Here's some problems I see with some people's picks.
1st up, I'm a Warriors fan but I think they only have about a 50-50 chance to make the playoffs. The bottom of both divisions are a total toss up but the Warriors have to deal with the fact that only Murphy and Foyle their starting PF and C can rebound. No one else can get a board so they get killed unless they play uptempo, but they can't play uptempo unless they get the ball.
I didn't pick the Warriors to make the playoffs, but Baron Davis is the third best PG in the league to me. Their backcourt is crazy. You're right that they Murphy is really the only dude that can rebound, but Diogu might help out...plus, Jason Richardson can actually rebound.
Diogu is out for at least the first two weeks of the season I think. They just re-x-rayed his hand and his fracture is worse then they thought. He basically missed all of training camp and the exhibition game so even when he's healthy he probably won't play that much because he has so much to learn. And yes Richardson is a good rebounder, but they're still pitiful on the boards and will be the number one reason why if they don't make the post-season.
New York - I'll believe Marbury getting along with Brown when I see it.
i think people are making a little too much of this. brown was a PG, is hard on his PGs, and knows how to maximize their abilities. people forget that chauncey billups was a journeyman backup PG with a shoot-first mentality before he arrived in detroit. he was streaky as hell and shot 3's indiscriminately. brown worked him into a system and turned him into the finals MVP. and anyone who's been paying even the slightest bit of attention to the league knows that stephon has much, much more raw talent than chauncey (that's no disrespect to chauncey, but in terms of sheer basketball skills stephon is among the elite).
my knicks are going to go through quite a few growing pains, but i like the look of our future. i'm hoping we put an end to all the trades/moves and let our core develop. isiah has assembled some great talent with very few resources - our draft class is looking great so far, especially david lee - and i like the mix of veterans and youngsters we have. i would be thrilled with a 7 or 8 seed this year (not expecting anything though), but i do think we're going to start being much more competitive and should improve over the next 3-4 years.
i can't really get through all the comments .. have no energy because i'm getting my ass handed to me this week at work .. dont ever become a trader .. but i will say a few things - edpowers, you're wayyyyyyyyy off about boston. they're not even going to make the playoffs this year. milwaukee is underrated ... tj ford .. university of texas dudes .. kid is special and i'm still upset the knicks didnt draft him .. media gives him no love, calls him undersized .......
and as far as Wilt and Oscar..i stand by my ranking
(Especially with Wilt... if he isn't #1 all time he is DEFINITELY #2, case closed)
Seriously:
1)Jordan[/b]....#1 ..nuff said 2)Magic[/b].....the ring master...probably the best all around player to ever play the game 3)Bird[/b].....if everyone agrees that the 80's were the golden era of basketball then the 2nd best player during that era has to be in the top five....the only thing that stopped Bird from 2 more titles was Magic... 4)Jerry[/b]......Mr basketball...saved Wilt's ass many times...those were West's Laker teams...NOT Wilt's 5)Kareem[/b].....i'm willing to listen to the arguement that Wilt was better than Kareem...if you believe Wilt was better than Kareem then PLEASE tell why...in my opinion Kareem is the best center of all time 6)Russell[/b]....he owned Wilt...changed the game...has a house full of rings...controlled an entire league with defense alone 7)Oscar[/b]....o'k maybe Wilt was better than Oscar...but Oscar was still a BEAST...
6)Russell[/b]....he owned Wilt...changed the game...has a house full of rings...controlled an entire league with defense alone
My man... not taking anything away from Russell, because he most def was the engine on a team that won like, what, 10 of 11 titles or something like that? That's crazy. But understand, his greatest accomplishments were TEAM accomplishments. You think if Wilt was on those Boston teams instead of Russell that Wilt wouldn't be the one with those 10 rings? Would Russell have won with any of the teams that Wilt was on other than maybe that 66-67 Sixers team? Although Russell did win the championships, Wilt used to DESTROY Russell in head to head matchups. In sports you have great players and then you have 2 dudes (possibly others in some of the sports that I'm not as familiar with) who were SO overwhelming that you almost have to look at them as mythical figures. One is Babe Ruth in baseball. The other is Wilt Chamberlain in basketball. 100 points in a game. 55 rebounds in a game. Averaged 50.4 ppg and 25.7 rebounds one season (and averaged 39.5 ppg and 24.9 rpg for his first seven seasons. This is, like, impossible schitt here. And as Wilt used to say himself, the NBA instituted rule changes to increase scoring that actually helped Jordan do a lot of things he did. With Wilt, he was killing the league so bad that they put in rules to slow him down as much as humanly possible, like widening the lane and other schitt, just so it would be a little fairer. I could go on and on about the ridiculous stuff Wilt did in his day, but it can all be googled up easily if you want to do the knowledge.
