OT - All Time NBA team

[RandygoCuse]

In light of recent events, I've updated my All Time NBA team - As this is always an arbitrary exercise, I try to rank players on the impact they had when they were in the league rather than how they would fair against each other.

Starters
Wilt Chamberlain
Bill Russell
Larry Bird
Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson

Reserves
Kareem Abdul-Jabaar
Tim Duncan
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
Hakeem Olajuwon

Last two off
Shaquille O'Neal
Oscar Robertson

I kept going back and forth between Olajuwon and Shaq. I hope this creates a good debate.

 

[br801]

In light of recent events, I've updated my All Time NBA team - As this is always an arbitrary exercise, I try to rank players on the impact they had when they were in the league rather than how they would fair against each other.

Starters
Wilt Chamberlain
Bill Russell
Larry Bird
Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson

Reserves
Kareem Abdul-Jabaar
Tim Duncan
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
Hakeem Olajuwon

Last two off
Shaquille O'Neal
Oscar Robertson

I kept going back and forth between Olajuwon and Shaq. I hope this creates a good debate.

The Big O is not happy.

 

[RandygoCuse]

The Big O is not happy.

He's never happy.

 

[Knicks411]

Probably need another PG, right? Other than that, seems like as reasonable a list as any.

I think Shaq over Olajuwon is right.

 

[br801]

He's never happy.

He said there's too damn many Lakers on your team.

 

[RandygoCuse]

He said there's too damn many Lakers on your team.

As a lifelong Celtics fan, you'd think I would have noticed that.

 

[RandygoCuse]

Probably need another PG, right? Other than that, seems like as reasonable a list as any.

I think Shaq over Olajuwon is right.

Yeah, I thought about that...Maybe put Robertson over Baylor? It was a tough call for me.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Looks good to me. I might even have lebron in the starting five although I don't know who he would start over.

 

[Knicks411]

Looks good to me. I might even have lebron in the starting five although I don't know who he would start over.

I think when all is said and done he will crack this theoretical top 5.

 

[br801]

Yeah, I thought about that...Maybe put Robertson over Baylor? It was a tough call for me.

If you had Robertson and West on the team either could run the offense quite nicely when Magic was out of the game, but neither were pure point guards in the way we think of the position today.

I really like that you included Baylor because he often gets overlooked in these discussions. I'd hate to see you cut him because his level of athleticism was outrageous. He was Doctor J before Doctor J.

 

[Eric15]

In light of recent events, I've updated my All Time NBA team - As this is always an arbitrary exercise, I try to rank players on the impact they had when they were in the league rather than how they would fair against each other.

Starters
Wilt Chamberlain
Bill Russell
Larry Bird
Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson

Reserves
Kareem Abdul-Jabaar
Tim Duncan
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
Hakeem Olajuwon

Last two off
Shaquille O'Neal
Oscar Robertson

I kept going back and forth between Olajuwon and Shaq. I hope this creates a good debate.

Overall, you aren't going to get much criticism from me. This is a good list. The only thing I would add is, I feel like Karl Malone has to be on here somewhere. In league history he is, 2nd all-time in points, 6th in rebounds, 10th in steals. I'm not exactly sure who I would take off, though.

 

[RF2044]

In light of recent events, I've updated my All Time NBA team - As this is always an arbitrary exercise, I try to rank players on the impact they had when they were in the league rather than how they would fair against each other.

Starters
Wilt Chamberlain
Bill Russell
Larry Bird
Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson

Reserves
Kareem Abdul-Jabaar
Tim Duncan
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
Hakeem Olajuwon

Last two off
Shaquille O'Neal
Oscar Robertson

I kept going back and forth between Olajuwon and Shaq. I hope this creates a good debate.

Cool topic! That's a pretty damn good list, although I echo the sentiment expressed above about needing to find a spot for Robertson. I think he belongs on that list, perhaps over Kobe and Olajuwon [who are obviously all-time greats as well]. Tough call. Ditto for Malone--he has to be on the team somewhere, but it is hard to say who would come off of that list to make room.

