Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
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Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
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Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
Duncan doesn't get to be ranked cuz he's clearly a notch above everyone (and he's a damn Center.)
1. Karl Malone
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Dirk Nowitzki
4. Charles Barkley
5. Bob Pettit
6. Kevin Mchale
7. Pau Gasol (he's more of a Center as well but I'll let him slide cuz I'm illogical.)
8. Chris Webber
9. Maurice Lucas
10. Chris Bosh
1. Karl Malone
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Dirk Nowitzki
4. Charles Barkley
5. Bob Pettit
6. Kevin Mchale
7. Pau Gasol (he's more of a Center as well but I'll let him slide cuz I'm illogical.)
8. Chris Webber
9. Maurice Lucas
10. Chris Bosh
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Not counting Duncan:
1. Kevin Garnett
2. Karl Malone
3. Dirk Nowitzki
4. Charles Barkley
5. Bob Pettit
6. Kevin McHale
7. Pau Gasol
8. Elvin Hayes
9. Dennis Rodman
10. Billy Cunningham
This was from a while ago...looking back at it, I think Bosh should make the list. He's a really good player that gets underrated badly.
1. Kevin Garnett
2. Karl Malone
3. Dirk Nowitzki
4. Charles Barkley
5. Bob Pettit
6. Kevin McHale
7. Pau Gasol
8. Elvin Hayes
9. Dennis Rodman
10. Billy Cunningham
This was from a while ago...looking back at it, I think Bosh should make the list. He's a really good player that gets underrated badly.
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I forgot Cunningham. He should definitely be on my list over Webber, Bosh, and Lucas.
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PCProductions wrote:NBA has probably the most parity of any pro sport.
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2074360
Obviously this changes a bit now.
1. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, 1998-present
TD dominates at both ends of the floor. The Big Fundamental has two NBA championships with San Antonio in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007(more than Malone, Barkley and Pettit combined). Stats and awards don't begin to tell the Tim Duncan story, but here are a few. MVP awards in 2002 and 2003, an all-league defender, and a 22.8 points per game average in his first seven seasons. He is 4 time NBA Champion and a 2 time MVP Winner.
2. Karl Malone – Utah Jazz, L.A. Lakers 1986-2004
The Mailman is simply the best low-post scoring power forward ever. And he was a lethal mid-range shooter. The 11-time NBA first-team player is second all-time in NBA scoring. The guy scored 36,928 points. That's a lot of picks and rolls and post ups. His 25.0 career average is another reason why this two-time MVP was voted onto the NBA's Top 50 squad.
3. Charles Barkley – Philadelphia 76ers,
Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets 1985-2000
At less than 6-foot-5, Barkley is, inch for inch, arguably the most productive player ever. This top 50 player of all-time was a relentless scorer and one of the strongest in the low post. He was a first or second NBA teamer for 10 seasons. Over 16 seasons, Barkley averaged 22.1 points.
4. Kevin McHale – Boston Celtics 1981-1993
Greatest post moves ever at the four spot. One-third of the best frontline of all time. McHale not only was voted as one of the NBA's Top 50, but won three championships with the Celtics in 1981, '84, and '86. Early in his career, he became one of the greatest sixth men ever. McHale spent his entire career with Boston, averaging 17.9 points.
5. Bob Pettit – Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks 1955-1965
Defined power-forward position. Before him there were just forwards. Pettit's Hawks topped the Celtics with Bob Cousy and Bill Russell in the NBA Finals in 1958. This top 50 player off all-time averaged 26.4 points over his career. This is quite a feat considering the era in which he played.
6. Kevin Garnett – Minnesota T-wolves 1996-present
Garnett plays the right way. He brings it every night. The MVP in 2004, Garnett is a four-time All-NBA defensive team member and has made the first or second All-NBA time five times. K-G has averaged 20.2 points and 11.1 rebounds over his career, all with the T-wolves.
7. Elvin Hayes – San Diego/Houston Rockets,
Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets 1969-1984
The Big E was an offensive machine. He could score from anywhere plus rebound and defend. Hayes voted one of the top 50 players of all-time. Won a championship with Washington in 1978 and is its all-time leader in points and blocked shots.
8. Dave DeBusschere – Detroit Pistons,
New York Knicks 1963-1974
One of the links to two championship teams in New York in 1970 and 1973. DeBusschere was a strong, smart forward who could shoot with the best of them. He was voted as one of the top 50 players of all time.
