Your Duncan / NBA Greats Post

I've never really tried to do this, but I'm impressed that you did, and I can appreciate your list.  You can call this my semi list because I'm not totally convinced myself.  But here are some thoughts.

1/1A - Jordan/Kareem - I can't seem to make up my mind.  Probably Jordan because of the defense.  He was the best athlete and Kareem had the most brutally efficient set of skills.  There was just no stopping either of them.  The sky hook was the most automatic, unstoppable shot in the history of the league and no one ever carried a lesser team to greater heights than Jordan, the most ruthless, competitive athlete we may ever see.  Kareem won 6 MVP's and 6 rings while Jordan had 5 and 6.

3 - Lebron - The King just defies description as an all-around player and physical marvel.  He can guard almost everyone on the floor, is usually the best passer on the floor, may be the strongest player on the floor; he can score, rebound, distribute, plays hard, and takes responsibility for his position in the game.  He's gaining on the top rung.  Now a 3-time champ plus 4 MVP's and he's 2nd all-time in MVP 'shares'.

4 - Bird - Always the guy you want to take the biggest shots; the most cold-blooded long-distance shooter we've ever seen.  I think Bird has now become underrated as he broke down before Magic and was a shell of himself at the end.  4th all-time in MVP 'shares', 9-time 1st-team all-NBA, 3-time champ and 3-time MVP.  Career shooting percentages of 50/38/88.  I'll tie my fortunes to Bird anytime when he was healthy.

5 - Robertson - I really hate putting Robertson up here because by most accounts he was an ass who everyone hated, and he got traded in his prime, but he was a 6-5 point guard who could do everything and was 1st team all-NBA 9 straight years.  He was averaging nearly 30 points while leading the league in assists, and his shooting % was healthy.  His numbers are amazing but there is a little hint of putting up huge meaningless numbers on mediocre teams.  Just 1 MVP and 1 championship.

6 - Magic - It's kind of easy for me to forget the specimen Magic was early in his career.  A 6-9 package of speed, strength, and basketball IQ.  He totally controlled games and could pretty much do whatever he needed to.  He does suffer because he had Kareem to fall back on, and didn't have to score.  That big smile tends to obscure his competitiveness and drive to win.  3-time MVP, 5-time champ, 5th all-time in MVP 'shares'.

7/7A - Wilt/Shaq - 2 physical freaks of nature who had no clue how to play basketball.  Neither could shoot outside of 5 feet, both were somewhat selfish, neither could hit a free throw, but they dominated with sheer physical presence and put up numbers too big to ignore.  Wilt's were off the charts but no one had a good thing to say about him and he was traded twice.  He won 2 championships and 3 MVP's.  Shaq won 4 championships, just 1 MVP and was 1st-team all-NBA 8 times.

9/9A - Hakeem/Duncan - One had the most ridiculous raw athletic ability at 6-10 we've ever seen, and one was the ultimate in fundamentals and team play.  I just love than Duncan was the driving force behind so many years of excellence, while the Dream was the most fun to watch outside of Jordan.  5 titles for Duncan and 2 for Hakeem.

11 - West - How it hurts me to leave him out of the top 10.  27.0 points for his career!  Smaller than the rest of this group and not a physical presence, but everyone loved and respected him to the highest degree.  West was 10-times 1st-team all-NBA and averaged those 27 points without a single 3-pointer.  He shot well, especially for that era, but never won an MVP.

12 - Pettit - I love how Simmons imagined Pettit as the 6-9 bald white guy with a goatee and a few tats, playing power forward with a vengeance in today's league.  He dominated a much different NBA.  Career 26 points and 16 boards, 10-time 1st-team all-NBA, twice MVP.

That's my dirty dozen.  We're a little short on 3-point shooting but embarrassingly rich in physical presence and pure skill.  I start West, Jordan, Kareem, Lebron, and Bird.  I need West and Bird for the shooting while Jordan and Lebron lock down anyone they match up with.  West and Lebron can distribute, Kareem can drop sky hooks or kick to my shooters, and Jordan can slash.

* A word about Bill Russell.  Russell was by all accounts a phenom on defense and I appreciate that more than most.  However he averaged 15 points per game while shooting 44%, and we're evaluating the all-time greats.  He played in an era where it was easy to score, and he didn't have to carry any offensive responsibilities.  He never had to get the team a bucket when it mattered.  I can never put him in my top 12 despite the championships and intangibles.

S