1. Russell 2. Olajuwon 3. Jordan 4. Pippen 5. Garnett I'm a Dennis Rodman fan, but versatility doesn't get you in the top 5.
I am assuming you are referring to "what". He has been wrong on a number of things and this just another one in his long line of wrong reasoning. Based on some of the bizarre statements he has made in the past, it is safe to assume he has not followed Hakeem's career. Anyways if you are going to compare Duncan and Hakeem on defense.... Hakeem was the better shot blocker. He was better in steals (In top 10 All-Times steal list). This is not even open for debate. hakeem has gone one on one against some of the best front court players in the history of the game and I dont think you can ever say that he has failed on defense. Yes he was very athletic and so he was able to cover a lot of ground, but he was also an excellent positional defender. He knew how to cover the pick and role (If he wasnt he wouldn't have blocked Starks at the 3 point line in Game 6 of the finals). He also positioned himself constantly to stay within the dribbler and the ball for the weak side block. It was a cat and mouse game with him. As for his man-to-man defense, if you have watched the Rockets game during playoffs, you will remember that he would usually guard the other teams best low post scorer in the last 5 minutes of the game or so. He switched on Karl Malone with game on the line. He switched on Kemp with the game on the line and with success, btw. I have witnessed Duncan get torched too many times at one on one on defense. Pau Gasol and Zbo have torched him in the post. I am sorry but if you get torched by Pau Gasol in the post, you automatically drop 25 slots from where you were in any list. I do not see how Duncan is better than Hakeem on on any facet of the game, and ESPECIALLY when it comes to defense. If you want one player to man your defense, it has to Hakeem. In my book, his unique combination of size, strength, speed, agility, and Bbball IQ made him the perfect defender. If you want a guard/SF to man your defense, my pick would be Jordan or Lebron the way he has been playing. Yes, I know Pippen was a great defender also, but when Kobe torched him in the playoffs, his rating took a hit in my book. Payton was great too but I would take Jordan over him simply Jordan was a bigger and stronger defender and better on blocks.
I have seen a lot of basketball and Hakeem Olajuwon is the best defender I have ever seen. He covered for many teammates, was a great positional defender and such a good athlete he could make stops that other great players like Duncan could not. The lists on here I have seen are solid. I would add that Wilt could stop anyone when he wanted to. Pippen was probably the best overall perimeter defender because he could cover 4 spots on the floor. Jordan was exceptional but at best could guard 3 spots. Jerry Sloan and Maurice Lucas were exceptional as well. Alvin Robertson at his peak was about as good as you will find. Payton and Dumars were very good. Fat Lever for a short period was special. Duncan for longevity and also David Robinson were special defensively. Walt Frazier was another very good defender. Among modern players LeBron is exceptional and playing at a level defensively that only a handful of players have. Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Kevin Garnett were great.
Besides what, Both VBG and another Spurs fan agree http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=7621437&postcount=41 FearTheBeardJH
The problem here is that we are talking about who is the better of the two players, not the two "teams". Duncan has been blessed to play with great players for most of his career. He has been blessed to be coached by one of the best coaches and to be part of one of the best managed organizations for all his career. When Hakeem had good players playing with him, his team beat the Lakers in his second year and took the Celtics, one of the all time best teams to six games in the finals. He was spectacular in the playoffs. Yes Duncan has been the focal point on his teams but he has had a lot of help. Almost 90% of offense ran through Hakeem. He was the main facilitator on the championship teams. He had lot more responsibilities than Duncan has had on his teams. Ball is equally handled by Manu and Parker and all three share the same responsibility when it comes to facilitating the team offense. During crunch time it has traditionally been Manu running the offense. Hakeem did not have this luxury, especially during the first championship. You wouldn't remember and wouldn't appreciate these nuances unless you watched the Rockets play back then. Hakeem has done more with less. Put Duncan in Hakeem's situation and I do not think Rockets win any championship. Hakeem HAD to absolutely dominate night in and night out as Drexler would say for the Rockets to win both championships. No IFs or BUTS. he has to be the best payer on the court every single night. Duncan just isnt that kind of a player. Conversely, Put Hakeem on Duncan's Spurs and I think they would have won more championships than what Duncan has won. Hakeem gives you everything that Duncan gives the Spurs and more. A better pick and roll defender, a better shot blocker, more steals, a uarantee that he will always win his position and be the best front court player in the game. Duncan is not someone you can go to everytime own low and expect to dominate. Hakeem has dominated every one on one match-up he has gone against. OTOH, It has been proven on a few occasions that Duncan can be stopped on on one. Duncan struggled against the Wallace brothers in the finals. He has struggled against Pau Gasol and Zbo. Do you really think Duncan would have lasted 7 games against the brutal Knicks defense in the finals?!?! A rotation of Anthony Mason, Patrick Ewing, and Charles Oakley? I do not think so. Folks like to bring up Duncan's #s during that finals run. But they dont like to tell you who he went up against during that year. They also dont mention how he struggled in the Finals against the Pistons front line. Or that he has always struggled against Shaq.
Let's roll this back to 1986, also. In his 2nd year, does Duncan destroy the defending champion Lakers 4 games in a row (guarding Kareem Abul Jabbar), like Akeem did. Yeah, Duncan won a ring in the lockout year playing against the Sprewell, JVG Knicks. Not quite the same as Magic, Kareem and Worthy
Lakers coach Pat Riley's game plan for his team against the Rockets... "Contain Akeem" They failed despite drawing up a gameplan to stop him. Remember this is a second year Akeem going up against one of the all time best teams in the league history that had someone the best players in the game/hall of famers. Not same same as going up against scrub front court line and inflating your stats. The true test of Duncan's post game came when he went up one on one against Shaq and Rasheed Wallace/Ben Wallace. He came up short in those instances.
You're calling me a Spurs fan for saying Tim Duncan anchored the best defences (Along with Bill Russell) in NBA history? That's... interesting.
