If you could

[Eielson]

I absolutely agree that Karl Malone is better than Tyler Hansbrough. Blake absolutely manhandled Hansbrough, though. Would Wayman manhandle Malone? Hardly. In 1984 Malone had 22 points and 15 rebounds to Wayman's 12 points and 9 rebounds on 3-16 shooting. It sounds like the roles were reversed. I know that the next matchup was more even, but the comparison isn't fair. We're talking about a guy that Blake dominated vs a guy that got the better of Tisdale. The fact that no big men could compete with Blake doesn't make him less impressive.

As for the argument that NCAA guys go to the NBA much sooner, you have a point, but it's of little use when you look at Blake's rookie season. When he went on to the NBA (the place where all the great players supposedly went), he didn't slow down one bit.

 

[DenverSooner]

I absolutely agree that Karl Malone is better than Tyler Hansbrough.

I have not followed all of this but this is funny. Anyone that disagrees is a lunatic. Malone is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Hansborough is an NBA player.

 

[bocabull]

Boca, here is the problem with your argument. Kevin Durant was already in the NBA when Blake Griffin started his career and Demarcus Cousins was still in high school. Had guys like Durant played 3-4 years of college ball, that would obviously raise the competition level and make it harder for the likes of Blake Griffin to win the National POY. Again, his top competition was Tyler Hansbrough, a guy who never would have been an All-American during the Tisdale era with the likes of Sampson, Olajuwon, Ewing and Malone (4 guys in the NBA HOF).

You are using guys born over 2 years before Wayman who he never played against in college. Durant is months older than Blake. You can't compare era's by using 4-5 years of players in 1 era and 1-2 years of players in the other.

Players are better now. As for Ewing being a top 6-7 center all-time. If that's true then Cousins is top 5 all-time because he's better than Ewing across the board already and has a better PER season than anything Ewing ever posted to prove it.

 

[Eielson]

I have not followed all of this but this is funny. Anyone that disagrees is a lunatic. Malone is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Hansborough is an NBA player.

We were talking about college, though. If we're talking NBA careers only, Blake surpassed Wayman before he could even rent a car.

 

[bocabull]

I also think some of the younger posters who didn't watch the 80's era of hoops can't appreciate how much more physical the game was back then. I can honestly say I never saw top players like MJ, Magic, Bird, Kareem, Ewing, etc flop.

I give you credit for not mentioning Karl Malone mizzy. That dude was the biggest flopper in the history of the game. You couldn't knock him over with a sledge hammer, but if Steve Nash bumped into he would go flying backwards 10 feet like he was shot by a canon. Karl malone spent more time on his back than Paris Hilton.

I disagree the game was more physical. The players now are so much stronger it's ridiculous. The reason Magic, Bird & MJ dominated is because they had next generation skills in that weaker generation. Now guys like them are everywhere. And guys like Dirk, Lebron, Durant are taking it up a notch from them.

 

[bgrch1350]

Ewing and Olajuwon are two of the top 6-7 centers in the history of basketball...so it would be very difficult for any team with Tyler Hansbrough to win even 1 out of 100 games. Your POY argument holds no water because of inferior competition. Hansbrough would have never been an All-American 25 years earlier.

The fact that you said Hansbrough wouldn't have been an all American 25 years ago is the biggest joke I've ever heard.

In college would you take Christian Laetner or one of these guys; Tisdale, Ewing and olujuwan?

 

[WaymanFan]

The fact that you said Hansbrough wouldn't have been an all American 25 years ago is the biggest joke I've ever heard.

In college would you take Christian Laetner or one of these guys; Tisdale, Ewing and olujuwan?

25 years ago? Not likely, but possible. 30 years ago? Not a chance.

Sampson, Ewing, Olajuwon, Tisdale, Sam Perkins (I forgot about him)...just too much competition. I would take Steve Stipanovich and Keith Lee over Hasnbrough as well, and those guys were like 2nd/3rd team...making what Wayman accomplished so much more amazing. Fortunately, those who knew that era probably had an easy decision when coming up with this -->

http://www.sportswriters.net/USBWA/awards/tisdale/index.html

 

[bocabull]

Patrick Ewing career PER ranks 20th among NBA centers. Chris Mullen career PER not top 100. Blake is way better than both those guys and would have won POY over them in college.

Darrell Griffith was all the rage back then because of his dunking ability. Blake is a 6'10" version of him. That's how far the game has advanced. People would have been absolutely blown away by Blake.

 

[Darwin]

I agree with you the competition at the top was a strong and a deeper field during Wayman's college seasons. What does that mean? Was Ewing better than Mello or Anthony Davis in college? Was Wayman better than Derrick Rose or KD in college? Those were the good old days, sincerely they really were.

 

[Eielson]

Poor Hansbrough. I hope he doesn't read this thread.

Weren't we talking about Blake Griffin or something?

 

[bgrch1350]

25 years ago? Not likely, but possible. 30 years ago? Not a chance.

Sampson, Ewing, Olajuwon, Tisdale, Sam Perkins (I forgot about him)...just too much competition. I would take Steve Stipanovich and Keith Lee over Hasnbrough as well, and those guys were like 2nd/3rd team...making what Wayman accomplished so much more amazing. Fortunately, those who knew that era probably had an easy decision when coming up with this -->

http://www.sportswriters.net/USBWA/awards/tisdale/index.html

You obviously don't know how good Hansbrough was in college. Any year he would have been great. His motor is what made him a great college player. There's not many players that played with his intensity.

 

[bgrch1350]

I agree with you the competition at the top was a strong and a deeper field during Wayman's college seasons. What does that mean? Was Ewing better than Mello or Anthony Davis in college? Was Wayman better than Derrick Rose or KD in college? Those were the good old days, sincerely they really were.

