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Top 20 NBA Players Ever


The Choc
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You think Clyde Drexler was better than Kobe Bryant?
well, he was taller, stronger, had bigger hands, was a better passer, a better rebounder, a better leaper (before knee surgery in '92), had a higher FG% despite his horrible shot selection, etc...

 

But Bryant is more focused and driven than Drexler ever was, is a much better defender (when he wants to be, anyway), is more consistent, a better shooter, more skilled, a better FT shooter, is better going to his left, probably (?) has a higher basketball IQ, oh -- and there's that little thing about Kobe leading his team to the championship. Drexler arguably had a better supporting cast in '91 and '92 than Kobe, and couldn't get over the hump, Kobe did. Case closed.

 

And this is coming from one of the biggest Portland homers/Laker haters out there. I like Drexler a hell of a lot better than Kobe Bryant. I think he's a great guy, whereas Kobe's a douche. And I'd happily argue that he was blessed with even more natural talent and athleticism -- but the dude never refined his game to Kobe's level. There's no serious comparison to be made. Hell, I'd argue that Brandon Roy (who is certainly no all-time top-20 player!) is already better than Drexler from an all-around player/basketball IQ standpoint.

 

Jordan > Bryant > Roy >= Drexler

 

:)

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The selfish play/poor teammate knocks on Kobe are so overblown, in my opinion.

 

He won 3 titles in a row playing second fiddle to Shaq, the Lakers were abysmal for several seasons where he played with less talent than I do on a pick-up court, made 2 other Finals and won one of them as the guy. His shot numbers and assists imply that he's actually more selfish now than he was a few years ago when people repeatedly knocked him for that- yet he won a Championship.

 

With regards to being a poor teammate and forcing Shaq out of town- that has to be reviewed in a different light nowadays. Shaq leaving teams on bad terms and being unable to coexist and play second fiddle himself has become more than a trend- only at this point in his career does he seem content for that role. So in my book, Kobe gets a bit of a pass with that mess.

 

Plus Irish, you've got an all-time selfish me, me guy at number 3 in your list so it is what it is.

 

1. MJ

2. Russell

3. Kareem

4. Magic

5. Larry

6. Wilt

7. Duncan

8. Robertson

9. West

10. Hakeem

11. Shaq

12. Malone

13. Havilecek

14. Baylor

15. Bryant

16. Dr. J

17. Malone

18. Barkley

19. Isaiah Thomas

20. Scotty Pippen

 

Next group: Cousy, KG, Stockton, Walton

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I would like to nominate PJza for being the biggest Homer on Nightly.

 

 

Ever.

I think Pharoah simply misunderstood the topic. He thought it said "Top 20 Pistons Ever". :lol:

 

As for Pippen, yes he did put up nice numbers during Jordan's two year break. However, let's not forget that the team won an average of 11 games more the two seasons prior or that the year he came back, their win total jumped up by an amazing 25 games. Most importantly, however, all three of those Jordan-led seasons resulted in championships, while the two Pippen-led seasons resulted in second round losses.

 

Also the notion that he did all of the little things so Jordan could just score is far from accurate. Jordan had virtually the same numbers in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks when they were together. I'd say they helped each other, but there's no question who really made that team dangerous. Nobody had to come up with "The Pippen Rules" if they wanted to defeat Chicago. He was a very good player, but not a dominant player. I'm not sure I'd even put him in the top ten of his era, what's more the top twenty all-time.

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He was a very good player, but not a dominant player. I'm not sure I'd even put him in the top ten of his era, what's more the top twenty all-time.
If we're only talking offense, I agree with you. Pippen was a good scorer -- excellent when his shot was falling -- but not terrifying by any stretch of the imagination. Like you said: there were no Pippen Rules. He was probably a shade under Michael Redd or Ray Allen.

 

But the guy was arguably the best defensive wing, like, ever to play the game. Ever. That, in and of itself, should make him a shoo-in for top twenty. And the fact that he was able to make Utah's offense look so ****ing incompetent during the NBA Finals (remember, they were the tightest, most disciplined offense in the league at the time)... well, I'd argue that that makes him 10-15 material.

 

Offense... nah. But he was an incredibly dominant player on the defensive end.

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  • 5 years later...

I was thinking of how this list may look now about 5 years later, mainly considering what Lebron accomplished since 2010 and Duncans continued excellence. Plus just some changing perspective. Without looking at the old list, here is my current list

 

1-Michael Jordan

2-Bill Russell

3-Wilt Chamberlain

4-Lebron James

5-Oscar Robertson

6-Kareem Abdul Jabbar

7-Magic Johnson

8-Tim Duncan

9-Larry Bird

10-Kobe Bryant

11-Jerry West

12-Shaquille O'Neal

13-Moses Malone

14-Hakeem Olajuwon

15-John Havlicek

16-Julius Erving

17-Isiah Thomas

18-George Mikan

19-Elgin Baylor

20-Bob Petit

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Remember this, Jeff?

 

In no particular order. They're all great.

Isiah Thomas
Joe Dumars
Dave Bing
Bob Lanier
Vinnie Johnson
Bill Laimbeer
Rick Mahorn
Chauncey Billups
Ben Wallace
Kelly Tripucka
John Long
James "Buddha" Edwards
Rip Hamilton
Adrian Dantley
John Salley
Dennis "Rodzilla" Rodman
Dave DeBusschere
Rasheed Wallace
Tayshaun Prince
Ray Scott

All Time Coach: Chuck "Daddy Rich" Daly

 

I get that it's a homer-ific list, but what I find odd is one rather glaring exclusion. I loved the Bad Boys. They're what got me back into basketball after a few years of losing interest. But how can you have a Piston-centric list with guys like Buddha, Mahorn, and Spider, but not include this guy?!?

 

 

 

http://bloguin.com/hoopsmanifesto/wp-content/uploads/sites/130/2010/08/grant-hill-pistons-dunk.jpg

 

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