He would be the same thing he was then. Shooting, passing, and IQ translate across era. On top of that he had good size and was fearless. As others have mentioned the most interesting thing would be seeing him without the HOF teammates. There is no doubt he could get his but it would certainly be interesting seeing him with a lottery squad with all kinds of holes. It would really be interesting to see how the media reacted to him. Wonder if he would still be such a "winner".
If Larry Bird played in today's league..
- Thread starter johnnydakota
- Start date
malbaker86
Gators
Bird was pretty athletic until his back became
exactly. his last season stats would put him in the lead for MVP in this day in age
Larry Bird NBA & ABA Stats | Basketball-Reference.com
People forget he was drafted to a 29 win celtic team and turned them into the team with the best record
Greenhornet
A God Among Kings
so your saying the man that beat the shyt out of jordan wouldnt be better than the people jordan is already better than?
livindajetlife
Superstar
Melo
he would torched teams
there's no hand check, i really haven't seen no good defenders in this league in a long time and people don't understand bird never needed speed or athletic ability, he was like ali, fuk u up by using his mind
there's no hand check, i really haven't seen no good defenders in this league in a long time and people don't understand bird never needed speed or athletic ability, he was like ali, fuk u up by using his mind
Johnny Kilroy
79 points in 1 quarter
Now that I think about it, there aren't too many players today that can match Bird's skill set. 
Marvel
Psalm 149:5-9
when did he beat up Jordan? Boston had a way better squad back in the day. Put Jordan on the Celtics and Bird on the bulls back then and its a no contest for Jordan.This is true to an extent but that had a lot of turnover, new coach, got rid of some of the cancer players, brought in some new blood but bird did help turn it around.
He'd probably be listed at 6"10 or 6"11 today -
With his shot and passing skills he'd be a matchup nightmare today, too skilled for most PFs to check and too big and gifted in the post for SFs to check. Prime Bird would be right there with Bron and Durant for best in the league discussions.
With his shot and passing skills he'd be a matchup nightmare today, too skilled for most PFs to check and too big and gifted in the post for SFs to check. Prime Bird would be right there with Bron and Durant for best in the league discussions.
Marvel
Psalm 149:5-9
Please stop bringing up handchecking. Defenses were still terrible in the 80s with it. Multiple players averages 20 ppg with regularity back in the day. I WATCHED these games myself as a kid and rewatched games regularly on VHS to watch classic games as I got older. You also have to understand that players were not as athletic now as they were then so it was easier for him to play in that era and dominate plus he was taller than most SFs. It doesn't take away from his greatness, but it needs to be put in perspective with longer, more athletic players of today. Bird would need someone to create shots for him more often than before. Kind of like how Rondo helps Pierce at times. That being said he would put up in his prime in Today's era about 25 ppg, 7.5 reb 5.5 ast. Which are still all-star numbers.Kiki Vandeweghe was a SF and averaged 27, 29, 25, 27 ppg in four straight seasons shooting around 54% from the field. He was a good player, but in no way is he doing that in today's NBA. The defenses are more complex and the athletes are way better today.
Imyremeshaw
كن التغير الذي تريد أن تراه في العالم
I haven't read the whole thread, but Larry Bird would still be as great as his would in the 80s. He is a better shooter, passer( without being ball dominant), and rebounder than Lebron. Now granted he would get served on defense, but he was always a better team defender than individual defender. In todays game, I see Larry Bird putting up at least 24 pts, 9 rebs, and 5 ast.