RealGM Top 100 Project #67

[mikejames23]

Runoff Vote: Nate Thurmond

I have been convinced of what Outside wrote on Thurmond for some time, albeit I didn't have him quite as high. I value Thurmond as an excellent defensive anchor and today he'd certainly be a perennial all star type an da top tier difference maker. I don't see him as a franchise player necessarily but much like Dikembe to Iverson, I see Thurmond filling in that role with relative ease next to a ball dominant superstar. He was generally voted ~top 10 level in MVP shares which tells me he would've been an All-NBA type for a good number of years as well. IMO some of the work we've seen from Dwight, retaining the earlier career defense but with lower scoring efficiency -- is something more along the lines of what Thurmond could produce. Solid DPOY candidate and definite favorite for my 2nd star on team building.

With Sam Jones, I am going to echo Doc MJ. I don't necessarily believe bad offensive efficiency indicates a lack of offensive value from Jones, but his relative importance to the team is questionable. Boston could win a title with him playing 15 Mins in his youth, and they could win a title with him scoring 24+ in his prime. Needs more analysis of course, but I do see him being closer to a Joe Dumars level than I see him being a Vince Carter level.

[penbeast0]

Runoff Vote: Nate Thurmond

I have been convinced of what Outside wrote on Thurmond for some time, albeit I didn't have him quite as high. I value Thurmond as an excellent defensive anchor and today he'd certainly be a perennial all star type an da top tier difference maker. I don't see him as a franchise player necessarily but much like Dikembe to Iverson, I see Thurmond filling in that role with relative ease next to a ball dominant superstar. He was generally voted ~top 10 level in MVP shares which tells me he would've been an All-NBA type for a good number of years as well. IMO some of the work we've seen from Dwight, retaining the earlier career defense but with lower scoring efficiency -- is something more along the lines of what Thurmond could produce. Solid DPOY candidate and definite favorite for my 2nd star on team building.

With Sam Jones, I am going to echo Doc MJ. I don't necessarily believe bad offensive efficiency indicates a lack of offensive value from Jones, but his relative importance to the team is questionable. Boston could win a title with him playing 15 Mins in his youth, and they could win a title with him scoring 24+ in his prime. Needs more analysis of course, but I do see him being closer to a Joe Dumars level than I see him being a Vince Carter level.

Just a quick note, Sam was not inefficient, the Celtics offense as a whole was inefficient. Sam was actually one of the most efficient guards not named Oscar Robertson or Jerry West who were a clear level above everyone else in the 60s.

[pandrade83]

Thurmond. I'm not sure either guy should make it in before the Top 75, but I think Thurmond is a clear defensive anchor who was the best player on some teams that went somewhere. At this point, unless the longevity is a huge strength or huge weakness, I'm looking for guys who could really move the needle and I feel confident that Thurmond can anchor strong defensive units.

[Dr Positivity]

Vote Sam Jones

One of the most clutch players in history and I believe a player's skill level is not always judged by their regular season stats, it appears Jones could have done more if he wanted and his ability to step it up in the biggest games showed his skill

[penbeast0]

60s RUNOFF, SAM JONES v. NATE THURMOND

Sam Jones 3 (penbeast0. dhsilv2, Dr. Positivity)

Nate Thurmond 4 (Outside, trex_8063, Doctor MJ, pandrake 83)

Fundamentals21 has also joined our discussion favoring Nate. Roughly 2 hours left.

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[LA Bird]

Run-off vote: Nate Thurmond
The GOAT low post man defender and one of the top 10 defensive players of all time. A solid passer but unfortunately still a negative on offense because he shot too much at too low of an efficiency. This probably wouldn't be a problem today if he had a better coach who stressed more on team offense rather than measuring player performance by just individual points - opponent points. Thurmond's box score stats weren't great but his WOWYR scores are impressive, which I think is more important considering his defensive impact weren't captured at all without steals or blocks. Thurmond would have ranked slightly higher if he didn't miss significant time in two of his prime seasons (68, 70).

Not a fan of Sam Jones but I'll leave further comments about him to the next round.

[penbeast0]

Calling it for NATE THE GREAT.