RealGM

Who has had the better career, and who was the better player?

Mutu was a better defender and rebounder, but Zo was a better scorer, and was no slouch on the boards and D either.

Zo was clearly the better player, though with his kidney ailment I could definitely see Mutumbo being argued as having a better career (especially with his play at age 42).

Zo had the better prime but Mutombo had the better career.

I agree that Mourning clearly had the superior peak. I'd take his career arc, injuries and all, over Mutombo's. Dikembe is a class act, his work for Africa makes him arguably the most socially conscious NBA player I've ever heard about, but . . .

His teams just seemed to consistently underperform except in short stretches . . . mainly his upset of Seattle when he was in Denver and that one year where he and Iverson carried a mediocre Philly team to the NBA finals. I think it was basically his hands, he doesn't catch the ball that well or that comfortably.

Mourning's Miami/New York series's were some of the most memorable I've ever watched and his giving up a kidney (and a chance to have a late career equal to Mutombo's) is also inspirational. But the key is that Zo carried his teams, he was the second best center in the league to Shaq for 2 or 3 years before the health issues, and his career, while not as long as Mutombo's, still had a reasonable career arc.

It's Zo. Both were phenomenal defenders, though I don't think it's a crime to give the nod to Mutombo in that regard, but Zo's offense was so superior to Deke's that it gives him the edge.

Both guys, though, were dominant for years, and really go back to a lost era. Their intensity and commitment to defense was absolutely throwback. I hope we're fortunate enough to see another pair like them in the not too distant future...

T-Spot wrote:Who has had the better career, and who was the better player?

Mutu was a better defender and rebounder, but Zo was a better scorer, and was no slouch on the boards and D either.

Alonzo Mourning was better.

Deke:
* 4-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001
* 8-time NBA All-Star: 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002
* 3-time All-NBA:

* Second Team: 2001
* Third Team: 1998, 2002

* 6-time All-Defensive:

* First Team: 1997, 1998, 2001
* Second Team: 1995, 1999, 2002

* NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1992
* 2-time NBA regular-season leader, rebounding average: 2000 (14.1), 2001 (13.5)
* 4-time NBA regular-season leader, total rebounds: 1995 (1029), 1997 (929), 1999 (610), 2000 (1157)
* NBA regular-season leader, offensive rebounds: 2001 (307)
* 2-time NBA regular-season leader, defensive rebounds: 1999 (418), 2000 (853)
* 3-time NBA regular-season leader, blocking average: 1994 (4.1), 1995 (3.9), 1996 (4.5)
* 5-time NBA regular-season leader, total blocks: 1994 (336), 1995 (321), 1996 (332), 1997 (264), 1998 (277)



Zo:

All-NBA First Team (1999)
All-NBA Second Team (2000)
NBA Def. Player of the Year (1999, 2000)
NBA All-Defensive First Team (1999, 2000)
Seven-time All Star
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1993)
NBA Champion (2006)



Alonzo may have been better offensively, but Deke was a whole level higher than him when it came to defense, and individual statistical performance. I'll take Deke.

mutombo for me

So you leave of 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 when Zo led the league in blocks? And you use facts regarding longevity to prove you're point? There was a much bigger difference in offense between those two than defense. Look at this.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/ ... =mutomdi01
I mean, throughout Deke's career, his highest PER ever was 19.8. Zo's lowest PER for a season (before the kdney ailment) was 20.1 his 3rd year in the league (when he was feuding with Larry Johnson. His highest was 25.7 in 1999-2000. He made All NBA 1st team over a prime Shaquille O'Neal. What more can be said?

jzmagik wrote:Deke:
* 4-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001
* 8-time NBA All-Star: 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002
* 3-time All-NBA:

* Second Team: 2001
* Third Team: 1998, 2002

* 6-time All-Defensive:

* First Team: 1997, 1998, 2001
* Second Team: 1995, 1999, 2002

* NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1992
* 2-time NBA regular-season leader, rebounding average: 2000 (14.1), 2001 (13.5)
* 4-time NBA regular-season leader, total rebounds: 1995 (1029), 1997 (929), 1999 (610), 2000 (1157)
* NBA regular-season leader, offensive rebounds: 2001 (307)
* 2-time NBA regular-season leader, defensive rebounds: 1999 (418), 2000 (853)
* 3-time NBA regular-season leader, blocking average: 1994 (4.1), 1995 (3.9), 1996 (4.5)
* 5-time NBA regular-season leader, total blocks: 1994 (336), 1995 (321), 1996 (332), 1997 (264), 1998 (277)



Zo:

All-NBA First Team (1999)
All-NBA Second Team (2000)
NBA Def. Player of the Year (1999, 2000)
NBA All-Defensive First Team (1999, 2000)
Seven-time All Star
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1993)
NBA Champion (2006)



Alonzo may have been better offensively, but Deke was a whole level higher than him when it came to defense, and individual statistical performance. I'll take Deke.

why is Mutombos description so forced and descriptive?

overall better career goes to mutumbo

nate33 wrote:Zo had the better prime but Mutombo had the better career.

very much Sums it up, i agree.