Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

Collapse

Recommended Videos

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • HHHRVD55
    Pro
    • Jul 2004
    • 522

    #31
    Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

    Originally posted by Speedy
    ...and you heard this from where? I'm not being skeptical, I honestly would like to see an article -- it would be a good read.
    I can vouch for Rick Berry being a jerk. I met him at an autograph signing when I was young and he didn't say a word to anybody. Just signed his picture (no cards or anything else allowed, unless you bought the card from it. He charged fifty bucks for one card, on top of the ten bucks we paid to stand in line) and just rushed everybody throw. Never did like the guy after that. I only kept his autograph because he's in the HOF.

    Comment

    • Vast
      MVP
      • Sep 2003
      • 4015

      #32
      Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

      Originally posted by Speedy
      I respect that your perspective was protrayed in a mature manner. Having said, I do not believe Kobe in his entity is/was better than Bird...Kobe could be argued to have better skills/talent than MJ but to say he is a player is ludicrous which we both would agree.
      If he arguably has better skills/talent than MJ, how is it that he doesn't have more skills/talent than Bird?
      "I'm addicted to Video Games, and i chase it with a little OS." -Winston Churchill

      Comment

      • Vast
        MVP
        • Sep 2003
        • 4015

        #33
        Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

        1. Jordan
        2. Kareem(longevity)
        3. Magic
        4. Shaq(most physically dominant player ever imo)
        5. Russell
        "I'm addicted to Video Games, and i chase it with a little OS." -Winston Churchill

        Comment

        • Speedy
          #Ace
          • Apr 2008
          • 16143

          #34
          Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

          Good grief...I am seriously tired of the Kobe stuff. I get it people, this generation believes Kobe is better than Oreos.
          Originally posted by Gibson88
          Anyone who asked for an ETA is not being Master of their Domain.
          It's hard though...especially when I got my neighbor playing their franchise across the street...maybe I will occupy myself with Glamore Magazine.

          Comment

          • TheMatrix31
            RF
            • Jul 2002
            • 52928

            #35
            Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

            Originally posted by The15thunter

            kobe is a better basketball player than larry bird, in my opinion, but bird had a better career, greater impact on basketball history, and is more historically significant.

            And that's why Bird is better than Kobe. Kobe might be more physically gifted and talented, but Bird put all his abilities together much better, in my opinion. Either way, the players aren't exactly very comparable anyway in terms of skillsets and all that.

            Comment

            • BATMON
              Banned
              • Oct 2010
              • 1445

              #36
              Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

              Im no Kobe fan but when his career is over he looks like he on his way to eclipsing Magic and Bird.

              I dont think "rescuing" the sport should be factored into this discussion. Or even whether or not a player refused to sign your little cousin's basketball.
              Most of the great players are jerks w/ a dominant personality. Jordan was no angel, so that shouldnt even be factored in.

              I think the convo should be on court. Numbers, rings, MVPs, records. Not sneaker sales or tv ratings.

              Wilt playing against "inferior" talent is also a slippery slope IMO.
              Kobe didnt play during the Hand Check Era which is much less forgiving defensively compared to the soft NBA of the past 10 years.

              Ill agree w/ Kareem,Jordan,and Russell.
              After those three I think its up to debate for Oscar,Magic, Bird, Shaq, Wilt, and Kobe for the last two slots.

              Shaq has a real real good resume.

              Comment

              • The15thunter
                MVP
                • Mar 2003
                • 1639

                #37
                Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

                Originally posted by Speedy
                Good grief...I am seriously tired of the Kobe stuff. I get it people, this generation believes Kobe is better than Oreos.
                i just feel as though he gets shortchanged for his skills because people don't like his personality or things he's done/does. on a skill for skill basis he can probably claim to be the best ever, but there are still a number of players i would rather build a team around than him, and there are guys with better careers.
                xbox gt - bmorerep87

                Comment

                • The15thunter
                  MVP
                  • Mar 2003
                  • 1639