9. Buck Williams – New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks 1982-1998
Buck played 17 seasons with three teams and was one of the toughest, hard-nosed leaders of his era. Like Garnett, he came to play every single night. Buck is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in New Jersey Nets history and helped the Blazers get to the Finals in 1990.
10. Dirk Nowitzki – Dallas Mavericks 1999-Present
No power forward dead or alive could keep him from dropping 20. Maybe Rodman. Best shooting big man ever … and he can drive and dunk it like a swinger. Another revolutionary, like Malone.
Obviously this changes a bit now.

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I appreciate the inclusion of Mo Lucas in the OP's top 10. Dude gets underrated.
I'm not going to include Pau here because honestly, he's more like a center. If Pau was included though, I'd place him just behind McHale.
Was Cunningham a small forward or a power forward? I'll put him on the list. He and Debusschere could and did play small forward effectively, however.
Garnett/Malone/Dirk/Barkley in whatever order you want.
Pettit
McHale
Cunningham
Webber
Hayes (only because of longevity)
Lucas
Bosh is approaching.
Honorable mention to Dennis Rodman, Shawn Kemp, Dave Debusschere, Buck Williams, Charles Oakley, Horace Grant, Amare Stoudemire, Elton Brand, Paul Silas, and Rasheed Wallace.
Also Luke Jackson when he played with Wilt Chamberlain (Jackson was really a C, but not next to Wilt). Jackson was a beast.
I'm not going to include Pau here because honestly, he's more like a center. If Pau was included though, I'd place him just behind McHale.
Was Cunningham a small forward or a power forward? I'll put him on the list. He and Debusschere could and did play small forward effectively, however.
Garnett/Malone/Dirk/Barkley in whatever order you want.
Pettit
McHale
Cunningham
Webber
Hayes (only because of longevity)
Lucas
Bosh is approaching.
Honorable mention to Dennis Rodman, Shawn Kemp, Dave Debusschere, Buck Williams, Charles Oakley, Horace Grant, Amare Stoudemire, Elton Brand, Paul Silas, and Rasheed Wallace.
Also Luke Jackson when he played with Wilt Chamberlain (Jackson was really a C, but not next to Wilt). Jackson was a beast.
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Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
1.Duncan(Still a PF IMO)
2.Malone
3.Garnett
4.Dirk
5.Barkley
6.Pettit
7.McHale
8.Hayes
9.Pau
10.Rodman
2.Malone
3.Garnett
4.Dirk
5.Barkley
6.Pettit
7.McHale
8.Hayes
9.Pau
10.Rodman
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Low hanging fruit for me to pluck at. I agree that Duncan is a center. KG probably should be too and if we are building a modern team you would pretty much have to play Karl at the center as well. Id play Larry Bird at the power forward which people don't remember was the position he played until McHale joined the squad yet Bird still ended up guarding 4s because he was too slow to guard 3s. Lastly, I'd also put Kevin Durant as a 4 which he has been labeled as for probably the last 4 years. He is the perfect 4 on a modern offense which goes to show you how Incredibly ridiculous and pointless positions are in a sport where all 5 players can do the same things. Positions are just ways for novices to follow the game BUT .............I'll leave it at Duncan so we don't get too philosophical.
1. Giannis: So incredibly dominant. I wonder if we will ever get to see him as a small ball center before he loses his fastball. If we were to do a redraft of all the greatest players ever at their peak for a one season GOAT league he would be a top 10 pick.
2. K.Garnett: His defense is just too dominant for me to ignore his greatness. I think his overall impact on the game is probably understated due to people not realizing how much effect he has as an off ball defender. Maybe the most impactful defensive player since Bill Russell. Still a good offensive player just not a closer. Has spacing capabilities which adds to his offensive value.
3. Dirk: Almost the inverse of KG as a two way player. He's a decent defender who has great hands and became a reliable help defender with experience but his true shine is offensive. One of the most unguardable players ever due to his sheer size and shooting ability.
4. C.Barkley: Going back and watching some of his old games reminded me how dominant this bowling ball of a man was. Although everyone loves to talk about his Phoenix Suns 93 season, his best season was really 90-91 when he was a cannonball grabbing every rebound and causing defenders to run for cover when he came down on a fast break. What an athlete.