RE: Baylor, somebody posted an awesome article a few weeks ago about summer league games in DC between Wilt and Elgin--very interesting read, and very informative in terms of how good Baylor really was, even against perhaps the top big of all time.

 

[HouseOfCuse]

I was thinking shaq should be in there but his FTs would be the difference between him and Olajuwan. so i would stay with Olajuwan. Olajuwon was also a much better defender.

 

[albanycuse]

Magic had the smile before melo had the smile, my fav player when i used to care about the nba.

 

[Eric15]

Magic had the smile before melo had the smile, my fav player when i used to care about the nba.

And in-between the two of them, Constantin Popa had the smile.

 

[skurey]

Lebron > Russell

 

[tbonezone]

ummm julius erving. he starts on my team.
36 points 32 rebounds against the cuse.

 

[CusefanATL]

In light of recent events, I've updated my All Time NBA team - As this is always an arbitrary exercise, I try to rank players on the impact they had when they were in the league rather than how they would fair against each other.

Starters
Wilt Chamberlain
Bill Russell
Larry Bird
Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson

Reserves
Kareem Abdul-Jabaar
Tim Duncan
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
Hakeem Olajuwon

Last two off
Shaquille O'Neal
Oscar Robertson

I kept going back and forth between Olajuwon and Shaq. I hope this creates a good debate.

Bird is a great player and a great competitor, but that's not needed on this team... Def want defense. Leron starts.

 

[orange03]

The Shaq/Olajuwon/Wilt debate would be a good one. Didn't get to see Wilt play, I know he was great but not sure he would have the same career if he played against guys he couldn't overwhelm on a nightly basis. Shaq probably had more dominant years, but Olajuwon was as good as it gets during his prime.

Magic
MJ
Bird
Russel
Olajuwon

 

[br801]

The Shaq/Olajuwon/Wilt debate would be a good one. Didn't get to see Wilt play, I know he was great but not sure he would have the same career if he played against guys he couldn't overwhelm on a nightly basis. Shaq probably had more dominant years, but Olajuwon was as good as it gets during his prime.

Magic
MJ
Bird
Russel
Olajuwon

Wilt overwhelmed a lot of centers he played against because he was freakishly strong and athletic, not because they were undersized and untalented. There were many tremendous centers in Wilt's era (Russell, Reed, Lanier, Hayes, Unseld, Thurmond, Bellamy, Lucas, Jabbar, Cowens) and most of them had more well-rounded games than the guys you see playing the position today.

I suspect Wilt would have dominated in any era, just as Jim Brown would have dominated on the football field in any era.

 

[General20]

I am too young to have seen Oscar Robertson play, but he would start on my all time NBA team. The guy AVERAGED a triple double one year.

 

[Knicks411]

I am too young to have seen Oscar Robertson play, but he would start on my all time NBA team. The guy AVERAGED a triple double one year.

This is an awesome achievement, but the game was a lot different back then. A lot more shots were taken. Just worth pointing out.

 

[kcsu]

Wilt, Cousy, Lebron, DJ,Bird second team Lewis Alcindor, Magic, M

 

[44cuse]

And in-between the two of them, Constantin Popa had the smile.

Yo everybody! Omar's comin'!!!!!

44cuse

 

[General20]

This is an awesome achievement, but the game was a lot different back then. A lot more shots were taken. Just worth pointing out.

You are not wrong, it was a totally different game, but to me if you are not going to include Oscar then you shouldn't include Wilt or Russell either. They played in different era's as well.

I think you have to give everybody equal standing for dominating in their own era. Otherwise where do you make the cut off? Magic and Bird dominated in an era when there was no defense played at all, and both are too slow to play in today's NBA where the speed of the players and the defensive intensity is off the charts. Even Jordan did his thing against guards like Jeff Hornaceck. He would find things much more difficult in today's NBA.

But in my opinion all of those guys earned their due respect by being the best in the world at the game that was played at their time.