                  #38
                  Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

                  Originally posted by TheMatrix31
                  And that's why Bird is better than Kobe. Kobe might be more physically gifted and talented, but Bird put all his abilities together much better, in my opinion. Either way, the players aren't exactly very comparable anyway in terms of skillsets and all that.
                  i think a point that even bill simmons mentioned in his book that people overlook is that bird didn't have to face athletic swingmen, and the few he played were the ones that gave him the most trouble offensively and defensively.

                  i'm still hoping to see an argument from someone to show why bird is/was better. i don't mean career-wise or legacy-wise, i mean in a vacuum, who is the better player? it's a different question than who ranks higher, it's more of a question of who is better at basketball. it produces answers like me taking hakeem over russell and kobe over bird.

                  however, i do think bird maxed out everything his body could give him in the way of physical gifts and his own talent. i certainly don't want to take away from him, he's pretty much locked into my top 5 for the foreseeable future.
                  xbox gt - bmorerep87

                  Comment

                  • Taur3asi3
                    MVP
                    • Mar 2003
                    • 3727

                    #39
                    Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

                    On a skill for skill basis IMO it's Wilt and Hakeem neck and neck on top and Kobe's not even close. With Wilt the numbers and stories speak for themselves, with Hakeem the videos and highlight reels tell the story. The things Hakeem did will never ever be duplicated by anyone and Wilt could do absolutely anything at different points of his career whether he needed to be a scorer, rebounder, distributor, or defensive anchor.
                    Last edited by Taur3asi3; 12-28-2010, 12:49 AM.
                    As Shaquille O'Neal left the Suns practice court, he yelled out, "Alvin's the coach. We must be the Clippers. And I must be Olowokandi. Nooooo!"

                    Comment

                    • ex carrabba fan
                      I'll thank him for you
                      • Oct 2004
                      • 32744

                      #40
                      Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

                      Have you seen enough footage of Wilt to make that kind of statement? Sure Hakeem, now his skill for a 7 footer is just mind boggling.

                      From the few full games I've witnessed with Wilt [not sure of his age at the time] I didn't see anything that special. Just a guy bigger than everyone else who looked a bit flat footed. Obviously he had skills but to set a gap between he and Kobe that wide seems foolish.

                      Kobe on the other hand is one of the most skilled guards to ever walk onto a basketball court. I mean what is this "skill for skill basis" you're speaking of? Kobe has every single skill a basketball player strives to master.

                      Comment

                      • Taur3asi3
                        MVP
                        • Mar 2003
                        • 3727

                        #41
                        Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

                        I'm more impressed in Wilt's case by a center averaging between 7 and 8 assists per game while still getting God only knows how many blocks, 24 points, and 24 rebounds. All while being a defensive anchor, pace be damned thats impressive. Regardless of why he decided to do it and intentions. There is nothing a basketball player can do that Wilt couldn't do.

                        To throw out another name i'll say prime Arvydas Sabonis. He could do everything as well, score inside and outside, distribute, defend, everything.
                        As Shaquille O'Neal left the Suns practice court, he yelled out, "Alvin's the coach. We must be the Clippers. And I must be Olowokandi. Nooooo!"

                        Comment

                        • ex carrabba fan
                          I'll thank him for you
                          • Oct 2004
                          • 32744

                          #42
                          Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

                          Right, so he put up Godly numbers, we all know this, but I just don't think there's enough film on him to make the kind of distinction you did regarding he and Kobe.

                          Just my opinion, but if you've seen several full games of him from various seasons maybe you can show me where I can view them.

                          Like I said, Kobe really lacks no skill, except decision making really. He doesn't have the Godly stats but he does hold numerous records that are impressive in their own right considering the competition. Wilt had virtually no competition.

                          Comment

                          • Taur3asi3
                            MVP
                            • Mar 2003
                            • 3727

                            #43
                            Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

                            I think we have differing points of view on how to determine a players skill level. With regards to Wilt there is footage but it's primarily from his Lakers days when he was an old man but from those games its easy to see how skilled he was as an old man what he could do to get a general idea of how he was in his younger days. The lack of footage of Wilt's younger days is made up with stats, anecdotes, stories, interviews, and things of that nature. I think that if you have enough supporting evidence like those then it makes up for the lack of footage.

