Post#10 » by trex_8063 » Sat Oct 19, 2019 10:33 pm
1st ballot - '19 Giannis Antetokounmpo
A fairly dominant offensive player during the rs (39.3 pts/100 possessions @ +8.4% rTS, plus 8.4 ast/100 and a respectable 9.43% Modified TOV%). Finished nearly 77% at the rim while getting roughly 4 of every 7 of his attempts at said rim, and also having a .550 FTAr. I realize rules/officiating have made things easier in regards to getting to the rim or line, but those numbers even out-do Lebron last year and put Harden to shame.
Still easily an All-Star level offensive player in the playoffs, too, while arguably being a top 2 DPOY candidate and anchor (or at worst co-anchor [with Lopez]) throughout the whole season: were the league's best defense in the rs, and also performed as a 103.1 DRtg in the playoffs (which is -8.6, relative to the average offense being faced in the playoffs).
2nd ballot - '97 Karl Malone
imo, wherever Barkley is for peak, Malone should not be far behind. Peak Barkley (I went w/ '90 as his peak, btw) was one of the most dominant/reliable post scorers of all-time, far more devastating in this aspect than Karl. He was also hyper-elite on the offensive glass, and fantastic in transition (and unlike Malone, could also be the guy LEADING the break, being a very good transition passing forward). But '97 Karl was better at basically better at everything else, imo: he was a clearly better mid-range shooter, better FT-shooter, better half-court passer (they ran A LOT of off-ball screens and back-picks for cutting guards, with Malone hitting them with precision passes from the elbow; while also being fantastic passing out of the double-team), better [than any version of Barkley prior to '93, and equal(ish) to '93 and after version] defensive rebounder, and notably better defender (very crafty low-post defender, active hands, and decent pnr defender, capable of moving his feet on the perimeter).
Yeah, having Stockton to set you up sometimes certainly helps you look good; but let's not overlook that Stockton having someone like Malone----a guy who sets a fantastic screen, who has a great sense of when to roll and when to pop [and can function/score from either], who has great hands on the move, who finishes well at the rim, and who is also probably the best transition running PF in history prior to Giannis----was certainly very helpful in making him [Stockton] look good, too.
I mean, if we replace Malone with Tristan Thompson, does Stockton's career look as glossy? There's definite give and take in their relationship.
3rd ballot - '11 Dwight Howard
I reserve the right to change my 3rd ballot in this or later threads (Baylor, Harden, Davis, McAdoo all look like good candidates to me at this point, too; '09 Dwight is also a good option [or even '10]), but yeah......I'm gonna break the ice on Dwight (who I think doesn't get enough credit here for how damn good he was from '09-'12).
Really a bit of an athletic freak: though only about 6'9" without shoes, he has kinda long arms/reach, freakish ups for a guy that size, and a tremendous amount of strength (particularly in the upper body). Decent foot-speed for his size, too.
On offense, he put that athleticism to good use mostly by way of offensive rebounding (where he was near '19 Rudy Gobert territory), and in finishing at the rim. He's basically the GOAT finisher outside of prime Shaq and perhaps peak Robinson (finishing >75% from <3 ft in '10 and '11, despite huge volume there--->like 50+% of his shot load between the two years, and often going thru 2 or 3 defenders and getting And1's). His FTAr is a ridiculous .877 in '11 (is higher other years), as teams adopted a hack-a-Shaq strategy when he got the ball deep under the rim (because he was basically unstoppable otherwise if you let him get the rock that low).
He also by this point had a little bit of a simple jump-hook (with either hand) that he used quite regularly (was probably at his peak form for this particular move in '11).
He otherwise doesn't have much going for him offensively: has no jump-shot or range to speak, limited [though not terrible] FT shooter, limited repertoire of post-moves outside of the one I mentioned, not much of a passer, and a touch turnover-prone.
Still, to be clear, I'm not trying to imply offensive mediocrity on his part (many of his critics attempt to do so, and it's absolutely untrue, imo). His hands, strength, explosiveness, etc, allow him to be in a GOAT-level tier of finishers when he gets the ball near the rim, and that cannot be trivialized. And if taking a hack-a-Howard strategy, peak Howard's not as big a liability at the line as most versions of Shaq, Wilt, or Russell.
The Magic structured their offense around his inside presence, often spreading the floor with four shooters around him, essentially daring teams to not guard him one-on-one.
And defensively, well......while he doesn't have the footwork or IQ of someone like Tim Duncan [by a long shot], his athleticism again can make up for a multitude of sins (both his, or those of teammates). He anchored a -5.3 rDRTG with a cast of [in descending order of minutes]: Jameer Nelson, Brandon Bass, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, JJ Redick, Ryan Anderson, aging Gilbert Arenas, and Quentin Richardson. They were #1 in the league in DREB% and 4th in opp eFG%. Those points literally scream that peak Dwight was an all-time level defensive anchor.
They were also above average offensively with that cast, btw, and won 52 games with a +4.92 SRS. They lost in the first round [6 games] to a good Hawks team, but can't lay it on Dwight: although he did avg 5.5 topg in the series, he also averaged 27 ppg on 67.7% TS and grabbed 15.5 rpg, while helping to hold the Hawks to lowly 101.6 ORtg (Orlando actually outscored them in the series). Dwight's entire supporting cast pretty much vanished in that series, though.
Harden, Anthony Davis, Baylor, McAdoo, maybe Gilmore, Pettit......all worth serious consideration here, too.
"The fact that a proposition is absurd has never hindered those who wish to believe it." -Edward Rutherfurd
"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire
