I'm surprised the old, once-Rocket-coach, professor forgot the quintesential blocker of all time ... Having seen several games with Russell and Wilt (I purposely left out any mention of the others in the same sentence with these guys) I can categorically state that historically, Hakeem still out ranks everyone by a wide margin. Wilt's blocks were haphazard, directionless and at times detrimental as they took him out of play for subsequent defensive plays by the opponent. What's the use of blocking a shot if the opponent gets it back and scores anyway. They were spontaneous. They were copious in number. Russell was more calculating and more "athletic looking"(if I can be so bold as to say) than Wilt's. Bill's may have been more spectacular than Wilt's because of the often remembered key moments in important games when he came from nowhere and stopped an obvious opportunity and maybe comparitively, his had more "media play" than Wilt's efforts. But for pure blocking power, quality in-bounds recovery , gain of possession, timeliness, and consistency .... none come even close to the nigerian from Houston. None. Not even in the same time zone as the above mentioned greats. Professor Dr. Ramsey maybe be excused for not remembering the Dream and offering his blessing and the crown for the Real Blocking Prince ... if he just didn't add insult to injury by including the other wannabees [Mark Eaton, Manute Bol, Dikembe Mutombo] ... who collectively don't have enough accomplishments in their august careers to render them the distinct honor and capability of even carrying Hakeem's jockstrap. That's how I see it, anyway.
Cut the guy some slack, he's doing pretty good for someone who's been clinically dead for 15 years. -Turbo
Q: For a lot of skills on the court, such as passing and dribbling, it is important to be able to use either hand. How much do you think a shot blocker would benefit from being able to use either hand to reject shots? Have there been any great ambidexterous shot blockers in the NBA, past or present? Jerome Kwan Perth, Australia Mutombo Dr. Jack: The best shot-blockers of all time - Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Mark Eaton, Manute Bol, Dikembe Mutombo - all blocked mostly with their dominant hand. Since blockers turn their bodies in the direction of the play, they go straight up to make the touch of the ball. While it seems logical that a player who uses either hand would have an advantage, I don't think it works that way in practice. IS HE CRACKED? No mention of Hakeem?? These Posers!!! [Mark Eaton, Manute Bol, Dikembe Mutombo ] Rocket River
dr. hack is an old , old, guy who should be fired and put in a nursing home. why would you not mention hakeem when he is the greatest shot blocker of all time.
The ones he mentioned do one thing primarily and one thing only: Shot blocking. Hakeem doesn't get the attention he deserves as the greatest ever in that category since he does/did so many other things at that same level.
