jericho

1. Michael Jordan
2. Wilt Chamberlain
3. Bill Russell
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5. Larry Bird

Honestly, I've got Bird, Magic, and Oscar in a dead heat for the 5th spot. I could happily go with any of them.

I could make a case for Shaq, too, although I'm not much of a fan.

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BadBaronRudigor's All-Time League Draft:

C - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Nate Thurmond
PF - Charles Barkley/Bob McAdoo
SF - Julius Erving/Larry Nance/Billy Cunningham
SG - Alvin Robertson/Ray Allen/Pete Maravich
PG - Jason Kidd/Isiah Thomas

jericho

I don't think so. There's no shame in being ranked top 7 or 8 of all time.

What I do think is that Hakeem is looking overrated. While he's my favorite player of all time, I can't justify ranking him over any of the other players who've been named in this thread.

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BadBaronRudigor's All-Time League Draft:

C - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Nate Thurmond
PF - Charles Barkley/Bob McAdoo
SF - Julius Erving/Larry Nance/Billy Cunningham
SG - Alvin Robertson/Ray Allen/Pete Maravich
PG - Jason Kidd/Isiah Thomas

carlos710

Im surprised im the first one giving points to shaq. I guess a lot of people like to hate on him based on what he says to the media, however you have to look at some of the facts about the things he does on-court, 3 Times final mvp, 2nd best carrer PER (27.6), he has 3 seasons with a PER over 30+, etc.

You can call him out for not being the best leader, being a poor FT shooter, or not being a dominant defender, however you can say most of those things about Wilt as well.

PauloCatarino

79-80: Magic played with the MVP; But he was Finals MVP;
80-81: Magic played 37 games;
81-82: Bird with a significant edge;
82-83: Very close: Magic with 1 more 1st place vote, Bird with 59 more points;
87-88: Very close: same 1st place votes, Bird with 19 more points.

So, i don't think thats such a strong argument.

I personally consider Magic better, but maybe longevity factors is. And career accomplishments have some pull in my rankings. Sometimes Bird is in my Top-5 (kicking Russell down). Sometimes he is 6th.

If i were to regard peak years as the main criteria, Bird would almost certainly be Top-3. Only Wilt as a considerable edge, IMHO.

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(...) we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender (...)

kflo

i'm not putting it forth as an argument for bird being better, just at least on a similar level.


the guy had 9 (straight) 1st team all-nba's and 1 2nd (1990). he played more games than magic prior to magic's '96 "comeback".

Sunsfan81

1. Michael Jordan
2. Wilt Chamberlain
3. Bill Russell
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5. Magic Johnson

Bill Russell isn't getting enough respect and Olajuwon is getting too much.

PauloCatarino

I know, i know.

It's not about games played. It's about games played at the highest level. Unfortunately, Bird broke his back. And McHale (an astonishing PF) started getting hurt. And Reggie died. That team fell into shambles quickly. And i take that into account. Same way when i think that Magic could have played a couple more years at full force (hadn't he retired).

Last night i watched dozens of Bird's highlights on youtube. I need it now and then. He is my favourite basketball player ever. And, in his peak, he was something to marvel upon. Still, given their respective careers and how they unfolded, i must give Magic the edge.

I admit to sometimes change my mind regarding All-time greats. I often don't get the bigger picture while discussing players. Take Russell, for example. I will put him no higher that #5. Some posters could call it a blasphemy. But i was assressing Duncan's greatness in another thread and i started to think: Duncan is a non-volume-scorer post player, with tremendous defense, great rebounder and blocker, and the ultimate team player. And a winner, also. Can he be Top-10 (or 15?). Then i remeber that Russell had the traits of Duncan. And he won 11 championships. 11. Am i underrating Bill russell?

Choosing from (and grading) the all-time greats is a difficult task. I'm pretty confident in my top 4 of Wilt, Magic, Jordan and Kareem. But i can't be certain. Heck, where should i place Jerry West, a guy who was Michael Jordan decades before Michael Jordan?

__________________
(...) we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender (...)

RunningWings

1. Jordan.
2. Wilt.
3. Magic.
4. Bird.
5. Kareem.

6. Shaq.

FreshCo

Kareem is overrated.

Astral

Kareem is not overrated. While he's not near any of these guys in accomplishments, his durability puts him near legendary levels.
If you knew that Bird would play for 10 years and get an average grade of 95 throughout his seasons, while Kareem would play for 20 and get an average grade of 91, who would you pick?

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"You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star."
-Friedrich Nietzsche

jericho