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Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are great impact players but if I had to pick a recent one that will be a super star like the rest it would be Ja Morant.
"Major" impact
I know NBA Forum but it could fall to the Spurs. Hey, it could.
Lets go:
79 Bird
79 ic
84 Jordan
92 Shaq
97 Timmy Dunks
03 Lebron
Notice since 2003 this is by far the longest gap since a MAJOR impact player has entered.
When will the next one arrive? Has he already arrived? (I don't think so.)
Greek Freak? Yes he was great last year but he's got to do it in more seasons.
We could have a whole list of almost types, and those who had some fabulous years. Did not forget about Hakeem, if you want to put him in 84 go for it.
Moses Malone? Sure go ahead. But see i want to limit the list to MAJOR and for a period of years, like at least 8. Say what you want about Snaq Oneal, his Miami le was impressive. Mavs whiners STFU about Finals fouls because you robbed Timmy Duncan to get there.
*FOH with your Kirby Bryant marketing bullshyte, this is a Spurs board and we're discussing legit talent and heart, not food stamps marketing fodder. Yes i know Jordan got plenty of pampering but c'mon, the guy could ball.
Just keep it real.
Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are great impact players but if I had to pick a recent one that will be a super star like the rest it would be Ja Morant.
DRob had the biggest turnaround. Okay no le until Timmy, but he got San Antonio back on the map.
I hate Curry, but like it or not, he revolutionized the game into small ball and what we have now.
I think Doncic is a generational skill. Mavs is wadting his talent with Porzingis.
I think Chet will have great impact once he puts in about 15-25 lbs of muscle.
His ascension seems on track.
But i doubt he reaches MAJOR.
Last edited by MultiTroll; 02-06-2022 at 01:25 PM.
DRob way up there but still in 2nd tier, not MAJOR.
Curry head to head with Lebron one can see the Grand Canyon of difference.
2015 Lebron was clearly the Finals MVP.
Curry got ass reamed in 2016 by a Lebron team that started Tristan Kardashian. May well have again in 2017 if not for Zaza coming to the rescue.
2018 (17?) was one of the most laughable rigged calls ever after Lebron had put in a Timmy Duncan type performance in game one in leading the Cavs to victory. Whoops. Tweet! Durbeta charge gets changed to a shooting foul on Lebron. Combined with JR Smiths move, Lebron broke his hand in the locker room after slamming it againt the wall. So yeah no the rigged Warriors years don't mean squat. We saw last season what Curry does on his own.
The subsequent b2b with Durbetta colluding over doesn't mean to me.
Phenominal shooter, no doubt.
Agree Doncic merely getting Dallas to the playoffs last year is a huge accomplishment.
Hopefully he will take his diet and exercise program seriously if he wants to improve to MAJOR status.
If not he's going to continually have the nagging injuries.
Agree on Donic and will add Gannis. No love for Durant huh? Guess that move to GWS and injuries will really hamper legacy for some.
Neph has chance but injuries have/will hold him back.
Impact is relative. Nikola Jokic has dragged Denver to the #6 spot in the West with a 28-24 record even though his #2 and #3 guys have missed the entire season, while putting up historic regular and advanced stats. The Spurs are 20-34, with relative good health. Imagine what their record would be if Dejounte had to play the entire year without White and Poeltl... probably something like like 8-46.
Exactly. And thats why the MAJOR players are a very select group vs Tier 2.
Timmy Duncs took teams with Matt Bonner starting and a coach with sub zero BBIQ to 55 wins and a playoff. Never had a ref aided season, ever.
Curry was 15-52 without Klanus, Durbetta, Donkey and WarrriorRef.
Snaq Oneal had a better record without Food Stamps Bryant. Which is not to say Bryant and BryantRef were not insturmental in a couple Entertainment Industy les. They absolutely were. Swap out Kirby with many other shooting guards and the Shaq Lakers still content. Take Shaq away from Kirby and you saw the no playoffs result. Yes he got MVP Pao, healthy Odom, crying eyes Derek Swisher and MVP LakerRef to carry him later in his career. Bryant was completely 2nd, 3rd 4th tier at best. No comparison to Prime Shaq.
But Prime Shaq, like Duncs could make almost any team 50 wins and playoffs.
Media types like Curry and Bryant no way in . It's been proven. The sample size is huge.
It really hasn't been "proven." It's all in the reading of the situations. I love Magic, but the guy came into the league and immediately had Kareem as a teammate, so of course those teams had success. Bird had at least three or four teammates that were probably better than any teammate Jokic has ever had. Timmy had DRob-- an MVP-- and then Manu and Tony. Curry is part of the record for best win total in a season, in two consecutive seasons, and in three seasons-- that's pretty impressive, along with three rings. Bird has three rings with multiple Hall of Fame teammates... Kinda hard to say Bird is a definite Major Impact guy, but Steph isn't.
Bird defense vs Curry defense.
The glitzy 73 wins with Durbetta collusion and WarriorRef is meh.
Assrammed by Lebron, Kardashian and JR Smith in the Finals.
