It's the never-ending debate among fans: old school vs. new school. Most passionate watchers of the sport prefer one era over the other. However, when it comes to the players, they often view their predecessors as their mentors, not adversaries.
Yet things like the NBA "GOAT" debate have turned the battle of eras into a dogfight. Older fans romanticize the past and elevate the game's pioneers to a pedestal, while modern-day fans embellish today's players' tricked-out skill sets as proof that the game has entirely evolved for good.
SAS responds to KG's comments
Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards recently categorized the old generation as not "skilled," which instantly incited numerous negative reactions from the NBA world. Among them was former MVP Kevin Garnett, who dismissed Edwards' comments as negligence of eras.
The Hall of Famer hurled back at the 23-year-old's comments by doubting that today's players could succeed 20 or 30 years ago. And while many retired NBA superstars hold a similar viewpoint, Stephen A. Smith took issue with Garnett's remarks, arguing that players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry , much like today, would have been handfuls to defend in the past.
"Because I believe [Curry] is the best shooter God ever created, I think he would've adjusted [to the traditional physicality of the game]," SAS said . "You can't tell me that a LeBron at 6'9" 260 [pounds] couldn't deal with the physicality of the old days because he would've been hurting people. … Steph Curry could've played in the old days because you just don't teach shooting ability like that. … LeBron James? Any era."
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Smith sees where Garnett is coming from
If you had heard Kevin's comments without the context of the situation, you would likely have dismissed him as a cynical believer in the past; that couldn't be further from the truth.
KG, hailed by many fans as the one to discover the modern-day power forward prototype, has been vocal about his support of today's players, like Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic and Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker. However, Edwards' comments about Garnett's era understandably came off as pure nescience of the generation that featured many of the NBA's iconic superstars.
"But also get where KG is coming from. Predecessors set the stage and the example for successors to follow. How are you going to be disrespectful?" Smith added.
Whether "Ant-Man" believes deep down inside that Michael Jordan was the only "skilled" player of the past, he is clearly advocating the social media trope, "We done with the 90s," that's captured a recent buzz.
The debate about the past vs. present in NBA history may prove timeless after all. But one thing is for sure: Comparing eras will never yield a definitive answer.
Related: "That's flagrantly disrespectful to the old guard" – Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Anthony Edwards' comments regarding Jordan's era
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