Players you'd take over 2000/2001 Shaq?

[Cyrusman122000]

What players in nba history would you choose over 2000/2001 Shaq?

[E-Balla]

Nobody. No one but Shaq could anchor a great team on both ends in both the regular season and postseason.

[PDX MM]

Jordan, Jabber, maybe Russell though not sure how he would fair in todays game.

[Imon]

Nobody. No one but Shaq could anchor a great team on both ends in both the regular season and postseason.

I don't think Shaq was ever known as a defensive anchor on the level of Duncan or KG. Not saying Shaq was a slouch defensively but that wasn't his specialty.

In terms of offense he was a one-man wrecking crew. He'd foul out entire frontcourts by himself. I don't think anyone in NBA history outside of maybe Wilt could defend him.

[Big NBA Fan]

The only year Shaq was a consistently great defender was his MVP year in 2000, where he had a strong case to also be the DPOY given that the Lakers were the # 1 ranked defense in the NBA that year.

[Jaivl]

First three-peat Jordan, '12-'13 LeBron, '93-'94 Olajuwon, '67 Wilt and maybe a few more.

[E-Balla]

Nobody. No one but Shaq could anchor a great team on both ends in both the regular season and postseason.

I don't think Shaq was ever known as a defensive anchor on the level of Duncan or KG. Not saying Shaq was a slouch defensively but that wasn't his specialty.

In terms of offense he was a one-man wrecking crew. He'd foul out entire frontcourts by himself. I don't think anyone in NBA history outside of maybe Wilt could defend him.

Well he specified 00/01 Shaq. 2000 Shaq should've been the DPOY (he was second in voting to peak Zo). He's no Duncan or KG but he's that level right below them with Dwight, Zo, Wallace, etc.

And offensively no one man could guard him. Only Portland throwing the 7-3 300 lb Sabonis, plus doubles from Scottie and Rasheed could limit him (he was still great overall in the series).

[ushvinder88]

Only wilt, jordan and lebron.

[Timmaytime]

First three-peat Jordan, '12-'13 LeBron, '93-'94 Olajuwon, '67 Wilt and maybe a few more.

those 4 would be my choices as well

[Hawk]

Jordan, Hakeem, Lebron. All these three are "maybe's".

By the way, I never or at least rarely see Kareem mentioned in these type of threads, which kind of surprises me. Not that I know a lot about him, but he is one of the greatest offensive players of all time while being an impactfull defender, at least in his Milwaukee days.

For instance, his 1977 PO run looks absurd, statistically at least: 11 games, 34.6 ppg, 17.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 3.5 bpg, .607% fg, .646% TS. No championship, but insane statistics on a 11 games PO run.

[NO-KG-AI]

Jordan for sure. I'd think about peak Hakeem, LeBron, Jabbar, Magic and Bird.

[Jaivl]

Well he specified 00/01 Shaq. 2000 Shaq should've been the DPOY (he was second in voting to peak Zo). He's no Duncan or KG but he's that level right below them with Dwight, Zo, Wallace, etc.

Well I understood he was asking about '01 Shaq (season 2000/2001).

If we are talking about '00 Shaq, I'd only choose '91 Jordan and maybe '13 LeBron. If not...

First three-peat Jordan, '12-'13 LeBron, '93-'94 Olajuwon, '67 Wilt and maybe a few more.

[Black Feet]

Lebron? Lol no chance. Jordan is the only perimeter player that might have an argument.

[DQuinn1575]

Jordan Kareem wilt lebron




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[Pg81]

Not many players I'd take over prime Shaq.

Wilt, Russel, Kareem, Jordan, Bird, Magic. And that's a maybe here, or in other words, very close.

[JeepCSC]

Of those I've seen in real-time, Jordan and probably (maybe?) Hakeem.

Peak Lebron (which I got in '09 though) is next closest because he could do quite a bit extremely well, but I'd still rather have peak Shaq on my team.

[E-Balla]

Well he specified 00/01 Shaq. 2000 Shaq should've been the DPOY (he was second in voting to peak Zo). He's no Duncan or KG but he's that level right below them with Dwight, Zo, Wallace, etc.

Well I understood he was asking about '01 Shaq (season 2000/2001).

If we are talking about '00 Shaq, I'd only choose '91 Jordan and maybe '13 LeBron. If not...

First three-peat Jordan, '12-'13 LeBron, '93-'94 Olajuwon, '67 Wilt and maybe a few more.

Oh I was thinking he just meant Shaq and whichever year was his peak in your opinion. Still 2001 postseason Shaq might be the best we've ever seen him play over a 16 game period and at the end of the season when they tried (they ended the year 9-1 in their last 10) Shaq was amazing averaging 33.8/12.6/3.5 on 63 TS for a 122 ORTG (Kobe missed most of those games aside from the one loss which was the game he came back from the injury and he played terribly in that 1 point loss).

[Witzig-Okashi]

I guess I could mention folks like peak MJ and Kareem, as what most others are saying in this post.

However, I would be very much content to take peak Shaq on my team and run with it. No need to be ungrateful...

[FuShengTHEGreat]

Nobody. No one but Shaq could anchor a great team on both ends in both the regular season and postseason.

Anchor a team against whom exactly in the 2000 playoffs? Oh yeah nobody of any significant historical value that's who. Of all these supposedly "stacked" frontcourts people praise for throwing multiple bodies at him that he went through to win a title that year, only one team had a guy capable of pulling down 10+rpg's and he played on a 8th seeded team.

The rest a small ball Phoenix team and a Portland team who's best "interior" threat made a career of launching too many jumpers. I don't even think he'd have gotten through the Spurs that year had Duncan not gotten injured. He got to face a Center in the Finals so injury ridden he never played another NBA game in his career.

In 2001 after he got his title, he and LA slacked off defensively in the regular season and waited til the playoffs to pick it up. They flattened everybody, and he went through a DPOY in Mutumbo as they praise him for obliterating? Like what on earth Center was he ever stopping from winning in the playoffs. Mutumbo was a DPOY in '95 as well vs. DRob, if he was so much of a challenge then why'd Robinson notorious for his playoff failings have no problem winning that series in a sweep?

To answer the question I'm going with Olajuwon who unlike Shaq was effective in thwarting a pick n roll Malone n Stockton in the playoffs.....Duncan who won more impressively vs. Shaq's teams than he did vs. Duncan's teams.....and Kareem Abdul Jabbar the GOAT Center imho.

[Basketballefan]

Peak MJ, that's about it for me.