R. Rich Posted March 11, 2010 Posted March 11, 2010 I'm not sure if I'd include Dr. J in there, but I didnt really start watching him til about 1982. I've seen highlight of his first years, but it's hard to comprehend ones greatness unless you've watched them play year after year. Erving's ABA years featured him @ his best. Not to say he couldn't get it done in the NBA, but his prime years were his years w/ the Nets. I's probably have to put PG- Magic SG- Jordan SF- Bird PF- Duncan C- Wilt/Russell/Kareem/Hakeem/Shaq (yes SHAQ!) Too hard for me to pick a center because I never watched Wilt/Russell/Kareem in thier prime. It's hard for me to envision anyone being THAT much more dominant than Hakeem and Shaq in their primes. Both were THAT good. Duncan gets the nod becuase I didnt get to see DR J play as much as Timmy. I hate him, but he was a true silent assassin...3 titles. Duncan was a standout player too, so there's no harm in putting him on a team. There's plenty of guys who could be in that discussion: Elgin Baylor, Elvin Hayes, Bob Petit, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Kevin McHale, and one of my favorite athletes ever, Charles Barkley. As for centers, you're right. So may great ones to choose from. Olajuwon definitely is one of my favorites, being a longtime Rockets fan. The guy was great in so many phases. I recall the Finals duel he had w/ Shaq, and it was a good one. Both guys had great games and it went back and forth. The difference in that series was the guy who @ the very least should've been co-MVP and would later play a key role in getting Shaq one of his rings: Robert Horry. Anyone who doesn't believe Shaq is in the discussion of top centers of all time is nuts.
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted March 11, 2010 Posted March 11, 2010 I don't HATE him per say, but I always root against his team, so I root against him. I know you don't like Tom Brady...or Dan MArino. Yeah, but I hate them because they play for rivals AND they act like pricks. For example, I got no hate for Thomas Jones, Chad Pennington, or Kevin Faulk.
NewEra Posted March 12, 2010 Author Posted March 12, 2010 With LeBron it's not a matter of if, it's just when. And I'm a huge Kobe fan. I agree to a point. I'd be more comfortable saying that after watching what happens during this off-season. If he goes to the NYKS....I'd beg to differ.
NewEra Posted March 12, 2010 Author Posted March 12, 2010 Most of the "star" players take liberties @ will when it comes to those violations. I can recall a game where Patrick Ewing took a layup.....from 'bout 4 paces away from HALF COURT! I remember that lol
NewEra Posted March 12, 2010 Author Posted March 12, 2010 Yeah, but I hate them because they play for rivals AND they act like pricks. For example, I got no hate for Thomas Jones, Chad Pennington, or Kevin Faulk. Tom Brady acts like a prick? I can't remember a time I watched Dan Marino do something and said "that dude is an a$$". I remember watching both of them shred us and make our defense look like JV teams and thought "GOD I HATE THAT MOFO!!!" Not sure I would really agree with your assessment. Have you watched Tim Duncan cry and whine to the refs? He's worse than kobe.
NewEra Posted March 12, 2010 Author Posted March 12, 2010 Erving's ABA years featured him @ his best. Not to say he couldn't get it done in the NBA, but his prime years were his years w/ the Nets. Duncan was a standout player too, so there's no harm in putting him on a team. There's plenty of guys who could be in that discussion: Elgin Baylor, Elvin Hayes, Bob Petit, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Kevin McHale, and one of my favorite athletes ever, Charles Barkley. As for centers, you're right. So may great ones to choose from. Olajuwon definitely is one of my favorites, being a longtime Rockets fan. The guy was great in so many phases. I recall the Finals duel he had w/ Shaq, and it was a good one. Both guys had great games and it went back and forth. The difference in that series was the guy who @ the very least should've been co-MVP and would later play a key role in getting Shaq one of his rings: Robert Horry. Anyone who doesn't believe Shaq is in the discussion of top centers of all time is nuts. I love Barkley as well, but he didn't bring one home, so he had to be left. As well as Malone, if he had a title, I'd have him on the list instead of Timmy. There's only 2 people I have on ANY all-time teams that haven't won a title (that I can remember anyway): Bruce Smith and Barry Bonds ( steroids or not, the best hitter I've ever seen, although Pujols will probably take that away from him soooon).
