Debate and Discuss: Greatest player in history of each team

Did you watch these games? Kareem did not like playing against Walton.

 

Those are valid arguments.

 

Alex English over Melo

Dr J for the best Net (sad but true)

 

Sonics / Thunder - Gus Williams
Blazers - Bill Walton
Warriors - Rick Berry
76ers - Wilt Chamberlain
Kings - Oscar Robertson
Suns - Steve Nash
Knicks - Willis Reed
Nets - Dr. J
Nuggets - Alex English
Bucks - Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Bullets / Wizards - Elvin Hayes

Those are the changes I would make.

 

Nothing sad about that. Dr. J was MJ before MJ was MJ. There was a time right about the merger in the 70's where Dr. J was widely regarded as the single best player on the planet and certainly the most marketable.

 

You do a greatest team for each franchise, that would be cool.

 

Find a tape of Game 7 of the 1970 Finals to see how impactful Frazier could be.
Nine out of 10 younger NY fans might pick Ewing, but those old enough to remember the early '70s Knicks still love those teams. They would pick Frazier and Reed (and maybe Monroe, Bradley and DeBusschere) ahead of Patrick.

 

I wasn't defending Kareem - just the opposite.
The Lakers were successful with Kareem in his prime in the early '80s, with an older Kareem in the late '80s and with Vlade Divac in the early 90s. The one constant was Magic, and LA dropped from a championship level after he retired.
That's why Kareem can't be considered the greatest Laker ever.
He was awesome in Airplane, though.

 

Where did the idea come from that Walton wasn't talented? He may not have scored like Kareem, but he was possibly the best passing center ever. The Trail Blazers used to run their offense through him. Defense, shot blocking, rebounding, outlet passes. He was among the most multi-talented players of his era. He was by far the best offensive and defensive player on a Trail Blazers team that ripped the league apart in 1977 and 1978.
His only problem was that he was cursed with bad feet. If he had stayed healthy, he would have had more rings, more MVPs and would be considered among the very best players ever.

 

I take a slightly different tack... I place the player with the team I most associate him with, so someone like Chamberlain wouldn't be the Warriors but rather Sixers or Lakers. I'd put Rick Barry or even Nate Thurmond with the Warriors. Probably Barry since he was there during the 74 championship team.