That's the thing he was continually growing at that aspect, and Phil Jackson probably helped a good bit on the tail end. Shaq was already improving his performance against those centers by year 2 or 3, while he was already considered the best center by 96 - 98. Phil Jackson did not anything transcendent with Shaquille O'Neal, except managing the array of talents around him better. Shaq, for a dominant scorer was always an unselfish player, he understood game situations very well, and rarely had trouble controlling his emotions to the extent it hurt the team. If he did, it was mostly his earlier days.
Kareem was never able to lead a team to the NBA Championship. Oscar was the best player on the Bucks teams. Kareem never did it for the Lakers until Magic came along. Kareem is great but when trying to determine the greatest, one is forced to cut hairs. Plus I saw Moses kick Kareems ass too many times in the post season. Moses dominated him. Besides I could care less about college rules and how they apply to the NBA. The no dunking rule was stupid.
The Mount Rushmore debate and Bill Russell. So I've had time to debate who I think is worthy of being in the Mount Rushmore of NBA stars past and present. Then, and I guess I'm a little late to this party, I read that Bill Russell got slightly offended that LeBron James left him off his Mount Rushmore. I didn't know a guy whose talent level, which ultimately lands somewhere between Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning, could complain about somebody else leaving him off one's Mount Rushmore. Russell won 11 rings! All he did was win! That's the argument. Well, there were 8 teams when he was a rookie, and 14 teams by the time he hung it up. Bill Russell's season best PPG was 18.9. Really? That's all he could do in an era of run and gun basketball, while also only having a 12 foot wide paint? While at the same time Wilt was putting up 35+ PPG seasons, and one of 50 freaking points a game? Yet Russell is the 4th best player ever? Am I missing what the Mount Rushmore should represent? I thought it was the four best players ever? Is it winners?, because my Mount Rushmore winners list is Russell, Jones, heinsohn, KC jones. (Or just pick a 60s Celtic out of a hat I guess.) Putting Bill Russell on the Mount Rushmore is idiotic. I have no other word. I can name 7 centers alone that were better than Russell, 1 wilt, 2 Hakeem, 3 Kareem, 4 Shaq, 5 Moses, 6 Robinson, 7 Ewing, ..... Is Duncan a center? That would be 8. Heck, dwight is better offensively than Russell. The Mount Rushmore is a place for the best of the best, and mine is Jordan, Magic, Lebron, and Hakeem. I'll take those four. Putting Bill Russell on a Mount Rushmore, would be like saying the sky is red.
It depends on how you determine greatest. If you are talking pound for pound, then I agree guys like Shaq, Hakeem, and Duncan would dominate the old guys. Technology and physical training is so much more advanced now. But when Russell anchors a Celtics defense that dominates the league and wins 11 titles in 13 years, then it's hard not to acknowledge him as one of the greatest ever. These years included going up against the most dominant player of all time in Wilt Chamberlain. Russell made Chamberlain his b**** when they went head to head. But if you're going to say Hakeem is better than Russell, then I will say Kobe is better than Michael Jordan because he did what he did against a more athletic NBA than MJ. And Lebron is better than Kobe and MJ for the same reason...well after Lebron wins a couple more rings.
By made his b****, you mean Wilt got more points and rebounds (never in Wilt's entire career did any player outrebound him in a playoff series) in every single series they ever met?
By the way, I forgot to mention that I got into a very minor 1 tweet debate with former Rocket Eddie Johnson about Bill Russell and the Mount Rushmore debate.
Yeah, the Bill Russell argument for greatest center of all time (or one of the select few greatest players of all time) is just one I will never comprehend. In my mind, a player must first be a dominant offensive force to have that type of consideration. Anyway, this topic has been argued time and time again on this board (and probably every other NBA board).