Jordan, I may give you him as #1. And that's a BIG maybe. But as great as those other players on your list are, nobody else should be mentioned anywhere close to Wilt.
Yeah but Phil, Russell owned Wilt mentally and in terms of wins. Russell got all in Wilt's head and his team usually came out ahead. You can't say Wilt didn't have some great teams in LA either with West and Elgin Baylor at his side and the Celts still usually came out ahead.
To me, I'd put Russell at number 1 since he has the most wins, was probably one of the best defensive players ever, and played great team ball.
After that it's all up in the air between people like Wilt, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Jordan. I would probably put Kareem before Wilt however. He won more as well,had THE most unstoppale shot in NBA history (Sky Hook!), played for great UCLA teams, and they banned dunking in the NCAAs because of him!
What I will give Wilt is that he as probably the greatest all around athlete out of all of them. Was a high jumper, played professional volleyball , basketball. The guy was incredible.
Yeah but Phil, Russell owned Wilt mentally and in terms of wins. Russell got all in Wilt's head and his team usually came out ahead. You can't say Wilt didn't have some great teams in LA either with West and Elgin Baylor at his side and the Celts still usually came out ahead.
Well, the Celtics were a great team, there's no question about that. If we're talking about teams, yeah... you put Russell's teams ahead of Wilt's in almost every year they went at each other. But we're talking about who was the better player between Chamberlain or Russell, and it's really not even close. In head to head match ups Wilt outscored Bill 28.7 to 14.5 and outrebounded him 28.7 to 23.7 (do those numbers really suggest that Russell owned Wilt, mentally or physically?). Of course, Russell's Celts beat Wilt's teams 87-55, but you certainly can't blame those losses on Wilt; if you're putting up 28.7 and 28.7 per game I would say you are doing your part, no?
I have never accepted the argument that a dude is a superior player just because he has a lot of championships- that does count for something, but schitt, how many rings does Steve Kerr or Luc Longley or Robert Horry have? Players get rings because of what the TEAM as a whole accomplishes, not because of any one individual. Head to head, Chamberlain was just superior to Russell. NOBODY was close to Wilt in his prime- the numbers don't lie.
Well here's a little comparison over the course of their careers beginning with High School. Russell won whever he went, same can't be said for Wilt. And hey, Russell was from OAKLAND!
Bill Russell:
McClymonds High School 1948-52 All-State (1956) All-Conference (1951, 1952)
Univ. of San Francisco 1952-56 Four-year letter winner under Hall of Fame coach Phil Woolpert All-America (1956) Led San Francisco to back-to-back NCAA championships (1955, 1956)[/b] Along with Hall of Fame teammate K.C. Jones, led USF to 55 straight wins and two straight undefeated seasons[/b] USA Player of the Year (1956) Scored 1,636 points (20.7 ppg) and grabbed 1,606 rebounds (20.3 rpg) in 79 games Two-time All-Conference, State, District and American NCAA Most Outstanding Player (1955) Member, gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic Team (1956)
Boston Celtics 1956-69 Won an amazing 11 NBA championships[/b] with Boston Celtics in 13 seasons (1957, 1959-66, 1968-69) NBA Most Valuable Player (1958, 1961-63, 1965) All-NBA First Team (1959, 1963, 1965) All-NBA Second Team (1958, 1960-62, 1964, 1966-68) NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969) Twelve-time NBA All-Star (1958-69) MVP All-Star Game (1963) after 19 points and 24 rebounds Holds the NBA single-game record for most rebounds in a half (32) vs. Philadelphia on Nov. 16, 1957 Celtics's all-time leading rebounder (21,620, 22.5 rpg) in 963 games; second best in history Holds career playoff