Most Skilled Basketball Player of All Time?

whitehops · Post #21 » by **whitehops** » Tue Jul 22, 2014 8:51 pm

one could say passing is a skill, dribbling is a skill, shooting is a skill, off-ball movement is a skill, rebounding is a skill, setting picks is a skill, etc. etc.

so to be clear is the question which player could do the most of these things well?

wallace72 · Post #22 » by **wallace72** » Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:03 pm

john248 wrote:I'm going with Jordan here. Great shooter in the mid-range though just ok from 3pt, ball handler, passer, post, finishing, knowing how to use his body/positioning, solid rebounder for his position, off-ball, footwork, use both hands, court vision, timing, defensive stance, defending passing lanes, etc. Top that with his athleticism, fundamentals both offensively & defensively, and extreme effort...pretty deadly.

People are getting too caught up with PGs.

MJ for me......

KyletheDingbat · Post #23 » by **KyletheDingbat** » Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:47 pm

If we're getting technical it's impossible to separate skill from physical traits. When speaking of MJ we often bring up how advantages his hands were, but we don't talk about Bird's wrists. Bird might have had the best wrists in NBA history. This is brought up in detail in Halberstam's great book, "Playing For Keeps". Apparently Bird could toss the ball the length of the court, or shoot a fade-away 3, without having to use many leg or arm muscles. Just his wrists. It was like a superpower; he only needed 3" to make his play, not 82". For basketball, this may be more advantages than a 40" vert and 4.4 40 combined.

Players adapt their skills to their bodies. BUT, I will play this game and not get too dorky, so here's my answer:

Michael Jordan. He just knew what to do in every situation. Could get the ball in the basket with his legs flailing and his torso parallel to the floor.

mooncheese · Post #24 » by **mooncheese** » Tue Jul 22, 2014 10:28 pm

Arguments for MJ over Lebron, both physically and skill-wise:

1) Better hops off a vertical so he scored better in traffic

2) Not just quick for his size, MJ caused greater mismatches vs bigger defenders than LBJ does

3) Goat scoring ability allowed MJ to take on the largest load and attract maximum defensive attention to free up teammates, while Lebron undertook too small a load in the 2014 Finals, causing him to not attract enough defensive attention to facilitate his passing game and free up teammates - Lebron had as many turnovers as assists so his passing added no value to his team in the 2014 Finals.

4) Not only could Jordan take on the aforementioned maximum offensive load to attract maximum defensive attention and free up teammates, but his superior scoring versatility, including off-ball skill allowed him to take on that maximum load while scoring in whatever capacity allowed star teammates to play to their strengths (i.e. with Jordan off-ball, Pippen was free to be the more ball-dominant point-forward).

Factors 1-4 above enabled Jordan to control his own destiny better - translation: 6 for 6:

1991 - 33ppg.. 8 rebs.. 11 assists per game.. 3 to 1 Assist-TO.. 125 Ortg.. Switch-Hands Shot

1992 - 36ppg.. 4.8rebs.. 6.5 assists.. 1 Shoulder Shrug

1993 - Finals Record 41ppg, As Required To Limit Momentum of Opponent's Great Offense

1996 - 32ppg on 47% Thru 3 Games to Get 3-0 Lead and End Series

1997 - Walk-Off Game Winner in Game 1.. Flu Game in Game 5.. GW Assist to Kerr in Game 6

1998 - Rodman (8.3 rebs) & Pippen (15ppg.. 41% FG) MIA.. MJ Goat Clutch & 27 Shot Att Per Game

More Jordan Goatness..

Top 15 Hanging Jumpshots by MJ

Top 15 MJ Dunks Over Multiple Contesting Defenders

Partial Collection of MJ Dunks Over All-Time Great Centers

Basketballefan · Post #25 » by **Basketballefan** » Tue Jul 22, 2014 10:36 pm

Ballerhogger wrote:I will say Bill Russell . The man made up blocking and etc.

Yeah so skilled that he couldnt average 20 ppg.

1hit1team · Post #26 » by **1hit1team** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 7:05 am

no love for sabas?

Regulio · Post #27 » by **Regulio** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 3:29 pm

1hit1team wrote:no love for sabas?

Yeah, Sabonis was super skilled for a center. Basically he stayed in NBA solely on skills.
Bird probably would be my choice. Kobe and MJ were very skilled, but they were out-of-this-world athletic too.

PCProductions · Post #28 » by **PCProductions** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 5:01 pm

Charles Barkley deserves a mention here. But of course Bird, CP3 and Nash are all guys who probably have a stronger case.

john248 · Post #29 » by **john248** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 5:55 pm

Regulio wrote:
1hit1team wrote:no love for sabas?

Yeah, Sabonis was super skilled for a center. Basically he stayed in NBA solely on skills.
Bird probably would be my choice. Kobe and MJ were very skilled, but they were out-of-this-world athletic too.

Are you penalizing Kobe and MJ for being athletic?

jaypo · Post #30 » by **jaypo** » Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:29 pm

I'd say the list should include Oscar, Pistol, Larry, Magic, and MJ.

Post #31 » by **Timmaytime** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 12:41 am

Obligatory

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVDtx1NtwvY[/youtube]

Bird would be my number 1

Warspite · Post #32 » by **Warspite** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 1:07 am

magicmerl wrote:So is Pete Maravich in this conversation?

Pistol was the 1st player I thought of. Larry Bird said that winning in the NBA was much easier than beating Pistol in a game of H-O-R-S-E.

berkkobe7 · Post #33 » by **berkkobe7** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 1:33 am

Dirk Nowitzki

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mateo82 · Post #34 » by **mateo82** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:09 am

Kevin Garnett. Prime Garnett excelled at every part of the game.

ushvinder88 · Post #35 » by **ushvinder88** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:29 am

Barkley- 6'5 power forward with great ball handling and scoring ability.
Nash and CP3- Undersized point guards that dont rely much on athleticism.

Joseph17 · Post #36 » by **Joseph17** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:53 am

Probably a non-NBA player. You have to have a decent amount of size and athleticism in addition to skill to play in the NBA. You can have a player with all of the skill in the world, but he could be a short weak guy that's a horrible athlete. I never saw Muggsy Bogues play, but he would be my pick. It would take a tremendous amount of skill to compete with NBA players if your only 5'2.

Joseph17 · Post #37 » by **Joseph17** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 5:03 am

Regulio wrote:
1hit1team wrote:no love for sabas?

Yeah, Sabonis was super skilled for a center. Basically he stayed in NBA solely on skills and size
Bird probably would be my choice. Kobe and MJ were very skilled, but they were out-of-this-world athletic too.

Fixed

Blast Tyrant · Post #38 » by **Blast Tyrant** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 11:43 am

How can the answer be anything but Steve Nash?

Flawless footwork
One of the best shooters ever (if not the best)
Amazing passing and creativity
Arguably the most effective ball handler ever
Led the best offenses in NBA history
Turned scrubs into double figure scorers

Laazard · Post #39 » by **Laazard** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 2:10 pm

1. Nash
2. Bird
3. Kobe

Regulio · Post #40 » by **Regulio** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 12:23 pm

john248 wrote:
Regulio wrote:
1hit1team wrote:no love for sabas?

Yeah, Sabonis was super skilled for a center. Basically he stayed in NBA solely on skills.
Bird probably would be my choice. Kobe and MJ were very skilled, but they were out-of-this-world athletic too.

Are you penalizing Kobe and MJ for being athletic?

I am not. I just think Bird was more skilled.