Bob Pettit VS George Mikan

mdonnelly1989 · Post #1 » by **mdonnelly1989** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:30 pm

I'm sure very few people have actually watched these guys.

Based on what you have read, heard and videos you have seen.

Laimbeer · Post #2 » by **Laimbeer** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:34 pm

The game had evolved during Pettit's prime. I'd have Mikan higher on the GOAT list simply because he was more dominant in his time, and I tend to judge players versus their competition.

70sFan · Post #3 » by **70sFan** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:45 pm

Mikan is the most dominant player EVER. But he played in a league without 24 sec. clock. In a league nearly without black players. He also doesn't have long career.
Bob is criminaly underrated today. For me he had better career than Barkley and Malone, but nobody argues that he is better than any of them.
From what I've seen both player would be good players in today NBA. Pettit would be all star and one of the best PFs in the league (at his peak not worse than Davis in my opinion). Today style of play isn't the best for Mikan. He would be better in 90s in my opinion. Mikan had good post game and good touch around the rim. He has good size and strengh, also ok mobility (but not great).
I base my points on stats and CavsFTW videos. I would take Pettit, but Mikan also would be good option.

Laimbeer · Post #4 » by **Laimbeer** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 8:10 pm

70sFan wrote:Mikan is the most dominant player EVER. But he played in a league without 24 sec. clock. In a league nearly without black players. He also doesn't have long career.
Bob is criminaly underrated today. For me he had better career than Barkley and Malone, but nobody argues that he is better than any of them.
From what I've seen both player would be good players in today NBA. Pettit would be all star and one of the best PFs in the league (at his peak not worse than Davis in my opinion). Today style of play isn't the best for Mikan. He would be better in 90s in my opinion. Mikan had good post game and good touch around the rim. He has good size and strengh, also ok mobility (but not great).
I base my points on stats and CavsFTW videos. I would take Pettit, but Mikan also would be good option.

Pre-merger players are rated lower here than in general, with the exception of Russell. I don't think it's just a Pettit thing.

CavsFan364 · Post #5 » by **CavsFan364** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 8:13 pm

Pettit and it's not close.

CavaliersFTW · Post #6 » by **CavaliersFTW** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:03 pm

I'm likely to start a debate for this but I have 4 guys on my greatest NBA/professional basketball resume's of all-time list. Wilt due to his "Most dominant ever" status and all the records that come with it (he set, and still very much holds that bar). And Bill Russell due to his greatest influence in winning championships ever, which like Wilt he set that standard and still sits at the top. The two players that have the most impressive resume's that are a sort of a meet half way point between the bars Wilt set in one way and Russell set in the other are KAJ and MJ. But If I had to pick a 5th, Mikan is possibly there ahead of Shaq, Duncan, LeBron, Magic etc. Honestly.

He'd have been the MVP multiple times had the award existed and he won was it 7 titles in the BAA/NBA while straight up dominating and breaking records and having rules imposed against him on both ends? I don't care what people say about eras that shouldn't be counted and all that nonsense, it all counts, the NBA started in 1946 there should be NO arbitrary cutoffs in my opinion unless your cut off is "I only judge from date X to Date Y because I don't understand what happened prior". Admitting you don't understand (which is the likely truth) is a far more honest answer than dismissing a time of basketball history due to assuming it is weak or inferior. Which leads me to admit the only reason I don't talk about Mikan often is I'm still personally trying to collect enough film to understand not just how he played but how his contemporaries played. I do not believe he, nor anyone that has ever played in the NBA played in "weak" eras because individual careers seamlessly overlap every single season of the sports history to the point that the entire history of the NBA still only spans just 5 overlapped player careers;

(Joe Fulks (1946-1954) played against Bob Cousy for 4 seasons (1950-1963, 1969)
Bob Cousy (1950-1963, 1969) played with John Havlicek for one season and against him briefly 6 seasons later (1962-1978)
John Havlicek (1962-1978) played against Robert Parish for 2 seasons (1976-1997)
Robert Parish (1976-1997) played against Kobe Bryant for one season (1996-2014)

I'm a fan of the sport that respects and tries to rank the resume's of all the professional basketball players that played in the NBA equally. To dominate your peers is all you can ever do, and at both dominating peers and winning titles Mikan is head and shoulders more impactful in the history of NBA basketball than Bob Pettit. And I've made videos on both of these guys:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiH9ed48e2U[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFTY-6sk3iA[/youtube]

*EDIT* I should add a disclaimer, Pettit has an ELITE all-time resume. One of the greatest PF's to ever play up there with Duncan, Malone, Barkley, Nowitzki, Garnett, etc so I don't want to make it seem like I'm selling him short.