record for most rebounds (4,104, 24.9 rpg) in 165 games Holds NBA Finals record for highest rebound per game average (29.5 rpg, 1959) and by a rookie (22.9 rpg, 1957) Holds NBA Finals single-game record for most free throws attempted in one half (15, April 11, 1961) vs. St. Louis; most rebounds (40, March 29, 1960 vs. St. Louis and April 18, 1962 vs. Los Angeles); most rebounds by a rookie (32, April 13, 1967 vs. St. Louis); and most rebounds in a quarter (19, April 18, 1962 vs. Los Angeles) Grabbed a career-high 51 rebounds vs. Syracuse (Feb. 5, 1960), making him one of two players ever (Wilt Chamberlain) to grab more than 50 boards in a game Had seven games with 40 or more rebounds Led the NBA in rebounding in first three seasons (19.6, 22.7, 23.0) and five times overall Led the NBA in minutes played (1959, 42.5 mpg) and in 1965 (44.5 mpg) Scored 14,522 points (15.1 ppg) in his career and averaged 16.2 ppg in 165 playoff games Declared Greatest Player in the History of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America (1980)[/b] NBA 25th Anniversary All-Time Team (1970) NBA 35th Anniversary All-Time Team (1980) NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)
Head Coachin jobs NBA Boston Celtics, player/head coach (1966-69[/b] NBA Seattle Supersonics (1973-77) NBA Sacramento Kings (1987-88) Led Boston to NBA championships (1968, 1969) Seattle lost to Phoenix in Western Conference semifinals (1976) Compiled a 341-290 record (.540) in eight seasons
Wilt Chamberlain:
Overbrook (PA) High School (1951-55) All-America (1955) Scored 90 points, including 60 points in a 10-minute span against Roxborough High School Led Overbrook to City Championships (1954, 1955) Scored 800 points in his first 16 games (1955) Scored 2,252 points in high school career
University of Kansas (1955-58) Unanimous First Team All-America (1957, 1958) The Sporting News First Team All-America (1958) Played two seasons at Kansas and scored 1,433 points (29.9 ppg), grabbing 877 rebounds (18.3 rpg) in 48 varsity games Scored 52 points against Northwestern (1957) Grabbed 36 rebounds against Iowa (1958) NCAA Tournament MVP (1957) Led Kansas to the 1957 championship game, a 54-53 triple overtime loss to North Carolina coached by Hall of Famer Frank McGuire Led Kansas to Big Seven championships (1957, 1958) All-Big Seven (1957, 1958)
Harlem Globetrotters (1958-59) NBA Philadelphia Warriors (1959-62) NBA San Francisco Warriors (1963-64) NBA Philadelphia 76ers (1964-68) NBA Los Angeles Lakers (1968-73) NBA Rookie of the Year (1960) NBA Most Valuable Player (1960, 1966, 1967, 1968) All-NBA First Team (1960-62, 1964-68) All-NBA Second Team (1963, 1965, 1972) NBA All-Defensive First Team (1972, 1973) NBA Finals MVP (1972) Holds the NBA Finals record for most rebounds (41, April 5, 1967 vs. Boston) Scored 53 points as a rookie against Syracuse (March 14, 1960) NBA All-Star Game MVP (1960), after scoring 23 points with 25 rebounds Thirteen-time NBA All-Star (1960-69, 1971-73) Holds the career All-Star Game record for most rebounds (197) Holds the single-game All-Star record for most points (42) in 1962 NBA championships with the Philadelphia 76ers (1967) and Los Angeles Lakers (1972) Scored 31,419 points (30.1 ppg) in 1,045 pro games, best in the league when he retired; currently second all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Led the NBA in scoring seven straight years (1960-66), including a career-high 50.4 ppg in 1962 Holds single game record for points in one game (100, March 2, 1962) against the New York Knicks in Hershey, PA Scored 78 points against Los Angeles in three overtimes (Dec. 8, 1961) Scored 73 points vs. Chicago (Jan. 13, 1962) Scored 72 points against Los Angeles (Nov. 3, 1962) Scored 50 or more points 118 times Scored 50 or more points 45 times in the 1961-62 season, including seven consecutively (Dec. 16-29, 1961) Scored 40 points or more 271 times Scored 40 or more points 63 times in