I DO agree its hurting the game of basketball though. From my limited input, even pickup games are turning into 3 point competitions at my gym. People WANT to be like Steph and drain 3s all day and they just simply cant. How many centers (7 foot plus) have won the MVP since Shaq? Ill give you a hint, there isnt a one. The game is evolving into a shooters game (which is VERY excting to watch, but very hard to excel at if your an aspiring young athlete).
Curry, Bird, Miller, and Allen are the best consistent shooters I can think of. It's hard to put any above the other right now until Curry retires and we see where he ends up. I think Curry's success is partially due to the team he's on too, and that's not to discredit him in the slightest. Everyone on that team wants to win, and they all have the same attitude. Attitude leads to confidence and confidence leads to teamwork, which in the NBA leads to success.
Just wait....soon once defenses start forcing drives...big men will become a priority again. I don't see this shift sticking around forever.
3>2 I don't think it is hurting the game. It is certainly changing the game, but that was happening before Curry. We no longer have dominant big men ala Shaq, they are more in line with the European big men. Look at Anthony Davis. He is/was the best big man to come out in the last decade and his game is everywhere. He can shoot 3s. He can turn his back to the goal. He can do it all. Shaq would be a defensive liability these days.
I'm not much of a basketball fan but I do watch and follow ESPN everyday and I will admit he is a very entertaining player to watch. Hearing about and seeing the numbers he has been putting up is mind blowing, I hope he can keep it going for years to come. We'll see.
...and if he does, he will be in the argument for greatest of all time...however the NBA has changed so much like the NFL it will be impossible in my opinion to compare him and MJ and Lebron (has work to do as well to be considered IMO) and Wilt and so on so forth like it is already.
I can only imagine how today's NBA players would react if they had to play against the bad boys of the 90s. Today's basketball is littered with floppers which makes the game almost impossible for me to watch anymore. The NBA and the NFL have enforced too many rules which have made the players soft and they're to worried/ or scared of getting a flag or a foul call rather than playing agressive. These dudes get payed rediculous $ to entertain us, but the refs are as much of a deciding factor as the players half the time.
I blame fantasy sports and fan duel for the softening of the NFL and NBA all the damn punk kids want to see scoring because they are self indulgent and can not appreciate good defense.
What he is doing is out of this world (right now). When people start saying "best ever" or compare to Jordan, I just have to shake my head. There will never be another Jordan. Hands down best ever (both sides of the ball). Time will tell what happens. A couple seasons does not make a legacy. I don't really get into the playing in different eras thing. It's all relevant. The dude can pull up from just inside half court and shoot like he's shooting a free throw. The quickest release of a shot from any conceivable angle. I don't really see how he impacts the game on the defensive end like other greats have. He's adequate, but not a game changer. He can shoot, score and dish with the best of them though. And his handle is .... crazy.
He is hands down the best shooter I have ever seen. I watched his Dad play while he was in Charlotte and he had one of the quickest releases I had seen at that time. Curry is that good because he works his tail off. Like Gayle Sayers said, "All he needed was 6 inches of daylight." Curry is the same way. Like others said, he can't take the game over on both ends of the floor, but if you need a shot made from anywhere on the floor, he is the best in any Era.
Gayle Sayers....wish we could have seen more of him. What a phenomenal athlete who endured some terrible injuries.
Jordan was the greatest competitor the NBA has ever seen. Lebron the Best Athlete. Curry the best shooter. Don't mention best ever in a general term though or you will upset those that cling to the 80/90s glory days. Everything in life was better decades ago, a proven fact!
Negative...the fact Bo Jackson played two major league sports puts him above him as best "athlete" (honestly I'd put Phelps up there too) but perhaps you meant basketball athlete given the thread, I'd agree with that.
