David Robinson Appreciation Thread

[Remote]

10 mins in.
The narrator makes very fair points about Robinson's strengths and weaknesses.

He points to the reality that Robinson was a good 1 on 1 player but a 5 on 5 star.

So while the highlights of Hakeem get the replays and the eyeballs, they don't tell the whole story.

David Robinson was my favorite player back then. An amazing talent. He's underappreciated by fans today.

 

[DraymondT]

Not at all maybe the top 6-7 guys were better than today but as a whole the position is deeper now

Nope not just 6-7

Hakeem
Robinson
Shaq
Ewing
Zo
Daugherty
Deke
Divac
Arvydas
Cliff
Baker
Coleman
Smits
Seikaly
Manning (he split minutes @ PF like Coleman and Cliff but played a lot of C minutes and would be Cs in today's game with the downsizing now - Cliff was a prototype for a lot of the switching big defenders that can hit the 3, and he had plenty scoring and passing skill too)

That top 15 is far better than today's league. Rudy Gobert is most likely the 3rd best C in today's game top 5 at absolute worst and he ain't even better than Deke . He can barely do shyt with a small switched on him 10+ft. Man cant score at all outside of pick and roll, catching lobs or offensive board putbacks cant even pass.....

Mutombo was the best player on the floor in one of the arguable biggest playoff upsets ever against the 63 win #2 offense Sonics as the 8 seed. Rudy ain't shyt in the yoffs. I remember Houston got away with putting PJ Tucker on him Clint Capela sonned him routinely too and this nikka is 3x All NBA in this era including a 2nd team last season and this nikka getting paid 5yr/$205ms

League is deeper now if you go like 25 deep because it was some bum Cs back then but that's about it. And nikkas can say shyt about Smits or Seikaly but they wasn't even top 10 back then but still good players. They was in 12-15 range at best.

When you look at that range in today's league you got who Steven Adams and Brook Lopez? Lol....Adams getting 4 yr/$100 mill for being an avg 90s center that plays some defense, sets great screens, boxes out and grabs boards nikkas naming Porzingis in here as one of the bright spots and he ain't that much better than Rik Smits. He got much more range but that's mainly it.

Smits was a better defender and far better post player. Post defenders, rim and interior defenders were far better in the 90s too. Plus there was much less spacing than there is now and someone who played at the elbows, mid post and down low like Smits would eat and have clearly better numbers now specially PPG. I mean Smits was the 2nd option on one of the top 5-7 offenses of the 90s. Dude was out there hitting game winners on Shaq in the ECF. He wasn't no scrub

 

[DraymondT]

All those centers from that era would have eaten today.

These newer bigs aren't as fundamentally sound.

In my opinion, the center position is the only position that has deteriorated over the years.

Power forward is a lot more these days. Most these PFs right now are basically wings/SFs. It's like when Phoenix used to play Shawn Marion at the 4 on those Suns.

Giannis
AD
Sabonis
Collins
Zion
Siakam
Randle
Draymond

Then who? Love and Blake were arguably the 2 top PFs at one point and neither can even play much anymore.

Look at the rest of the "PFs" now

KD
Tatum or Brown
Crowder
Tobias
O'Neale
Batum
Gallonari
Gordon
Prince
Kleber



Whole bunch of wings masquerading as "PFs" now. It basically Flower Forward now

The 2000s was easily the golden age of PF play. The position has heavily regressed since then probably as much as Center has regressed since the 90s

In the 00s you had

Duncan
KG
Dirk
Amare
Brand
Sheed
ZBo
CWebb
Pau
Bosh
JO
Boozer
West
Kenyon
Odom
Antawn
Rashard

SF is the position with by far the most evolution and best talent compared to past eras. PG as well but no handchecking and most PGs basically being SGs these days blurred the lines. SG been stagnant at best over the years/eras.

 

[ISO]

Nope not just 6-7

Hakeem
Robinson
Shaq
Ewing
Zo
Daugherty
Deke
Divac
Arvydas
Cliff
Baker
Coleman
Smits
Seikaly
Manning (he split minutes @ PF like Coleman and Cliff but played a lot of C minutes and would be Cs in today's game with the downsizing now - Cliff was a prototype for a lot of the switching big defenders that can hit the 3, and he had plenty scoring and passing skill too)

That top 15 is far better than today's league. Rudy Gobert is arguably the 3rd best C in today's game top 5 at absolute worst and he ain't even better than Deke . Mutombo was the best player on the floor in one of the arguable biggest playoff upsets ever against the 63 win #2 offense Sonics as the 8 seed. Rudy ain't shyt in the yoffs

League is deeper now if you go like 25 deep because it was some bum Cs back then but that's about it. And nikkas can say shyt about Smits or Seikaly but they wasn't even top 10 back then but still good players. They was in 12-15 range at best.

When you look at that range in today's league you got who Steven Adams and Brook Lopez? Lol....nikkas naming Porzingis in here as one of the bright spots and he ain't that much better than Rik Smits. He got much more range but that's mainly it.

Smits was a better defender and far better post player. Post defenders, rim and interior defenders were far better in the 90s too. Plus there was much less spacing than there is now and someone who played at the elbows, mid post and down low like Smits would eat and have clearly better numbers now specially PPG. I mean Smits was the 2nd option on one of the top 5-7 offenses of the 90s. Dude was out there hitting game winners on Shaq in the ECF. He wasn't no scrub

Daugherty played like 3 years in the 90’s.

U reached with some PF’s under the guise they would be centers today. Name the centers that played then.

Brook Lopez and Steven Adams are good players.

U named a bunch of names that played at some time in the 90’s because you know if you go go any random year in the 90’s and name all 30 starters you’d have to name a lot of scrub big men.

 

[LezJepzin]

I was a HUGE stan of his while growing up. Loved his game.


Still owes me an autograph

 

[Bigblackted4]

Power forward is a lot more these days. Most these PFs right now are basically wings/SFs. It's like when Phoenix used to play Shawn Marion at the 4 on those Suns.

Giannis
AD
Sabonis
Collins
Zion
Siakam
Randle
Draymond

Then who? Love and Blake were arguably the 2 top PFs at one point and neither can even play much anymore.

Look at the rest of the "PFs" now

KD
Tatum or Brown
Crowder
Tobias
O'Neale
Batum
Gallonari
Gordon
Prince
Kleber



Whole bunch of wings masquerading as "PFs" now. It basically Flower Forward now

The 2000s was easily the golden age of PF play. The position has heavily regressed since then probably as much as Center has regressed since the 90s

In the 00s you had

Duncan
KG
Dirk
Amare
Brand
Sheed
ZBo
CWebb
Pau
Bosh
JO
Boozer
West
Kenyon
Odom
Antawn
Rashard

SF is the position with by far the most evolution and best talent compared to past eras. PG as well but no handchecking and most PGs basically being SGs these days blurred the lines. SG been stagnant at best over the years/eras.

SG worst position in NBA history

 

[Gotright]

I never really followed his career but them highlight was amazing

 

[FabTrey]

Would EASILY be the best player in the league today.

fixed

 

[The_Third_Man]

David Robinson's game would translate very well in this era cuz of his quickness, mobility, and athleticism.

 

[Jesus Is Lord]

If he was meaner he’d be spoken about more. His niceness sometimes translated into his game. He cracked EVERY center ass back then, one time or another. Very underrated all time great. Check the stats.

 

[NYC Rebel]

Had the best first step out of every NBA center in history.

Pre back injury d-rob was special.

 

[Conscious Pilot]

My fault didn’t see that you already posted this @OGBobbyJohnson

 

[RedEye Jedi]

Yeah Deandre Ayton bout to