Greatest Player in your NBA history?

[Scout200]

Several people have a favorite player.. but who do you think is the greatest player in your NBA history?

[capstone21]

Michael Jordon hands down

...and I was not a Jordon fan by any means but he was somethig to watch. The Bulls teams that kept winning championships over and over again really were below average when you take him off the team (Yes, I know they had pippen but he could never carry a team without Jordon).

[DJlaysitup]

Several people have a favorite player.. but who do you think is the greatest player in your NBA history?

As a follower of mid major basketball I always liked Walt Frasier (SIU)...Maurice Cheeks (West Texas State)...Carr and Levingston (Witchita State)...the Abrams boys out of Atlanta (SIU)...and...of course...Larry Bird (Indiana State).

While they were competing I would have always said Larry Bird was the best. But since that is no longer the case - and looking back - I think Earvin "M" Johnson was the best basketball player of my generation....just by a teeny bit :ok:

Note: This judgement is not taking into consideration Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul Jabbar...who was probably more important to winning Championships than either one of them...truth be told.:kickcan:

OK - so really looking back (fairly) - the premier player of my time was Kareem.

Edited May 20, 2011 by DJlaysitup

[capstone21]

Let me change it to my all time team during my tenure of watching bball

C - Shaq

PF - Duncan

SF - Larry Bird

SG - Michael Jordan

PG - Magic Johnson

2nd Team

C - Hakeem

PF - Karl Malone

SF - Lebron James

SG - Kobe Bryant

PG - John Stockton

[EazyRoc]

Let me change it to my all time team during my tenure of watching bball

C - Shaq

PF - Duncan

SF - Larry Bird

SG - Michael Jordan

PG - Magic Johnson

2nd Team

C - Hakeem

PF - Karl Malone

SF - Lebron James

SG - Kobe Bryant

PG - John Stockton

Which team wins ?

[niremetal]

Magic Johnson. Only player who could play at an All-Star level at all 5 positions. If it's a one-on-one tournament, I pick MJ to win it all. If it's a historical fantasy draft and I have to build a team, though, I take Magic. Michael needs a much more specific supporting cast in order to lead a team to a title.

My all-time First Team would be Bill Russell, Tim Duncan, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson. Second team would be Kareem, KMalone (edging out Pettit), Baylor (edging out LeBron), Oscar, and Stockton (edging out Tiny, Frazier, and Isiah).

[FalconGeek]

For me it's Michael Jordan and Scottie Pipen. :)

[capstone21]

Which team wins ?

Hard to tell..2nd team plays better defense which might give them the edge

Magic Johnson. Only player who could play at an All-Star level at all 5 positions. If it's a one-on-one tournament, I pick MJ to win it all. If it's a historical fantasy draft and I have to build a team, though, I take Magic. Michael needs a much more specific supporting cast in order to lead a team to a title.

My all-time First Team would be Bill Russell, Tim Duncan, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson. Second team would be Kareem, KMalone (edging out Pettit), Baylor (edging out LeBron), Oscar, and Stockton (edging out Tiny, Frazier, and Isiah).

I have never seen Russell or Pettit play so it is hard for me to pick them. As far as all time...do u think Russell is really better then Wilt or Kareem? I think in their primes Shaq would have destroyed him

[DJlaysitup]

I have never seen Russell or Pettit play so it is hard for me to pick them. As far as all time...do u think Russell is really better then Wilt or Kareem? I think in their primes Shaq would have destroyed him

I can't see Shaq beating out any of them...Russell, Wilt, or Kareem would dominate him (along with a few others from that day like Lanier). As far as Pettit...it would be a good match.

[niremetal]

Hard to tell..2nd team plays better defense which might give them the edge

I have never seen Russell or Pettit play so it is hard for me to pick them. As far as all time...do u think Russell is really better then Wilt or Kareem? I think in their primes Shaq would have destroyed hi

Well, to be totally honest, I think comparing players across eras is somewhat useless. If Bill Russell had been born in the 1970's or 80's, when people understood childhood nutrition and health care far better than they did in the 1930's, he might have ended up being 7'1 rather than 6'9. And if they understood fitness and weightlifting in the 1950's and 60's the way they do today, he and Wilt might have had muscles that made Shaq look like Peewee Herman (exaggeration, obviously). That's why I'm not impressed with people who say "oh, Pettit/Russell/Unseld would never be able to survive in the NBA today." It's apples to oranges. If Shaq had been born during the 1940's, he wouldn't have ended up looking like Shaq.

I think the guys on my all-time first teams had skill sets for their respective positions that would have translated most effectively across eras. Russell was the greatest defensive center of his time, and really revolutionized interior defense. Pettit did the same thing for inside-out players at the PF position. Russell was the Celtics dynasty, which was arguably the most dominant in the history of pro sports. Pettit gets my nod in large part because his Hawks were the only team to take down the Russell/Cousy Celtics when both players were in their prime. Pettit absolutely dominated his position during his time. I was tempted to give Baylor the nod over Bird at SF for the same reason (he absolutely dominated the SF position) but Baylor's lack of a title (even if it's no fault of its own) prevents me from doing so.

Pettit also had this said about him:

"Bob made 'second effort' a part of the sport's vocabulary. He kept coming at you more than any man in the game. He was always battling for position, fighting you off the boards."

