Gary Payton: "Lebron Wouldn't be as good in our era"

[Street Knowledge]

Pulling away from his peers, LeBron James' competition is becoming history | Fox News

You can't guard him now because it seems like you can't put your hands on him. You know what I'm saying?" Payton said during the All-Star break. "With LeBron, if somebody can hand check him and muscle him, I still think it could be the same. It's a lot different when somebody can hand-check you and control you and be stronger than you on the block or whatever and not let you go anywhere.

"It's a little bit different, as being free and being a freak of nature and his body that he has right now, nobody can guard him, you know what I'm saying? So right now, if he could come back in our era and we could hand check him and guard him and bigger guys get on him and when he gets to the bucket we hit him and knock him like (Bill) Laimbeer, like the Boston Celtic days, it'd be a little bit different. I guarantee you it would be. But he's still great, he's still a great basketball player and like I said he's playing in a great era because he can get to the bucket whenever he feels like it.

 

[gho3st]

I'm a die hard KB/Lakers fan but this is BULLshyt....why can't old timers just admit that Lebron is a top 10 player all time??? And if he wins 4-6 ships he might push himself in the top 3...

 

[street heat]

i bet if michael jordan played now instead of then they would be saying the same thing about him.... clearly lebron would dominate in any era

 

[Prodigital]

Lebron doesn't play hard cause he never had to. If he was in that era with his size and speed he would've dominated just the same.

 

[Danie84]

GP really didn't take the gloves off here

 

[#1 pick]

Old timers overrate everything they did times ten. So them saying this is basically someone with sense saying Lebron would be the best player in the 90's.

 

[FaTaL]

Who hell is going to out muscle bron from his era?

All players are bigger today

 

[Adam3000]

So who are they going to put out on Lebron that can muscle him around? Perhaps his Laker teammate Karl Malone?

 

[Yogi]

Who the hell could hand check and muscle Lebron? No wing player would be strong enough to do it. You would have had to put Mailman on him, and then Lebron would have blown right past him.

 

[No_bammer_weed]

what a bunch of horsesht. A more physical style of ball would benefit Lebron, not hurt him. Yeah, Im sure the Jeff Hornacek's, Reggie Millers, and Danny Ainge's of the world, would have had their way with a genetic freak like Lebron because they could "hand check"...I'd expect this type of intellectually bankrupt and dishonest analysis from a blogger.

 

[ExodusNirvana]

They would be able to play Bron harder though. This much is true.

 

[avon barksdale]

IM a heats fan but GP is right Bron is to friendly to play back in the day when they let you fight and hit someone.the pistons and Dennis rodman would have his ass on the deck trying to show out

 

[Amare's Right Hook]

Bron isnt built for that. Does this make you angry ?

 

[Vancouver Grizzly Fan]

GP always telling the truth. Lebron would think twice about going to the lane if he played in the Oakley, Mahorn, Lambeer, Rodman. Lebron would be a jump shooter in that era, he wouldn't have the heart to drive to the basketball with those monsters in the paint. Kobe would've dominated in any era.

 

[GreatestLaker]

Defensive schemes are better now than they ever were.

The players in this era are stronger, quicker, faster, bigger and more athletic.

Lebron would dominate in any era. Old school players love to say their era was better. Which we all know is BS. Most of the players from the 70's and 80's wouldn't even make it in today's league.