FanPost

My Top 10 Players of all Time




My Top 10 BASKETBALL Players of all time:

WARNING

This statement is to advise the reading audience that these statements are the researched
thoughts and opinions of myself, Joshua R. Crawford only.


1.) MJ - What can I say? 6 for 6, countless playoff buzzer-beaters/career-defining/awe-inspiring moments. Changed Basketball & Sports Marketing forever. The individual accolades are too mind-boggling to discuss. In 11 full seasons with the Bulls MJ won 6 rings. Turned an unheralded,unassuming Arkansas stick-figure into his spitting image on the court & a top 50 all-time player. Set a rookie head coach on his way to becoming"The Zen Master."Completed a 2nd 3-peat in his mid 30's after taking a yr & a half off. Prevented Championship-quality squads (Pistons,Lakers,Blazers,Knicks,Suns in early 90's, Magic,Sonics,Pacers,Jazz,Knicks in mid '90's) from winning it all. In my mind, the Bulls win 9 straight chips from 91-99 if MJ doesn't step away. In 1990, If Pippen doesn't freeze up due to a"migraine"in the ECF Game 7 vs the Bad-Boy Pistons go ahead & make it 10 straight rings for His Airness. I know, I'm crazy & what if's mean jack in sports. One of MJ's most under-appreciated contributions came as he was approaching 40. He returned to the NBA to play for free for the Washington Wizards(he donated his salary to 9/11 victims families.)Before his middle-aged body gave out, MJ had the Wizards(who were the worst team in the league the previous season)looking like legit Championship Contenders (defeated championship fav Kings.) MJ at 40 with his body obviously broken, was still a top 10 player & the guy GM's would pick 1st with the game on the line. A discussion regarding #1 is laughable thanks to MJ.


2.) Magic - Unquestionably the greatest PG of all time. Exceptional all-around talent whose career was tragically cut short. Earvin "Magic" Johnson can still light up a room with his smile, and could ignite the "Showtime Lakers" with a flick of the wrist. At 6'9, he could excel at every position on the floor. His legendary battles with Larry Bird going back to college is the greatest individual rivalry in the history of sport. Was labeled "Tragic" Johnson early on only to become at his best in the biggest moments,which is the ultimate compliment to pay an all-time great.


3.) Kareem -One of the most graceful players the game has been blessed to witness. Kareem was known as some-what antisocial, or standoff-ish, but this should in no way effect how he is remembered for what he brought to the hardwood. Possibly the creator and perfector of the most unstoppable move in the history of sport, Abdul-Jabbars Skyhook helped net the Los Angeles Lakers countless championships. His individual accolades are possibly the most impressive ever, but his record as a winner and leader at every level is the most telling. Kareem' s longevity, impact, and dominance puts him near the top, and #1 when it comes to big men.


4.) Bird-Stands shoulder-to-should with MJ and Kobe when it comes to competitive edge. Known for his sniper shooting ability, Larry Legend was an underrated athlete with a legendary killer instinct. Bird was gritty and hard-nosed, but beautiful to watch at the same time. Many claim he is overrated due to his skin-tone, but my opinion is he is underrated for this very reason. He was the unquestioned leader on stacked Celtics teams that won 3 rings, and competed for several more. In another era that did not include Magic,Kareem, & Worthy on the same team,or the Bad-Boy Pistons, and a young lion nicknamed "His Airness," Larry Legend could have challenged Bill Russell's title supremacy.


5.)Kobe- The Black Mamba has taken a ton of heat over the years for modeling his game after Michael Jordan. The truth of the matter is, the majority of basketball players, particularly 2-guards at the highest level have all borrowed from "His Airness" if they're smart. Kobe just did it the best. Regardless of his personality or negative off the court buzz, Kobe Bryant is world-wide the most famous basketball player ever, even more so than MJ. Kobe's other gift of speaking several languages fluently and being world-cultured has adorned himself and the sport to an even broader audience. On the court, Kobe was always improving. After a crash-course as a Rookie, Kobe eventually found his groove and improved every season under "The Zen Master" as the catalyst if not the leader of the Laker Championship Squads of '00,'01, and '02. During this period is when Kobe truly arrived as an all-time great. Hitting impossible game-winners, and putting his team on his back countless times in the 4th quarter. He was unquestionably the closest thing ever to the legend that is Michael. As a pure scoring machine with the eye of the tiger, not many can rival the animal that is Kobe. Kobe's selfishness certainly played a role, as well as the Diesel not being fully committed in the demise of the early '00's Laker Dynasty. Again, Kobe improved, showing tremendous leadership and determination in winning back to back chips as the unquestioned leader. Kobe's stats might not have been as consistently great as Lebron's to this point in his career, but you can't say Kobe did not work extremely hard at his craft, individually and collectively. While Lebron hasn't improved his jumpshot, free throws, or ability to deal with coaches, Kobe made the necessary ego-adjustments to be a 5-time World Champion.


6.) Pistol Pete- The original Steph Curry. Possibly the greatest combination of handle and stroke in the history of basketball. Unfortunately, his career was cut short by injury. If you're talking playground ball, forget AI or MJ, give me Pistol Pete. "Pistol" Pete Maravich's skills were way ahead of their time. He wasn't particularly physically gifted like Wilt, Shaq or Lebron, but what he lacked in stature, he more than made up for with tenacity, grit, and basketball artistry.


