Players of the NBA's Golden Era and Their Modern Day Equivalents

Image via Complex Original

Not all comparisons are flattering. Derrick Coleman was supposed to be one of the great centers in the NBA, a guy whose physical tools could be paired with hard work to make a borderline unstoppable force. He got paid a lot of money at a young age, though, and that maturation never quite happened. Coleman still had a solid career, but he never neared the lofty expectations placed on him coming out of Syracuse. Something similar could be said of fellow big man Zach Randolph, who got a humongous contract extension prior to the 2004-05 season and promptly went on cruise control for about five years. He has reinvented himself in Memphis, though, salvaging a career that could have been a total disappointment.

While it's hard to ignore his significant crazy streak (and North Korean sympathies), Dennis Rodman was also a terrific player who was pound-for-pound his generation's greatest rebounder. Kenneth Faried has a similar game, and at 6'8" is much like the 6'7" Rodman in being a bit undersized for a power forward. That hasn't stopped either from dominating the glass, though. Rodman won seven rebounding titles in a row from 1991-92 through 1997-98, averaging 16.7 rebounds per game over that stretch, while Faried has impressed in more limited action by grabbing 12.2 and 11.8 rebounds per 36 minutes over his first two seasons. Both also have been criticized for their lack of an offensive game, but at least for Faried he has a chance to get better.

There's a reason James Worthy was known as "Big Game James." His clutch performances were legendary, as the athletic Lakers small forward elevated his game in the Finals every single time out (22.2 points per game in the Finals versus 17.6 in the regular season). This past year, we saw Spurs' second year player Kawhi Leonard make a similar leap. Like Worthy, he has been under-the-radar, overshadowed by his teams' stars. However, in the Finals he showed just why the Spurs are expected to contend again in 2013-14. Over the final five games, he averaged 16.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, keeping his team in striking distance against the Heat for long stretches of time. If he can carry that momentum into the 2013-14 regular season, this quiet 22-year-old could emerge as a star.

One of the most underrated players of his generation, Kevin Johnson was perhaps the 1990s' most explosive point guard. He was completely fearless on the floor, possessing an incredible first step that set both him and his teammates up for easy hoops. Sound like anyone we know? You may forget given his absence last season, but Derrick Rose is exactly that kind of player. He's a point guard who is perfectly willing to drive into the lane against anybody, and at just 24 years old still has plenty of time to reach his ceiling as both a scorer and a passer. With an MVP under his belt already, Rose has surpassed KJ in individual accolades despite the latter's being the only player other than Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas to average at least 20.0 points and 12.0 assists in a single season.

Not all great point guards guide their teams to titles. No matter how many All-Star teams they make or how hard they push others around them, they simply can't quite get over the championship hump. That was the case for John Stockton, and it certainly looks like it will be for Steve Nash as well. Both players have been exemplary leaders for their teams, providing clutch scoring and historic assist totals throughout their careers while reaching the playoffs seemingly every season. However, it also seems to be a yearly occurrence that each player is on the wrong end of a brutal playoff defeat, and despite all the individual accolades they're destined to come up empty in the category that matters most.

Two of the great high flyers in the history of the NBA, Shawn Kemp and Blake Griffin both have made names for themselves as incredible dunkers who need to prove that there is more to their games than posterizing opponents. Kemp improved dramatically during his time in Seattle, going from a raw 20-year-old rookie to a reliable outside scorer who went toe-to-toe with Michael Jordan in the 1996 Finals and shot a terrific 55 percent from the field. The first half of Kemp's career represents the best case scenario for Blake, who has made strides offensively but still has a ways to go. Let's just hope he avoids Kemp's path in Cleveland, Portland and Orlando, where he became morbidly obese and looked a shell of his former self.

Elgin Baylor is one of, if not the most, underappreciated players in the history of the NBA. Often to his physical detriment, he would barrel to the rim and take on much larger defenders with ease, scoring points in bunches and knocking down countless tough shots. Dwyane Wade is much the same, although admittedly he does not quite have the same range as Baylor. Nevertheless, D-Wade's ability to finish at the rim and from mid-range harkens directly back to the ahead-of-his-time Baylor, as does both players' defensive tenacity and histories of knee trouble. The difference, of course, is that Wade has been fortunate enough to have had access to the best medical care to rehab his injuries, whereas Baylor was forced to simply sit out for a while and hope for the best.

Comparing anyone with Larry Bird is considered sacrilegious in New England, but Dirk Nowitzki has reached the level in his career where it's really worth examining. While Bird's passing is vastly superior to Dirk's and can't be overlooked, they both are pioneers in stretching the floor and providing points in bunches from around the perimeter. While both have been lethal three-point shooters (Bird shot 40 percent or better six times, Dirk five), they also have the ability to put the ball on the floor and finish at the basket as well.

They also have been underappreciated in terms of their rebounding skills; few realize that Bird averaged 10.0 rebounds per game for his career, and Dirk isn't far behind at 8.2 per contest. While it may not be a perfect match, these two tall blondes have incredibly similar skill sets.

While they may be on opposite sides of basketball's fiercest rivalry, Kevin McHale and Pau Gasol are both two of the most versatile big men ever to play the game. McHale was an innovator on the block, with an ability to score from seemingly any spot thanks to his deceptive quickness and strangely long limbs. Gasol, too, has that kind of skill in (and out of) the paint, finishing well around the rim as well as from 10 feet and beyond. Both players have a strong mid-range jumper, drawing out defenders and making key shots from the wings and elbows. They also both earned rings as No. 2 options, although it's equally true that without McHale and Gasol's invaluable contributions their Celtics and Lakers teams would not have come close to winning the title.

