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Your Top 10 NBA Players of All-Time

Started by AB™, June 05, 2011, 03:02:05 pm

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AB™

A player I had barely ever heard anything about, but just recently ran across in a book I'm reading, is Marques Johnson.  I don't know how I'm just now becoming familiar with him.  He is a career 20/7/3/52% player as a 6'7" SF.  He played in five All-Star games, was 1st Team All-NBA once, and 2nd Team All-NBA twice. 

zebradynasty

MJ is number one and Jabbar is number 2 but in IMO there isn't much distance between those two. Jabbar without a doubt in my mind had the most skill, size and athleticism all in one package than any big man to have ever played the game. Back in the day I couldn't stand Jabbar but when I went on the court and tried to imitate his moves...OMG whole new respect for the man. To be able to shoot a sky hook from 12-17 ft from the basket and to do that at over 7ft tall while being doubled teamed...reason why no one has ever been able to duplicate it! Nobody is willing to work at that shot and he was unstoppable with it. Running half hooks in the lane, baby jump hooks you can learn if you work at it but shoot a sky hook it's like learning how to play golf it will frustrate you that much.

DR. J is my favorite if it wasn't for him there would not have been a Jordan. At 6-6 nobody was dunking on 7 footers like that in his era. Made everyone wonder what they had to do to be able to fly like that! I remember the urban legend that Dr. J had the skin removed between his thumbs and index fingers so he could palm a basketball easier. Sports Illustrated debunked it when a article was written that Dr J's hands where about the same size as Jabbar's! Glad for that article cause I just about to go under the knife! ;D

Bird and Magic are next on my list didn't care for either but had to respect their game.

#5 Bill Russell the ultimate winner

Hoghead

Maybe not one of the Best Players of ALL Time. BUT...... Robert Horry was the BEST at getting traded to Championship teams. Big Shot Bob had a heck of a agent ! 2 Rings in Houston, 2 at LA and 2 with San Antonio.

AB™

Quote from: Hoghead on June 07, 2011, 02:18:21 pm
Maybe not one of the Best Players of ALL Time. BUT...... Robert Horry was the BEST at getting traded to Championship teams. Big Shot Bob had a heck of a agent ! 2 Rings in Houston, 2 at LA and 2 with San Antonio.

He was actually there for the entire Lakers 3-Peat from 2000-2002, so he's got 7 rings. 

Nemesis

Horry wasn't the best player but he definitely had the "It" factor.  Kinda like the Worm (Rodman).  Wasn't eye popping good but had "It".  Both of those guys did their thing.  Horry would nail a 3 and you would be like, "Where did he come from?" and he would have 20 before you knew it.  Rodman would have 25 rebounds a game and not score a point and you would never know it until they flashed his stats at the bottom of the screen.  Then you are like..."Wow!".

AB™

There are three guys in my lifetime that were career role players but always on really good teams...

Dennis Rodman
Robert Horry
Steve Kerr

Now, Rodman was the best of the three.  He's a Hall of Fame player who was an extremely nasty and versatile defender with the Bad Boy Pistons.  He's also one of the 3-5 best rebounders of all time.  He never put up great offensive numbers but he's still one of the best defensive players to ever play the game. 

olddog79

Quote from: Hoghead on June 07, 2011, 07:47:16 am
Carmelo could only wish his game was as tight as Bernard King. King was tough and more physical than Carmelo. He could score at will. Players dreaded holding Bernard.
If Bernard had good knees he would be top 5 in my book. The man could flat play!

RATTLER43

AB, I mentioned him in reply #35. Johnson teamed with Moncrief, Lanier and company and gave the Celtics and sixers all they could handle but could never bust through to the finals. He was a fantastic player.

Yes, Nemesis, you understand that "it" quality to which I refer. There is athleticism, skill, and "it". Various players have amounts of each. MJ, Magic, Kareem, Bird, Kobe, Wade seem to possess high levels of all three.


southdog

ok i mentioned him earlier elgin baylor, but i am finding it odd that no one else has him on their list his #s are 27.4/13.5/4.6  i will shut up about baylor now,just wondering!

RATTLER43

Elgin Baylor was a great player. He played when most of the league talent was on two teams: Lakers and Celtics with Celtics winning all the titles. The league also had a limited amount of great big men allowing large athletic forwards to put up incredible numbers(although, Baylor would be great in any era). I have him in my top 50 all-time but not top 20.

