Originally Posted by
Starter
Now we're talking. I think you have a relatively well-reasoned argument, though I don't think the stat lines you put up there show a whole lot, to be honest. Lewis wasn't singlehandedly responsible for wins and losses, though he was coming into his own on playoff teams, and it's not like those numbers you posted were weak. Combine those with the fact that he was 27 and entering his athletic peak and... we're going in circles.
In terms of his defense, he had a strong reputation for being a very good defensive player (I'm not making that up), and his numbers hold up -- 1.4 steals and a block a game from a 2/3 is pretty strong. The game he blocked a prime Jordan four times -- which, in itself, is pretty amazing -- was obviously not the only good defensive game he had in his career. Though that clear ability and reputation to at least be able to hassle Jordan (really, all you can ask for) can't help but be indicative of what he was capable of. He was an above-average athlete with long arms, a great recipe.
If you look, Lewis' numbers compare pretty favorably to another Reggie through their age 22 season -- Reggie Miller. Miller hit threes, Lewis blocked shots, but other than that they were honestly very similar. Miller, obviously, wasn't a superstar on the level of Bird. But he was a very good, some might say great, player on winning teams. Given those 12 extra seasons, who's to say Lewis couldn't have done the same? That, we can actually probably agree on. And that level of play is nothing to sneeze at. I still think he had the tools to be great, you don't, and I would think it's ok we part there, regardless of what we each recall about his defense, the number of shots he needed, whatever. After all, was Reggie Miller great? Probably depends on who you ask. (As a Knicks fan, I'd begrudgingly say yes.)
That's awesome you got to see Bias in person. Such a shame what happened there. Imagine the course of NBA history had Bias made it to the league at anywhere near the level everyone believed he could have played at.