                            With prime Sabonis theres only a handful of games maybe not counting his national team games against some NBA teams and in the olympics but theres enough anecdotal and supporting evidence to suggest that he was supremely skilled in his prime and one of the most skilled players ever.

                            I don't believe in needing to actually see an abudance of footage of someone to come to a conclusion if you do the proper research to make reach the conclusion.

                            The MixMakers forum has several old games from the 70's-today up for download all in pretty good quality.
                            As Shaquille O'Neal left the Suns practice court, he yelled out, "Alvin's the coach. We must be the Clippers. And I must be Olowokandi. Nooooo!"

                            Comment

                            • ex carrabba fan
                              I'll thank him for you
                              • Oct 2004
                              • 32744

                              #44
                              Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

                              Yeah maybe we do, in the end I still just think it's a bit unfair to say skill-wise, Kobe is nowhere near Wilt.

                              I know we're comparing across positions, but really there's nothing Kobe can't do. So I'm not sure how you can just toss Kobe out of the discussion like that.

                              I still believe Wilt's competition was on a different playing field than Kobe's. So those stats I take with a grain of salt.

                              Now in the end, Kobe is nowhere near the top 5 players of All-Time, but IMO I don't necessarily put Wilt there either.

                              The film study is necessary to me, but I guess that's why these types of discussions are so open ended. Nobody was around back then to watch games like we do now. I'm not mad at anyone for putting Wilt in the top 5 and I'm not mad at anyone for saying Kobe shouldn't be in the top 5.

                              Just my .02

                              Comment

                              • st0rmb11
                                All Star
                                • Nov 2008
                                • 5167

                                #45
                                Re: Top 5 NBA Players of All Time

                                Originally posted by HHHRVD55
                                Actually, there were a number of players taller than 6'9" back in Wilt's day. He was just stronger and faster than them. Russell was a better team player and was on better teams than Wilt. But, Wilt, just for the numbers he put up and the ease of which he put them up, is a top five player.
                                Bill Simmons actually has a very interesting chapter in his book about the Russell/Wilt argument that addresses the "myth" that Russell played on better teams all the way through.

                                Originally posted by Taur3asi3
                                I'm more impressed in Wilt's case by a center averaging between 7 and 8 assists per game while still getting God only knows how many blocks, 24 points, and 24 rebounds. All while being a defensive anchor, pace be damned thats impressive. Regardless of why he decided to do it and intentions. There is nothing a basketball player can do that Wilt couldn't do.

                                To throw out another name i'll say prime Arvydas Sabonis. He could do everything as well, score inside and outside, distribute, defend, everything.
                                He averaged the 7 and 8 assists because it's all he tried to do after he won his first championship. He said he needed a new goal, and so he set out to lead the league in assists, whether it hurt his team or not, often passing up open shots to try to pad his assist numbers, and then blaming his teammates for missing shots if they lost.
                                and I wouldn't call Wilt a "defensive anchor". He was big and blocked his share of shots, but people forget that Wilt constantly focussed on never fouling out of a game, so he would stop playing defense when he would pick up his 4th or 5th foul.

                                Not to mention, no one that played with, against, or saw Russell & Chamberlain says Chamberlain was the better player.

                                So for that, my Top 5 goes

                                1. Jordan
                                2. Russell
                                3. Magic
                                4. Jabbar
                                5. Bird

                                and I won't even touch on the Bird/Kobe argument that was going on earlier. All I'll say is, you could have put Bird on any team in the league, and he would've won because he made everyone on his team play to their best abilities. at no point in his career has anyone EVER said that about Kobe.

                                Cincinnati Reds

                                UNC Tarheels

                                Twitter: @st0rmb11

                                PS4

                                Comment

                                Working...