<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Positional ranks have been revealed for all-time <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBArank?src=hash">#NBArank</a>. Here's the starting 5. <a href="https://t.co/SMn0GveoYj">pic.twitter.com/SMn0GveoYj</a></p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/689550061160759296">January 19, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
5th? K... <iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/Fml0fgAxVx1eM" width="480" height="558" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/jennifer-lawrence-thumbs-up-ok-Fml0fgAxVx1eM">via GIPHY</a></p>
I'm fine putting Kareem and Wilt in the discussion with Hakeem. The Russell argument is one of those things that I just won't eve be able to comprehend. And I'm even talking at a physical level...my brain just cannot process that argument.
It's nostalgia, Wilt being in the conversation is also nostalgia. Hakeem, Kareem, or Shaq would have made Wilt their b**** if they played at the same time.
Kareem was Jimmy Paige Dream was Jimi Hendrix They were both great innovators, but Dream was the iconoclast. Kareem came to basketball through very traditional training. John Wooden and UCLA at the time were basically synonymous with fundamental basketball. But, Dream started with only his ability and creativity and showed you the possibilities of his artistry.
Yes, I know, and he wouldn't be able to handle prime Hakeem even then....and he'd very likely tell you so.
I think Kareem is clearly #1. I think Wilt benefited from having only one other comparable center at that time. But I hesitate to take away from his sheer dominance of the game. Similarly I hesitate to take away from Russell's 11 rings. Granted, his team was so stacked that 6th men were making the Hall of Fame. But he was a defensive/rebounding powerhouse. Pitting Hakeem vs. either of those two is hard to do as the game had changed so much in those 15-20 years. Hakeem also had an interesting career arc where his rebounding and defensive prowess peaked earlier than his offensive prowess, so we only saw both peaks in full effect for about 3-4 years. This takes away nothing from the man, but those 3-4 years are what is etched in our memory. He was always a good two way player, but his peak defensive years were 89-93 and his peak offensive years were 93-96, and his 92-93 campaign was probably his single greatest individual year. Wilt and Kareem both played at their peaks for nearly a decade, while Russell is really hard to gauge given the lack of good statistics. I give Hakeem the nod over Shaq. I'd consider Hakeem hypothetically against Wilt and Russell, but have no objective evidence to put him over the top of either. Hard to stack against 11 rings or Wilt's obscene stats. But I couldn't disrespect Kareem - only Duncan comes close in terms of longevity, and Kareem's peak blows away Duncan's peak. If Hakeem ranks below Kareem, I can live with that. Both are giants among men.
I have a hypothetical question if he played a full career would you have taken Yao over him? I argue about this often and personally would have. I think while injuries and time to adjust to the NBA game really hinder his consideration, to me he had more skills than Ewing and if Yao and lets say Ralph Sampsons injuries keep them off the list why would Bill Walton be on the list over Elvin Hayes?
Hands down it's Hakeem. The guy had all the moves, the size, the speed and the smarts. KAJ had the greatest PG ever (Magic) to make him look better. Look at the teams that had phenomenal PGs- Phoenix with Nash, Lakers with Magic and now GS with Curry. They make their fellow players look like all-stars. Shaq was a HUGE skilled center, Wilt and Russel played with a bunch of crackers. No contest. Yes, this is a Rockets forum but even taking away the bias Hakeem is the best, hands down. I agree with Magic and MJ on that list, and probably LBJ. But I'm not so sure about Duncan at PF.
Lots in this thread seem to be okay giving Russell less than his due, but not that many seem skeptical of Wilt's place here. I would have Wilt #5 on my list of top 5 centers of all time, at best. Argument for Shaq, Hakeem and Kareem among the top 3, in some order, is very debatable imo. Russell #4.
Not sure if serious, but Ewing is better than Mourning and Parish, kinda by far. Hayes is ahead of my time. Almost half of Shaq's best career numbers and feats happened in ORL.
