RealGM

Greatest Of All Lakers

Who is the best player at each position in Laker history (during their time with the Lakers)?
*If you choose a player, please make it a player who played that position the most during their career.

I think the toughest decision is Center, wish Shaq, Kareem, Wilt, even Mikan, but I choose Shaquille O'Neal for this spot.
C: SHAQUILLE O'NEAL

For the 4, it's hard to say, because the Lakers have had many great players play this position (or you could say could have been able to play it) including James Worthy, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but I would say the best natural power forward to ever play for the Lakers is Pau Gasol.
PF: PAU GASOL

Small Forward is between James Worthy and Elgin Baylor, and honestly, I have not seen a lot of these guys' games, based on statistics and the limited amount of what I have watched from them, I say Elgin Baylor is much better than Worthy.
SF: ELGIN BAYLOR

The best shooting guard to ever play for the Lakers (and in my opinion for any team) is Kobe Bryant.
SG: KOBE BRYANT

The best point guard in Lakers history is obviously Shannon Brown no but really, Magic Johnson is probably the best point guard ever to play in the NBA.
PG: MAGIC JOHNSON

Kareem could have scored at will on Shaq... Shaq might have been able to score on him though...

But Wilt was a freak of nature... If he wanted to, he could have dropped 40 on Shaq and held him to single digits... But his problem was motivation... He wanted personal stats and you didn't get those stats on D.... When motivated, he was the best to play the game period...

Kareem was kind of the same way, but was a better team player... Think Gasol, with WAAAAYY more personal skill and athleticism... Yes... WAAAAYY better...

So Wilt was far superior to Kareem and Shaq on offense and as far as Natural ability and gifts, but Kareem was far better than either of them in his prime as far as an all-around basketball player.

Both Wilt and Kareem were pure, natural shot blockers too so if Shaq couldn't dunk, Shaq wouldn't have scored a whole lot... And Wilt was big enough to body him up...

So where does Jerry West fall on your list... He may have been the best basketball player ever, is why I ask?

Kilroy wrote:
So where does Jerry West fall on your list... He may have been the best basketball player ever, is why I ask?

well, on the Lakers I rank him second best SG after Kobe. All time 3rd- Kobe, Jordan, West

you mean.

jordan
kobe
west

don't diss the goat

I wont try to compile my own list because i'm just too young for that ish...
I do have to agree with your four and two spots.

Pau is the most fundamentally sound player i have ever watched play basketball (in terms of doing what he is supposed to do as a big 4) . The guy looks like he is performing some kind of art sometimes. seriously... forget the power argument for a sec. This dude is more sound skill-wise than any 4 in the league right now and many past. if(!power){pau = duncan++ ;} // IMO


IMO, Kobe WILL go down as the single best Laker period. Some people are still iffy on it but i believe that when he hangs up #24 for good, the future will think Kobe when you mention the word Laker. Just like many of us think "magic" now.

I'd switch Shaq for Kareem. Kareem is arguably a top three NBA player of all-time. Don't think the same can be said for Shaq.

I think Worthy was better than Baylor.

6th man- COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!

All time Lakers team
1 team
PG Magic
SG Kobe
SF Baylor
PF Jabbar yes he was a C but this is my team and i like it like that
C Shaq

2 team
PG West
SG Gail
SF Worthy
PF Mikan
C Wilt

3 team
PG Nixon
SG Scott
SF Cop
PF Gasol
C Divas

4 team
PG Nick van Exel
SG Jones
SF Wilkes
PF Green
C Divas

snaquille oatmeal wrote:6th man- COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!

Nah, 6th man needs to be West, assuming Kobe and Magic are starting.

I love Worthy...
He's one of my favorite Lakers...

But Elgin Baylor was way better than Worthy...

Worthy without Magic is even less impressive than Pippen without MJ... Elgin Baylor could be 'The Guy' on a contending team...

Kilroy wrote:I love Worthy...
He's one of my favorite Lakers...

But Elgin Baylor was way better than Worthy...

Worthy without Magic is even less impressive than Pippen without MJ... Elgin Baylor could be 'The Guy' on a contending team...

If I'm building a team to compete in today's league I take Worthy, just like I'd take Alonzo Mourning over Bill Russell despite his accomplishments. Maybe it's wrong to hold a guy's era against him though... Baylor probably does make more sense in this context of building an all-lakers team.

Kilroy wrote:I love Worthy...
He's one of my favorite Lakers...

But Elgin Baylor was way better than Worthy...

Worthy without Magic is even less impressive than Pippen without MJ... Elgin Baylor could be 'The Guy' on a contending team...

You couldn't be more wrong. Worthy without that stacked Laker team = league leading scorer or no less than top 3!

Anklebreaker702 wrote:

Kilroy wrote:I love Worthy...
He's one of my favorite Lakers...

But Elgin Baylor was way better than Worthy...

Worthy without Magic is even less impressive than Pippen without MJ... Elgin Baylor could be 'The Guy' on a contending team...

You couldn't be more wrong. Worthy without that stacked Laker team = league leading scorer or no less than top 3!

Yeah I know that's what all the pundits said at the time...

But I watched all those games... Hell I was at the Forum for a lot of them...

Worthy played his role perfectly... But without that stacked team, he would have been forced to create his own shot... He wouldn't have had the luxury of catching the ball from Magic in the absolutely perfect place for him, or on a kick-out from Kareem for a wide open jumper...

He would also have been the focus of the Defense without Magic and KAJ to draw the primary and secondary focus...

Worthy was an awesome 3rd best role player but look at Pippen... He was supposedly held back by MJ's greatness... Not so much...

How great would Gasol be without Kobe... Or Bynum without the both of them... Or Odom without all 3...

With Worthy as the guy, a team would have maybe tickled the playoffs... But he couldn't have single-handedly carried a team to contention...

Tekkenlaw wrote:If I'm building a team to compete in today's league I take Worthy, just like I'd take Alonzo Mourning over Bill Russell despite his accomplishments. Maybe it's wrong to hold a guy's era against him though... Baylor probably does make more sense in this context of building an all-lakers team.

I think the era thing is over-rated... In fact I think a lot of guys are under-rated because of their era...

Baylor was better than Worthy... I think you take more skilled/compettitive every time...

And Zo (one of my all time favorite big men) shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Russell... Russell was just a rare talent... I personally think he would have owned Zo... In a lot of ways the era that Russell played in was more physical than when Zo played...

Zo didn't even get to play a whole career...