Russell
Wilt
Jerry West
Oscar Robertson
John Havlicek
Bob Pettit
Elgin Baylor
Walt Bellamy
Jerry Lucas
Sam Jones
were about the best players in the NBA of the era.
Elgin Baylor

RATTLER43

Don't take it as a put down to any of these players because I truly believe they would have been great in any era, but Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Pettit, and Elgin Baylor would not have the numbers they have had they played in later eras. They still would be awesome. I believe Russell would still be the league's best rebounder but not at 25 per game. Wilt might lead in scoring but not at 50 ppg. Just an opinion. The league was smaller and Wilt was 7'4" of incredible athleticism; Bill Russell was 6'9" with 7'+ wingspan. Both  often played against inferior athletes. The guards of today's NBA are often the size of the power forwards of that day and small forwards of that day. In today's NBA, most teams have multiple big men on the floor. It would take away some of the rebounds and points off of offensive rebounds.  Just an assessment.

InYoGrill

Check this link out.

http://www.nba.com/statistics/default_all_time_leaders/AllTimeLeadersPPGQuery.html

It has the top avg ppg in history. Lebron has the 3rd highest avg so far in his career. When I mentioned Karl Malone earlier, I did not realize he was 2nd in history at almost 36K pts! He grew up near the AR border.

RATTLER43

Karl Malone was great as well. He and Stockton are one of the top 1-2 punches in NBA history.


InYoGrill

http://www.nba.com/statistics/default_all_time_leaders/AllTimeLeadersPPGQuery.html

Most people don't like AI- Iverson but in the link above he has the 6th highest scoring avg in history, Most people including myself would pass on him if drafted and go for someone that had more of an overall game and someone that got along better with his coaches and teammates. It was all about "I" with "AI". Great high school football QB that could have gone BIG time D1.

Shaq is way up there with the rings and stats but it pains me to see another great player turned "has been" hang on so long after his PRIME was over. Good to see he finally retired.

RATTLER43

Not an Iverson fan. Shot selection lacking.  Great skills, poor decision-making. Determination combined with bad attitude.


RATTLER43

How about all-decade teams vs each other:
60s vs. 00s
Oscar Robertson v  Wade
Jerry West v Kobe
Wilt v Shaq
Bill Russell v Tim Duncan
Bob Pettit v Lebron

50s vs 90s
Cousy v Stockton
Sharman v MJ
Mikan v Olajuwan
Arizin/Johnston v Pippen
Schayes v K. Malone

70s v 60s
Clyde v West
Hondo v Robertson
Kareem v Wilt
Hayes v Russell
Dr. J v Pettit

80s v 90s
Magic v Stockton
Moncrief v MJ
M. Malone v Olajuwan
Bird v Pippen
Barkley v K. Malone

Magic v Clyde
Moncrief v Hondo
M. Malone v Kareem
Bird v Dr. J
Barkley v Hayes

What you have not been allowed to see are the benches of each team. The 70s have Gervin, Pistol Pete, Artis Gilmore, Rick Barry, Tiny Archibald, Bob McAdoo, Dan Issel, David Thompson among others.

Feel free to add your thoughts, teams, opinions, etc.

You all know that had I put Kareem, MJ, and Olajuwan in the 80s group that they are invincible!

RATTLER43

Wade!  Moving up my list as I watch.

Ex-HAplayer

Quote from: InYoGrill on June 07, 2011, 08:16:46 pm
http://www.nba.com/statistics/default_all_time_leaders/AllTimeLeadersPPGQuery.html

Most people don't like AI- Iverson but in the link above he has the 6th highest scoring avg in history, Most people including myself would pass on him if drafted and go for someone that had more of an overall game and someone that got along better with his coaches and teammates. It was all about "I" with "AI". Great high school football QB that could have gone BIG time D1.

Shaq is way up there with the rings and stats but it pains me to see another great player turned "has been" hang on so long after his PRIME was over. Good to see he finally retired.

I feel as if AI was under the right system with the right veteran players, He could have been one of the best. Iverson is probably one of the best small guards ever to play the game, and although he did have his run ins..no one can question how hard he played on the court and all he did for the city of Philadelphia.

RATTLER43

Had Larry Brown. Not sure if Mutombo, Hill, Kukoc, etc. qualify as the right veterans. AI ran Brown off. Big mistake. Never had chemistry on a team again. Great athlete with great skills who was a chemistry destroyer.

Ex-HAplayer

AI needed a star veteran to groom him imo.

Smithian

Wade right now is making his case to be included in some of these lists. My goodness.

AB™

Quote from: Smithian on June 07, 2011, 10:26:43 pm
Wade right now is making his case to be included in some of these lists. My goodness.


Where were you when I was arguing for Wade as the best 2-way SG of all-time not named Michael Jordan?

I've had him as 3rd best SG ever for a couple of years now.  If Miami wins this series (which they will) and Wade wins Finals MVP, then he's at worst a top 25 player.   

