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Who Has a Better History of Big Men? LA Lakers or Houston Rockets

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by crash5179, Jun 17, 2013.

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Who Has a Better History of Big Men? LA Lakers or Houston Rockets

  1. Lakers

    66.7%
  2. Rockets

    33.3%
  1. crash5179

    crash5179 Contributing Member

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    Who Has a Better History of Big Men? LA Lakers or Houston Rockets

    Los Angeles Lakers:
    They started in Minnesota in 1948 and they have 65 years of History in the league. They are widely regarded as the team with the best history of big men. It's easy to see why they have that reputation when you take a role call of the big men that have logged time as a Laker. Not included on that list are guys like Karl Malone or Maurice Lucas who were great NBA players but were only in LA for one season. I think it takes more than a couple of seasons to establish yourself as part of a teams legacy. So Dwight Howard is also omitted from the list. I included Elgin Baylor (because he played forward) but in truth I don't know if he was more of a wing player or mostly a post player.

    George Miken
    Wilt Chamberlain
    Kareem Abdul Jabbar
    Shaquille O'Neal
    Elgin Baylor
    Andrew Bynum
    Pau Gasol


    Houston Rockets:
    The Rockets started out in San Diego in 1967 and have 46 seasons of history. Just like with the Lakers I did not include any big men with only a couple of years with the team or less.

    It did not feel right to include Charles Barkley in the list since he was past his prime with the Rockets but he was still making All-Star games and putting up some damn good numbers with the team. The Rockets were still considered one of the elite teams when he was here advancing as far as the Western Conference Finals. Furthermore, Wilt Chamberlain only played one more season with the Lakers than Barkley did with Houston and he was well past his prime when he joined that team. Try and leave Wilt off of the list of greatest big men in Laker history and you will here protests from New York to Los Angeles. As a result Barkley is on my list.

    Notable omissions from Houston are Larry Smith (3 seasons), Dekembe Motumbo (5 seasons) and Kevin Willis (3 seasons). All of them were highly impactful players for the Rockets in a reserve role and as part time starters. They were all past there primes and all brought into the team as depth. Kevin Willis is the one player that could average a double / double while he was with the Rockets. Deke and Smith would not have averaged double / doubles but both players would have still been top 10 rebounders in the league and both were still exceptional defenders.

    Elvin Hayes
    Moses Malone
    Ralph Sampson
    Hakeem Olajuwon
    Otis Thorpe
    Charles Barkley
    Yao Ming

    The Lakers have been in the league 19 years longer than the Rockets and do not have any more players worthy of the list than theRockets.

    The Rockets have five of their big men in the Hall of Fame and would have six but Yao Ming thought it was too soon and requested his name not be considered at this time. By comparison, the Lakers only have four players in the Hall of Fame. Although in fairness, it's basically a no brainer that both Shaq and Pau will get in. Once Yao, Shaq and Pau go in both teams will have 6 big men in the HoF. I think Otis Thorpe deserves to be in the Hall of Fame but I doubt he will make it. I don't think there is any chance for Bynum.

    Based on their play with the Lakers and Rockets I think Hakeem was the best of the group. While I think Wilt was the greatest basketball player of all time, he was well past his prime with the Lakers.

    If I were ranking them based on their entire careers it would go like this:

    1. Wilt
    2. Dream
    3. Shaq
    4. Moses
    5. Kareem
    6. Big E
    7. Charles Barkley
    8. Elgin Baylor
    9. Pau Gasol
    10. Otis Thorpe
    11. Ralph Sampson
    12. Yao Ming
    13. George Mikan
    14. Andrew Bynum

    If I'm ranking them based on their time with the Rockets or Lakers then the list would go like this:

    1. Dream
    2. Shaq
    3. Moses
    4. Kareem
    5. Big E
    6. Elgin Baylor
    7. Wilt
    8. Pau Gasol
    9. Otis Thorpe
    10. Ralph Sampson
    11. Yao Ming
    12. George Miken
    13. Charles Barkley
    14. Andrew Bynum

    Back to the question at hand, which team has the better history of big men... Lakers or Rockets?
     
  2. ooox

    ooox Member

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    Lakers and it's not even close.
     
  3. ooox

    ooox Member

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    Dream wasn't better than Shaq. Stop being a homer.
     
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  4. BigBird

    BigBird Contributing Member

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    Lakers. My Houston bias doesn't overcome the many great bigs of LA
     
  5. Clutch

    Clutch Administrator
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    Yes, Dream was better than Shaq, but the Lakers have a better history of big men. Both have great histories at the center position.
     
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  6. crash5179

    crash5179 Contributing Member

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    That's an uneducated answer. To say its not close shows a complete lack of knowledge or at the very least a refusal to acknowledge the Hall of Famers that played for the Rockets.
     
  7. crash5179

    crash5179 Contributing Member

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    Their play on the floor in the Finals says otherwise.
     
  8. CometsWin

    CometsWin Breaker Breaker One Nine

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    Lakers. Probably the only franchise that can say that.
     
  9. Spacemoth

    Spacemoth Contributing Member

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    Look at the current players and who they trust more for advice. Lebron Kobe and everybody else will gladly make Hakeem their sensei, but a guy like Shaq is given the cold shoulder by everybody he tries to preach to. Dwight Howard is the latest example. Shaq goes to the media and blames Dwight for never taking his advice. Well, Dwight sure as hell listens to Hakeem and places that man on a pedestal. The players know, and it's about time fans caught up. Hakeem was miles better than Shaq as a basketball player.
     