5. K.Malone: No player had more muscle mass than Karl for about 16 years in the league. He is a nightmare on fast breaks throwing down and has a nice short range jumper. An elite man to man post defender who's relatively limited wingspan limited his rim protection value. Much better switch defender than you remember. Would be a center in today's NBA.
6. K.Mchale: Very hard to pick his spot because he got hurt at his peak and was almost underutilized due to being part of one of the greatest teams of all time. He can score as well as anyone on this list with the best post moves of all time (Sorry Al Jefferson) and can guard all positions as he often did. Showed flashes of being able to step out and space the floor and would wreak havoc on modern defenses with a 1 in 4 out offense. Definitely a ball hog but does that really matter when you are shooting over 60% on high volume? He's on my top 10 list of players I wish I could see play in today's era (I just thought of my next thread topic).
7. A.Davis: If only he could put together a string of consistency he would be fighting Giannis for the top of this list. When his defense is clicking, at his peak, he may be the best help side defender of all time. That is enough to get him on this list but add in that he's a capable scorer who used to be able to shoot and you have something special. Excellent roll man and put him next to a player like, idk, Karl Malone, then he would thrive as the help defender who doesn't need to break his nails boxing out big goons.
8. Bob Macadoo: Bobby mcBuckets. That would have been his nickname if he grew up in the stupid tik tok Instagram era known as 2023. Regardless, Mac can score in any era. He would be another extremely interesting player for a time machine because he fits the build as a floor spacing big that would thrive today. His peak seems to be before the merger of the ABA so maybe he was beating up against weaker talent but his first 5 years are unreal statistically speaking as if he was a video game character.
9. D.Green: Aka Mr. Triple Single! Draymond is such a hard player to place in the hierarchy of all time greats but boy is he great. He is one of the smartest and most effective off ball defenders of all time and an incredible on ball defender as well. Advanced metrics love him and the on off numbers show how valuable he was to the Warriors dynasty which is in my opinion the greatest basketball team ever. He's an incredible passer and his ability to connect with Step made him so much more valuable. He shares a mind with him and gets him the ball in ways that make the whole game easier for the greatest point guard of all time (him and Magic thumb wrestled for the title). He's a winner.
10. Chris Webber: WTF is a power forward? I feel like anyone and everyone I listed could play center and probably would on modern teams (unless you have freaks like B.lopez to pair with them). Webber, like Pau Gasol, Shawn Kemp, Amare Sotudamire and Chris Bosh all have played both positions during their careers. If I were building a GOAT team for a one year GOAT league and had everyone at their peak available to draft I would probably play all these guys as a center because modern offenses have shown the value of spacing the floor and that post touches lead to relatively low points per possession. It's too hard for me to separate by "position" and I already said I am moving Duncan to center and then keeping it simple. Obviously I lied. Webber is a center but bbref and many of the commentors online call him a power forward. Because of that, I have him ranked as the number 10 power forward. He's really skilled and good. He's probably a center though.
P.S......If Amare never gets hurt I think he would have been top 5. He would have been like 99% what Giannis is on offense. I wonder if his defense would have been better as well. Who knows?
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1. Giannis: So incredibly dominant. I wonder if we will ever get to see him as a small ball center before he loses his fastball. If we were to do a redraft of all the greatest players ever at their peak for a one season GOAT league he would be a top 10 pick.
2. K.Garnett: His defense is just too dominant for me to ignore his greatness. I think his overall impact on the game is probably understated due to people not realizing how much effect he has as an off ball defender. Maybe the most impactful defensive player since Bill Russell. Still a good offensive player just not a closer. Has spacing capabilities which adds to his offensive value.
3. Dirk: Almost the inverse of KG as a two way player. He's a decent defender who has great hands and became a reliable help defender with experience but his true shine is offensive. One of the most unguardable players ever due to his sheer size and shooting ability.
4. C.Barkley: Going back and watching some of his old games reminded me how dominant this bowling ball of a man was. Although everyone loves to talk about his Phoenix Suns 93 season, his best season was really 90-91 when he was a cannonball grabbing every rebound and causing defenders to run for cover when he came down on a fast break. What an athlete.
5. K.Malone: No player had more muscle mass than Karl for about 16 years in the league. He is a nightmare on fast breaks throwing down and has a nice short range jumper. An elite man to man post defender who's relatively limited wingspan limited his rim protection value. Much better switch defender than you remember. Would be a center in today's NBA.
