In Part I of my NBA Top 50 Players of All Time series, big names like James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Steve Nash didn't make the final cut, while Luka Doncic - despite playing only four seasons - did.
This time the controversy continues, as we make our way into my top 40 players in the history of the game...
40. Julius Erving, SF
Resume: 1 championship ring, 1 MVP, 11-Time NBA All-Star (3-time ABA MVP, 5-time ABA All-Star)
This is an NBA-only list, so I can't go any higher than this for "Dr J". On the bright side? He was an All-Star for all 11 of his NBA seasons and he had a profound impact on the next generation of high flyers, including Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler and more of the like. On the down side? He had five incredible seasons in the ABA (including three MVPs) and I simply cannot give them weight on this particular list. Still, any way you slice it, Dr. J had a major impact on NBA culture and its overall "cool" factor. Just a beautiful player to watch; a natural talent who proved to be aspirational for future generations of basketball stars.
39. Bob Cousy, PG
Resume: 6 championship rings; 13-time All-Star (consecutively, at that)
I've already discussed Cousy in my recent Top 10 Point Guards of All Time article, so I won't go into much further detail here. The easiest summary is this: He doesn't show up much in the counting stats, but he shows up where it matters the most... in the Win column. Like George Mikan, mentioned in Part 1 of this series, Cousy was a true pioneer and developer of his position. For Mikan it was center; for Cousy, point guard and floor general.
38. Chris Paul, PG
Resume: 3rd all time in assists, 4th in steals, 39th in points, 12-time All-Star
At this point he might be the most difficult player to rank of all time, right? Again, check out my Top 10 Point Guards of All Time for more detail and a deeper analysis. The long and short of it is this: Are CP3's individual stats so impressive that we can ignore the absence of a championship ring? Depends on who you ask, really. I used to have CP3 as one of the top-five point guards of all time, but his epic collapse vs. Luka and the Mavs really put a bad taste in my mouth.
37. Reggie Miller, SG
Resume: 4th all time in threes; 22nd in points; 5-time All-Star
You know, there are some guys who don't have rings - like say, Westbrook, Harden, Patrick Ewing and more of the like - where we might think hey, maybe THEY were the problem in the clutch spots. Maybe they are to blame for their own lack of bling bling.
But we know that's not the case with Reggie Miller, the man who turned Spike Lee's hopeful dreams to nightmares for many years. Reggie was a stone-cold killer in the clutch, scoring in bunches within timeframes that seemed physically impossible.
And of course - to me, at least - Reggie is one of "The Godfathers" of the three-point arc. It's totally commonplace nowadays, but back in Reggie's day he was a true pioneer of prolific trey totals. He's the fourth "pioneer" I've mentioned thus far: Bob Cousy for the point guard position, George Mikan for the center position, Dr. J for high-flying acrobatics and Reggie for deadly three-point shooting. Being a pioneer is a persuasive distinction within an all-time top 50 list.
36. Ray Allen, SG
Resume: 2nd all-time in threes; 2 championship rings; 25th in points; 10-time All-Star; beat Denzel Washington in one-on-one
To me, he's the other "Godfather" of the three-point arc. Reggie and Ray-Ray really set the tone for future generations of perimeter-oriented players. And quite simply, he has the championship rings that Reggie lacks. He was also an elite perimeter defender in his prime, while Reggie would certainly Ole! from time to time. It's close, but I'm taking Ray Allen as the better and more successful all-around NBA legend.
35. Nikola Jokic, C
Resume: 2 MVPs, 3rd all-time in Efficiency; 4-time All-Star (consecutively)
"The Joker" is doing things we've never seen before in the NBA. He completely dominates the game for 48 minutes, and he does it without missing shots AND without turning the ball over. He's a perfect offensive machine at the center position, and he probably just posted the greatest statistical season of all time. Jokic became the first player in the history of the game to amass over 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in the same season. Like I said, perfect.
We have to assume the championships will come if (A) Denver can get Jamal Murray 100% healthy and back to "Bubble" form or (B) Denver's management makes a serious attempt to improve Jokic's surrounding talent, on the whole.
34. George Gervin, SF
Resume: 9th all-time in PPG; 43rd in total points, 14-time All-Star (in a row, too!)
"The Iceman" is simply one of those legendary figures. Like Dr. J, Gervin was known for being smooth, silky, slick and an unstoppable scoring machine. Once you get into the top 10 all time in points per game? Now we're talkin' about the real "big boys" in the history of the game. Fourteen all-star appearances in a row? Bonkers.
33. Charles Barkley, PF
Resume: 27th all time in points; 11-time All-Star, 1 MVP; at time of retirement, one of only 4 players to have 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds & 3,500 assists
You can see some similarities to Jokic in that resume, there. Chuck was a bizarre "power forward" on the whole - listed at 6'6", he actually admitted to being 6'4" and change - he always played bigger and tougher than his actual stature, but he could also handle the ball and keep his teammates fed and happy. In a way, "Sir Charles" was a very sabermetric or Analytics-type player, ahead of his time in terms of efficiency and overall impact. Just a terrific all-around basketball player and all-time great personality.
32. Gary Payton, PG
Resume: 5th all time in steals; 10th in assists; 35th in points; 1 championship ring; 1st PG to win Defensive Player of the Year
"The Glove" was also featured in my Top 10 Point Guards of All Time article; check him out. I think one of his resume bullet points (above) tells you everything you need to know: First point guard to win Defensive Player of the Year. Here's a super underrated all-around player who could drive, dish, score and defend with the best of 'em, across the board. Great physical and mental leader, as well.
31. Jason Kidd, PG
Resume: 2nd all time in assists; 2nd in steals; 1 championship ring; 12-time All-Star
If you've heard this once, you've heard it a thousand times... check him out in my Top 10 Point Guards of All Time article. You'll get some further detail, there. In a nutshell? Jason Kidd was the IDEAL teammate. Never played for himself. Always was pushing and striving to make his teammates better, and ultimately, his team better. Such a rare thing to find at the game's highest level.
Please be sure to tune in next time when we burst through the door of my Top 30!!
John Frascella is a published sports author who has been covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for more than half his life. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things basketball, football and baseball!
No comments:
Post a Comment