It's simple; knowing what we know about the history of the NBA; if you could pick the best starting 5 ever, which 5 players would you choose and why? So you'd pick who, in your opinion, would be the best PG, SG, SF, PF, and C.
POINT GUARD:
Some of these decisions will be harder to make than others because the NBA has had a plethora of great players throughout the years. As far as point guard goes, there are several great ones to choose from. Bob Cousey, Jerry West, Isaiah Thomas, Maurice Cheeks, Sidney Moncrief, Jason Kidd, Gary Peyton, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, and so on. For this list, however, there's really only one PG to pick and that has to be Ervin "Magic" Johnson. The other PGs that I mentioned are all great in their own right, but Magic Johnson was a cut above the rest. Johnson is a 5 time NBA Champion, multiple time league MVP, and multiple time assist leader. Not only was he a great Champion, but he revolutionized the position of PG. Your average PG is going to be between 6'0 and 6'3". Johnson was 6'9" with the body and build of a PF but with handles better than most guards and with creativity on the basketball court that was out of this world. He along with Larry Bird completely revitalized the NBA in the 80's. Every Championship series that was played in the NBA during the 80s featured either Magic Johnson and the Lakers or Larry Bird and the Celtics. It's just hard to find a better PG than Magic Johnson.
SHOOTING GUARD:
Michael Jordan............nuff said!
SMALL FORWARD:
This is probably going to be one of the harder positions to choose for. There are several great SFs to choose from, but there are only 2 that could rightfully be considered as the greatest SF ever and those two are Larry Bird and Lebron James. There is no question that right now in the NBA, James is hands down the best player. Hell, he's probably the best player in the world. There has never been an athlete in the NBA quite like Lebron James. Hes 6'8" and around 260. He's skilled enough to play PG, big and strong enough to play SF or PF, usually leads his team in scoring, and can guard every position, 1-5, on the court if he has to. Not only is his talent levels off the charts, but he's also a 2 time NBA Champion and 4 time league MVP and truthfully, he's just now getting into the prime of his career. Then there's Larry Bird. Bird is nowhere near as talented as James is. Bird was never the fastest, strongest, highest jumper, or any of that stuff. What Bird was, though, is the smartest, toughest, and most skilled. Bird wasn't born with any of the gifts that James was born with, but like James, Bird would lead his team in scoring most nights. Bird is a 3 time NBA Champion and a 3 time league MVP. When it comes to the quintessential leader on a basketball court, it doesn't get much better than Larry Bird. Man this one is a tough one. Some of you may think that I'm crazy, but if I were starting a franchise and I had to choose between Bird or James, I'd take Bird. I'm going with Larry Bird as the greatest SF of all time.
POWER FORWARD:
This is going to be one of the easy ones. Although there are a lot of great PFs in the history of the NBA, IMO, none are as great as Tim Duncan. Duncan has been to the playoffs every year of his career. Also, he's had at least 50 wins in every season that he has played except for one and that season was shortened by a lockout. He's a 5 time NBA Champion and former league MVP. He's consistently been the best player on his team. He's not flashy and he's very quiet, but he gets the job done. Tim Duncan is my pick for the greatest PF of all time.
CENTER:
This is another one that's going to be tough. In the older days of the NBA, teams didn't win without having a dominant big man to anchor the team. This lasted for many years all the way through the 80s. Then, after the 80s, as more and more rules started to change, so did the most important position in the NBA. A lot of people attribute the absence of the more traditional center to the influx of European players in the league. Before the European influence in the NBA, most centers played with their backs to the basket and used their strength in the low post to score. Now, however, all centers and PFs want to do is pick and pop or be spot up shooters. The lack of traditional centers has affected the NBA so much that now, for a team to be successful, they have to have a great PG that can run the pick and roll. Most offenses in the NBA now are centered on the Pick and Roll. So who's the greatest center of all time? There's many to choose from. There's George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Moses Malone, Bill Walton, Shaq, etc. The question is, how do we define greatness? The most accepted way to define greatness is by accomplishments. You know; wins, titles, awards, stats, etc. If that's the criteria, then the best Center of all time is Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He's won 6 NBA championships, a 5 time league MVP, and he's scored more points than anyone in the history of the NBA. He dominated the NBA with his patented shot the Sky Hook. Nobody dominated the court in his position like he did before or after him. So my pick for the greatest center of all time is Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
So my picks are:
PG: Ervin "Magic" Johnson
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Larry Bird
PF: Tim Duncan
C: Kareem Abdul Jabbar
This would be the MT. Rushmore of the NBA.
