re: NBA question: Better player Bird or Barkley

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Good lord. Uh, he basically got drafted to the Clippers.

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This is the point where I realize that people don’t actually know what the frick they are talking about in these conversations.

Year one Larry Bird had Cedric Maxwell(finally coming into his own), Tiny Archibald(HoF), Dave Cowens(Hall of Fame), Chris Ford, and Pete Maravich.

Bird slotted in perfectly to a complimentary and very skilled team. Then went on to precipitously add HoF level players as he entered his prime and throughout his career. While Chuck went the opposite and started high with two all timers, then by the time he’s 24, the year Bird won his first chip, Chuck’s best teammate is fricking Clif Robinson.

To ignore that what organization you land has a big influence on the upper bounds of your career is to ignore the reality of this sport. It takes away from the storybook narratives people love, but it’s the cold hard truth and Chuck’s not wrong to point it out.

It’s a bit different today, because of player movement and the shift in power dynamics, but getting drafted into a winning franchise still gives you a major boost to your legacy potential. And Bird landed on one of the two biggest franchises and had Red Auerbach and Jan Volk building around him.