I think it's time to revist the list of the top 50 players. This list was controversial to begin with but now I think we should cut the dead weight and add Nique to the list. It is unbelievable that he was not included. But beyond that, Nique was shuffled to so many bad teams after his career with the hawks ended. This was so unfair to him. IN: Kobe Bryant, SG, 1996-Current OUT: Dave Bing, SG, 1966-78 Some will argue the only thing Bing concedes to Bryant is style and flash. Bing, one of the most steady scorers in League history, played his career in relative obscurity as evidenced by his mere 31 career playoff games. Having never played on the grand NBA stage certainly hurts his case -- but should he personally be penalized for the mediocrity of his teams? Not necessarily, but in comparison to Bryant's pivotal role in the three Laker championships and his status as one of the top 5 players in the game, Bing has to take a back seat and concede his spot to Bryant. Five years from now, there will be no debate as Bryant continues to ascend to greatness and Bing settles into the recesses of history. IN: Tim Duncan, PF/C, 1997-Current OUT: Nate Thurmond, C, 1963-77 One of the most unheralded centers in the history, Thurmond toiled as a defensive foil to some of the greatest centers (Jabbar, Wilt, Russell) in history. Best known for his long arms, rebounding and defensive prowess, Thurmond does not compare favorably to Duncan on the offensive end. Duncan, ironically considered a throwback to Thurmond's era, sports a refined offensive arsenal that dwarfs Thurmond's. We'll boil the argument down to this: had Duncan played in Thurmond's era, he still would have played at the high level he does in today's game -- his game transcends eras. If Thurmond played today, he would still put up tremendous rebounding and defensive numbers, but his offense would be way down as today's game does not habitually reward big men on the offensive end as in years past. IN: Kevin Garnett, SF/PF, 1995-Current OUT: Dave Cowens, C, 1970-83 Garnett has revolutionized the sport, creating the paradigm for the 7-footer of the future. Skilled in every aspect of the game -- scoring, defense, rebounding, passing -- Garnett sports a skill set that rivals that of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Cowens? Classic case of a guy who that didn't belong in the NBA, yet carved out an incredible career thanks to pure effort and unique shooting and passing skills for a center. Heart is a characteristic that needs to be rewarded, especially in today's apathetic environment, but not at such a level as the NBA Greatest Player of All Time. Thanks for the memories for Mr. Cowens, but move aside for the remarkable Mr. Garnett. IN: Gary Payton, PG, 1990-Current OUT: Sam Jones, SG, 1957-69 Perhaps the greatest two-way point guard in history, Payton is terror on defense and offense. Think about it? What other point combines the two facets of the game better than GP? And yet he's not celebrated, primarily due to his surly attitude. But this isn't a popularity contest and as great a player and person as Jones was, he was really a cog, the third option on the great Celtic championship teams of the 60s. Would Jones have achieved the same notoriety had he played for a different team all those years? Debatable at best. Meanwhile, Payton continues to excel well into his 30s and hopefully he'll achieve the highest honor of an NBA Championship as his career winds down the next few years. IN: Dominique Wilkins, SF, 1982-99 OUT: Dave DeBusschere, PF, 1962-74 To compare Wilkins to DeBusschere is to open up a Pandora's box and find a basketball in it. (What the hell did that mean?) What do you value Offense or Defense? Team success or individual achievement? Everyone's different, but when you're talking about a list of the Greatest ever, I think you need to look at the pinnacle of the two player's careers and ask yourself who do you remember more vividly. And that's clearly Dominique -- his "Human Highlight Reel" nickname says it all. If I was starting a team, I'd want DeBusschere more than Wilkins -- a team of four DeBusschere's and one Dominique would beat a team of four Dominique's and one Debusschere -- but that's not what we're doing here with this list. 'Nique belongs on the list and if it's not at the expense of DeBusschere, than one of the other four needs or George Gervin, needs to come off.
We had a long thread about this a few months ago, I guess if you get creative you can dig it up. Any "out" list that doesn not include Robert Parish is invalid, btw. No way he should have been there, or should remain.
I think the last thread was about the 10 players to add to the 50 best for the TNT thing. Unless there was another one too, I don't really remember.
Top 50 changing? Not happening cowboy. They'll eventually add to it. Just be patient young one. NBA top 50 quiz. Which university is the only to have THREE alumni in the NBA top 50? THE UNIVERISTY OF HOUSTON! AKEEM, CLYDE AND ELVIN HAYES.
UNC - Michael Jordan, Billy Cunningham, James Worthy LSU - Pete Maravich, Shaquille O'Neal, Bob Pettit
Cowens was more than just heart. In 1973, the year he was named the MVP, he averaged 20ppg and 16rbg. There's also those multiple championship rings... Garnett belongs too but so does Cowens...
Nice way to show respect to some of the greatest players of all time. Do they at least get to keep the jackets they got during the ceremony?
So subjective. Yes, as suggested, let's change to a Top-75, or even 100! Greatest 1-on-1 contest I ever saw, and in person, was right after Wilt was traded and in a doubleheader at The Garden. Chamberlain and Nate battled for 48 gruelling, highly entertaining minutes. I hated Cowens. He couldn't do a thing on the court. Except score. Rebound. Defend. Rn. Hustle. And, oh yeah, win. DeBush was one of the greatest competitors ever, anywhere/anytime. Put him, in his prime, on this Rox squad, and we're talking 65W's and a clear shot at a ring.
I remember seeing almost this exact article on ESPN about a year ago, but it's always good to see it again i guess
No way ANYBODY gets booted off. You have to remember WHY they created that list. The NBA was trying acknowledge some of "the original" stars that made the NBA what it is today. Simply by mentioning Pistol Pete in the same breath as Magic Johnson helped the younger basketball fans realize that the NBA has past greats just like MLB. Taking names OFF that least undermines the message that we are supposed to respect past NBA legends. I doubt they even add names. Maybe they'll have a 2nd top 50 list where the next generation of players are considered. But the original top 50 is set in stone.
Ah, good to see you're NOT one of those guys who never mentions that Cowens was one of the top defensive players of his era, besides being a gifted passer/shooter. Oh wait...
Why can't the "Top 50" change? That doesn't make sense. A "Top 1" could conceivably change, so why not a Top 50? Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett all obviously go into the top 50. Possibly Steve Nash as well, as weird as that sounds.
Out: Nate Archibald Dave Bing Pete Maravich Kevin McHale Earl Monroe Nate Thurmond Wes Unseld Bill Walton James Worthy In: Tim Duncan Kobe Bryant Allen Iverson Kevin Garnett Dominique Wilkins Bob McAdoo Gary Payton Vince Carter Grant Hill
I love these threads. All of the 16year olds come out of the woodwork and tell me how great Kevin Garnett is. Kevin Garnett is SO OVERATED it ain't even funny. What has he ever won? Dave DeBusschere was one of the greatest shooters in NBA history..oh and he could rebound and play defense too. Dominique Wilkins? are you serious? Sure he could do some flashy dunks, but what else did he do to make the Hawks a better team? These threads are always started by people that have no idea how well rounded (and less flashy) the older players were. They did their job and they weren't on ESPN every night. Todays media builds these half ass players into way more than they really are. just look at the World Games to see what I mean.
