Minnesota Timberwolves star player Anthony Edwards recently expressed his views on the older generation of NBA players, especially those who played against Michael Jordan. His views have been widely discussed, but they have not caused much anger or controversy. In fact, his remarks were not too sharp or radical, nor did they anger the older generation of fans, especially those who see Edwards as the next Jordan.

When asked about the difference between basketball today and the past, Edwards said, "I didn't watch the games back then, so I can't really comment. They say the game was more intense back then, but I don't think there were many players who were really skilled back then. Michael Jordan was the only really skilled player from that era, you know what I mean? So when they see Kobe [Bryant], they're like, 'Wow, that's amazing.' But now, almost everyone is skilled."

Edwards tried to soften the blow of his opinion by emphasizing that he didn't live through that era, but his comments have caused quite a stir in the basketball world. However, this may not be a bad thing. Generating some discussion and controversy over seemingly trivial topics can be beneficial to sports culture.

Obviously, Jordan wasn't the only skilled player from his era. In that era, physical confrontation played a more important role in the game, and other teams besides the Detroit Pistons generally accepted this rough style of play, even though it was often considered unskilled. But players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, and others all had the scoring and/or playmaking abilities to be called “skilled” basketball.

Kobe Bryant was a skilled player, but he wasn’t the only high-scoring perimeter player to be feared. Maybe Edwards just picked the player who ultimately became the most famous, but Allen Iverson, Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, and many players who preceded or were in the same period of Kobe’s career also fit that criteria.