David Lee: The Contemporary Larry Bird?

After a 1987 NBA playoff game between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons, Dennis Rodman made the comment that “Larry Bird was overrated because he was white in a league full of black players.”

When asked about Rodman’s statement, Isiah Thomas responded, “I think Larry is a very, very good basketball player.  He’s an exceptional talent, but I have to agree with Rodman. If he were black, he’d be just another good guy.”

In retrospect, Rodman’s statement seems way off, but it’s true that Larry Legend was a bit of an anomaly. He flourished in the NBA like no other Caucasian before or after.

Bird was one of the best to ever play the game and certainly the best American-born Caucasian to suit up in the NBA, with Mr. “Tight Shorts” John Stockton second on the list. Super old-school readers may throw out the name George Mikan as well.

But what about today?

Plenty of white guys not from the states are having huge success. Spain’s Pau Gasol just won an NBA title, Canada’s Steve Nash is a two-time NBA MVP, and Dirk Nowitzki from Germany is one of the better offensive players in the league.

But what about domestic born Caucasians?

We still have a media that wants to compare any good white player to Larry Legend the same way they tried to crown Harold Miner, Jerry Stackhouse, Vince Carter, and others the “next Jordan.”

Remember when they were calling Adam Morrison the next Bird? I don’t ever remember Larry sitting at midcourt crying.

A bunch of Duke guys—Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, Mike Dunleavy Jr.—at some point, by some so-called expert, were dubbed “the next Larry Bird” or “possessing Bird-like skills.”

Charles Barkley said about his 1992 Dream Team teammate, “the only thing Christian Laettner has in common with Larry Bird is they both pee standing up.”

Eric Piatkowski, Mike Miller, Wally Szczerbiak, Keith Van Horn are just some of the non-Dukies I think Sir Quotable would describe with similar, if not more demeaning, rhetoric. Like Laettner, they have been compared to the Celtics great, simply and foolishly because they're white.

Which brings us to David Lee.

He’s currently un-signed as New York Knicks' training camp begins in about a month.  He’s coming off a good statistical season (his numbers may look a little large because of Mike D’Antoni’s uptempo offense) and could be considered, by a small margin, the best American-born Caucasian player in the league.

Today’s Larry Bird?

Not that there’s much competition.

Who else is even close? Troy Murphy and Kevin Love are the only two players who put up comparable numbers.

Consider each player's 36-minute averages (see below).

Player	PTS	RB	FG%	FT%	3PT%	AST	STL	BLK
Lee	16.5	12.1	54.9	75.5	0	2.2	1	.3
Murphy	15.1	12.5	47.5	82.6	45	2.5	.8	.5
Love	15.8	12.9	45.6	78.9	10.5	1.5	.6	.9

 

Lee put up career highs last November versus the Warriors with 37 points and 21 rebounds. He became the first Knicks player with 30 points and 20 rebounds in a game since Patrick Ewing in 1997, and he had a stretch of 10 straight double-doubles.

Murphy takes nearly five shots from beyond the arc every game, but he did have Danny Granger as the focus of the offense, allowing for many offensive put-backs and wide open threes.

Love was a 20-year-old rookie last season coming off just one season in college hoops.  He clearly has the highest upside of the three and a pressure-free situation in which to develop, plus uber-talented Al Jefferson to play off of in Minnesota.

I can just imagine the colorful verbiage Sir Charles would use to compare any of these three to the guy from French Lick.

Lee possesses good athleticism and, at 26, is three years younger than Murphy and is just approaching his prime. Too bad he’s on such a bad basketball team. He’ll likely only sign a one-year deal in New York, and might one day be released from hoops purgatory with a chance to blossom in a more functional setting.

As soon as this season, Love—who may up his assists total under Kurt Rambis—could be the best American-born Caucasian player, but if a true comparison is to be made, his game is a lot more Kevin McHale than it is or ever will be Larry Bird.

The comparisons will keep coming and at an even higher rate because of the proliferation of media.

Think about it. Nowitzki was compared to Bird, and as good as Mark Cuban’s highest paid employee is, Barkley’s words apply to him the same way they applied to Laettner.

Who knows if a player like Bird—whose talent transcended race—will ever again grace our presence.

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