  10. ooox

    ooox Member

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    No he wasn't. Maybe homers think he was but Shaq is the most unstoppable big in league history.

    More Mvps.
    More Rings
    More All-stars selection
    More All-Nba teams

    Playoffs matchups.

    Shaq- 28.8 points on 55.6 percent shooting, 11.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.5 steals and 3.3 blocks

    Hakeem- 23.0 points on 46.5 percent shooting, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks.

    This was young Shaq vs a prime Hakeem and he still dominated.
     
  11. white lightning

    white lightning Contributing Member

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    Your stats for this match-up are irrelevant. Houston 4-0. Hakeem did what was needed. He tipped in the game winner in the only close game of the series. Shaq admits that Hakeem kicked his butt in this series.
     
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  12. crash5179

    crash5179 Contributing Member

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    Wilt past his prime with the Lakers

    Kareem was not an alpha male (Big O and Magic were the leaders of his championship teams)

    Shaq was Shaq, the greatest center in Laker history

    Dream was better than Shaq

    Moses was winning MVPs and out playing Kareem in their primes and in the Post season. While Kareem was not an alpha male, Moses absolutely was as alpha male as they come.

    I still think Big E was the greatest PF of all time. The Lakers Big Men had superior supporting casts.

    Imagine Big E and Jerry West on the same team!
    Imagine Magic with Moses
    How about Kobe and Dream
     
  13. Panda23

    Panda23 Member

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    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2rN70IuofGw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

    Shaq himself has said multiple times he could never intimidate Hakeem, that he was the only center he didnt dominate. Thats what SHAQ said, himself. Robert Horry played with Duncan/Shaq/Hakeem, and took Hakeem, I think he knows a thing or two.

    On TNT when Ernie asked about Kenny about Hakeem, said something to the effect of "I need to establish I'm here tonight in the post" (Hakeem regarding the top 5 centers) and Kenny motioned that Shaq was one of them.

    The look on his face one was of sheer pride, a better word escapes my mind, that Hakeem, held him in that regard, and had that respect for his game.

    For you to say that Shaq dominated him is beyond lunacy.
     
  14. Dream lover

    Dream lover Member

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    To me Houston has a better history of drafting big men. Elvin Hayes, Ralph Sampson, Hakeem, Yao were all drafted by the Rockets. Only Elgin Baylor and Andrew Bynum were actually drafted by the Lakers. Overall talent though is up in the air, an argument can be made for both teams. Both have players in the Hall of Fame, both have players on the 50th anniversary 50 greatest players in NBA history.
    I'm a Rocket fan so obviously I would lean more toward them, but not by much. Only because Houston wasn't in the league as long with the same amount of talent and then of course the drafting. To me, the Lakers FO doesn't have to work as hard when talent already wants to come to you. Houston on the other hand is probably in the longest drought of a dominant big man it has ever had in it's existence in Houston.
     
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  15. crash5179

    crash5179 Contributing Member

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    Late Prime Dream out played early Prime Shaq in the Finals. When Shaq played Dream a few years latter in the play-offs Dream was over the hill.
     
  16. crash5179

    crash5179 Contributing Member

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    He was also using stats from the LAL / Houston play off match up when Dream was fully past his prime.
     
  17. crash5179

    crash5179 Contributing Member

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    Good point, Big E, Ralph, Dream and Yao were all drafted by the Rockets while only Elgin Baylor and George Miken were drafted by the Lakers.
     
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  18. pass_to_Hakeem

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    Whereas I agree LA has the better history of big men over HOU...LMAO @ Hakeem not being better than Shaq!!! Are you serious? Shaq has more rings but at 1/2 the size Shaq was Hakeem used and abused a "younger" and "bigger" Shaq in the Finals. Hakeem revolutionized the 5 position.. Jordan said he was a guard in a 6"11 body with his footwork!! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF BASKETBALL don't ever say that again. ALL SHAQ HAD was his fat-ass power dunk ... If you wanna call that his move? No free throws, no skilled moved in offense (backing up a guy 100 lbs lighter and dunking on him is NOT SKILLED), no threat of a jump shot outside of 4 feet... LOL WOW!!!
     
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  19. SSP365

    SSP365 Member

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    you think dream was prime when shaq faced him in the finals?

    shows how much you know.

    Dream was better than shaq.

    mvps are a politicized and subjective awards.

    same thing with all nba and all star selections.

    rings are team success.

    Dream was a better defender, rebounder, outside shooter, better post game, better free throw shooter.

    After sampson went down in 87 dream was basically by himself until we got a past prime drexler in 95.

    Look at who Shaq has played with his entire career:

    Prime Penny
    Prime Kobe
    Prime Dwade

    Dream was very unlucky with getting a robin to his batman. He got royally screwed in that department his entire career.

    Dream without question is a better player than shaq.

    Anybody who knows basketball knows this.
     
  20. prs325

    prs325 Member

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    I bleed Rockets red through and through, but its no contest, Lakers have a better history. Just their big 4 trumps any big from a historical imprint and game revolution perspective.
     

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