Tony Campbell comments on the modern NBA's transformation: 'The change is really evident and that is, it has been more of a perimeter game'

Tony Campbell was the Detroit Pistons' first-round pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. He played for the "Bad Boys" before they became champions, then caught the Lakers in 1998 and won an NBA title with them that year.

As such, T.C. was part of an '80s era that is considered one of the most physical generations of NBA basketball. With today's game looking very different from the one that they played in, Campbell's Showtime Lakers teammate Michael Cooper asked Tony about the major differences he sees in the current league.

"The change is really evident and that is, it has been more of a perimeter game," said Campbell. "The game has kind of morphosized into a perimeter basketball game where big men are no longer the traditional big men. Now you have to have the skills of a point guard, you have to have the skills of a small forward, you have to have all those skills right now."

New rules have softened the league

Campbell says this change can be attributed to the vision of the late NBA Commissioner David Stern. Stern pushed hard for the globalization of the league, and this thrust led to the influx of international talent. With more and more foreign players joining the league every year, the NBA game today resembles an international contest more than the one T.C. and Coop played in during the 80s.

Aside from globalization, Campbell also mentioned that the rule changes that the NBA implemented to promote scoring have softened up the league. He says defensive players can no longer defend the way they did during the 80s' because a lot of things and tricks are no longer allowed.

"There are times when I'm watching the NBA basketball game and I feel like it's more entertainment than it is real, like really basketball," added Campbell. "From all the glamour and the glitz of everything and every time you turn on the TV, the team has a new uniform. Or individual players have on fancy shoes that you never heard of before. That wasn't happening with us. With us, it was just basketball. It was hardhead basketball, it was the School of Hard Knocks basketball. "

Players like them still exist

But while the style of play is now different, Campbell still sees some remnants of the old-school basketball he knew well. According to "Blumpy," the NBA's roster still has several players who could be mistaken for 80s ballers.

"I'm not saying those types of players don't exist," continued Campbell. "I think Draymond Green is a throwback to our days and there's many others too. But he just sticks out. In that sense though, the game has changed definitely but it to me, it's been a little more entertainment but yes, it's exciting to watch."

The emphasis on offense has made today's game an exciting to watch. However, if you grew up watching the Showtime Lakers and the Bad Boys or, in the case of Coop and T.C., played in that era, the current NBA looks like a watered-down version of the same sport because of the lack of physicality.