With all this talk about where Kobe ranks now as an all-timer, I perused the records during the week to do some comparisons. Here are some random thoughts:
Bryant, while an all-time great at this point, can't match West or Baylor, either as a scorer or all-around player. West has him on career point average by 2, has him by FG% 47 to 45, and was a much better playmaker, averaging 6.7 asst career. Baylor outscored Bryant and was a monster rebounder at 6-5, averaging over 13 for his career. Right now I would rate Bryant behind those 2, also Jabbar, Magic, & Shaq.
West was an amazing player and I'm glad I reminded myself. He was a monster in those series against the Celtics in the 60's. His numbers were incredible, and he avg'd 29 in his playoff career.
Two under-appreciated stars: George Gervin and Bob Pettit. Why is Gervin dismissed? He avg'd 25.1 career and wasn't a reckless gunner at all, shooting 50.4% for his career. Meanwhile, Pettit avg'd 26 points & 16 rebounds over a consistently great 12-year career, yet you never hear his name.
Dr. J, despite that ugly jumpshot. was very effective and surprised me with his career 50.6 FG% and 78% FT% to go along with 24 pts & 8 boards lifetime.
The more I look the more I'm convinced Jordan was the greatest non-center of all time. His numbers, consistency, and diversity just cannot be topped. He finished with a career avg of 30.1, shooting 49.7% (compare Kobe at 45.5, West 47.4). In the prime of his career, the 7 years leading up to his first retirement, he avg'd an amazing 33 pts and shot 53%, as a guard.
The best player in history was either Jordan or Chamberlain. Put them on the floor in their prime, one on one, and Chamberlain wins. He was athletic enough to smother Jordan and never let him get up a good shot. He dominated more than anyone, even though he won only twice. He avg'd 28 & 28 in an incredible 142 games against Russell, while Russell avg'd 14 and 23 in those games. He shot only 51% from the line and his teams just couldn't stand up to the Celts. Tough call, but I still go with Wilt.
S
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I am glad you mentioned Bob Pettit. It is hard to argue with his career as one of the best ever. I think he does not get mentioned as much due to the amount of time passed since he played and teams he played for. I agree completely with #1 and #2
jonathan
Post a Comment