6. K.Mchale: Very hard to pick his spot because he got hurt at his peak and was almost underutilized due to being part of one of the greatest teams of all time. He can score as well as anyone on this list with the best post moves of all time (Sorry Al Jefferson) and can guard all positions as he often did. Showed flashes of being able to step out and space the floor and would wreak havoc on modern defenses with a 1 in 4 out offense. Definitely a ball hog but does that really matter when you are shooting over 60% on high volume? He's on my top 10 list of players I wish I could see play in today's era (I just thought of my next thread topic).
7. A.Davis: If only he could put together a string of consistency he would be fighting Giannis for the top of this list. When his defense is clicking, at his peak, he may be the best help side defender of all time. That is enough to get him on this list but add in that he's a capable scorer who used to be able to shoot and you have something special. Excellent roll man and put him next to a player like, idk, Karl Malone, then he would thrive as the help defender who doesn't need to break his nails boxing out big goons.
8. Bob Macadoo: Bobby mcBuckets. That would have been his nickname if he grew up in the stupid tik tok Instagram era known as 2023. Regardless, Mac can score in any era. He would be another extremely interesting player for a time machine because he fits the build as a floor spacing big that would thrive today. His peak seems to be before the merger of the ABA so maybe he was beating up against weaker talent but his first 5 years are unreal statistically speaking as if he was a video game character.
9. D.Green: Aka Mr. Triple Single! Draymond is such a hard player to place in the hierarchy of all time greats but boy is he great. He is one of the smartest and most effective off ball defenders of all time and an incredible on ball defender as well. Advanced metrics love him and the on off numbers show how valuable he was to the Warriors dynasty which is in my opinion the greatest basketball team ever. He's an incredible passer and his ability to connect with Step made him so much more valuable. He shares a mind with him and gets him the ball in ways that make the whole game easier for the greatest point guard of all time (him and Magic thumb wrestled for the title). He's a winner.
10. Chris Webber: WTF is a power forward? I feel like anyone and everyone I listed could play center and probably would on modern teams (unless you have freaks like B.lopez to pair with them). Webber, like Pau Gasol, Shawn Kemp, Amare Sotudamire and Chris Bosh all have played both positions during their careers. If I were building a GOAT team for a one year GOAT league and had everyone at their peak available to draft I would probably play all these guys as a center because modern offenses have shown the value of spacing the floor and that post touches lead to relatively low points per possession. It's too hard for me to separate by "position" and I already said I am moving Duncan to center and then keeping it simple. Obviously I lied. Webber is a center but bbref and many of the commentors online call him a power forward. Because of that, I have him ranked as the number 10 power forward. He's really skilled and good. He's probably a center though.
P.S......If Amare never gets hurt I think he would have been top 5. He would have been like 99% what Giannis is on offense. I wonder if his defense would have been better as well. Who knows?
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Elton Brand was a good two way player and better than Webber, arguable for career. He is somewhat hard to rank.
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Bwelc679 wrote:Low hanging fruit for me to pluck at. I agree that Duncan is a center. KG probably should be too and if we are building a modern team you would pretty much have to play Karl at the center as well. Id play Larry Bird at the power forward which people don't remember was the position he played until McHale joined the squad yet Bird still ended up guarding 4s because he was too slow to guard 3s. Lastly, I'd also put Kevin Durant as a 4 which he has been labeled as for probably the last 4 years. He is the perfect 4 on a modern offense which goes to show you how Incredibly ridiculous and pointless positions are in a sport where all 5 players can do the same things. Positions are just ways for novices to follow the game BUT .............I'll leave it at Duncan so we don't get too philosophical.
1. Giannis: So incredibly dominant. I wonder if we will ever get to see him as a small ball center before he loses his fastball. If we were to do a redraft of all the greatest players ever at their peak for a one season GOAT league he would be a top 10 pick.
2. K.Garnett: His defense is just too dominant for me to ignore his greatness. I think his overall impact on the game is probably understated due to people not realizing how much effect he has as an off ball defender. Maybe the most impactful defensive player since Bill Russell. Still a good offensive player just not a closer. Has spacing capabilities which adds to his offensive value.
3. Dirk: Almost the inverse of KG as a two way player. He's a decent defender who has great hands and became a reliable help defender with experience but his true shine is offensive. One of the most unguardable players ever due to his sheer size and shooting ability.
