VF21 said:
Feel free to discuss why you made the selections you did.
1. Jordan - He was aight. Hit some shots here and there. Played a little defense.
His greatest achievement is regaining his form after 1.5 years off (and he had clearly lost a step in 96, but he was still above and beyond everyone else). And I don't think there are many people who really believe he wouldn't have won 8 titles in a row had he not gone to play crapball w/ the White Sox farm team.
Best season: 1989 - 32.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 8.0 apg, 2.9 spg
2. West - Apparently he was a stud in his early years in HS and college. Legend in WV. I'd love to see more, but from what I have seen, he was cat quick defensively. I've got his SportsCentury program and a couple NBA TV games. They showed this play that was obscenely fast where he laid it in, the guy inbounded, and he took the ball right out of the recipient's hands and laid it in again within 2 secs. They talked of a story where he lead his team to some title game with a broken nose and a jersey soaked in blood. He said he would shoot so much that his fingertips were always raw and bloody.
He's the only guy w/ a Finals MVP in a losing year. Hit the 70 footer in a Finals game. In LA's first Finals home game in 62, he stole an inbounds pass from Havilcek midcourt and ran it downcourt at the buzzer. I'm sure the stories are countless for Mr. Clutch. His signature shot was a quick pull up midranger. Played PG for a number of years, was the floor leader of the 69 win team, won a title that year.
Beyond that he was a head coach, assistant GM, and GM. He found Vlade in Serbia when foreign players were rare. Got both Shaq and Kobe within days of each other. Made
the Grizzlies a respectable team. Etc. Etc.
Best season: 1972 - 25.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 9.7 apg (no steal stats)
3. Kobe - The Polarizer. For all the flaws people find in his game, one thing that isn't noted about his career is that he's one of the few entrusted to initiate Phil's offense for multiple years (along w/ MJ, Pippen, and Harper). That makes him a smart player. He's not just an athletic handful. Another oddity is the range he has for someone not considered a pure shooter. He's got as many games w/ 7 treys in the last 3 years as Miller did over his final 14 years (and Reggie shot tons of them).
Best season: 2003 - 30.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 5.9 apg, 2.2 spg
4. Clyde - Bron will quickly take his place and perhaps will sit under Jordan within a few years. Drexler was a more complete player than the rest save for Richmond. He passed, boarded, and scored. He was strong-bodied unlike Gervin which allowed him more explosivness and inside scores. He was considered a loser by many in the early 90s, but he lost to Isiah, Magic, and Jordan in consecutive years. There's nothing to be ashamed of there. He wasn't a loser, as he showed in 95. Everyone's got a different perspective here, but I think Clyde's stats alone make him a shoe-in over the others.
Best season: 1992 - 25.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 6.7 apg, 1.8 spg
