Who are the best five Lakers?

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Who are the best five Lakers?

The Daddy is arguably the best center to ever play the game..

I'm with you on everything except this. I think Kareem Abdul Jabbar is hands down better than Shaquille O'Neal.

Back on topic, the Mikan thing is killing me.

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Really??? My biggest problem is not simply the era of basketball and athletes, but of the NBA specifically. Before the NBA/ABA merger, I don't think the best basketball athletes were playing in the NBA at all. It's not just the rules and athleticism, but it's also the defense and the personnel of the league at that time.

[SidVish]

Re: Who are the best five Lakers?

1. Magic
2. Kareem
3. Shaq
4. Bryant
5. West

I agree.

[DTX3]

Re: Who are the best five Lakers?

1. Magic
2. West
3. Kareem
4. Shaq
5. Bryant

[X*Cell]

Re: Who are the best five Lakers?

Who gets this kind of respect these days?:

[yvesdereuter]

Re: Who are the best five Lakers?

The game was in its embryonic stages, and he was the first giant.. so amendments to the rules is to be expected.

I guess I'm just choosing the wrong words, but I believe Shaq is in the top 5 all-time at the center position. Add to that, he played his best ball in L.A., I don't see how anyone supplants Shaq with Mikan.

Youre kind of saying that just because Mikan was first, it doesnt mean he was the best...even if his stats were more dominant. You see this same thing in baseball when people try to compare Babe Ruths HR numbers to those playing in his era almost as if to suggest him hitting 54 Hrs in the 20s would be like hitting 95 HRs today. It doesnt work that way. His stats dwarfed others because he was the first and not because he was the best (though he might have been). Same with Wilt. Does anyone actually believe he would average 50 pts a game any time in the last 30 years? In Wilts, Mikans, and the beginning of the Kareem era, the average player was like 2 or 3 inches shorter. That was when Kareem entered the league. When Kareem retired the big man was less dominant because the average player was like 6'7 and was far more athletic than before to the extent that in most cases an athletice 6'6-6'8 player could outjump a center. The center wasnt irrelevant though because their size still benefits them in terms of getting position.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Who are the best five Lakers?

Youre kind of saying that just because Mikan was first, it doesnt mean he was the best...even if his stats were more dominant. You see this same thing in baseball when people try to compare Babe Ruths HR numbers to those playing in his era almost as if to suggest him hitting 54 Hrs in the 20s would be like hitting 95 HRs today. It doesnt work that way. His stats dwarfed others because he was the first and not because he was the best (though he might have been). Same with Wilt. Does anyone actually believe he would average 50 pts a game any time in the last 30 years? In Wilts, Mikans, and the beginning of the Kareem era, the average player was like 2 or 3 inches shorter. That was when Kareem entered the league. When Kareem retired the big man was less dominant because the average player was like 6'7 and was far more athletic than before to the extent that in most cases an athletice 6'6-6'8 player could outjump a center. The center wasnt irrelevant though because their size still benefits them in terms of getting position.

It's cool man.. I don't really think you're grasping what I'm saying. People can put Mikan on their top 5 list over Shaq or Kobe. I'll just call them

[X*Cell]

Re: Who are the best five Lakers?

Youre kind of saying that just because Mikan was first, it doesnt mean he was the best...even if his stats were more dominant. You see this same thing in baseball when people try to compare Babe Ruths HR numbers to those playing in his era almost as if to suggest him hitting 54 Hrs in the 20s would be like hitting 95 HRs today. It doesnt work that way. His stats dwarfed others because he was the first and not because he was the best (though he might have been). Same with Wilt. Does anyone actually believe he would average 50 pts a game any time in the last 30 years? In Wilts, Mikans, and the beginning of the Kareem era, the average player was like 2 or 3 inches shorter. That was when Kareem entered the league. When Kareem retired the big man was less dominant because the average player was like 6'7 and was far more athletic than before to the extent that in most cases an athletice 6'6-6'8 player could outjump a center. The center wasnt irrelevant though because their size still benefits them in terms of getting position.

you can call me crazy too ex carraba, because this post sways me to put Mikan in my top 5. He really was so dominant for his era. I mean... a 19-18 score just to keep the ball from Mikan and the Lakers is absurd. It's the equivelant to getting intentionally walked over and over again. 'Kind-of' sucks for the hitter, but it's really all just tremendous respect for someone who is way too dominant to be contained.