4. C.Barkley: Going back and watching some of his old games reminded me how dominant this bowling ball of a man was. Although everyone loves to talk about his Phoenix Suns 93 season, his best season was really 90-91 when he was a cannonball grabbing every rebound and causing defenders to run for cover when he came down on a fast break. What an athlete.
5. K.Malone: No player had more muscle mass than Karl for about 16 years in the league. He is a nightmare on fast breaks throwing down and has a nice short range jumper. An elite man to man post defender who's relatively limited wingspan limited his rim protection value. Much better switch defender than you remember. Would be a center in today's NBA.
6. K.Mchale: Very hard to pick his spot because he got hurt at his peak and was almost underutilized due to being part of one of the greatest teams of all time. He can score as well as anyone on this list with the best post moves of all time (Sorry Al Jefferson) and can guard all positions as he often did. Showed flashes of being able to step out and space the floor and would wreak havoc on modern defenses with a 1 in 4 out offense. Definitely a ball hog but does that really matter when you are shooting over 60% on high volume? He's on my top 10 list of players I wish I could see play in today's era (I just thought of my next thread topic).
7. A.Davis: If only he could put together a string of consistency he would be fighting Giannis for the top of this list. When his defense is clicking, at his peak, he may be the best help side defender of all time. That is enough to get him on this list but add in that he's a capable scorer who used to be able to shoot and you have something special. Excellent roll man and put him next to a player like, idk, Karl Malone, then he would thrive as the help defender who doesn't need to break his nails boxing out big goons.
8. Bob Macadoo: Bobby mcBuckets. That would have been his nickname if he grew up in the stupid tik tok Instagram era known as 2023. Regardless, Mac can score in any era. He would be another extremely interesting player for a time machine because he fits the build as a floor spacing big that would thrive today. His peak seems to be before the merger of the ABA so maybe he was beating up against weaker talent but his first 5 years are unreal statistically speaking as if he was a video game character.
9. D.Green: Aka Mr. Triple Single! Draymond is such a hard player to place in the hierarchy of all time greats but boy is he great. He is one of the smartest and most effective off ball defenders of all time and an incredible on ball defender as well. Advanced metrics love him and the on off numbers show how valuable he was to the Warriors dynasty which is in my opinion the greatest basketball team ever. He's an incredible passer and his ability to connect with Step made him so much more valuable. He shares a mind with him and gets him the ball in ways that make the whole game easier for the greatest point guard of all time (him and Magic thumb wrestled for the title). He's a winner.
10. Chris Webber: WTF is a power forward? I feel like anyone and everyone I listed could play center and probably would on modern teams (unless you have freaks like B.lopez to pair with them). Webber, like Pau Gasol, Shawn Kemp, Amare Sotudamire and Chris Bosh all have played both positions during their careers. If I were building a GOAT team for a one year GOAT league and had everyone at their peak available to draft I would probably play all these guys as a center because modern offenses have shown the value of spacing the floor and that post touches lead to relatively low points per possession. It's too hard for me to separate by "position" and I already said I am moving Duncan to center and then keeping it simple. Obviously I lied. Webber is a center but bbref and many of the commentors online call him a power forward. Because of that, I have him ranked as the number 10 power forward. He's really skilled and good. He's probably a center though.
P.S......If Amare never gets hurt I think he would have been top 5. He would have been like 99% what Giannis is on offense. I wonder if his defense would have been better as well. Who knows?
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I don't think Giannis is close to a Top 10 peak.
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Nice to see Buck Williams on that ESPN Top 10 list. Few seem to remember him today.
His first 3 years in the league (1981-82 to 1983-84), in an era of great defensive teams like the Celtics, Bucks, and 76ers, the New Jersey Nets were the league's top defensive team (101.0 pts/100poss allowed). They forced the most turnovers among all teams but their one great individual defender was Buck Williams.
But playing for the Nets he did not get the national recognition he truly deserved. He rarely missed a game, grabbed more rebounds than anyone in the league not name Malone when with New Jersey.
Yet only once in his 8 year career with New Jersey was he named to an all-NBA team (all-NBA 2nd team in 82-83), and not to an all-defensive team until 87-88. But as soon as he got to a good team all of a sudden he's all-defensive team 3 years in a row at the ages of 29-32. He could have been named to an all-defensive team pretty much any season he played at New Jersey.
