Post#123 » by Moonbeam » Sun Aug 3, 2014 11:37 pm
I'll try to address the main candidates here.
Dirk Nowitzki: Dirk has carved himself an incredible career, capped by that great postseason run in 2011. For well over a decade, he has been one of the top 5 offensive players in the league, and it's good to see that his defense has gotten a fair bit of respect here. Dirk stands out in this list in that his level of play does not generally drop off in the postseason, and in some cases (the stretch from 2009-2011 in particular), his postseason play is notably superior. Best of all, I still think Dirk has a lot left in the tank, and with the moves Dallas made this offseason, I'm looking for another monster season from him.
David Robinson: The Admiral has the best statistical argument for this spot based on the regular season, in my opinion. Tim Duncan often (rightly) gets a lot of credit for the consistent excellence that the Spurs have enjoyed throughout his career, but that streak really started with Robinson. Prior to his arrival, the Spurs posted 6 straight seasons with records of .500 or less. But once Robinson came aboard, the immediately emerged as a playoff lock, and the way the Spurs fell off after his injury in 1996-97 is telling even including their tanking efforts. It's hard to say for sure given the era comparison, but I feel that he is the best defender of this group of players, anchoring consistently strong and sometimes elite defenses. The big concern is with his dropoff in the postseason during his peak. His contributions to the 1999 and 2003 titles were important, but he suffered a clear decline in playoff performance in general.
Karl Malone: Karl was an immovable, intimidating force throughout his career. His ironman abilities and his incredible longevity stand out in this group. I'd say he definitely has the most seasons as a top 10 player, and like Robinson, his presence with Utah guaranteed a playoff spot. His synergy with Stockton sometimes is used to diminish his performance, but I think their success as a tandem should only be viewed as a positive on both players - many, many other dynamic duos have led to far worse outcomes, so it seems unjust to discredit Malone (or Stockton) because he played particularly well with his other star. The playoff shortcomings are the knock, as they are with Robinson. Ultimately, I feel his peak level of play was among the lowest of this group, but he maintained that high level the longest.
Julius Erving: The more I red about Dr. J, the more I like him. I'd venture to say that he has the highest peak of any of the remaining players, with his 1974 and 1976 seasons an incredible combination of insane regular season play elevated further in postseason championship runs. His presence turned the 76ers into immediate contenders, and though they fell short 3 times of the title, he clearly was a top 5 player in the league. He gracefully became a complementary piece to Moses Malone, leading to one of the best team performances ever. Both his style of play and his character truly transcended the sport, and he is a well-deserving icon. I had him around 13 before this project, and my esteem for him has only grown - I'd probably have him at 10 or 11 now.
Jerry West: I've been voting for Jerry West since spot #10. His peak nearly matches Dr. J, but his ability to lift his game in the playoffs is particularly extraordinary. While his lone title came in one of his worst playoff runs (though he seemed to excel as a facilitator). Still, those incredible runs to the Finals are hard to ignore, even if he fell short against the Celtics every time. Despite their defensive prowess, Boston couldn't slow West down:
33.8 PPG in 1965
33.9 PPG in 1966
31.3 PPG in 1968
37.9 PPG in 1969
I don't have access to the data from the 61-63 runs, but I'd like to see them if anyone has them! Like Dr. J, he also transcended the sport to become the logo. His reputation as a defender only elevates his case.
Ultimately, it's between Jerry West and Dr. J at this point. I don't want to miss out on voting due to gathering info like last time, so I'll cast my vote for Jerry West, though I still can be swayed.