Best Big Men to Ever Play the Game

[kidcolin]

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Blocking a shot OOB is much better than blocking it onto the court, because you're blocking it underneath your opponent's basket.

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do you have absolutely anything to back this up?

[rubbrband]

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Blocking a shot OOB is much better than blocking it onto the court, because you're blocking it underneath your opponent's basket.

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This is very far from the truth.
True they are near their basket but your defense is usually already set.
If you block it out of bounds opponent gets to keep possession with a diminished shot clock but your team has no chance at getting a turnover.
A block is one of the best ways to get a fast break. A steal is probably a better way but a black gives the defense less time to setup than a rebound.

[andyfox]

It might have happened on occasion. Maybe even by design. If it did, it's the equivalent of a steal. It's hard to imagine, though, that a loose ball in the opponent's front court didn't result in more points for the opponent than the Celtics.

[andyfox]

Just common sense. The opposition can score much more easily when it picks up a loose ball near its basket than when the ball is out of bounds.

Lest there be no misundestanding, I think Russell was a great player. If he sometimes blocked a shot, and was able to control it to a teammate, or keep it on the court, it would be a small part of what made him such a terrific player. But I think it's more legend than fact. I heard, when I was a kid, several old-time Yankees say Bill Dickey never went back for a foul pop-up that landed on the screen; I even read it in a baseball book. He could tell whether a ball would land in foul territory or in the stands. Pure legend.

[andyfox]

That might well be so. I'm sure Wilt sometimes blocked a ball as hard as he could for effect. And certainly, today, show is where the dough is. Russell and Duncan, I think, are two example of great players who were/are not showy.

[Assani Fisher]

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Vyse if you had to rank all current NBA players where would you put Ginboli, Bowen, Parker, Elson, and anyone else you want to rank on their team?

Then go ahead and do the same for these other great big men's championship teams.

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You're not worth the effort to argue against because you think championships make a great player.

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I think winning makes a great player. Do you disagree that winning is what its all about?

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So is Russell the greatest ever?

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We have to look at how much a player helps his team win...that is what its all about. Russell clearly had a great supporting cast. I didn't see him play, so I really can't comment here.

[kidcolin]

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Just common sense. The opposition can score much more easily when it picks up a loose ball near its basket than when the ball is out of bounds.

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You're thinking too simplistically about this. And I'm not concerned about this with regards to Russell. You're spouting falsehoods. First of all, a loose ball near the basket isn't a guaranteed pick up for the other team. Usually your teammates are boxing out. Even if that's not the case, there's still no guarantee they get the ball back. You swat it out of bounds and it's a guarantee.

Basically, it's a situational thing, much like whether you should try saving a ball from out of bounds near your own basket. If you're about to block a lay up when the other team is on a 3 on 1 break, sure, swat that into the stands. But a lot of blocks come from help defense (watch Camby). In those situations, often the blocker has a chance to control the ball himself or towards the side line where the original defender can pick up the ball. This is far superior than swatting it into the stands. Considering most teams average a point per possession, it's worth about a point when you do it.

[Assani Fisher]

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Vyse if you had to rank all current NBA players where would you put Ginboli, Bowen, Parker, Elson, and anyone else you want to rank on their team?

Then go ahead and do the same for these other great big men's championship teams.

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Here is Hakeem's team the first year he won a championship. See anyone as good as Parker or Ginobli in that lineup?

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Yes, that was an amazing year by Hakeem. If he had done that a few more times he'd definitely be in the top 5 discussion(and as is, hes still getting mentioned). I do think the fact that Jordan was retired hurts his case a little bit though.

[Assani Fisher]

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Parker was pretty raw early on, Avery was key. No one's suggesting Avery Johnson was all-universe. Don't forget Clyde Drexler in the 2nd Houston run. Otis Thorpe was pretty freaking solid too.

No one is arguing Duncan > Hakeem (I don't think). But Duncan is pretty obviously > KG I think.

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I think Duncan is better than Hakeem. OP does too.

[Assani Fisher]

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How would you explain Duncan's teams getting further in the playoffs than KG's? Has Duncan's supporting cast really been that great? I mean, I look at their current team and Parker is a good, but not great, player, as is Mano. Heck, Duncan led a team to a championship with Avery Johnson at point guard. Is Pop a genius?

I realize championships are not the mark of a great player. I think Russell is overrated. And Yogi Berra is not the greatest baseball player ever. But look at the overall won/lost record of Duncan's teams and the talent on the rosters.

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uhhh duncan's "Supporting" cast is impressive. He has a top 5 NBA PG in parker, the best 6th man (Manu) an aging SG whoWAS a perennial all star (Finley) two of the most accurate 3ptshooting veterans toEVER play the game (Barry and Horry) one of the, if the THE BEST, perimter defensive SFs in Bowen, as well as a few scrappy big men. (Elson and Oberto, Oberto has impressed me bigtime)

If duncan was NOT on the team, the spurs would still makethe western playoffs, which is a HUGE deal.

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Totally disagree with your last statement. They would not make the playoffs.

I also disagree that Parker is top 5. Kidd, Nash, Billups, Paul, Williams. I also think Davis is better. If you count Arenas as a PG(which yahoo does) hes better too.

Ginboli is a decent player. Hes not great though.

I'm glad you capitalized "was" regarding Finley...him being an all star in the past is meaningless to this debate.



Again I challenge you to compare Duncan's supporting cast to other great players' supporting casts that won titles, then compare how many titles they won and how many years they went deep into the playoffs...I guarantee you that you'll end up being very impressed with Duncan.