the 1961-62 season; 52 times in the 1962-63 season Scored 40 or more points 14 straight times (Dec. 8-30, 1961) Scored 30 or more points 65 straight times (Nov. 4, 1961 - Feb. 22, 1962); had a 31-game and a 25-game 30-point streak Holds single-game record for most points by a rookie (58, Jan. 25, 1960 vs. the Detroit Pistons) Made 35 consecutive shots (Feb. 17-28, 1967) Went 18 of 18 from the field against the Baltimore Bullets (Feb. 24, 1967) Led the league in field goal percentage nine times (1961, 1963, 1965-69, 1972) Holds record for most free throws attempted (11,862) Grabbed 23,924 rebounds (22.9 rpg), best in history in both number and per game average Holds seasonal records for most minutes (3,338, 41.7 mpg), most points (4,029), points per game (50.4), field goals made (1,597) and field goals attempted (3,159), all in 1962 Holds the rookie record for most points (2,707, 37.6 ppg) and rebounds (1,941, 27.0 rpg) in 1960 Led the league in rebounding 11 times (1960-63, 1966-69, 1971-73) Led the league in minutes seven times (1961-64, 1966-68) In the 1968 season, averaged 24.3 ppg, 23.8 rpg and 8.3 assists per game NBA 35th Anniversary All-Time Team (1980) NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996) Ranks second all-time in scoring with 31,419 points (30.1 ppg) Ranks second all-time in rebounding 23,924 rebounds (22.9 rpg)
I have never accepted the argument that a dude is a superior player just because he has a lot of championships- that does count for something, but schitt, how many rings does Steve Kerr or Luc Longley or Robert Horry have? Players get rings because of what the TEAM as a whole accomplishes, not because of any one individual. Head to head, Chamberlain was just superior to Russell. NOBODY was close to Wilt in his prime- the numbers don't lie.
At the same time Phil, Longley, Kerr, et al. are role players. They didn't decide series and were never the focus of their teams. Wilt and Russell were not only superstars but the leaders of their teams out on the court. Wilt was one of the most unstoppable forces on offense ever, but Russell was a better defender and won more.
6)La Lakers.....The Zen master is back...Bynum will be a beast in 3 or 4 years..rebuilding for a push in 3 years but management wont admit it
LAMAR is still a TOTAL SCRUB. I'm really sick of this guy. His entry passes into the low-post are LAZY. His isolation moves are predictable and weak. He's abesent-minded and DOESN'T PLAY D. I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH, HE IS INCAPABLE OF COVERING HIS OWN MAN[/b] (much less provide help defense). Mitch Kupchak obviously is a wackass GM that does not know basketball.
Is anybody else running on the fastbreak besides Kobe?
I like Smush Parker's tempo and feel for the game. He will be a VERY good partner for Kobe.
Denver will have over 100points tonight. Lakers may or may not win.
how's that for opening night pessimism?!
IF I STOP WATCHING THE LAKERS THIS SEASON AGAIN, IT IS BECAUSE OF LAMAR F***** ODOM. There is a reason why he posts 15 and 10, but teams wanna trade him. The faster management realizes this, the faster the Lakers will be back on track to go after another ring.
I have never accepted the argument that a dude is a superior player just because he has a lot of championships- that does count for something, but schitt, how many rings does Steve Kerr or Luc Longley or Robert Horry have? Players get rings because of what the TEAM as a whole accomplishes, not because of any one individual. Head to head, Chamberlain was just superior to Russell. NOBODY was close to Wilt in his prime- the numbers don't lie.
At the same time Phil, Longley, Kerr, et al. are role players. They didn't decide series and were never the focus of their teams. Wilt and Russell were not only superstars but the leaders of their teams out on the court. Wilt was one of the most unstoppable forces on offense ever, but Russell was a better defender and won more.
