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probably MJ, but people forget how much of a beast Shaq once was.
Micheal Jordan
Hakeem Olajuwon
David Robinson
Shaquille O'neal
Tim Duncan
Lebron James
Other.
why wasnt Sam Bowie, Benoit Benjamin, or Michael Olowokandi on that list? Their greatness is the stuff of legend.
probably MJ, but people forget how much of a beast Shaq once was.
and that's pathetic.
Shaq's Prime >>>>>>>>>> Duncan's Prime
Jason Kidd
agreed, but I think I'd still rather build a team around Duncan due to intangibles. Shaq can destroy a team just as much as he can lead one.
Bird didn't walk into a situation with Parish and McHale. They weren't on the team his rookie year. And, the one year Maravich played with Bird, he played less than half the season and was done. The Celtics won 29 games the year before Bird's rookie season.
Seriously only 5 votes for Hakeem? Russel-esque on defense, with no other big men even coming close to comparing to him on offense. Led his team to 2 rings and could have led a dynasty had he had better teammates for the duration of his career. Most overlooked superstar in NBA history because he was just a soft spoken foreigner.
No Jordan.
And not to take away more from them, because they did win it all, but everyone knows the Knicks were the superior team and Ewing choked that series away. Starks too.
OK, so he had McHale and Parish his second year, and Archibald his first two years plus Dave Cowens his first. Either year kills what Jordan had around him early in his career.
Where the are Larry Bird and Magic?
And Kareem?
And Oscar?
past 25 draft classes? was it that hard to read? let me try and bold the original post.
I know it's the past 25 draft classes...
But Shaq? really ? wtf?
Even if he comes the past 25, I don't GAF, Shaq is an overrated piece of
Magic if we talking the last 30. Probably Timmy OR Dave
Yep.
Last 25 years: Tim Duncan.
My Lifetime: Magic Johnson
All-Time: Oscar Robertson*
* Otherwise known as the TRUE GOAT.
If this were a question of pure talent or athleticism, my answers might differ, but these are the guys you can "plug and play" with anyone, as ShoogarBear mentioned.
pretty lame to pick tim freakin duncan over MJ, magic is almost understandable
It's MJ.
Everyone else is fighting for 2nd. Picking anyone over MJ is unbelieveable.
MJ or Hakeem.
Robinson...
He should have pulled an Hakeem, demand a trade to get FO's ass in gear to get him better teammates, or he should have just jumped from one team to the next like Shaq.
lol crybaby
It's the homerism. Many honestly believe Robinson was on par with O'Neal and Olajuwon.
Robinson isn't in this discussion at all.
Your analysis is spot on: Robinson was a great complementary piece, not the kind of player you build around. He's the one name that makes no sense on this list. This is about true studs, not 2nd banana's.
The disparity of talent between big men is much more significant than the disparity of guard talent. In other words, there aren't enough quality players 6'10" and over to go around.
Historically, you would be much better off to pick Duncan over Jordan, because the NBA has traditionally been a center's league. However, Jordan is directly or indirectly responsible for a lot of rule changes and emphases designed to facilitate guard play.
Basketball doesn't really use the replacement player concept, but let's look at it this way. In general, an "average" player is a pretty valuable commodity, because an "average" player is considerably better than the players at the bottom of the ladder (who are pulling down the average, so to speak). At the same time, the "average" player is nowhere near the level of a truly elite player like a Jordan, Robinson, Duncan, Bryant, etc.
The talent in the league is pyramidal. That is, there is a "base" of replacement level players. Think about it. On most NBA teams, roster spots 8-12 go to guys who are barely hanging on, desperately hoping for another contract. The next level are the mediocre to average players. These guys may or may not start, but they will generally have a decent career (longer than a rookie contract). Obviously, they are fewer in number, as are the players at the next level, the "All Stars." These are the guys that will likely start for their entire career, even when they no longer should. Finally, you have the truly elite players ("Perennial All Stars"). Most teams are lucky to have even one elite player.
This has a profound effect on a game like basketball (as opposed to say, baseball), because the positions demand a certain minimum height to be compe ive. Obviously, the most awesome player in the world can't post up a center over a foot taller, so long as that center is at least competent. Therefore, the talent pool for each position is considerably different.
On a global scale, the average for male height is slightly above 5'6," and in the U.S. the male average is 5'10" for non-Hispanics (averages out to 5'9" overall). Not surprisingly, approximately 14% of men in the US are at least six feet tall. However, only 3.9% of the US male population is at least 6'2" tall. Less than 2% of the world's population is at least 6'4," and the number becomes infitessimally small as we approach 7'2."
Since it is impossible to guesstimate this incredibly small percentage, let's look at this concrete example. "For the 2003-04 season, nineteen players who were at least seven feet tall played substantial minutes in the NBA. Of these, nine, or 47 percent, were born in a country other than the United States." See The Short Supply of Tall People: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...g=artBody;col1
This makes an elite center (or even power forward) exponentially more valuable, because the pyramidal distribution of talent is even more extreme. First, the replacement pool of players is extremely small. Therefore, the "base" level of the pyramid is quite "wide" compared to the "pinnacle," but it is tiny in the absolute sense. In practical terms, this means that the disparity of actual basketball talent amongst men 6’10” and over is considerable. Common sense and your own observations should back this up. Does any position other than center suffer from the “Big White Stiff” phenomenon?
Restated, Jordan’s value over a replacement level shooting guard is not nearly as great as the value of an elite center like Russell, Chamberlain, Hakeem, or Robinson over a “Big White Stiff.”
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