RATTLER43

Agreed.

He is a more muscular Sidney Moncrief who has one title on the verge of two.

RATTLER43

Not sure I put him ahead of Jerry West and Oscar Robertson just yet but he moves into top 25 all-time. He needs a little more longevity to move into top 15.

AB™

June 07, 2011, 10:50:00 pm #74 Last Edit: June 07, 2011, 10:53:47 pm by AB™
Quote from: olddog79 on June 07, 2011, 04:33:02 pm
Quote from: Hoghead on June 07, 2011, 07:47:16 am
Carmelo could only wish his game was as tight as Bernard King. King was tough and more physical than Carmelo. He could score at will. Players dreaded holding Bernard.
If Bernard had good knees he would be top 5 in my book. The man could flat play!

1.  There's two ends of the basketball floor and, from what I've read, King didn't particularly play great defense.

2.  Healthy or not (and I know he had injury problems) he still missed the playoffs nine times in seasons where he played the majority of the games. 

3.  I've never seen King higher than high 50's in an all-time list, which means there is more than injuries keeping him from being a potential top 5-25 player.  Bill Walton gets the benefit of the doubt and ranked int eh top 30-50 despite major injury problems because he was the "Alpha Dog" on a championship team and fit in seamlessly as the 6th man on the 1985-1986 Celtics. 

I'm not saying King wasn't a great player but even with good knees he wasn't a top 5 player all-time.  A top 5 scorer ever?  Perhaps, but not one of the five best players ever.


RATTLER43

If he wins multiple titles with this Heat group then he could move into top 10 or 12.

AB™

Quote from: RATTLER43 on June 07, 2011, 10:34:58 pm
Not sure I put him ahead of Jerry West and Oscar Robertson just yet but he moves into top 25 all-time. He needs a little more longevity to move into top 15.

I consider Oscar Robertson a point guard.

My top 5 shooting-guards ever...

1.   Michael Jordan
2.   Kobe Bryant
3a  Dwyane Wade
3b  Jerry West
5.   George Gervin

I don't know what to do with someone like John Havlicek because he played so many positions in his career.  If he is labled as a SG, then I'd put him at #5 and slide Gervin down a spot.

RATTLER43

King was just that-a great scorer. I loved Pistol Pete but that is what he was in the NBA as well. He did have flashy passing abilities unlike King but not a great defender or rebounder. I don't have King in my top 50 players or top 25 scorers but he was a great scorer.
Wilt
MJ
Kareem
Baylor
AI
K. Malone
M. Malone
McAdoo
Dr. J
Issel
Barry
Wilkins
Dirk
....
So many great scorers that it is hard to put King in top scorers of all=time lists.

AB™

I haven't seen enough of King to nkow how good of a scorer he was relative to NBA history.  I've just heard his game was VERY similar to Carmelo Anthony.  A big SF with good athleticism, a good rebounding SF, and could score on any spot of the floor.

I've never seen him mentioned as a top 50 player, though.  I'd have him in my 60-75 range.

RATTLER43

Big O played PG much of the time because he was so skilled but was a great 2-guard as well. MJ played the point quite a lot at times. Either position you put Big O in he is top 5.

D-Wade just keeps moving up my list.

RATTLER43

Oscar Robertson "There is some debate on whether he was a PG or an SG. The best answer is he was a combo-guard before the term became popular. He is also a little big for the "combo" tag. At 6'5" he was often taller than his backcourt partner. He also shot the ball more than your usual PG. While his assist numbers legitimize the PG argument, he was more of a playmaking SG. Similar to what Dwyane Wade has been able to do in this era."

Hoghead

Quote from: olddog79 on June 07, 2011, 04:33:02 pm
Quote from: Hoghead on June 07, 2011, 07:47:16 am
Carmelo could only wish his game was as tight as Bernard King. King was tough and more physical than Carmelo. He could score at will. Players dreaded holding Bernard.
If Bernard had good knees he would be top 5 in my book. The man could flat play!
You HAMN Skippy Olddog79 !! Bernard was the REAL DEAL !

AB™

KG winning a title as the leader of the 2008 Celtics team bumped him up a few more spots in my opinion, and probably other people's, too.  Before that, he was ringless just like Barkley and Malone, so it was hard justifying having him ranked higher than either. 

Of course Malone and Barkley would have probably combined for 3 championships if it weren't for that pesky Michael Jordan guy. 

