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Solid query.
Very difficult to pinpoint it.
Who's the best all time??
Wilt?
Or McHale?
Or Olajuwon?
Or someone else?
Solid query.
Very difficult to pinpoint it.
Best I've ever seen was Hakeem, but Wilt I'm sure was the perfect answer before that.
Mchale
Walton was incredible too, even as late as the '86 Championship Campaign. His foot work was textbook.
If you are talking about dominance, it has to be Wilt.
If you're talking about most complete game, I would say Hakeem.
Best ever might be Jabbar, however the aforementioned two players have to be in the running as well.
Shaq wasn't as polished as the elite ones, but he was more dominant at times. His footwork was natural.
As natural as lowering your shoulder and sending the defending player into the 3rd row of bleachers with no foul call, then dunking the ball can be.
Daddy started out too high though, even in the salad days.
I can't recall anybody starting out lower than McHale. He was the epitomy.
no mention of walton?
mchale had every move in the book.
Fifth post
And he'd always ask the towel boy for the towel after he was fouled.
Lebron James
Wilt by a country mile. Not only did he have size he also was the most amazing athlete to ever play the game. If Wilt played today they would be calling Lebron baby Wilt.
Remember when he almost came back there that one year. He was really serious. Do you recall that, db?
He backed off at the last moment.
Major props and respect for Olajuwan. Truly a beast of a player in the post.
McHale and Hakeem were the best I've ever seen. Hakeem deserves extra props for being so raw going into college and transforming himself into a basketball artist. McHale deserves extra props for actually naming his array of moves: "the torture chamber."
I didn't see Walton at his best- a bit before my time- but I always thought of him as more high-post than low-post.
Hakeem the Dream - if he had been 25 pounds bigger and a few inches taller no one would ever talk about another center ever - as it was he played the position all around about as well as as anyone ever.
Others would be Jabbar, who in my adult lifetime (I saw Russell and Chamberlain as a young boy but do not remember much details) to me is the the most accomplished NBA player even slightly over Jordan (had more MVPS - same number of les and turned by himself the Bucks into serious contenders even before he got help and had the most unstoppable shot.)
That being said I enjoyed watching the Dream more than anyone but Duncan is a close 2nd for his footwork and subtle game that is so skilled that some call it boring - but how can excellence truly be?
One other big often not discussed at the top who was damm savy and skilled (but cut short of injuries) was Bill Walton who played the position with such skill. He moved around in the post in a very savy manner and made subtle but brilliant moves over an over again and passes that were a thing of beauty.
I personally think McHale was over-ranked only because he never had to lead a team without Bird who drew so much attention. McHale has a lot of moves and savy but never dominated as Duncan or Karl Malone (very under-appreciated but worked the post area as hard as anyone in his day - perhaps like Moses Malone also did) did at the position so hard to give it up to him personally; but some do say to them he was the best ever down low. Shaq could have been the one but he really did not need to develop or use everything in his arsenal and then got lazy and never rebounded or blocked shots as he should have or could have but in stretches he was the most dominant big ever or at least in the modern post Wilt era.
Can't argue with the results.
Hakeem
Scola
PG- Penny/Magic/Payton
SG- Jordan/Kobe/Richmond
SF- Bird/Dantley/King
PF- McHale/Duncan/Barkley
C- Abdul-Jabbar/O'Neal/Olajuwon
IMO..
Wilt
No one asked that tbh..
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