Well, we're probably just never gonna agree on this (an Oakland / Philly thang, I guess ). Still, Russell may be better known as a defensive player than Wilt, but again, the numbers don't lie- 28.7 and 28.7 vs. 14.5 and 23.7. Who defended who better in those match-ups? To me, Russell WAS a role player, and I don't mean that in a bad way. He had the biggest role on those Celtic teams, but still, he played his role and did what was needed in the Celtics' solid team concept, whereas Wilt for most of his career had a very mediocre cast surrounding him and suspect coaching. When he did have a real team around him Wilt won some championships, too (he was hurt in game 7 one of those years with the Lakers, otherwise he probably would've won that season as well). Russell being a better player is not the reason he has more rings than Chamberlain. I think dudes just hatt on Dip because he was baggin' all those chicks back in the day!
100 POINTS IN A GAME.
55 REBOUNDS IN A GAME.
50.4 PPG AND 25.7 RPG IN A SEASON.
UNFUKWITTABLE, MANG!!![/b]
Bill Russell WAS a bad muthaf***a, though... just not as bad as Dip, that's all. I WILL give him this title, though...
i think yao ming needs to step the fuck up and grow a pair that reflects his stature.
if people are still expecting him to be the next Shaq, that isn't gonna happen. how many 7'6"s have succeeded in the league? Yao is a fine player IMO.
SMUSH PARKER. this year's caron butler. perhaps more versatile. the perfect compliment for Kobe's efficient, high-tempo game. AND DID YOU SEE THAT STUFF ON ANDRE MILLER???!
And have you seen the defense in this game? It's anyone's game. After all the talk about the Lakers putting more emphasis on Defense and using the Triangle to dictate the tempo of the game it looks like run and game for most of the game from both teams. The defense is pretty pathetic on both sides.
i didn't see ONE play from Lamar Odom that I liked.
i mean, SERIOUSLY FOLKS, 2 min. left in the game, Lakers down by 5. This fool is standing UPRIGHT, not the ideal defensive posture (if you actually wanna stop your opponent). not to mention, the half-ass help on a screen.
On the other hand, Smush Parker. I don't know his history, but damn, this fool is composed and FOCUSED. I LOVE THIS FOOL. He plays good defense too.
i didn't see ONE play from Lamar Odom that I liked.
i mean, SERIOUSLY FOLKS, 2 min. left in the game, Lakers down by 5. This fool is standing UPRIGHT, not the ideal defensive posture (if you actually wanna stop your opponent). not to mention, the half-ass help on a screen.
On the other hand, Smush Parker. I don't know his history, but damn, this fool is composed and FOCUSED. I LOVE THIS FOOL. He plays good defense too.
Watching this shit in overtime nice to see a Lakers team with some fight in it Smush is gonna be the new small-time-turned-big-time dude for the lakers
Comments
Diogu is out for at least the first two weeks of the season I think. They just re-x-rayed his hand and his fracture is worse then they thought. He basically missed all of training camp and the exhibition game so even when he's healthy he probably won't play that much because he has so much to learn. And yes Richardson is a good rebounder, but they're still pitiful on the boards and will be the number one reason why if they don't make the post-season.
i think people are making a little too much of this. brown was a PG, is hard on his PGs, and knows how to maximize their abilities. people forget that chauncey billups was a journeyman backup PG with a shoot-first mentality before he arrived in detroit. he was streaky as hell and shot 3's indiscriminately. brown worked him into a system and turned him into the finals MVP. and anyone who's been paying even the slightest bit of attention to the league knows that stephon has much, much more raw talent than chauncey (that's no disrespect to chauncey, but in terms of sheer basketball skills stephon is among the elite).
my knicks are going to go through quite a few growing pains, but i like the look of our future. i'm hoping we put an end to all the trades/moves and let our core develop. isiah has assembled some great talent with very few resources - our draft class is looking great so far, especially david lee - and i like the mix of veterans and youngsters we have. i would be thrilled with a 7 or 8 seed this year (not expecting anything though), but i do think we're going to start being much more competitive and should improve over the next 3-4 years.
i can't really get through all the comments .. have no energy because i'm getting my ass handed to me this week at work .. dont ever become a trader .. but i will say a few things - edpowers, you're wayyyyyyyyy off about boston. they're not even going to make the playoffs this year. milwaukee is underrated ... tj ford .. university of texas dudes .. kid is special and i'm still upset the knicks didnt draft him .. media gives him no love, calls him undersized .......