Pettit is a guy I have a hard time getting a grasp on.  I know he put up insanely good numbers in the 1950's and 1960's, but I'm not convinced he'd be any better in this era than someone like Barkley/Malone/KG/Dirk.  I'm not saying he would be nothing more than a 15/10 player if he played today, but I feel pretty confident he wouldn't be anywhere close to a 26/16 career player, either.  With that said, you can't deny what he did when he played:  MVP 2x, All-Star Game MVP 4x, MVP voting top 5 8x, 1st Team All-NBA 10x, 1 championship as "Alpha Dog".

Something interesting is how low players FG% was in the early era of the NBA. 

Cliff Hagan:  45.0%
Jack Tyman:  45.0%
Bill Russell:  44.0%
Bob Pettit:   43.6%
John Havlicek:  43.9%
Ed Macauley:  43.6%
Elgin Baylor:  43.1%
Bill Sharman:  42.6%
Paul Arizin:  42.1%
Richie Guerin:  41.6%
George Mikan:  40.4%
Harry Gallatin:  39.8%
Carl Braun:  38.3%
Dolph Schayes:  38.0%
Bob Cousy:  37.5%
Slater Martin:  36.4%


That's 16 of the best players in the NBA during the 50's-60's.  I know the league average FG% back then was pretty low, too, and it looks like 42%-45% in the 50's and 60's was about the equivalent of shooting 50% in today's game. 

RATTLER43

I think Pettit would have scored just fine; he had great game. I just can't see any of those old guys rebounding like they did. I figure about a 20/10 guy. But we will never know. He was leader of the team that did not let Celtics win 'em all.

AB™

Quote from: RATTLER43 on June 09, 2011, 05:26:11 pm
I think Pettit would have scored just fine; he had great game. I just can't see any of those old guys rebounding like they did. I figure about a 20/10 guy. But we will never know. He was leader of the team that did not let Celtics win 'em all.

Yeah, the St. Louis Hawks winning in 1958 kept Boston from winning 10 in a row.  That Hawks team was pretty loaded, too, though.  Pettit was definitely the best player and leader, but they also had Cliff Hagan, Ed Macauley, and Slater Martin.

RATTLER43

Great 1-2 punches:
Magic-Kareem
MJ-Pippen
Russell-Cousy
Shaq-Kobe
Bird-McHale
Stockton-Malone
Dr. J-George McGinnis then Moses Malone
Kareem-Big O
Duncan-Robinson
Moncrief-Johnson
Issel-Thompson
just to name a few.

RATTLER43

1. Michael Jordan
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. Magic Johnson 
4. Larry Bird 
5. Kobe Bryant 
6. Bill Russell
7. Shaq
8.  Wilt Chamberlain
9.  Tim Duncan
10. Dr. J 
11. Jerry West
12. Oscar Robertson
13. Hakeem
14. Rick Barry
15. KG
16. Bob Pettit
17. Moses Malone
18. D Wade
19. Charles Barkley
20. Hondo
21. James Worthy
22. Kevin McHale
23. Dirk
24. Karl Malone
25. Scottie Pippen
26. John Stockton
27. George Mikan
28. George Gervin
29. Dan Issel
30. Isaiah Thomas
31. Lebron 
32. David Robinson
33. Sidney Moncrief/Bill Walton(each would have been much higher but had shortened careers due to injuries)
34. Paul Pierce
35. Elgin Baylor
36. Steve Nash
37. Bobby Jones
38. Elvin Hayes
39. Earl the Pearl
40. Patrick Ewing
41. Artis Gilmore
42. 'nique
43. Clyde Drexler
44. Bob Cousy
45. Bob Lanier
46. Dennis Johnson
47. Jamaal Wilkes
48. Bob McAdoo
49. Pistol Pete
50. Dennis Rodman

Okay, who have I left out or forgotten? Or, who would you place differently? We have to discuss something now that the season has ended.

AB™

I certainly think Dirk has done enough, now, to be mentioned as a top 20-25 player.  I'm going to post my 6-10 and eventually top 25.  I already had Dirk as a borderline top 30 player before this season started.  Then he put together a great regular season, and then carried a team with no other all-stars and past their prime role players to an NBA Championship. 