Ask any player who was in the league in the 1980s who the toughest PF was and I'll bet almost all would put Buck right at the top of the list.
His first 3 years in the league (1981-82 to 1983-84), in an era of great defensive teams like the Celtics, Bucks, and 76ers, the New Jersey Nets were the league's top defensive team (101.0 pts/100poss allowed). They forced the most turnovers among all teams but their one great individual defender was Buck Williams.
But playing for the Nets he did not get the national recognition he truly deserved. He rarely missed a game, grabbed more rebounds than anyone in the league not name Malone when with New Jersey.
Yet only once in his 8 year career with New Jersey was he named to an all-NBA team (all-NBA 2nd team in 82-83), and not to an all-defensive team until 87-88. But as soon as he got to a good team all of a sudden he's all-defensive team 3 years in a row at the ages of 29-32. He could have been named to an all-defensive team pretty much any season he played at New Jersey.
Ask any player who was in the league in the 1980s who the toughest PF was and I'll bet almost all would put Buck right at the top of the list.
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Smh people forget how good prime Chris Webber was
And lol at Garnett being ranked ahead of Barkley
And lol at Garnett being ranked ahead of Barkley
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Bwelc679 wrote:Low hanging fruit for me to pluck at. I agree that Duncan is a center. KG probably should be too and if we are building a modern team you would pretty much have to play Karl at the center as well. Id play Larry Bird at the power forward which people don't remember was the position he played until McHale joined the squad yet Bird still ended up guarding 4s because he was too slow to guard 3s. Lastly, I'd also put Kevin Durant as a 4 which he has been labeled as for probably the last 4 years. He is the perfect 4 on a modern offense which goes to show you how Incredibly ridiculous and pointless positions are in a sport where all 5 players can do the same things. Positions are just ways for novices to follow the game BUT .............I'll leave it at Duncan so we don't get too philosophical.
1. Giannis: So incredibly dominant. I wonder if we will ever get to see him as a small ball center before he loses his fastball. If we were to do a redraft of all the greatest players ever at their peak for a one season GOAT league he would be a top 10 pick.
2. K.Garnett: His defense is just too dominant for me to ignore his greatness. I think his overall impact on the game is probably understated due to people not realizing how much effect he has as an off ball defender. Maybe the most impactful defensive player since Bill Russell. Still a good offensive player just not a closer. Has spacing capabilities which adds to his offensive value.
3. Dirk: Almost the inverse of KG as a two way player. He's a decent defender who has great hands and became a reliable help defender with experience but his true shine is offensive. One of the most unguardable players ever due to his sheer size and shooting ability.
4. C.Barkley: Going back and watching some of his old games reminded me how dominant this bowling ball of a man was. Although everyone loves to talk about his Phoenix Suns 93 season, his best season was really 90-91 when he was a cannonball grabbing every rebound and causing defenders to run for cover when he came down on a fast break. What an athlete.
5. K.Malone: No player had more muscle mass than Karl for about 16 years in the league. He is a nightmare on fast breaks throwing down and has a nice short range jumper. An elite man to man post defender who's relatively limited wingspan limited his rim protection value. Much better switch defender than you remember. Would be a center in today's NBA.
6. K.Mchale: Very hard to pick his spot because he got hurt at his peak and was almost underutilized due to being part of one of the greatest teams of all time. He can score as well as anyone on this list with the best post moves of all time (Sorry Al Jefferson) and can guard all positions as he often did. Showed flashes of being able to step out and space the floor and would wreak havoc on modern defenses with a 1 in 4 out offense. Definitely a ball hog but does that really matter when you are shooting over 60% on high volume? He's on my top 10 list of players I wish I could see play in today's era (I just thought of my next thread topic).
7. A.Davis: If only he could put together a string of consistency he would be fighting Giannis for the top of this list. When his defense is clicking, at his peak, he may be the best help side defender of all time. That is enough to get him on this list but add in that he's a capable scorer who used to be able to shoot and you have something special. Excellent roll man and put him next to a player like, idk, Karl Malone, then he would thrive as the help defender who doesn't need to break his nails boxing out big goons.
