dobrojim wrote:quibble
Earl wasn't a PG. I don't think Bing was either.
Magic played all positions at various times if only briefly for some. But when the starters
were introduced at the beginning of games, it seems pretty clear that the majority of the
time, he was the PG. Loved Magic. He could do it all. But I loved Stockton too. Tough, smart
highly skilled and IIRC, still the all time assist king which is partly a function of longevity.
Tiny might ought to be more highly ranked. Being scoring leader and assist leader in the same
season is pretty heady stuff. I don't recall his teams ever being very good which you could use
to argue in either direction, could have been more highly regarded if he had won a chip or
why didn't he win one if he was so great.
What would you classify Bing as though? I don't think SG is quite right either. He was the primary ball handler for most of his teams and had a lot of seasons where he averaged over 6 or 7 assists per game.
I can see him being classified as a SG though, to be consistent with Jerry West being classified as a SG.
Peal, yeah, he should probably be considered a SG. He was a scorer first and foremost.
I think the confusion about how to classify the historical guards comes from how much less specialized guard play used to be. You just kind of had "lead guard" who handled the ball the most, and could have been a scorer or a passer.
The level of specialization you see in guards today is thanks to Isiah, Jordan, and Stockton coming along in the 80's IMO. They pretty much defined the PG and SG positions for the subsequent generations.
I have a hard time putting Tiny above any of the guys I ranked ahead of him. Glove was one of the best all around PGs ever, a better all around player than Tiny IMO. He won a DPOY, and led a couple of 60 win teams, including a Finals team. Nash too led some 60 game winners and won two MVPs. And Cousy was the best guard of his era when he was in his prime. He mastered the Pre-Wilt/Russell NBA style of play. I don't think you can say Tiny reached a similar stature. Tiny vs Clyde is interesting since their careers overlapped for a good chunk of time. I think Clyde was a better all around player, and he was the leader of those championship Knicks teams. I think Tiny is underappreciated, but I'm not sure who I'd bump out of the way for him to move up.