Rick Barry and Joe Johnson are both prolific scorers who are known mostly for their ability to put the ball in the basket. They both are a couple of their eras' rangiest players, terrific shooters who could score in bunches from any spot on the floor. Barry's ABA numbers were certainly gaudy, and his per game scoring dipped from 30.5 to 23.2 once he joined the NBA's Warriors in 1972-73. Johnson, likewise, took a while to hit his stride in the NBA, but he demonstrated similar shooting proficiency once he did (21.7 points per game from 2005-06 through 2009-10) and shot a nearly identical percentage from the field (.451) as Barry (.449).

Two little generals who command their teams with brilliance in both the regular and postseason, Isiah Thomas and Chris Paul are perhaps their generations' greatest pure point guards. Both have demonstrated an ability not just to dish out helpers to their teammates, but to score themselves when necessary. Both Zeke (19.2) and CP3 (18.6) have been incredibly effective scorers for their teams on a nightly basis throughout their careers, particularly in crunch time. Isiah's most memorable moments have come with him scoring (remember the 25-point quarter in the 1988 Finals?), as have some of Paul's (he averages 20 a game in the playoffs for his career).

The center position in the NBA is one that sees some of the league's longest careers (think Robert Parish or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), but also some of its shortest. Bill Walton and Yao Ming were both big men who had all the skills necessary to become the best at their position to ever play the game. The only problem was that both saw their All-Star careers derailed by injuries to their feet, and while that didn't prevent Walton and likely won't prevent Yao from reaching the Hall of Fame, fans are still left to wonder what might've been if they had only been able to stay on the court.

A couple of tall, lanky small forwards with a penchant for putting the ball in the hoop, George Gervin and Kevin Durant are two of their generations' greatest scorers. Both won multiple scoring titles (Gervin four, Durant three and counting), have excellent size for their position (Gervin is 6'7", Durant 6'9"), and do not possess championship rings (although it would be a shock if Durant didn't get one at some point). Gervin's career numbers, while certainly strong, could be better; he spent the first four years of his career in the ABA before the merger for the 1976-77 season, missing out on four years of 25-plus points per game. His first five NBA seasons closely mirror those of Durant's, as the duo maintained nearly identical scoring (28.0 per game for Gervin, 27.9 for Durant) and field goal attempt (20.7 versus 19.2) averages.

Great scorer, played a memorable stretch of his career for the Knicks, more than a little bit crazy. Sound familiar? J.R. Smith and Latrell Sprewell both have had some strong stretches of play throughout their careers, although Sprewell tended to be the higher scoring of the two based just on per game averages. If you look at their career per 36 minute stats, however, and the numbers even out a bit; Sprewell averaged 17.1 points and 14.6 shots per 36, and Smith currently averages 18.8 points on 15.7 shots. While their roles are slightly different (Sprewell was more of a small forward whereas Smith is strictly a shooting guard), their mutual scoring prowess and mild psychosis can't be denied.

This sad comparison is one that hopefully (for Greg Oden) won't be valid in a couple years. With apologies to Bill Walton, Sam Bowie is the modern poster child for the center who succumbed to injury before having a chance to fulfill his potential. Bowie's and Oden's rookie seasons looked quite similar, as the former (10.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 29.2 MPG) and the latter (8.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 21.5 MPG) both flashed the skills that made them such high draft picks in the first place. Unfortunately for both, leg injuries took their toll shortly thereafter and severely limited their career progress. Bowie did go on to average a solid 70 games, 12.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per night in four seasons in New Jersey, and whether Oden can follow this path of carving out a decent career even after injury remains to be seen.

It isn't just because they both played for the Denver Nuggets that Alex English bears so strong a resemblance to Carmelo Anthony. Both are small forwards with good size (English was 6'7", Melo is 6'8") who use that advantage to elevate up and over defenders as they take the majority of their shots away from the basket. English was remarkably consistent during his 10 full seasons in Denver, averaging 26.0 points per game on 21 shots per night. These numbers are eerily similar to Melo, who has averaged 25.0 points and 19.5 shots per game during his 10 years in the NBA.

The similarities between these two are many, and indeed stretch beyond the court. Sure, their games are similar: shooting guards who are volume shooters, explosively athletic dunkers when they were younger who migrated further from the basket as they aged, and (above all) champions. Away from the game, they're both also ambassadors around the world for basketball, and global icons (sorry LeBron) in the marketing and advertising world. The both also possess an almost maniacal work ethic and competitive streak, which allows them to rise above their competition time and again. For Jordan, that led to things like punching teammates at practice; for Kobe, it means bringing your physical therapists with you on an offseason vacation so you don't miss a single rehab session.

The number of players who could legitimately do everything on a basketball court is incredibly short. First, there was Oscar Robertson, the only man to average a triple-double for a season. Then came Magic Johnson, whose career might've been even more brilliant had he not been diagnosed with HIV and forced into retirement at age 31. Now we have LeBron James, one of the most criticized players in the history of the league who's also one of the most brilliantly skilled. LeBron's vastly underrated passing skills, while perhaps not as flashy as Magic's, are almost equally impressive. Both have used their 6'8" frames to dominate on the boards against smaller players, and both have been effective scorers, although LeBron gets the nod in that department due to his superior outside game. No matter how you look at it, though, these once and future Hall of Famers are two of the best ever.