What do you guys think? Is my list good or did I make mistakes. What would your list be? Let me know your opinions.
POINT GUARD:
Some of these decisions will be harder to make than others because the NBA has had a plethora of great players throughout the years. As far as point guard goes, there are several great ones to choose from. Bob Cousey, Jerry West, Isaiah Thomas, Maurice Cheeks, Sidney Moncrief, Jason Kidd, Gary Peyton, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, and so on. For this list, however, there's really only one PG to pick and that has to be Ervin "Magic" Johnson. The other PGs that I mentioned are all great in their own right, but Magic Johnson was a cut above the rest. Johnson is a 5 time NBA Champion, multiple time league MVP, and multiple time assist leader. Not only was he a great Champion, but he revolutionized the position of PG. Your average PG is going to be between 6'0 and 6'3". Johnson was 6'9" with the body and build of a PF but with handles better than most guards and with creativity on the basketball court that was out of this world. He along with Larry Bird completely revitalized the NBA in the 80's. Every Championship series that was played in the NBA during the 80s featured either Magic Johnson and the Lakers or Larry Bird and the Celtics. It's just hard to find a better PG than Magic Johnson.
SHOOTING GUARD:
Michael Jordan............nuff said!
SMALL FORWARD:
This is probably going to be one of the harder positions to choose for. There are several great SFs to choose from, but there are only 2 that could rightfully be considered as the greatest SF ever and those two are Larry Bird and Lebron James. There is no question that right now in the NBA, James is hands down the best player. Hell, he's probably the best player in the world. There has never been an athlete in the NBA quite like Lebron James. Hes 6'8" and around 260. He's skilled enough to play PG, big and strong enough to play SF or PF, usually leads his team in scoring, and can guard every position, 1-5, on the court if he has to. Not only is his talent levels off the charts, but he's also a 2 time NBA Champion and 4 time league MVP and truthfully, he's just now getting into the prime of his career. Then there's Larry Bird. Bird is nowhere near as talented as James is. Bird was never the fastest, strongest, highest jumper, or any of that stuff. What Bird was, though, is the smartest, toughest, and most skilled. Bird wasn't born with any of the gifts that James was born with, but like James, Bird would lead his team in scoring most nights. Bird is a 3 time NBA Champion and a 3 time league MVP. When it comes to the quintessential leader on a basketball court, it doesn't get much better than Larry Bird. Man this one is a tough one. Some of you may think that I'm crazy, but if I were starting a franchise and I had to choose between Bird or James, I'd take Bird. I'm going with Larry Bird as the greatest SF of all time.
POWER FORWARD:
This is going to be one of the easy ones. Although there are a lot of great PFs in the history of the NBA, IMO, none are as great as Tim Duncan. Duncan has been to the playoffs every year of his career. Also, he's had at least 50 wins in every season that he has played except for one and that season was shortened by a lockout. He's a 5 time NBA Champion and former league MVP. He's consistently been the best player on his team. He's not flashy and he's very quiet, but he gets the job done. Tim Duncan is my pick for the greatest PF of all time.
CENTER:
This is another one that's going to be tough. In the older days of the NBA, teams didn't win without having a dominant big man to anchor the team. This lasted for many years all the way through the 80s. Then, after the 80s, as more and more rules started to change, so did the most important position in the NBA. A lot of people attribute the absence of the more traditional center to the influx of European players in the league. Before the European influence in the NBA, most centers played with their backs to the basket and used their strength in the low post to score. Now, however, all centers and PFs want to do is pick and pop or be spot up shooters. The lack of traditional centers has affected the NBA so much that now, for a team to be successful, they have to have a great PG that can run the pick and roll. Most offenses in the NBA now are centered on the Pick and Roll. So who's the greatest center of all time? There's many to choose from. There's George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Moses Malone, Bill Walton, Shaq, etc. The question is, how do we define greatness? The most accepted way to define greatness is by accomplishments. You know; wins, titles, awards, stats, etc. If that's the criteria, then the best Center of all time is Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He's won 6 NBA championships, a 5 time league MVP, and he's scored more points than anyone in the history of the NBA. He dominated the NBA with his patented shot the Sky Hook. Nobody dominated the court in his position like he did before or after him. So my pick for the greatest center of all time is Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
So my picks are:
PG: Ervin "Magic" Johnson
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Larry Bird
PF: Tim Duncan
C: Kareem Abdul Jabbar
This would be the MT. Rushmore of the NBA.
What do you guys think? Is my list good or did I make mistakes. What would your list be? Let me know your opinions.
