"It's a simple switch, take Reggie Miller out" - Kevin Wildes asserts Kyrie Irving belongs on NBA 75 over the Indiana Pacers legend
In a blowout win (150-108) against the Orlando Magic (18-52) on Tuesday, Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets (36-33) set a new career-high for scoring with 60 points, shooting 20 out of 31 from the field.
The 60-point barrage not only helped Kyrie Irving set a personal record but also the franchise record for the highest individual score in a game for the Brooklyn Nets.
60 PTS
🔥 60 PTS
🔥 8 3PM
🔥 64.5 FG%
And we've got every bucket for your enjoyment ⤵️ https://t.co/A47LfuHY5X
Kevin Wildes, in a debate with Nick Wright on FOX Sports' "First Things First," sounded off his opinions on Kyrie's placement (or lack thereof) on the 75th Anniversary Team:
"Watching the game last night, you saw a Top 75 player of all time. ..someone's gotta come out of the top 75, then how about your buddy Reggie Miller?"
"He's the one guy, who averages more points, rebounds and assists...so, simple switch - you can take Reggie Miller out"
Reggie Miller, who spent all of his 18 years in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, was a 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA and led the pacers to the NBA finals in 2000.
How skewed is the Top 75 list?
The 75th Anniversary Team sparked a lot of debate about how good of a job the list does to represent the NBA's 75 greatest players of all time. The exclusion of players like Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Yao Ming, Kyrie Irving and many more lent this debate its fuel.
The list was voted on by a panel of blue-ribbon media members, current and former players, general managers and team executives. As is the case with any ranking or list, the 75th anniversary team is subject to the bias of the voters, and sometimes that bias might go beyond the basketball court.
The inclusion of players from the '50s, '60s and '70s with notable exceptions (Bill, Wilt, Kareem, and the like) is probably one of the reasons why even 75 places aren't enough to capture the greatness of the league in full.
Dolph Schayes, considered one of the best shooting big men of all time, for his career, shot 38% from the field. Make of that what you will, but Schayes still averaged 18.5 points and 12.1 rebounds a game in the '50s, which was enough for a place in the Top 75 in his case, but Dwight Howard, who averaged 15.7 points and 11.8 rebounds in his career with 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards, still couldn't get in.
Adjusting for the eras is an arduous task; Kyrie Irving would be averaging 40 points a game if he played in the '50s but because his accomplishments are measured relative to his era, he clearly doesn't match-up to a Stephen Curry or a LeBron James.
So, the problem with the top 75 list is clear - every player's accomplishments are measured relative to their era, but when a list is consolidated across eras, some form of normalization needs to occur to account for the players' relative greatness, which the NBA didn't bother with.