ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith went on a major rant about Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards’ comments about Michael Jordan being the only skilled player in previous NBA eras.
During his rant, Smith shouted out legendary Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mark Price as one of the players who helped pave the way for future generations.
“Adrian Dantley was skilled,” Smith said. “Okay? Let’s be very, very clear – Charles Barkley is one of the greatest forwards in the history of basketball. We can knock him for not winning a championship.”
Shannon Sharpe cut Smith off to share how great of a rebounder Barkley was before the ESPN analyst went further into his comments about previous eras of basketball.
“Shawn Kemp, that wasn’t skill?” Smith said. “You understand what I’m saying? Gary Payton, that wasn’t skill? I mean, think about this. Listen, I’d go back to Mark Price for crying out loud. Out of Georgia Tech that was playing in Cleveland all those years, that brother wasn’t skilled? Allan Houston wasn’t skilled? Larry Johnson wasn’t skilled? [Patrick] Ewing wasn’t skilled? I mean, wait a minute now. There was a whole bunch of ballers. There was a whole bunch of cats that were playing that were very skilled. The skill level might have elevated now, but would you have known what to be, Ant Man, if it were not for the pioneers that have paved the way that have given you a visual of what you could be?”
A four-time All-Star, Price played for the Cavs from the 1986-87 season through the 1994-95 campaign. After his time in Cleveland, Price played for the Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards), Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic.
Price finished in the top 10 in MVP voting four times in his career, and he finished with career averages of 15.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from beyond the arc.
It’s nice to see Smith acknowledge Price as one of the players that paved the way during his era, especially since the Cavs guard was an elite 3-point shooter for his career.
Edwards’ comments about previous NBA eras have been met with a lot of criticism, including from Los Angeles Lakers legend and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
“Well, you know, I don’t never respond to a guy that’s never won a championship,” Johnson said in response to Edwards’s comments. “There’s not nothing to really say. He didn’t win a college championship. I don’t even know if he won a high school championship.”
Edwards, a former No. 1 overall pick, has quickly become one of the better young players in the NBA. Last season, he led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, but they came up short in that series against the Dallas Mavericks.
Hopefully, Edwards realizes how many great players – like Price – there were before him in the NBA that helped pave the way for his success in today’s era.
