I wasn't here for the top 100 list (see my postcount) but it's a lot easier to knock a list than come up with a coherent one of your own.
Grandpa Waiters wrote:Elton Brand? ROTFL.
Well a peak where you're playing the same position as three top 20 all time guys and you're roughly as good as each of them (around their primes) is certainly laughable. Seriously check Brand in '06 versus Nowitzki, Garnett and Duncan. The numbers are worse than Nowitzki's (but with better D); roughly equal to, possibly slightly worse than, Garnett's and substantially better than Duncans (Duncan had a down year).
mikejetlife wrote:Dwight Howard isn't ahead of Reed until he wins a title period.
Is your opinion. Justify it. As the people did when casting their votes. And to say a team achievement (regardless of individual performance) is a requisite to a certain position on these sort of lists always seems arbitrary and have little to with how that person actually played/plays basketball.
wigglestrue wrote:Is there a short answer for how Jerry Lucas and Dave DeBusschere finish behind Mark Price, Chauncey Billups, Deron Williams, Elton Brand, and...well, I love Gus Williams, but, come on. Edit: Jesus chrrr...is this right, DJ didn't make it?
The short answer would be that's how the people who took part voted. The long answer would be reading their rationales.
But my quick take (besides the fact that it makes more sense to do a proper list and defend it rather than pitting guys you think are too high versus those you think are too low) is ...
Lucas: Could legitimately be higher but ... had poor playoff performances (significantly below his norms on average, and two in particular seem to be just bad); doesn't have a strong reputation as a defender; is regarded as caring too much about his stats (perhaps what some would call "empty stats).
DeBusschere: Look at his numbers, look at how teams did with him as their best player (or close to their best), look at the accolades (great defender, but only one All-NBA 2nd team appearance).
Tangent warning: That Knicks team gets to be a great example of teamwork and being better than the some sum of their parts, or it can be the sum of legendary individual parts, it can't be both. For every bit of one that it is it has to be less of the other otherwise the team would be better than it was. We've just heard Willis is too (low as in underrated: low-high language can be confusing when low numbers = "high" ratings), now DeBusschere is too low, a guy published a book with Bill Bradley as a way better forward than Dirk Nowitzki (after Dirk had won his MVP). If Frazier is a legit top 5 pg and a lock for top 35 or 40 (23rd here) and all these other guys are elite historical guys (plus Barnett and Russell who weren't slouches, or later Lucas and Monroe) then even with injuries the Knicks would have to have been somewhat less than the sum of their parts to have not maintained a dynasty.
DJ: Again look at the numbers the most visible advanced metrics suggest he was a little above average (admittedly with limited ability to quantify D). Again a very good defender and a very nice complementary piece. Unlike Dave D, traded for cents on the dollar because he was considered a malcontent and disruptive locker room presence by coaches. Again the overall accolades (again with strong D, say 1 1st Team All-NBA and one 2nd Team) probably suggests around the 100 ballpark would be fair.
I mean if you want to make a case for these guys then make a case; don't just turn up late to the meeting and then just tell everyone that their decisions were garbage.