Hollinger Ranks 10 Greatest Lakers of All Time

[Free Rider]

1. Magic Johnson
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Shaquille O'Neal
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5. Jerry West
6. Elgin Baylor
7. James Worthy
8. Wilt Chamberlain
9. Gail Goodrich
10. Pau Gasol

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-100128

Surprised to see Kareem so low on the list. Should be at least in the top 3/

[TonyMontana]

So where's Smush Paker in that list?

[Sedale Threatt]

He's got to be No. 2 in my opinion. Slot him in, slide everybody else down accordingly, and that's not a bad list.

I was thinking Wilt was a little low, too, but there's really no place else to put him. Baylor and then West were the faces of the franchise, Magic was Magic, and Kobe, Shaq and Kareem all dust him in terms of achievements/longevity.

You could argue for switching him and JW, but Big Game is another who beats him with honors and service time.

[Sedale Threatt]

So where's Smush Paker in that list?

How about that next? The Top 10 Worst Lakers.

1. Smush Parker
2. Vladimir Radmanovic
3. Chuck Nevitt
4. Mark McNamara
5. Brian Cook
6. Slava Medvedenko
7. Cedric Ceballos
8. Corky Calhoun
9. Mike Smrek
10. Frank Selvy

Couldn't think of anyone from the Cocaine 70s. A little help?

Also receiving votes, Tony Smith; Sasha Vujacic; Mark Madsen

[daddyfivestar]

1. Magic Johnson
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Shaquille O'Neal
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5. Jerry West
6. Elgin Baylor
7. James Worthy
8. Wilt Chamberlain
9. Gail Goodrich
10. Pau Gasol

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-100128

Surprised to see Kareem so low on the list. Should be at least in the top 3/

MIKAN ?????

[daddyfivestar]

Selvy? Really Sedale?
He was a reasonable role player. His problem was that he was a bust as the 1st overall pick, but that was well well before he bacame a Laker. Kind of like Mychal T, he didn't really live up to the #1 pick but by the time he got to LA, he knew what he was and did it fine, averaging 10 a game as the 4th option.

[LakerZombie]

MIKAN ?????

I agree! Pau should be replaced by Mikan

Pau's numbers are great but its only been 2 and 1/2 seasons lol

[daddyfivestar]

Actually not even a full two seasons yet. Pau's played 137 games as a Laker.

For comparison with other short-time Lakers:
Jim Price 197
Sam Perkins 185
Kupchak 173
Smush 164
Jim Chones 164
McAdoo 158
- Gasol 137 -
James Edwards 122
Dantley 116
Payton 82
Mailman 42

He will be there but it's premature. Let him get at least 300 gms in as a Laker.

[kevin_405]

Jerry West should be at the Top not just for his contribution as a player but also as a GM/ex GM in helping us get Shaq, Kobe and Gasol..

[Slava]

So where's Smush Paker in that list?

How about that next? The Top 10 Worst Lakers.

1. Smush Parker
2. Vladimir Radmanovic
3. Chuck Nevitt
4. Mark McNamara
5. Brian Cook
6. Slava Medvedenko
7. Cedric Ceballos
8. Corky Calhoun
9. Mike Smrek
10. Frank Selvy

Couldn't think of anyone from the Cocaine 70s. A little help?

Also receiving votes, Tony Smith; Sasha Vujacic; Mark Madsen

Slava and Madsen were great comic relief.

However I'd nominate Samaki Walker, Sucky Atkins and Brian "Columbine" Cook.

[semi-sentient]

Here's a few more considerations for worst that I don't think have been mentioned:

- Adam "Half Baked" Morrison
- Devean George
- Aaron McKie
- Isaiah Rider
- Mark McNamara
- Travis Knight
- Larry Drew

[Sedale Threatt]

Selvy? Really Sedale? He was a reasonable role player. His problem was that he was a bust as the 1st overall pick, but that was well well before he bacame a Laker. Kind of like Mychal T, he didn't really live up to the #1 pick but by the time he got to LA, he knew what he was and did it fine, averaging 10 a game as the 4th option.

Eh, I was running out of steam. I was looking for somebody from those teams where West and Baylor would go off for 35 apiece and they'd still lose to the Celtics. I guess got him confused with Rudy LaRusso or one of the other big stiffs they had back then.

Regarding Mikan -- considering it's been 50 years since the team moved, and George never played a single second of basketball in Los Angeles, I don't have a problem leaving him off this list. Because if you add him, you probably have to find a slot for Jim Pollard too, but there's probably not much of a groundswell for that, is there?

Let's be honest. Up until six or seven years ago, Los Angelinos totally ignored the Minneapolis history of their favorite franchise. It wasn't until they realized they could jump up into the Celtics' stratosphere that they started to tack on those extra championhips.

I do it, too. But I kind of like how the pro leagues have started to treat franchise moves -- leave a city, and you leave the history.

[El Hardee]

The Worst:
1 Wes Matthews
2 Chuck Nevitt
3 Adrian Branch
4 Smush Parker
5 Adam Morrison
6 Mark Madsen
7 Kwame Brown
8 Larry Spriggs
9 Pig Miller
10 Sahsa V

[semi-sentient]

Damn, am I the only one that didn't think Mark Madsen was all that bad? He brought energy every time he stepped on the court and used to get other guys going. Hard to hate on a guy that tries as hard as he does when it positively impact team spirit. We did win 17 out of 22 games when he started back in 02-03!

[Sedale Threatt]

To paraphrase Jules Winnfield, "Mark has personality. Personality goes a long way."

Otherwise, yeah, he was wasn't very good. He deserves to be on the list for his dancing skills alone.

///

Pig Miller. LOL!!!!!!! I forgot about Pig. He's got to be on there. Maybe J.R. Reid, too. (Whose girlfriend I met in San Antonio one time. Smoking.)

Putting on my stat nerd cap, Adrian Branch actually had ridiculous PER36 numbers, so I leave him off.

As long as Smush, Radmanovic and the Holy Trinity of crappy white centers (Nevitt, McNamara, Smrek) is on there, I can live with anybody else.

[tkb]

Gail Goodrich and Pau make it over George Mikan who you actually can argue in a legit way to be the greatest laker of all time (I don't, but it's possible to make the argument), Come on now.

[TonyMontana]

Damn, am I the only one that didn't think Mark Madsen was all that bad?

Man SS how can you threat MAD DOG this way with all the dancing and cheering he did for this team??? HATERRRRRRRRR ..............

[TruWarier]

This is my first post, i have been coming to RealGm since 2003 and i just wanted to say whats up? I am a die hard Lakers fan and this is my favortie site. I am hoping to chime in here and there. How about my personal favorites : Soumile Samake, Tierre Brown and Sun Yue. Some gems right there.

[El Hardee]

I vote Mike McGhee as the ugliest of all time, that fool was hard on the eyes.

[daddyfivestar]

tkb,
Apparently you never saw Hall of Famer Goodrich play or you would not question him on this list. I probably have seen 20 games in person, another several hundred on TV. He definitely worthy. The top 10 is basically automatic.

G's- Magic, Kobe, West, Goodrich
F's- Baylor, Worthy
C's- Cap, Wilt, Mikan, Shaq