DLaren wrote:Neddy wrote:DLaren wrote:
Tough to put Oscar in the top10 when he didn't get a ring until he became a 2nd-option.
Tough to put Jerry West in the top10 when he only won 1 championship in 9 appearances in the Finals.
Now, I'm only 32 years old, so of course I never saw either of them play in their prime. All I have to go by are ESPN classic films and stats; and I understand neither film nor stats can provide context, but I'm still comfortable leaving those two out of the top-10.
Both are all-time greats who deserve our admiration, but when put up against the other 10 guys I have there, I just don't know who you could take out to put Oscar or Jerry in.
I have Olajuwon at 11, so 12-15 are free for the likes of Oscar, Jerry, Barkley, Malone, Dirk, Garnett, Isiah...I'd have a harder time putting together 12-15 than I did 1-10.
in my book,
Wilt > Kareem
there is no value in how many championships somebody had won to judge his individual superiority over another player in a team sport. this isn't tennis or track.
different position players from different era are impossible to compare against with any tangible objectivity. only way to be as objective as possible is to see how much more dominant they were in their own era against their own peer.
is the list based on their consistent level of play through out their careers? or against each other's peak/prime years?
It's based on skill, performance, accomplishments, & cultural impact.
In regards to Wilt vs Kareem, when we're comparing 2 of the top-5 guys to ever pick-up a basketball I won't jump down your throat if you want to shuffle the deck...BUT...
Kareem won at EVERY level (high-school, college, & is a 6x NBA Champion), is STILL the all-time leading scorer in the NBA, and he was selected to 11 All-defensive teams. Wilt may have been more skilled, but he only has two rings and only two all-defensive team selections; for all the skill & physical tools he had, Wilt underachieved.
AGAIN, we're comparing 2 of the top-5 guys to ever pick-up a basketball, I'm not here to rip-on Wilt (I LOVE Wilt), but when compared to Kareem, he falls short.
It would be easier to argue that Kareem is better than Jordan than it would be to argue that Wilt is better than Kareem.
how many times did Kareem win the scoring title in his 20 seasons?
how many times did Kareem win the rebounding title?
how many times did he lead the league in blocks?
fieldgoal %?
Wilt won 7 scoring titles in only 3/4th of the opportunities than Kareem.
Wilt won 11 rebounding titles again, in only 15 seasons of try
when Wilt played, they didn't keep track of blocked shots, but anybody who played with him or watched him says he blocked a double digit shots regularly.
he also led the league in FG% 9 times.
Wilt's career average? 30.1/22.9/4.4.
now please go look up kareem's numbers and come back.
do you still think they are even remotely comparable?
being a perennial runner up for 20 years doesn't make you the best of all time in anything. Wilt was the MOST DOMINANT PLAYER EVER. to argue Kareem was the better basketball player between the two is to say that the kid who won an attendance record was the better student than your valedictorian.
Kareem played his college ball for the most legendary coach at any level in basketball history, at the most successful college basketball program at its highest peak with the longest streak of winning. to say Kareem was the sole/main reason for their success, is stretching it.
Kareem played with Oscar Robertson in Milwaukee, then played with the showtime Lakers with Magic, Worthy, Cooper, McAdoo, Wilkes, and earlier years with Gail Goodrich and others.
Wilt in his best Philadelphia Warriors days, played alongside of players named Paul Arizin, Guy Rogers, Al Attles, and Tom Meschery. when Wilt came back to Phili in new 76er's team, his best squad featured Hal Greer and Billy Cunningham as the only known stars.
Ted Williams had a career .344 BA, .482 OBP, .634 SLG, 2654 hits and 521 HRs in 19 years while losing 3 of his very best prime years to military service, meanwhile Yogi Berra mustered .285/.348/.482 also in 19 years.
Yogi won 15 total WorldSeries Rings both as a player and later as a manager. Ted also managed after this playing career and won exactly 0 rings.
do you think Yogi is better than Ted?
ehhhhh f it.
