"They can't do what we did in the 90s" - Metta Sandiford-Artest argues that players now are not soft
When talking about the toughest guys in the history of the league, Metta Sandiford-Artest deserves mention, especially after he figured in one of the most infamous NBA brawls. So, it's interesting that despite the changes the Association has seen over the decades, which include the significant drop in physicality in games, he isn't among those who ascribe to the belief that today's generation of players is soft.
In a promotional material for his upcoming podcast, Artest argues that all eras are equal. The key difference is the rules that govern how players should defend and act on the floor.
"They're not soft," he said of the players today. "They're playing according to the rules. They can't do what we did in the '90s because of the rules. Even the fans don't really know what they're talking about because it's not that they're even better than us. It's a different set of rules. So, you have to work on other parts of your game."
High-octane offense
Being a Defensive Player of the Year awardee and four-time All-Defensive Team member, Artest understands what allowed him and his peers to defend opponents as if there was no tomorrow. However, with the Association enacting rule changes that benefit offensive players, defenders nowadays have had to adjust. Otherwise, they would be watching their teams play from the bench or the locker room because of foul trouble or disqualification.
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Another retired player who shares a similar sentiment as Metta's is Rasheed Wallace, who said the biggest problem in the NBA today is the softness caused by "these rules and damn referees."
Even Gilbert Arenas, who wasn't exactly known for being a defensive stopper, offered his two cents on the matter late last year. "Agent Zero" said that during his time, he would get "chucked" or held onto trying to get to his spot or position. In the current generation, those tactics, including hand-checking, will likely be whistled with a foul call.
Sacrificing for defense
According to Artest, because of the more relaxed rules back in the day, players like him had to work harder and sacrifice some parts of their games in order to learn defensive principles and how to evade defenders.
The game's design to favor the offense resulted in some of the most explosive scoring outputs in decades earlier in the 2023-24 season. Fortunately, the NBA has addressed the matter, enforcing some rule changes and telling referees to adjust how they call fouls and non-fouls. Consequently, a steep drop-off in offensive rating and free-throw attempts was seen in the second half of this campaign.
Of course, current players still cannot do what Artest and his contemporaries did. But at least they received Metta's stamp of approval.