Even Kevin love was dominant his freshman year.

 

[WaymanFan]

You obviously don't know how good Hansbrough was in college. Any year he would have been great. His motor is what made him a great college player. There's not many players that played with his intensity.

If guys like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose were playing 3-4 years of college ball,and Tyler Hanborough was dominating them, I'd be more impressed. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not arguing which era was better. I'm simply stating the obvious - the college game was more more competitive when the best players were staying 3-4 years and not 1.

I root for Blake Griiffin more than any player in the NBA. I may even make the trip to Springfield, MA when he's inducted in the HOF. I also have some great memories of the 2008-2009 season when he was the best player in college basketball. What I can't get past is that I can't think of 5 great college players from that season. I looked up the 1st and 2nd team All-Americans in 1984 when Wayman was a sophomore. At least 4 NBA Hall of Famers were not good enough to make the 1st or 2nd team - Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler and John Stockton. To me, that amount of completion is just mind-boggling.

 

[JBaker]

Westbrook would more than hold his own vs Jordan.

Is this a real sentence that just happened?

 

[BCSooners]

Is this a real sentence that just happened?

Source

 

[Eielson]

If guys like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose were playing 3-4 years of college ball,and Tyler Hanborough was dominating them, I'd be more impressed. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not arguing which era was better. I'm simply stating the obvious - the college game was more more competitive when the best players were staying 3-4 years and not 1.

I root for Blake Griiffin more than any player in the NBA. I may even make the trip to Springfield, MA when he's inducted in the HOF. I also have some great memories of the 2008-2009 season when he was the best player in college basketball. What I can't get past is that I can't think of 5 great college players from that season. I looked up the 1st and 2nd team All-Americans in 1984 when Wayman was a sophomore. At least 4 NBA Hall of Famers were not good enough to make the 1st or 2nd team - Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler and John Stockton. To me, that amount of completion is just mind-boggling.

The first team All-America that Blake was on was pretty loaded. When it's all said and done, Steph, Blake, and Harden may all have MVPs, and are HOF-bound. The other two, Dejaun Blair and Tyler Hansbrough, were very good college players, but everybody knew their game wouldn't translate to the NBA. Plenty of guys like Demar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, Derrick Rose, and Damian Lillard weren't All-American and have already emerged as great players, and I'm sure more will.

 

[bocabull]

Is this a real sentence that just happened?

Sure. Not as much the 32 year old Jordan who had developed the post game. The 26 year old jumping shooting driving Jordan. Do you really think Jordan could stay in front of Westbrook's stutter step explosive drives or be able to disrupt his vicious pull up 15 footer? I don't think anybody can.

Jordan would get the best of him, but Westbrook would hold his own a lot more than Stockton/Drexler would against Curry/KD who would absolutely shred them.

 

[bgrch1350]

If guys like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose were playing 3-4 years of college ball,and Tyler Hanborough was dominating them, I'd be more impressed. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not arguing which era was better. I'm simply stating the obvious - the college game was more more competitive when the best players were staying 3-4 years and not 1.

I root for Blake Griiffin more than any player in the NBA. I may even make the trip to Springfield, MA when he's inducted in the HOF. I also have some great memories of the 2008-2009 season when he was the best player in college basketball. What I can't get past is that I can't think of 5 great college players from that season. I looked up the 1st and 2nd team All-Americans in 1984 when Wayman was a sophomore. At least 4 NBA Hall of Famers were not good enough to make the 1st or 2nd team - Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler and John Stockton. To me, that amount of completion is just mind-boggling.

Durant and rose would never get dominated by Hansbrough. Why? Bc they are guards and Hansbrough is a post. Malone is the only post player Tisdale played. Griffin played against the best post players in college and proved himself in year 2.

You continue to prove nothing bc you constantly name guys who wouldn't] guard Tisdale or he never played.

Griffin played against elite post players his freshmen year and sophomore year and that's why his improvement from year one to year two is so huge bc Beasley and others dominated Griffin and in year 2 no one could stop him except for an elbow to the head.

What's impressive about that unc game is that he had more points and rebound then unc's top 3 post players combined. And the fact that one of those 3 was Hansbrough just solidifies it.

 

[WaymanFan]

Durant and rose would never get dominated by Hansbrough. Why? Bc they are guards and Hansbrough is a post. Malone is the only post player Tisdale played. Griffin played against the best post players in college and proved himself in year 2.

You continue to prove nothing bc you constantly name guys who wouldn't] guard Tisdale or he never played.

Griffin played against elite post players his freshmen year and sophomore year and that's why his improvement from year one to year two is so huge bc Beasley and others dominated Griffin and in year 2 no one could stop him except for an elbow to the head.

What's impressive about that unc game is that he had more points and rebound then unc's top 3 post players combined. And the fact that one of those 3 was Hansbrough just solidifies it.

Do you just make this stuff up as you go? Wayman had to play against Sam Perkins and Brad Daughtery, played against Steve Stipanovich, played against Danny Manning, played against Sidney Green, played against Keith Lee and William Bedford, played against Karl Malone, played against Jon Koncack, played against Joe Kleine, and that's just off the top of my head. That doesn't even count the likes of Michael Jordan, Mark Price, Randy Wittman, ahh never mind...I'll be here all night listing all the future NBA players Wayman went up against.

Again, there is a Wayman Tisdale Award for a REASON.

 

[garyeb2]

I have refrained on this one even though my strong opinion was that wayman was the right answer. Yesterday I had a chance to ask a coach that was on the staff when tisdale was at ou his opinion. Without hesitation he replied Blake. He went on to say that after a game during Blake's freshman season, wayman said to him, "I wish I could have been as good as that kid"