7.) Hakeem the Dream- Originally known as "Akeem" Olajuwon as part of PHI SLAMMA JAMMA at the U of Houston with Clyde Drexler, Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon is one of the best people in the history of professional sports. He's also a really tremendous basketball player. Some like to discount the Rockets back-to-back '94-'95 chips as the "missing MJ years." But as I stated in my blurb about Jordan, what if's are pointless in sports. Also in defense of the "Dream" in addition to beating some great teams he seperated himself from the loaded center position in the early 90's by dismantling greats like Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and a young, but in my opinion at his physical peak Shaquille O'neal with ease. The Dream Shake and Olajuwon's fade-away next to the skyhook are the two most unstoppable moves in basketball history.He was so dominant in the 1994 playoffs, his supporting cast of role players like Vernon Maxwell and Sam Cassell made the early 90's Jordaniares look loaded. Destroying teams on the road in the 1995 Playoffs as a 6-seed that included combinations like Stockton/Malone, Johnson/Barkley, and Payton/Kemp made the viewing public aware of just how great Hakeem Olajuwon really was. We never got to see MJ vs Olajuwon in the Finals, much like Kobe vs Lebron, but I have no doubt Olajuwon would have been at the top of his game and the biggeest challenge of Michael Jordan's Finals Career.


8.) Bill Russell - The greatest winner of all time. Yes, he played on stacked teams, and yes, the league had only 8 teams. It's not only the rings that matter, obviously. As great as Wilt the Stilt Stats may be, when you read deeper, it is clear Russell got the better of Wilt in the vast majority of games that matter. To be honest, most of the time it wasn't even close. Bill Russell never scored 100 pts or took much joy in leading the league in points, or even rebounds. But he was a tenacious defender, and as is the mark of an all-time great, dominated when it mattered most.


9.) Shaq- Along with Wilt and Lebron the most physically-gifted basketball player of all time. He was never a shooter, but folks forget in his prime (the early years,) Shaq was the best athlete on the floor. When he was in shape, at 7'1 Shaq was unbelievably quick and strong. It was almost unfair. He went on to win his rings, in no small part thanks to some all-time great guard play. Shaq's enthralling personality helped distract from his lack of focus, but might have cost him part of his basketball legacy. If he had the mental fortitude and want-to, Shaq could have been the best big-man ever.


10.) Lebron/Wilt (Both overrated faves of stat nerds that lost more than won when it mattered.) Bron has chance to move up/down. Wilt stats mesmerizing, but was dominated consistently by Bill Russell when it mattered. unfortunately, to the disdain of basketball fans everywhere, Lebron has not developed a post game, 3-point shooting, or free-throw shooting through the years. He also has never developed an All-Star on his roster, only joined them and has the earned reputation as a "Coach Killer." Everything he learned from D-Wade about being a leader seemed null & void, but maybe Bron has turned the corner. The 2-5 Finals record is not an anomlaly. Sure, he is running through the historically weak Eastern Conference at the moment, but Lebron's legacy will be considerably altered based on the outcome of the 2016 NBA Finals. Personally, I don't care, and I don't think history will care how Lebron James performs. The only thing that will matter when all is said and done is if Lebron is hoisting his 3rd trophy or Steph Curry is carrying his 2nd straight, basically accomplishing everything "The King" has in a team game, in two short seasons. King James can enter the top 5, and reach Mount Rushmore of Basketball with a 2016 Championship, but a loss, regardless of his individual performance will alter his standing on my list unless it's backwards.

Best of the Rest


Karl Malone - Along with Tim Duncan the best Power Forwards of all time. Put in work for 20yrs. The antithesis to Sir Charles.


Tim Duncan - See above. Timmy gets nod due to chips, though Karl faced tougher opposition.
Oscar Robertson - Lebron of the 60's. Certainly one of the top 10 talents in Basketball History. Greats stats, 1 title illustrates lack of leadership/killer -instinct gene.


John Stockton - 2nd best PG ever. No chips thanks to the GOAT keeps him out of top 10.


Dr. J - The inspiration for MJ's game. Finally got over the Lakers to get his chip, but spent best yrs in ABA, which didn't allow fans to see him against the absolute best at his best for very long.


Charles Barkley - Another all-time great that was robbed of a ring by MJ. Despite getting fat & lazy later in his career, few players have had Sir Charles overall skills as a basketball player.


Steph Curry - Some will say this is premature, as fans were in uproar of him being in ESPN's top 30 earlier this yr. If Curry leads the Warriors to a chip this season, he will have already accomplished as much as the over-hyped King James in half the time. If this guy stays healthy, I don't see him leaving the game out of the top 5-6 players ever.


Jerry West - Clutch, Clutch, Clutch! Not a good enough athlete to dominate in other eras.


Dwyane Wade - Easily the most underrated superstar player of the last 30 years. At his absolute best, Flash is not only a top 3 Shooting Guard, but a top 5 all-time player. His knees have hurt his consistency, but dragging a team without their #2 & 3 in Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside to within a game of the finals at 34 in my opinion is more impressive than what Lebron James did in the Finals last season. All D-Wade did in the 2016 Playoffs for a fan like myself was prove to everyone else even at 34, at his best Dwayne Wade is unreal. In my opinion one of the top 3 or 4 leaders and clutch performers in NBA History, Wade should receive more credit for the Heat's latest 2 chips, remembering how much he helped Lebron mature as a championship player. Fans like to say Wade has Shaq to thank for '06 ring, like Kobe has for their 3-peat. Shaq might have helped him get there, but as the under-dog and down 2-0 to the Mavs, Wade performed an unbelievable MJ impression and all but one the championship as a one-man wrecking crew, something Lebron has not been able to accomplish.