LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1975: Nate Archibald #1 of the Kansas City Kings dribbles the ball up court against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1975.

As a history buff and a follower of the NBA for over 70 years I often hear NBA fans refer to the “older” players that played in the NBA as “plumbers”. I am not sure exactly what that means. I agree that the players today are much more athletic and bigger than the players that played in the league back in the 50’s and 60’s but to call them “plumbers” or say they could not play in the modern-day NBA isn’t fair or accurate. I can think of several players that could play in today’s NBA. Many would be all-stars. They would ALL benefit from the way the game is called today. Rick Barry said, “if Elgin Baylor was playing today, with the way traveling and palming the ball is called, he would average over 30 a game”. He is right. I saw Baylor play a lot and he could head fake, hesitate, and get to the basket with the best to ever play. I watched a playoff game last night where there had to have been 20 traveling calls that were NOT called. I digress, back to pre-80’s players that would be better in today’s NBA than when they played.

There are four players that come to mind that would benefit from not only the way the game is called but more importantly the 3-point arc and the spread floor on the offensive end. In the early days of the league (1950-60) the greatest scorer from outside and the first player I ever saw shoot a jump shot was Paul Arizin. He had a career average of 22.8 points, shot .448 from the field, and .818 from the free throw line. In his prime basketball years he served in the military for two years. That military obligation came after a great 1951-52 season when he averaged 25.4 points per game. He is #59 in my book of all-time greats.

Jerry West played from 1960 to 1974 and WITHOUT a 3-point shot averaged 27 points a game. He shot .474 from the field with shots that are referred to as “long” twos today. He was an athletic point guard at 6’3”. He could drive and could create his own shot. He seemed to play at his best in the playoffs. Russell said during one of their playoff series against the Lakers “we have no one that can guard West”. He is #14 on my all-time lists.

The third player that I think would be better today than when he played from 1971 to 1980 is Pete Maravich. For any basketball fan that did not see “Pistol Pete” play you missed a “one of a kind”. (I cannot come up with a modern-day player to compare to Maravich.) I have heard all the “noise” about what a “gunner” Maravich was and how his teams never won but that does not distract from my point here about what “old” players would be better today than when they played. My imagination runs away with me when I think of what he could have done with the open court and with a 3-point shot. He averaged 24.2 points in the NBA and 44.2 points per game in college. He was one of the best passers and ball handlers of all time. He would be even more creative and harder to guard if the officials were not calling “walking”! He is #73 in my book.

But perhaps the player that would have benefited the most if he had played 50 years later is Tiny Archibald. At a “reported” 6’ 1” and 150 lbs., which was small even for the 1970s, Tiny was so quick and athletic that he was practically unstoppable. In his first 6 years in the NBA, before knee problems, he averaged 25.2 points per game and 8.1 assists per game. In 1972-73 he led the league with a 34 points per game average and 11.4 assists. He finished 3^rd in the NBA MVP voting that year. He made 5 All-NBA teams and 6 All-Star teams. Tiny was a great scorer. If he had had the benefit of a 3-point shot and an open offensive court, he would have scored 5 or 6 more points a game.

All these players played in an era where the emphasis and offensive strategy evolved around the “big man”. The game of basketball and the success of a team today depends on the play of the guards.

I know it is difficult for us “ole timers” to give up the past but not everything “newer” is better in sports OR in life. I know it is hard for anyone younger than 30 to believe this, but I saw basketball players 50 years ago doing just as great a things on the court as I saw last night in the playoffs.