RayFinkle Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 oh yeah...he raped the girl that had her underwear examined. The examination showed 3 different guys sperm on it. That's one pair of underwear, not all of her underwear. He raped her, lol. Yeaaaaaah!!! You're one of THOSE guys huh In another 5 years, the story will be 10 different guys sperm.
wide_right Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 Actually, with no 3-point line at the time, the game was played almost exclusively closer to the basket, making a dominant defensive center like Russell all the more valuable. He was also arguably the best playoff performer in NBA history. Was Chamberlain more talented offensively? Without question. Did he have half the balls or will to win as Bill Russell? Not a chance. The best defender of the Jordan era was Dennis Rodman. Certainly a valuable and well compensated player. But no where near the compensation of the best offensive players at the time like Jordan, Iverson and Malone. As far as 3 point line, agree its added some scoring to the game, and taken away some of the value of be strong under the boards. But we're really only talking degrees of difference ... the game may have gone from teams averaging 80-something points per game to 90-something, but either way that's still a huge emphasis on scoring compared to other sports.
The Dean Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 The best defender of the Jordan era was Dennis Rodman. Perhaps. But he did NOTHING else other than defend and rebound. He was great at it...at least for a while. His defense declined in his later years. But how many teams could afford to have one player who contributed nothing, and I mean NOTHING, at the offensive end? Not many, really. Hell, with all those rebounds (many offensive) he should have averaged 12 points a game on put-backs alone.
NewEra Posted March 12, 2010 Author Posted March 12, 2010 Perhaps. But he did NOTHING else other than defend and rebound. He was great at it...at least for a while. His defense declined in his later years. But how many teams could afford to have one player who contributed nothing, and I mean NOTHING, at the offensive end? Not many, really. Hell, with all those rebounds (many offensive) he should have averaged 12 points a game on put-backs alone. Every team in the league could afford to have the BEST rebounder AND defender in the league. EVERY team.
Simon Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 As for centers, you're right. So may great ones to choose from. Olajuwon definitely is one of my favorites, being a longtime Rockets fan. The guy was great in so many phases. That cat had a bag of tricks that Santa couldn't have carried. Unbelievable player and I'd probably start him at C cuz I'm not old enough to have watched Bill Russell. David Robinson: MVP? You're relieved Admiral. :lol:
NewEra Posted March 12, 2010 Author Posted March 12, 2010 That cat had a bag of tricks that Santa couldn't have carried. Unbelievable player and I'd probably start him at C cuz I'm not old enough to have watched Bill Russell.David Robinson: MVP? You're relieved Admiral. :lol: LOL, He embarrassed poor David. Made him look like Kwame Brown.
Nervous Guy Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 The best defender of the Jordan era was Dennis Rodman. Certainly a valuable and well compensated player. But no where near the compensation of the best offensive players at the time like Jordan, Iverson and Malone. In shutting down Jordan himself, I think it was Joe Dumars...and MJ said so himself in an interview with John Thompson. First he said that no one really gave him any serious trouble when it came to scoring, but then he mentioned Dumars and said that he was the biggest challenge, out thinking him and Dumars always had great positioning.
R. Rich Posted March 12, 2010 Posted March 12, 2010 That cat had a bag of tricks that Santa couldn't have carried. Unbelievable player and I'd probably start him at C cuz I'm not old enough to have watched Bill Russell.David Robinson: MVP? You're relieved Admiral. :lol: Shaq once said Olajuwon had, "5 moves and 4 counter moves". That may have been a conservative estimate. The Dream Shake was one of the most unstoppable moves of all time, much like Kareem's Skyhook. Robinson surely knows this to be true from that 6 game beatdown Olajuwon and the fellas put on 'em that was a joy to watch. Aside from the comeback against the Suns (fueled by Mario Elie's 3 in the final seconds), that's probably my favorite playoff series the Rockets played. Mainly due to the league giving Robinson the MVP trophy and Robinson thanking many of the greats who had won it before him, except for the guy who had just won it the year before. Some guy named Olajuwon. But, Hakeem made sure he'd remember w/ his on-court performance. And, to think, both of those great performances came in the same playoffs, where my Rockets beat FOUR teams w/ @ least 50 wins en route to their 2nd title, a sweep (the first defending champion ever to defend the title w/ a sweep) of Orlando.
NewEra Posted March 13, 2010 Author Posted March 13, 2010 Question to the NBA fans Who is the only player ever to get a triple double in game 7 of the NBA Finals? A clue- It was the only triple double of his career.
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