RATTLER43

Yes. The way he carried the Mavs in the playoffs and winning the title really made an impression on me. His coolness at the free shot line and 4th quarter shooting move him into the elite for me.

olddog79

Quote from: RATTLER43 on June 13, 2011, 09:18:37 pm
1. Michael Jordan
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. Magic Johnson 
4. Larry Bird 
5. Kobe Bryant 
6. Bill Russell
7. Shaq
8.  Wilt Chamberlain
9.  Tim Duncan
10. Dr. J 
11. Jerry West
12. Oscar Robertson
13. Hakeem
14. Rick Barry
15. KG
16. Bob Pettit
17. Moses Malone
18. D Wade
19. Charles Barkley
20. Hondo
21. James Worthy
22. Kevin McHale
23. Dirk
24. Karl Malone
25. Scottie Pippen
26. John Stockton
27. George Mikan
28. George Gervin
29. Dan Issel
30. Isaiah Thomas
31. Lebron 
32. David Robinson
33. Sidney Moncrief/Bill Walton(each would have been much higher but had shortened careers due to injuries)
34. Paul Pierce
35. Elgin Baylor
36. Steve Nash
37. Bobby Jones
38. Elvin Hayes
39. Earl the Pearl
40. Patrick Ewing
41. Artis Gilmore
42. 'nique
43. Clyde Drexler
44. Bob Cousy
45. Bob Lanier
46. Dennis Johnson
47. Jamaal Wilkes
48. Bob McAdoo
49. Pistol Pete
50. Dennis Rodman

Okay, who have I left out or forgotten? Or, who would you place differently? We have to discuss something now that the season has ended.
Rick Berry at #14? Really?

bleudog

June 14, 2011, 08:28:33 am #90 Last Edit: June 14, 2011, 08:32:43 am by bleudog
Maybe there's a name or two on this list that some folks haven't thought of:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_career.html


Here's their overall fan list:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/ratings.cgi#ratings

RATTLER43

I may be impacted by having watched him play when I was 8 to 10 years old and thinking nobody can stop this guy. Later on when my junior high coach was drilling in the importance of free shots was at end of Barry's career and it seemed as though he never missed. Then in my 20s when MJ was dominating it would be reinforced with all time finals averages and Barry was always top 5. He won a title by carrying his team. Just my picks. Where do you place him?

olddog79

Quote from: RATTLER43 on June 14, 2011, 08:47:50 am
I may be impacted by having watched him play when I was 8 to 10 years old and thinking nobody can stop this guy. Later on when my junior high coach was drilling in the importance of free shots was at end of Barry's career and it seemed as though he never missed. Then in my 20s when MJ was dominating it would be reinforced with all time finals averages and Barry was always top 5. He won a title by carrying his team. Just my picks. Where do you place him?
I understand. We all have "favorites", but I would put Barry somewhere below Moses, D. Robinson, Elvin Hayes, Bob Cousy, or Pistol Pete...IMO

RATTLER43

Sounds reasonable. Look up the roster for Barry's NBA title team. That alone is enough for me to keep him above those players. He swept Big E's Bullets who were loaded. But all of this is subjective anyway. After the top 12 it got really difficult and like I mentioned my reasoning was based upon perceptions of me as a youngster.

AB™

June 14, 2011, 02:04:23 pm #94 Last Edit: June 27, 2013, 03:56:27 pm by AB™
Barry in '75, Hakeem in '93, some say Duncan in '03, and now Dirk in 2011 are all very impressive title runs because their supporting cast didn't consist of much else in terms of star power.

RATTLER, I'm curious as to why you have Issel ranked so high?  I know he scored nearly 30,000 points in the ABA and NBA combined, but I've never seen him ranked in any top 50 list, never mind top 30.

RATTLER43

I watched in amazement the offensive skills he possessed as an undersized center. He is the best transition center in history at beating opposition downcourt for easy baskets. Those Issel/Thompson Nuggets were so explosive. They just could not get over hump and win title much like 80s Bucks. But alas I was young and my perceptions of Issel could be wrong. I thinl most ABA stars are underrated due to NBA's and media dislike for them in the day. If not for Dr. J's popularity it might have happened to him as well. My opinions combine having seen him, stats, and readings. I have a video of an Issel dunk that would be highlight even in today's NBA.

RATTLER43

You will have to study him and try to get some video of him. His ABA days taint him in the eyes of media. He was also small market. Trust me. He was a player.

RATTLER43

Many ABA players played their younger years in ABA. Compared to great NBA scorers I tried to see where they fit. MJ's scoring declined after so many seasons. So with Dr. J, Issel, Barry, Malone, Gervin, etc. I try to figure it to my best ability.

RATTLER43

June 14, 2011, 02:30:58 pm #98 Last Edit: June 14, 2011, 08:38:07 pm by RATTLER43
Not in my top 50 but I also liked Walter Davis, Rudy T and Calvin Murphy, Larry Kenon, Paul Silas, Tiny Archibald, JoJo white, The Chief, Wes Unseld, Jack Sikma, Clyde, Norm Nixon....  I really enjoy remembering those days of my youth.

RATTLER43

Issel is a lifetime 499 percent FG with his NBA being slightly higher than ABA. He also was a master at getting other team's center in foul trouble.

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