lebron for MVP
after more research today you're right...i have Boston way too high and Milwaukee does look very good......
and as far as Wilt and Oscar..i stand by my ranking
(Especially with Wilt... if he isn't #1 all time he is DEFINITELY #2, case closed)
Seriously:
even for undigital comcasters?
not sure
This cat is good to come through in the clutch. Sometimes he dosn't do shit all season but saves teams when it matters
1)Jordan[/b]....#1 ..nuff said
2)Magic[/b].....the ring master...probably the best all around player to ever play the game
3)Bird[/b].....if everyone agrees that the 80's were the golden era of basketball then the 2nd best player during that era has to be in the top five....the only thing that stopped Bird from 2 more titles was Magic...
4)Jerry[/b]......Mr basketball...saved Wilt's ass many times...those were West's Laker teams...NOT Wilt's
5)Kareem[/b].....i'm willing to listen to the arguement that Wilt was better than Kareem...if you believe Wilt was better than Kareem then PLEASE tell why...in my opinion Kareem is the best center of all time
6)Russell[/b]....he owned Wilt...changed the game...has a house full of rings...controlled an entire league with defense alone
7)Oscar[/b]....o'k maybe Wilt was better than Oscar...but Oscar was still a BEAST...
My man... not taking anything away from Russell, because he most def was the engine on a team that won like, what, 10 of 11 titles or something like that? That's crazy. But understand, his greatest accomplishments were TEAM accomplishments. You think if Wilt was on those Boston teams instead of Russell that Wilt wouldn't be the one with those 10 rings? Would Russell have won with any of the teams that Wilt was on other than maybe that 66-67 Sixers team? Although Russell did win the championships, Wilt used to DESTROY Russell in head to head matchups.
In sports you have great players and then you have 2 dudes (possibly others in some of the sports that I'm not as familiar with) who were SO overwhelming that you almost have to look at them as mythical figures. One is Babe Ruth in baseball. The other is Wilt Chamberlain in basketball. 100 points in a game. 55 rebounds in a game. Averaged 50.4 ppg and 25.7 rebounds one season (and averaged 39.5 ppg and 24.9 rpg for his first seven seasons. This is, like, impossible schitt here.
And as Wilt used to say himself, the NBA instituted rule changes to increase scoring that actually helped Jordan do a lot of things he did. With Wilt, he was killing the league so bad that they put in rules to slow him down as much as humanly possible, like widening the lane and other schitt, just so it would be a little fairer. I could go on and on about the ridiculous stuff Wilt did in his day, but it can all be googled up easily if you want to do the knowledge.
Jordan, I may give you him as #1. And that's a BIG maybe. But as great as those other players on your list are, nobody else should be mentioned anywhere close to Wilt.
To me, I'd put Russell at number 1 since he has the most wins, was probably one of the best defensive players ever, and played great team ball.
After that it's all up in the air between people like Wilt, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Jordan. I would probably put Kareem before Wilt however. He won more as well,had THE most unstoppale shot in NBA history (Sky Hook!), played for great UCLA teams, and they banned dunking in the NCAAs because of him!
What I will give Wilt is that he as probably the greatest all around athlete out of all of them. Was a high jumper, played professional volleyball
Well, the Celtics were a great team, there's no question about that. If we're talking about teams, yeah... you put Russell's teams ahead of Wilt's in almost every year they went at each other. But we're talking about who was the better player between Chamberlain or Russell, and it's really not even close. In head to head match ups Wilt outscored Bill 28.7 to 14.5 and outrebounded him 28.7 to 23.7 (do those numbers really suggest that Russell owned Wilt, mentally or physically?). Of course, Russell's Celts beat Wilt's teams 87-55, but you certainly can't blame those losses on Wilt; if you're putting up 28.7 and 28.7 per game I would say you are doing your part, no?
I have never accepted the argument that a dude is a superior player just because he has a lot of championships- that does count for something, but schitt, how many rings does Steve Kerr or Luc Longley or Robert Horry have? Players get rings because of what the TEAM as a whole accomplishes, not because of any one individual. Head to head, Chamberlain was just superior to Russell. NOBODY was close to Wilt in his prime- the numbers don't lie.
