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The Admiral makes the list
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/...rs-nba-history
***Please delete the thread if it's a duplicate.
The Admiral makes the list
The Admiral makes the list
Pretty good list. Don't think I'd change a thing except maybe put Russell over Wilt.
Where's Boban?
Exactly. List is null and void...
/thread
Bill Russell and Wilt..Yuck...just Yuck.
Kareem
Hakeem
Shaq
After these three players theres a huge drop off.
Robinson is probably the best RS center though. Id put him just above moses.
George MikanNBL
Russell
Moses beat the Showtime Lakers w/ motha in' Calvin Murphy as his wingman
Admiral apologist can about him playing w/ All-star ******& not having clutch shooters like Hakeem
but he can't even shine Moses postseason resume, period.
You can look at it this way:
-Admiral: KG
-Moses: Tim
Wilt was a beast, may he rest in peace. 7'1" FLAT FOOTED aka around 7'3" in today's NBA metric, athletic enough to be a pole vaulter & long jumper in college. Basically a Hassan Whiteside with Boban's frame, he WILL be dominant in any era of basketball.
Russel ? A 6'10" Kawhi Leonard on defensive instinct & intensity, with the smart & basketball IQ of greats. Might not be as dominant from physical stand point, but with his gift & work ethic, can easily be a taller, better version of Raymond Green in today's NBA.
Those two are top 10 greats at the C spot for sure.
So what about Sabonis? I'm surprised no one even mentioned him.
Not sure I really need to convince people that he belongs on that list. If we're talking physicality/ability/bball IQ, in his prime he's right up there.
7 feet 3 flat footed, strong with a giant wingspan, good hands and touch around the basket, great mobility, top notch post game, incredible court vision, out of this world passing ability, bball IQ off the charts, not to mention 45% 3pt shooting in his prime with 80% FT shooting.
He was like a 7'4" mix of Kareem and Larry Bird. Are you kidding me?
The only argument against him is "lack of footage". In the little we do have (88 Olympics semi-finals against the US for example), he's totally destroying David Robinson. And it's not a case of an adult beating on a young man, they're just one year apart in age.
Everybody knows he's the best "non nba" (prime) center ever, I personally put him in that Kareem/Wilt category. Come at me bros
I wish we had a Sabonis today. Never got to see him play but the hype of a giant from overseas who can actually play and beat up the asses of the NBA superstar is what the sport needs IMHO.So what about Sabonis? I'm surprised no one even mentioned him.
Not sure I really need to convince people that he belongs on that list. If we're talking physicality/ability/bball IQ, in his prime he's right up there.
7 feet 3 flat footed, strong with a giant wingspan, good hands and touch around the basket, great mobility, top notch post game, incredible court vision, out of this world passing ability, bball IQ off the charts, not to mention 45% 3pt shooting in his prime with 80% FT shooting.
He was like a 7'4" mix of Kareem and Larry Bird. Are you kidding me?
The only argument against him is "lack of footage". In the little we do have (88 Olympics semi-finals against the US for example), he's totally destroying David Robinson. And it's not a case of an adult beating on a young man, they're just one year apart in age.
Everybody knows he's the best "non nba" (prime) center ever, I personally put him in that Kareem/Wilt category. Come at me bros
I remember ESPN putting out a list in 2002 when Ewing retired that had Ewing in the top 10 and not Robinson. Glad to see 2003 was apparently enough for a 4+ spot promotion.
You could make a case for sabonis to be fairly high on that list.. If he gets to NBA at a younger age, he'd probably be on that list. I would take prime sabonis over Ewing
Anybody arguing against Wilt must not be aware that washed up Wilt held his own against PEAK Kareem when Wilt was playing Timmay's current role (defend/rebound). Willis Reed also needs to be on the list since he gave Kareem the business during their lone playoff meeting but he got injured during his prime (won the MVP over Kareem) so he became the forgotten man besides the this moment:
Bill Russel won 11 rings in his 13 year career. He also won two (2) NCAA championships... and got a gold medal at Olympics.
Uh.....lol
Sabonis was a great great C of his era, and yes, his physical & skill dominance will translate to any era.So what about Sabonis? I'm surprised no one even mentioned him.
Not sure I really need to convince people that he belongs on that list. If we're talking physicality/ability/bball IQ, in his prime he's right up there.
7 feet 3 flat footed, strong with a giant wingspan, good hands and touch around the basket, great mobility, top notch post game, incredible court vision, out of this world passing ability, bball IQ off the charts, not to mention 45% 3pt shooting in his prime with 80% FT shooting.
He was like a 7'4" mix of Kareem and Larry Bird. Are you kidding me?
The only argument against him is "lack of footage". In the little we do have (88 Olympics semi-finals against the US for example), he's totally destroying David Robinson. And it's not a case of an adult beating on a young man, they're just one year apart in age.
Everybody knows he's the best "non nba" (prime) center ever, I personally put him in that Kareem/Wilt category. Come at me bros
BUT
From the article it self:
I am sure Sabas is great in the history of WORLD basketball, but his NBA version was a TOSB broken down one. While that was still enough for top 10 ranking C of that NBA time frame, on all time list it is quite fair to omit him from it, IMHO.........
the best centers in NBA history
.........
He could barely ing dribble.
I realize the past gets automatically rose tinted for people but an average team from today's league would absolutely murder the 60s Celtics.
Agree. Wilt today would still be a monster. By any account even in today's league he would be an athletic freak. Russell would be very similar to a slightly more athletic Ben Wallace, but not as strong.
When we are talking about Bill Russel, we need to put a perspective of his ROLE on that stacked Celtics team IMHO. He wasn't needed to score or be playmaker, he was their defensive ANCHOR and capable of muting such all world offensive talent & physical beast like Chamberlain, TIME and TIME yet again. I see a footage of his NCAA game on youtube, he has such a grace & great athleticism for a 6'10" guy, that if he was given more responsibility on the offensive side, i think he would have been able to fulfill that demand without much hassle. But yes, you can question & debate his exact rank, but not his placement at the top 10 list for being such a great winner (on a really superpower, stacked team none the less).
First of all, he was reportedly 6'9". 6'9" 220 pound athletes are a dime a dozen in today's league. That's not to say he wouldn't be effective today, but the idea that he was some out of this world player with his athleticism is kind of silly. People love to romanticize his blocking prowess and how high he could jump. Watch the videos again. There's nothing there that is consistently spectacular. A lot of his "highlight reel" blocks are him swatting the ball from a 6'3" guy who drives way under the hoop and tries to throw up a prayer.
And again, he could barely dribble the ball down the court without nearly losing control. It's pretty painful to watch.
Bill Russell was a Defensive Monster. The Best Defensive Monster in the history of the NBA. Had the rebounding le 4 straight years. Once had 50 rebounds in a game. Championships followed him wherever he played, from college to the NBA.
But, he can't dribble? Dribbling prowess is something I've never looked for in a center...ever. lol
Yes but they are going by what they did in their primes and not comparing what they would do in modern times if they hit a time machine. We could say this about most sports but athletes have gotten better obviously and the game has evolved but that doesnt take away what they did in their day. Russell was a winner, period.
OK yeah I agree with you. I was misled by the le of this thread "All-Time Center List".
I still feel that Arvydas is often overlooked because it's true that apart from him, both those lists are pretty much the same. I'm basing my analysis on the fact that if I had to make my all time starting 5, Sabonis might be in it at center. In addition to all the qualities I listed about him earlier, I think he would probably be more "coachable" than Wilt or Kareem and that's important as well.
Pop said as much in an interview about Euro players in the 80s (@2:26):
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