Kobe Dreaming? Part 2: Forward Thinking

George | July 13, 2012 | 0 Comments

With the recent discussion about “who’s better?”, I find it more insightful to rely on regular season stats rather than my nostalgia or Kobe’s ego. The Center position proved to be a big (pun intended)advantage for the 1992 squad. It will probably be the true separating factor between the teams. Yet, to be fair today’s game is built a little different. The game has transitioned to long forwards that play like 2 guards rather than having a true post game. It doesn’t mean a Kevin Durant doesn’t use the back down move but rather than a solid baby hook they rely on the turn around jumper. So, let’s compare the two teams forwards (small and power) to determine who has the real advantage.

1992 Team
Power Forwards
Charles Barkley
6’5″ 250 lbs
23.1 pts
11.1 reb
4.1 asst

Karl Malone
6’9″ 255 lbs
28 pts
11.2 reb
3 asst

2012 Team

Blake Griffin
6’10″ 250 lbs.
20.7 pts
10.9 reb
3.2 asst

Kevin Love
6’10″ 260 lbs.
26 pts
13.3 reb
2 asst

Advantage has to go to the Dream Team. Karl and Sir Charles would dominate the post. Kevin Love has a special ability to step out but after banging with these two he would be weak in the legs for those long jumpers. Plus his scoring opportunities greatly decrease on a good team, especially the Olympic team. I would love to see him and Barkley fighting for boards. Even though Griffin is out, this discussion occurred prior to his departure. He brings a level of excitement maybe only matched by Dominique Wilkins, as far as highlights go. Yet, with the 1992 team on the blocks it would be a fight for anything at the rim and I think Griffin would be frustrated with the likes of the Mailman and David Robinson.

1992 Team
Small Forward

Scottie Pippen
6’7″ 210 lbs
21 pts
7.7 reb
7 asst

Larry Bird
6’9″ 220 lbs
20.2 Pts
9.6 Reb
6.8 asst

Chris Mullin
6’7″ 215 lbs
25.6 pts
5.6 reb
3.5 asst

2012 Team
LeBron James
6’8″ 250 lbs
27.1 pts
7.9 reb
6.2 asst

Kevin Durant
6’9″ 235 lbs
28.0 pts
8 reb
3.5 asst

Andre Iguodala
6’6″ 205 lbs
12.4 pts
6.1 reb
5.5 asst

Carmelo Anthony
6’7″ 230 lbs
22.6 pts
6.3 reb
3.6 asst

This is may be the most interesting matchup because each player from both teams are so unique. The best player on the 2012 team is LeBron James and that is the only reason I give them the advantage. Durant’s length would be tough to contend with but Scottie Pippen would not be that over shadowed by the long Durant. Even though Bird was down and out I would still trust him to sit on the arc before any player on either team. It’s not like he had a terrible season and he still was dominant without the ball. We rave about James ability to distribute and rebound but Pippen and Bird did those things just as well and still averaged over 20pts a game. The wild card off the bench for both teams would be Mullin and Anthony. Both are/were dynamic scorers with nice size that make/made them difficult to guard. In a 7 game series, their spark off the bench, could be a huge momentum shift. I give the 2012 team the advantage because they will have to play both Durant and James at the same time.

Tomorrow we will look at the guard positions. You can take a look back at the Centers position if you missed it.

1992 Team: 2
2012 Team: 1