talent, but he didn't change the game. In fact the bigs now don't play "center" like they did 20 years ago. Now centers are 6'9 and shoot jumpers and draw charges. The game has gone away from the big man.
in saying this, I would say the same thing about Tim. Great player but probably the end of the dominant back to the basket players.
Many people don't realize that Robinson is actually a rich man's version of Chris Bosh. The Admiral had the athleticism of a small forward and an all-around skill set that will make him a terror in today's NBA. Can you just imagine a prime D-Rob guarding a prime Steph Curry on a switch?
His impact was insane in the 90s. Carried mediocre squads for most of his career until Duncan arrived. He's a GOAT defender candidate and is still underrated to this day. , you have fake ass Spurs fans like Great got that think Avery Johnson was more important than him:
No. Bonner did more to change the game than Robinson did. A lot more. It's not about how good the player is. In fact, it's the opposite. Robinson was a one-of-a-kind guy who's game could be chalked up to that (like Lebron). Bonner is a guy who by all accounts would not be in the league if he weren't both a knock-down shooter and a big. The fact that such a mediocre overall player could make an impact is what forced the league to rethink spacing and shooting bigs. Almost every team has a Bonner nowadays, only one or two have a guy with even 70 percent of Robinson's toolbox.
and after MJ, the les were won by Duncan, Shaq, Wallace, Garnet, Gasol, Dirk.
Few players revolutionize the game. DRob was gifted with amazing athletic ability. Played the position like no one before him, but he didn't really change the game or the position. He just happened to be quicker and more athletic than most other big men.
Man, I n remember that. My parents, in their 5 year of season tix, couldnt go so I went got to watch Hakeem slap David with the trophy he shoulda won!
Fair enough. Mikan is way before my time.
The position got weaker the more I thought about it after my post, but the rationale at the time was that they brought it from a sport that you could see on tape delay after the news to a game that everyone watched. I suppose timing has a great deal to do with that, as cable TV and David Stern deserve an enormous amount of credit for it as well.
David was the MVP that year. Any argument otherwise is ridiculous. Robinson dominated the head to head matchup with Hakeem over their career, despite Dream having far better teammates. That one playoff run was the only time Hakeem came out on top.
If you put Robinson on the Rockets and Hakeem on the Spurs, the Rockets win that series in four blowouts.
Again, I can make a case that Dr. J did all that before Jordan even left North Carolina. The "Like Mike" thing was a Gatorade commercial. If you want to talk about global marketing, which he basically invented and still owns, then that's a different discussion. If rule changes = revolutionizing, then Mark Jackson revolutionized the game too, and I don't agree with your opinion. Jordan was the best player to ever lace up shoes in the NBA, but he just did the same better than everyone else did.
Popularity and passing. Now how about Russell the GOAT?
How about Chamberlain?
Russell?
And lets not forget, Sabonis creamed DRob, hahaha
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Anyway, DRob was the reason I became a Spurs fan
He was my first NBA idol, him and MJ
A defensible position regarding Russell. But that doesn't necessarily mean that he revolutionized the game. The lane wasn't expanded because of Russell, but because of Chamberlain.
BTW, I realize it is off-topic, but I would nominate Oscar Robertson as the GOAT though I do not believe he came close to revolutionizing the game. (I realize that Oscar as GOAT is a very unpopular stance these days, and I do not want to derail this thread. I make the comment solely to illustrate my position on Russell.)
Last edited by sasaint; 01-03-2016 at 08:45 AM.
As far as passing is concerned (even popularity among a certain age group), I would argue that Pete Maravich had a more profound impact on the game. Even shooting - the guy was Curry before Curry. Once Pete crossed half court, the defense was vulnerable. It would be interesting to hear Magic, Bird and even Curry talk about Maravich and his influence. I would wager that absent Maravich there may have never been a Magic (or possibly even Bird).
Robinson is the reason that I became a Spurs and an NBA fan as a kid.
I don't feel that Robinson revolutionized the game of basketball. I do feel that he helped in a big way to evolve the nba into the league we see today. The way he engaged the community and fans has been used as a an example of far reaching consequences and is the model of public interaction that is held up by the league itself with its David Robinson good citizenship award.
Someone doesn't have to be revolutionary to be impactful. A major step forward in a direction when at a crossroads is probably as meaningful of a move as a decisive change. In the late 90s and early 2000s the nba was at a crossroads most players are and were decent enough people but the league had an image issue with lots of morally and legally questionable figures. David and to a lesser extent Dikembe showed that NBA players could be a positive influence on their communities and the world.
Im not sure how or if he revolutionized the game but if anyone was desiring to win a championship in an era with the greatest athlete including size in NBA history look no further. I couldnt point to a change in history but surely he inspired players that heart, desire and especially defense and rebs can overcome great fetes of athleticism and seeming unstoppable force.
Ok but Magics and Birds passing seemed to have more impact in wins and championships. Also theres Cousy before Maravich.
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