8. Bob Macadoo: Bobby mcBuckets. That would have been his nickname if he grew up in the stupid tik tok Instagram era known as 2023. Regardless, Mac can score in any era. He would be another extremely interesting player for a time machine because he fits the build as a floor spacing big that would thrive today. His peak seems to be before the merger of the ABA so maybe he was beating up against weaker talent but his first 5 years are unreal statistically speaking as if he was a video game character.
9. D.Green: Aka Mr. Triple Single! Draymond is such a hard player to place in the hierarchy of all time greats but boy is he great. He is one of the smartest and most effective off ball defenders of all time and an incredible on ball defender as well. Advanced metrics love him and the on off numbers show how valuable he was to the Warriors dynasty which is in my opinion the greatest basketball team ever. He's an incredible passer and his ability to connect with Step made him so much more valuable. He shares a mind with him and gets him the ball in ways that make the whole game easier for the greatest point guard of all time (him and Magic thumb wrestled for the title). He's a winner.
10. Chris Webber: WTF is a power forward? I feel like anyone and everyone I listed could play center and probably would on modern teams (unless you have freaks like B.lopez to pair with them). Webber, like Pau Gasol, Shawn Kemp, Amare Sotudamire and Chris Bosh all have played both positions during their careers. If I were building a GOAT team for a one year GOAT league and had everyone at their peak available to draft I would probably play all these guys as a center because modern offenses have shown the value of spacing the floor and that post touches lead to relatively low points per possession. It's too hard for me to separate by "position" and I already said I am moving Duncan to center and then keeping it simple. Obviously I lied. Webber is a center but bbref and many of the commentors online call him a power forward. Because of that, I have him ranked as the number 10 power forward. He's really skilled and good. He's probably a center though.
P.S......If Amare never gets hurt I think he would have been top 5. He would have been like 99% what Giannis is on offense. I wonder if his defense would have been better as well. Who knows?
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Bob Pettit?
Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
- wojoaderge
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Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
1. Duncan
2. Pettit, Dirk, KG, Mailman, Barkley, Giannis
8. Schayes
9. Big E
10. AD
2. Pettit, Dirk, KG, Mailman, Barkley, Giannis
8. Schayes
9. Big E
10. AD
"Coach, why don't you just relax? We're not good enough to beat the Lakers. We've had a great year, why don't you just relax and cool down?"
Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
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Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
Barkley over Karl Malone is a heck of a hot take. If we were talking about offense only, sure, especially in the playoffs. But you have to play both ends, particularly as a big. Malone did, Barkley frequently didn't.
Plus, although Karl Malone was a big of a nasty piece of work, he was an ironman, a guy who worked hard in practice, and someone who listened to his coach and (at least in Utah) didn't stir up trouble with teammates. None of those can be said about Barkley except for the ironman; Barkley hurt other people, they didn't hurt him, but that goes even more for Malone.
Giannis v. Garnett for career is an interesting one. Giannis peaked higher and was/is a better playoff performer, Garnett has significantly more longevity.
Plus, although Karl Malone was a big of a nasty piece of work, he was an ironman, a guy who worked hard in practice, and someone who listened to his coach and (at least in Utah) didn't stir up trouble with teammates. None of those can be said about Barkley except for the ironman; Barkley hurt other people, they didn't hurt him, but that goes even more for Malone.
Giannis v. Garnett for career is an interesting one. Giannis peaked higher and was/is a better playoff performer, Garnett has significantly more longevity.
“Most people use statistics like a drunk man uses a lamppost; more for support than illumination,” Andrew Lang.
Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
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Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
Duncan and Pau Gasol are both basically half-n-halves: played about half PF and half C (Pau probably slightly more C, once factoring in his later years).
I count Timmy as a PF, and compromise/balance that by counting Pau among my C's (my own "logic").
Here's how I'd order them:
1 - Duncan
2 - Garnett
3 - K.Malone
4 - Dirk
5 - Barkley
6 - Giannis
7 - Pettit
8 - A.Davis
9 - Schayes
10 - McHale
I count Timmy as a PF, and compromise/balance that by counting Pau among my C's (my own "logic").
