Just another example of the fact that per minutes stats don't mean anything. You take Hakeem and give him the same minutes Bol got in the same game situations, and he blocks 10 shots per 36 minutes. Bol was obviously a specialist because of his height. He was inserted into games for the express purposes of providing a detriment to guys going to the rim because of his length. Put Hakeem in there and let the same opponents drive to the rim on him that drove to the rim on Bol and Hakeem blocks 10 shots per 36 minutes. Per minutes stats are useless to establish who is the best at anything.
You're right when comparing a guy who played 16 minutes to a guy who played 35 a per minute stat is unfair. However as I've argued about Holliger's PER per minute stats are the best way of evaluating who is better between two people who play similar amount of minutes. Therefore using it to compare Hakeem-Dikembe-Alonzo is great. It's not the end all be all but it's the easiest and best way to judge except of course having watched and scouted all three guys.
He's one of my favorite players to watch but he often looks to block or steal (get the stat) than always making the best defensive decision. I think he is already one of if not the best shot blockers from the SF position. If he played as hard as AK47 he could have been an all star by now and his team would be a higher seed in the east. He is the most atheletic player in the nba even more so than lebron because he has much longer arms and jumps higher.
How in the hell you gonna put Russell and Wilt at the top. Come on, if I was their height playing against nothing but short white guys with no hops (sorry if I 0ffend anyone) I would get the same amount blocks they would.
Another thing is none of the other stiffs on that list were asked to be the #1 option on offense for any of those teams. Hakeems stamina was unreal in that he was able to dominate on both ends of the court.
The question is who is the best shot blocker. Not who is the best shot blocker if he would have been allowed to concentrate exclusively on blocking shots. And you seem to be suggesting that Hakeem conserved energy on the defensive end to such an extent that he blocked merely a small fraction of what he otherwise could have. That's not the Hakeem I saw.
Kareem Hakeem Dikembe Kareem would still be all time leader had they counted the stat the first 4 years of his career.
Well basketballreference.com is showing his first 4 years... http://basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=ABDULKA01
Neither is it who is the best shot blocker per mpg. I cant imagine anyone taking Manute Bol or Shawn Bradley to block a shot with game on the line over some of the other names on the bottom of that list. Like I said, I cant think of many people of that list of yours who could come to the perimeter and block shots as well as guard the paint. He might have not conserved energy on the defensive end but I dont think its ridiculous to say that considering he had to run/initiate the offense for that team for almost the entire game, he could not put as much effort as some of the other guys in that area. Not because he conserved but more because he could not since he was spending so much energy on the other end. If anything, its all the more remarkable that Hakeem is #1 All-time in block shots and in top ten in steals. That Final series against the Knicks pretty much answers a lot of questions. Pat Riley sent multiple big defenders to beatup/harass Hakeem (Mason, Oakley, Smith, Ewing) and none of them could stop Hakeem. But wait.... on the other end he shut down Ewing all by himself, and was blocking shots/controlling paint against that Knicks front line. I dont have a problem saying that had he not had to have spend so much energy on offense, his defensive numbers would have been even better. Again, that block on Starks in closing seconds of Game 6 won Rockets their first championship. Could you seriously see Manute Bol coming out to 3 point line on a pick and roll, recover on a John Starks fake, change direction, and block that shot to seal the game? That one play tells more about who the better shot blocker is than mpg stats. If it's a big game or the game is on the line and I have to pick the best shot blocker, Hakeem would be my choice. You can go to war with Manute Bol.
These best of all time questions really confuse me, because there are so many ways to interpret it: - most blocked shots in their career - greatest reputation as a shot blocker - most feared shot blocker (intimidation) - most impressive shot blocking ability - most impactful shot blocker, per game - most efficient shot blocker (% of opponent's FGA he blocks while on the court) - the shot blocker you'd want on a final defensive possession when the other team is looking to get a score at the basket I think all are valid interpretations.
Well according to my source (http://basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=ABDULKA01) Kareem would have to total around at least 250 blocks in a season in order to be above Hakeem in his first 4 years. Now I am taking into consideration his longevity, and subtracting his last 2 years to equal Hakeems 18 seasons. So by going by 250 in a season rule I created (If you look at his 81+ game stats it shows about an average of 250 blocks in a season) then it would look something like this... Hakeem - 3830 Kareem - 3189 + 250 X 4(seasons) would be 4189 - 177 (subtracting his last two years total to match Hakeems 18 seasons) would be 4012 granted though, this is all speculation, and going with the data I have on front of me. maybe somebody else has access to better data?
Whose career playoff stats are in your sig? I thought it might be Tracy, but Tracy shot much better than that in his playoff career.
I think Hakeem's a better shot blocker than Deke. Hakeem was everywhere and blocked shots from everywhere and everyone. Blocking dunk-attempts, blocking 3-point-attempts, blocking people from behind on the break. Deke is the king of blocking inside the box but Dream was just everywhere and we shouldn't forget that Dreams' blocks almost always was a start of a break, his blocking-precision was sick, he would always make the block to a pass. That's unseen, at least for me!
Good call on the fast break blocks too. I completely forgot about that. This will also factor into best shot blocker equation. Can people please list the name of other centers who could make these kind of blocks? <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aS25dibHOR0&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aS25dibHOR0&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> Hakeem had a similar block against Rod Strickland in 1994 Playoffs.
Just out of curiosity, which of these would you answer with "Manute Bol?" The first four are definitely not him. Bullets 2, 3 and 4 are subject to interpretation and opinion of course, but compared to the Hakeems, the Mournings, and even guys like Robinson, Eaton or Shaq, I don't think Bol was really striking fear into the opponents hearts. I think there might be some merit to most efficient for Bol, but that's about it.
Manute Bol is the best answer for "most efficient shot blocker". Perhaps an argument could be made for the last bullet, but I wouldn't try to give it. You said he was just "ok" and he could have done more as a shot blocker. Other than getting more minutes on the floor (not a shot-blocking skill) ... I'm not sure what else could be reasonably expected from him.
