Oscar Robertson spoke up, followed by Stephen Jackson, who was followed by followed by Walt Frazier. They all shared their opinions of dual phenomena Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver weighed in Friday in an appearance on “Sports Talk Live,” on CSNBayArea, and he disagreed with those finding fault with Curry and, by extension, the defending champions.
“It’s great fodder for fans and journalists to talk about comparisons between players among generations,” Silver said. “Was Bill Russell the greatest ever? Oscar Robertson or Bob Cousy? Is it Magic, Larry, Michael to LeBron and Steph? Who knows?”
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Silver has been on the job 25 months, assuming the role upon the retirement of longtime commissioner David Stern. Yet in that short span of time, the NBA has undergone dramatic change.
The Warriors, for one, have reached heights never experienced. And with Curry, the reigning MVP, leading the way, the comparisons are running rampant.
“It’s interesting to me,” Silver said. “It is hard to compare players from one generation to another. There have been rule changes along the way, different approaches to the game.
“Something tells me, though, that . . . you know the great ones when you meet them. They have a certain swagger. They have a certain mental approach to the game. They have a certain way, a sort of laser-like focus.”
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The commissioner is well aware of Curry’s impact on the game. He’s shattering 3-point shooting records and is the most enchanting player to hit the NBA landscape since Jordan, who followed by several years Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
“Something tells me that Michael would’ve been great at any time and Steph would’ve been great if he had played back in the day,” Silver said. “And Bill Russell, if he were playing today, would still be winning championships.”
Given the realities, that’s not hard to argue. It’s impossible to argue.