Otherwise agree 100 that Bird and Magic walked into ready made excellent teams and had them their whole career. Up until Led Bias OD'd.
Off the top . . .
Tier 1: Jordan, James
Tier 2: Duncan, O'Neal, Johnson, Bird
Tier 3: Olajuwon, Durant, Curry, Bryant
Tier 4: Robinson, Malone, Garnett, Nowitzki, Wade, Paul, Antetokounmpo, Harden, Davis, Barkley
Tier 5: Jokic, S bag, Embiid, Doncic
Antetokounmpo, Jokic and Doncic could eventually rise to tier 3.
And about a 3 year stretch in the early aughts with no second star, yet still kept them a perennially elite team and won them probably the most impressive championship in history.
Can James really hold Jordan’s jock though? He’s still at his fourth ring and is unlikely to get another one.
Jordan stands alone at the top (of this list that includes last couple decades only, at least), IMO.
Inarguably. The RINGZZZ argument is so lame. It's all about context. Jordan took over 1.5 years off to recharge mid prime and never had to go through a dynasty to get his. James had to face a certified one 3 times and another playing at a dynastic level 4 times.
The '11 Finals was obviously the biggest blow to his "legacy", but despite the NBA's/media's mythologizing, Jordan's wasn't spotless either (no one's was or will ever be).
Jordan's probably got James by a hair for peak value, but James blows him away for longevity.
I'm certainly taking nothing away from Timmy, who's one of my favorite all time players, but 58-58-60 is a long ways off from the ridiculous run of 67-73-67, just purely in terms of NBA history. But yeah, I've argued for many years that if the Spurs could've matched the payroll of the Lakers during Timmy's career, he very possibly could've had 7 or 8 rings.
Again, context. 1) The mid-late 10s Warriors had significantly more talent than the early aughts Spurs, 2) The expected W-L were a lot closer than that, 3) Curry's only ring as the best player was against a decimated field that encompassed zero elite teams and he was part of begging the second best player of his generation to get his two tainted ones.
Yeah, so many ways to look at this: At age 22, Jordan's team finished 30-52 and got swept in the first round.. (how the does a 30-52 team even get into the playoffs??). At age 22, Lebron led a pretty weak team to a 50-32 record, and three playoff series victories, finally losing to an all time great team in the finals led by Timmy. But I do have to agree the the let down in 2011 is a permanent mark against.
Curry is considered the best shooter the game has ever seen. You cant leave him off your list of Impact players.
Did you actually watch the 2015 Finals with Kyrie Irving out?
You're giving Lebron a neg because he did not ring that year?
FFS.
Another Impact player was Rodman,,,one of the best rebounders/defenders ever. Offense is sexy but his defense and rebounding was 2nd to none.
MAJOR.
Not impact.
Generational talent. They helped carved the NBA, for better or for worse.
Magic - with his showtime Lakers. Whether Kareem was there or not, “showtime” had Magic’s blueprints all-over it.
Bird - He was the original 3 pointer catalyst, and made 3 pointer became a lethal weapon.
Jordan - While Dr J paved way with flying dunks and “coolness”, MJ soared to another level and made NBA billions of dollar global market, shoes, merchandise, etc
Shaq - Most dominant big. Teams started to load on “bigs” to guard this guy
Timmy - Best PF ever and arguably in GOAT conversation with longevity and winning through different types of plays and personnel.
Curry - As mentioned, he revolutionized small ball the way we watch the game today, for good or bad. And scoring 3’s has never been this crucial. NBA scores are now averaging in the 120+ because of him (for good or bad).
People loves to put LeBron here. But has he won on his own? The players I named did. They each made their team mates better within, not by recruiting. I don’t care if he’s been in the Finals that many times. He would be the “softest” generational talent if I had to include him, with recruiting alliances left and right to win a ring. I would put Kobe first before him, but nah, since Kobe too couldn’t win without Shaq or Gasol, not even getting to the playoffs by himself.
Durant, the same. Could be one of the best scorer the game has known, but him joining alliances knocked him from my list.
Giannis is an anomaly and I like the guy, a modern day DRob, freakish athlete. But I doubt he wins another ring.
Allen Iverson - while Tim Hardaway first showed us the crossover, he didn’t break many ankles like AI did. That guy was a pure scorer.
Nowitzky, not many big man can score outside like he did. But it took him 25 yrs for his only ring.
Doncic came in with complete game at a very early age. But he too has fizzled somewhat.
Of course this list would include Kareem with his skyhook, Russell with his defense and Wilt as literally a “giant” among boys.
Last edited by John B; 02-06-2022 at 09:43 PM.
That's where we should be if pop played the young and inexperienced ones more minutes
If we're going off the last 40 years which Im assuming OP is since he added Bird and Magic but didnt go all the way back to Russell and Wilt,,,then over the last 40 years the most Impactful players are Magic, Bird, MJ, Shaq, Duncan, Curry, LeBron, Kareem, Hakeem, Kobe,,,,and Iverson and Isiah Thomas are very close. Its all subjective.
Correct. Wilt and Russel are absolute MAJORs but the majority on this board may have never seen footage.
Thus Bird-Magic forward.
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