The man who said that? Bill Russell. If Bill Russell basically calls you the best competitor in the game (other than Russell himself, of course), that says volumes.

(As an aside, my browser has asked me a couple times if I meant "Pet tit" instead of "Pettit." Brilliant.)

Edited May 25, 2011 by niremetal

[Watchman]

I can't see Shaq beating out any of them...Russell, Wilt, or Kareem would dominate him (along with a few others from that day like Lanier). As far as Pettit...it would be a good match.

I agree with you about Russell, Wilt, Kareem and Lanier being able to handle Shaq. Russell and Kareem were slender, so Shaq might be able to push them around, but their athletic ability and talent would have given them the edge. By his own admission, Wilt weighed over 300 lbs, although he was always listed as 275. I believe he could have more than held his own against Shaq. If only there was a way to see all these guys in their prime playing against one another. I would have loved to see Shaq go against Wilt or Lanier. It would be very interesting to watch.

[Scout200]

Well, to be totally honest, I think comparing players across eras is somewhat useless. If Bill Russell had been born in the 1970's or 80's, when people understood childhood nutrition and health care far better than they did in the 1930's, he might have ended up being 7'1 rather than 6'9. And if they understood fitness and weightlifting in the 1950's and 60's the way they do today, he and Wilt might have had muscles that made Shaq look like Peewee Herman (exaggeration, obviously). That's why I'm not impressed with people who say "oh, Pettit/Russell/Unseld would never be able to survive in the NBA today." It's apples to oranges. If Shaq had been born during the 1940's, he wouldn't have ended up looking like Shaq.

I think the guys on my all-time first teams had skill sets for their respective positions that would have translated most effectively across eras. Russell was the greatest defensive center of his time, and really revolutionized interior defense. Pettit did the same thing for inside-out players at the PF position. Russell was the Celtics dynasty, which was arguably the most dominant in the history of pro sports. Pettit gets my nod in large part because his Hawks were the only team to take down the Russell/Cousy Celtics when both players were in their prime. Pettit absolutely dominated his position during his time. I was tempted to give Baylor the nod over Bird at SF for the same reason (he absolutely dominated the SF position) but Baylor's lack of a title (even if it's no fault of its own) prevents me from doing so.

Pettit also had this said about him:

The man who said that? Bill Russell. If Bill Russell basically calls you the best competitor in the game (other than Russell himself, of course), that says volumes.

(As an aside, my browser has asked me a couple times if I meant "Pet tit" instead of "Pettit." Brilliant.)

Awesome perspective! I never thought of this that way...

[DrReality]

Bill Russell has the most rings?

[Watchman]

Bill Russell has the most rings?

Yup. 11 rings in 13 seasons.

[ag82]

Jordan, hands down for me.

I used to watch "come fly with me" all the time. In my opinion, the 2nd best player doesn't even compare.

[Diesel]

I would have to say... Lew Alcinder. Kareem Abdul Jabber.

Why?

Kareem had an unstoppable shot.

Kareem was a talented defender.

Kareem could score at will.

Kareem put Wilt out of the game.

My All History first team is:

Kareem, Russell, Jordan, Kobe, and Magic.

It's actually Hard to pick Magic over Stockton.

It's hard to not have Shack, Malone or Wilt on there.

It's hard to leave off Wade but in due time.

Here's why I chose who I chose.

Each guy is good on both sides of the ball.

Each guy was driven to be the best.

Each guy had a killer instinct.

Lebron has the physical tools to be one of the best, but his killer instinct is not there. When you put it all together, Wade is better than Lebron.

And Kobe is better than Lebron and Wade.

Lebron is a glorified statpadder.

Jordan had everything you see in all these guys but he was just better. He is probably (next to Russel) the most competitive player to ever play.

If we were talking about competing.. Russel is the guy I would go to war with.

He has 11 rings for a reason.

He was dominant. He beat up on a less aggressive Wilt to win man of those championships. He made blocking shots an art.

BUT....

Russel was not as physically talented as say... Kareem!!

While Russel would outduel Wilt.. At the same time, Kareem came in and just dominated him. On both sides of the goal.

Kareem's dominated extended his career until he was 42. SKYHOOK... Unstoppable.

College basketball banned the Dunk to stop Kareem from dominating games. So he perfected the most unstoppable weapon ever seen in basketball. The sky hook.

[NJHAWK]

I cant answer that because I didnt get to see guys like Wilt, Russell and all the greats of that era. I saw from about the mid 80's on and while there have been alot of players that wree great I can come up with a list of 4 . Hakeem, MJ, Kobe, Shaq. I really cant say which order to put those 4 in and I may be forgetting somebody but they are the ones who stand out from my time watching.

[capstone21]

It was supposed to be greatest player(s) in YOUR history.

[AHF]

Greatest player since I have watched the game was Michael Jordan.

(Diesel's team isn't bad, but I wouldn't have Kobe on the list. Give me Oscar, MJ & Magic at 1, 2, 3 over Magic, Kobe, MJ particularly given that Kobe is basically an inferior version of Jordan whereas Oscar's passing would promote the team's offense. Oscar would also dominate the boards for a guard and provide lock down defense with his size and athleticism.)