Here's how I'd order them:
1 - Duncan
2 - Garnett
3 - K.Malone
4 - Dirk
5 - Barkley
6 - Giannis
7 - Pettit
8 - A.Davis
9 - Schayes
10 - McHale
"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
"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire
Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
- Narigo
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Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
Tim Duncan
Kevin Garnett
Karl Malone
Dirk Nowitzki
Charles Barkley
Bob Pettit
Dolph Schayes
Giannis Anttekoumpo
Kevin McHale
Pau Gasol
Kevin Garnett
Karl Malone
Dirk Nowitzki
Charles Barkley
Bob Pettit
Dolph Schayes
Giannis Anttekoumpo
Kevin McHale
Pau Gasol
Narigo's Fantasy Team
PG: Damian Lillard
SG: Sidney Moncrief
SF:
PF: James Worthy
C: Tim Duncan
BE: Robert Horry
BE:
BE:
PG: Damian Lillard
SG: Sidney Moncrief
SF:
PF: James Worthy
C: Tim Duncan
BE: Robert Horry
BE:
BE:
Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
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Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
I have polished top10 for PF
Duncan
Garnett
Dirk
Malone
Giannis
Barkley
Petitt
Davis
Gasol
McHale
Next 10 in no order
Schayes, Hayes, Green, Bosch, Webber, Rodman, Cunningham, DeBussechere, Wallace, Nance
Grant, Brand, Griffin, Aldridge, Kemp, Lucas, Love, Buck, Chambers, B.Jones
Duncan
Garnett
Dirk
Malone
Giannis
Barkley
Petitt
Davis
Gasol
McHale
Next 10 in no order
Schayes, Hayes, Green, Bosch, Webber, Rodman, Cunningham, DeBussechere, Wallace, Nance
Grant, Brand, Griffin, Aldridge, Kemp, Lucas, Love, Buck, Chambers, B.Jones
Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
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Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
My list would look like
1. Tim Duncan
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Karl Malone
4. Dirk Nowitzki
5. Charles Barkley
6. Giannis Antetokoumnpo
7. Anthony Davis
8. Kevin McHale
9. Elvin Hayes
10. Willis Reed
If I include the oldies it’d be
1. Tim Duncan
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Karl Malone
4. Dirk Nowitzki
5. Charles Barkley
6. Bob Pettit
7. Dolph Schayes
8. Giannis Antetokoumnpo
9. Anthony Davis
10. Kevin McHale
1. Tim Duncan
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Karl Malone
4. Dirk Nowitzki
5. Charles Barkley
6. Giannis Antetokoumnpo
7. Anthony Davis
8. Kevin McHale
9. Elvin Hayes
10. Willis Reed
If I include the oldies it’d be
1. Tim Duncan
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Karl Malone
4. Dirk Nowitzki
5. Charles Barkley
6. Bob Pettit
7. Dolph Schayes
8. Giannis Antetokoumnpo
9. Anthony Davis
10. Kevin McHale
Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
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Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
therealbig3 wrote:Not counting Duncan:
1. Kevin Garnett
2. Karl Malone
3. Dirk Nowitzki
4. Charles Barkley
5. Bob Pettit
6. Kevin McHale
7. Pau Gasol
8. Elvin Hayes
9. Dennis Rodman
10. Billy Cunningham
This was from a while ago...looking back at it, I think Bosh should make the list. He's a really good player that gets underrated badly.
Duncan played at PF for most of his career, so he's a PF.
1. Duncan
2. KG
3. Dirk (flip flop with Malone)
4. K.Malone (for now on longevity)
5. Giannis (will finish 3rd on his current pace)
6. A.Davis
7. Barkley
HM: Pau, Webber, Draymond, McHale, etc.
Warspite wrote:Billups was a horrible scorer who could only score with an open corner 3 or a FT.
Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
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Re: Top Ten Power Forwards of All Time
One_and_Done wrote:therealbig3 wrote:Not counting Duncan:
1. Kevin Garnett
2. Karl Malone
3. Dirk Nowitzki
4. Charles Barkley
5. Bob Pettit
6. Kevin McHale
7. Pau Gasol
8. Elvin Hayes
9. Dennis Rodman
10. Billy Cunningham
This was from a while ago...looking back at it, I think Bosh should make the list. He's a really good player that gets underrated badly.
Duncan played at PF for most of his career, so he's a PF.
1. Duncan
2. KG
3. Dirk (flip flop with Malone)
4. K.Malone (for now on longevity)
5. Giannis (will finish 3rd on his current pace)
6. A.Davis
7. Barkley
HM: Pau, Webber, Draymond, McHale, etc.
Only 36% of Duncan’s minutes were played at PF according to BB-ref and Pop’s on record saying he considered Duncan a center for more years than BB-ref did.