HeatInOhio wrote:mojomarc wrote:Drexler. Bigger, stronger, better rebounder, better passer, more durable.
But for a given peak season, that one or two magic year seasons, I am getting pretty darned close to saying Wade.
Drexler did it for longer and was an awesome player but some of those arguments don't fly IMO. Yes he's bigger but stronger? I'm not sure. Wade is pretty strong these days:
Did Clyde ever have arms/shoudlers that shredded?
Clearly, then, Arnold Schwarzeneggar was stronger than Vasili Alexeyev, who for years held the world heavyweight weight lifting record. After all, Alexeyev was never ripped like Ahnuld:
The point being, obviously, that just because someone shows muscle definition doesn't mean they are stronger than someone who doesn't. Even so, it isn't like Clyde was small--he weighed about 235 in his prime, big enough to play extended minutes at SF.
The extra weight, combined with abservations about how he would blow through the lane and contact opposing players, leads me to believe that Drexler was a stronger player.
Clyde was a better rebounder (albeit he was a few inches taller) and more durable. I'm not so inclined to agree he was a better passer. Wade pretty much sets up around 15ish wide open jumpers for his teammates every game. Also if you look at just stats, Wade's first 6 years collectively are better as a whole. And consider that last year before his shoulder injury Wade was averaging similar numbers to this season. But coming back for the last few weeks and playing limited minutes really dropped his averages.
Drexler did more than just set up players for open shots. Drexler ran the fast break for one of the best fast breaking teams in the NBA in that era. He was an exceedingly gifted and creative passer. Wade isn't good, but Wade seems a bit more limited in the types of passing he could do. Drexler also had Terry Porter who played on the ball most of the time during his prime, which limited his assists compared to Wade, who is far more ball dominant than Drexler ever was. Still, Drexler was able to average 8.4 Per36 APG at his peak, which is better than Wade has ever averaged by a considerable amount, and that was without having the ball in his hands as much as Wade normally does.
You can get an idea of some of the passing he was capable of in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU-vSeXskRY. Obviously not definitive, and I would never claim that it was it is a blowout in any direction because I think Wade is an all-time great player. I just think Clyde is better at least to this point in Wade's career.