Bill Russell:
McClymonds High School 1948-52
All-State (1956)
All-Conference (1951, 1952)
Univ. of San Francisco 1952-56
Four-year letter winner under Hall of Fame coach Phil Woolpert All-America (1956)
Led San Francisco to back-to-back NCAA championships (1955, 1956)[/b]
Along with Hall of Fame teammate K.C. Jones, led USF to 55 straight wins and two straight undefeated seasons[/b]
USA Player of the Year (1956)
Scored 1,636 points (20.7 ppg) and grabbed 1,606 rebounds (20.3 rpg) in 79 games
Two-time All-Conference, State, District and American
NCAA Most Outstanding Player (1955)
Member, gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic Team (1956)
Boston Celtics 1956-69
Won an amazing 11 NBA championships[/b] with Boston Celtics in 13 seasons (1957, 1959-66, 1968-69)
NBA Most Valuable Player (1958, 1961-63, 1965)
All-NBA First Team (1959, 1963, 1965)
All-NBA Second Team (1958, 1960-62, 1964, 1966-68)
NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969)
Twelve-time NBA All-Star (1958-69)
MVP All-Star Game (1963) after 19 points and 24 rebounds
Holds the NBA single-game record for most rebounds in a half (32) vs. Philadelphia on Nov. 16, 1957
Celtics's all-time leading rebounder (21,620, 22.5 rpg) in 963 games; second best in history
Holds career playoff record for most rebounds (4,104, 24.9 rpg) in 165 games
Holds NBA Finals record for highest rebound per game average (29.5 rpg, 1959) and by a rookie (22.9 rpg, 1957)
Holds NBA Finals single-game record for most free throws attempted in one half (15, April 11, 1961) vs. St. Louis; most rebounds (40, March 29, 1960 vs. St. Louis and April 18, 1962 vs. Los Angeles); most rebounds by a rookie (32, April 13, 1967 vs. St. Louis); and most rebounds in a quarter (19, April 18, 1962 vs. Los Angeles)
Grabbed a career-high 51 rebounds vs. Syracuse (Feb. 5, 1960), making him one of two players ever (Wilt Chamberlain) to grab more than 50 boards in a game
Had seven games with 40 or more rebounds
Led the NBA in rebounding in first three seasons (19.6, 22.7, 23.0) and five times overall
Led the NBA in minutes played (1959, 42.5 mpg) and in 1965 (44.5 mpg)
Scored 14,522 points (15.1 ppg) in his career and averaged 16.2 ppg in 165 playoff games
Declared Greatest Player in the History of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America (1980)[/b]
NBA 25th Anniversary All-Time Team (1970)
NBA 35th Anniversary All-Time Team (1980)
NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)
Head Coachin jobs
NBA Boston Celtics, player/head coach (1966-69[/b]
NBA Seattle Supersonics (1973-77)
NBA Sacramento Kings (1987-88)
Led Boston to NBA championships (1968, 1969)
Seattle lost to Phoenix in Western Conference semifinals (1976)
Compiled a 341-290 record (.540) in eight seasons
Wilt Chamberlain:
Overbrook (PA) High School (1951-55)
All-America (1955)
Scored 90 points, including 60 points in a 10-minute span against Roxborough High School
Led Overbrook to City Championships (1954, 1955)
Scored 800 points in his first 16 games (1955)
Scored 2,252 points in high school career
University of Kansas (1955-58)
Unanimous First Team All-America (1957, 1958)
The Sporting News First Team All-America (1958)
Played two seasons at Kansas and scored 1,433 points (29.9 ppg), grabbing 877 rebounds (18.3 rpg) in 48 varsity games
Scored 52 points against Northwestern (1957)
Grabbed 36 rebounds against Iowa (1958)
NCAA Tournament MVP (1957)
Led Kansas to the 1957 championship game, a 54-53 triple overtime loss to North Carolina coached by Hall of Famer Frank McGuire
Led Kansas to Big Seven championships (1957, 1958)
All-Big Seven (1957, 1958)
Harlem Globetrotters (1958-59)
NBA Philadelphia Warriors (1959-62)
NBA San Francisco Warriors (1963-64)
NBA Philadelphia 76ers (1964-68)
NBA Los Angeles Lakers (1968-73)
NBA Rookie of the Year (1960)
NBA Most Valuable Player (1960, 1966, 1967, 1968)
All-NBA First Team (1960-62, 1964-68)
