> Now, you didn't watch Rauf play, so all you have to go on are the stats. I did. I was a huge fan of him in college. He averaged over 30ppg as a freshman (his scoring dipped in year 2 because he had to share the court with Shaq) and had the prettiest stroke I've ever seen. He had some of the best ball handling skills since Maravich. He was a basketball savant.
> So what happened?
I mean, mostly what happened is that he got blackballed out of the league for refusing to stand for the national anthem, but also, yes, I don't think Phil's comparison was crazy. I do think Abdul-Rauf, in a modern run and gun/SSOL offense would have been Steph-before-Steph (I also think Nash would have been much the same if he'd hunted for his own shot more).
Oh! Forgot to add, tho, that your initial comment was wack; every player is limited in some way and Steph is probably the best shooter who's ever played and he bends the gravity of the game in a way that basically nobody ever has before, which would be reason enough to put him in the running for MVP even if he wasn't routinely among the leaders in counting and advanced stats.
> So what happened?
I mean, mostly what happened is that he got blackballed out of the league for refusing to stand for the national anthem, but also, yes, I don't think Phil's comparison was crazy. I do think Abdul-Rauf, in a modern run and gun/SSOL offense would have been Steph-before-Steph (I also think Nash would have been much the same if he'd hunted for his own shot more).
Oh! Forgot to add, tho, that your initial comment was wack; every player is limited in some way and Steph is probably the best shooter who's ever played and he bends the gravity of the game in a way that basically nobody ever has before, which would be reason enough to put him in the running for MVP even if he wasn't routinely among the leaders in counting and advanced stats.