All-NBA Second Team (1963, 1965, 1972)
NBA All-Defensive First Team (1972, 1973)
NBA Finals MVP (1972)
Holds the NBA Finals record for most rebounds (41, April 5, 1967 vs. Boston)
Scored 53 points as a rookie against Syracuse (March 14, 1960)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (1960), after scoring 23 points with 25 rebounds
Thirteen-time NBA All-Star (1960-69, 1971-73)
Holds the career All-Star Game record for most rebounds (197)
Holds the single-game All-Star record for most points (42) in 1962
NBA championships with the Philadelphia 76ers (1967) and Los Angeles Lakers (1972)
Scored 31,419 points (30.1 ppg) in 1,045 pro games, best in the league when he retired; currently second all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Led the NBA in scoring seven straight years (1960-66), including a career-high 50.4 ppg in 1962
Holds single game record for points in one game (100, March 2, 1962) against the New York Knicks in Hershey, PA
Scored 78 points against Los Angeles in three overtimes (Dec. 8, 1961)
Scored 73 points vs. Chicago (Jan. 13, 1962)
Scored 72 points against Los Angeles (Nov. 3, 1962)
Scored 50 or more points 118 times
Scored 50 or more points 45 times in the 1961-62 season, including seven consecutively (Dec. 16-29, 1961)
Scored 40 points or more 271 times
Scored 40 or more points 63 times in the 1961-62 season; 52 times in the 1962-63 season
Scored 40 or more points 14 straight times (Dec. 8-30, 1961)
Scored 30 or more points 65 straight times (Nov. 4, 1961 - Feb. 22, 1962); had a 31-game and a 25-game 30-point streak
Holds single-game record for most points by a rookie (58, Jan. 25, 1960 vs. the Detroit Pistons)
Made 35 consecutive shots (Feb. 17-28, 1967)
Went 18 of 18 from the field against the Baltimore Bullets (Feb. 24, 1967)
Led the league in field goal percentage nine times (1961, 1963, 1965-69, 1972)
Holds record for most free throws attempted (11,862)
Grabbed 23,924 rebounds (22.9 rpg), best in history in both number and per game average
Holds seasonal records for most minutes (3,338, 41.7 mpg), most points (4,029), points per game (50.4), field goals made (1,597) and field goals attempted (3,159), all in 1962
Holds the rookie record for most points (2,707, 37.6 ppg) and rebounds (1,941, 27.0 rpg) in 1960
Led the league in rebounding 11 times (1960-63, 1966-69, 1971-73)
Led the league in minutes seven times (1961-64, 1966-68)
In the 1968 season, averaged 24.3 ppg, 23.8 rpg and 8.3 assists per game
NBA 35th Anniversary All-Time Team (1980)
NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)
Ranks second all-time in scoring with 31,419 points (30.1 ppg)
Ranks second all-time in rebounding 23,924 rebounds (22.9 rpg)
At the same time Phil, Longley, Kerr, et al. are role players. They didn't decide series and were never the focus of their teams. Wilt and Russell were not only superstars but the leaders of their teams out on the court. Wilt was one of the most unstoppable forces on offense ever, but Russell was a better defender and won more.
LAMAR is still a TOTAL SCRUB. I'm really sick of this guy. His entry passes into the low-post are LAZY. His isolation moves are predictable and weak.
He's abesent-minded and DOESN'T PLAY D. I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH, HE IS INCAPABLE OF COVERING HIS OWN MAN[/b] (much less provide help defense). Mitch Kupchak obviously is a wackass GM that does not know basketball.
Is anybody else running on the fastbreak besides Kobe?
I like Smush Parker's tempo and feel for the game. He will be a VERY good partner for Kobe.
Denver will have over 100points tonight. Lakers may or may not win.
how's that for opening night pessimism?!
IF I STOP WATCHING THE LAKERS THIS SEASON AGAIN, IT IS BECAUSE OF LAMAR F***** ODOM. There is a reason why he posts 15 and 10, but teams wanna trade him. The faster management realizes this, the faster the Lakers will be back on track to go after another ring.
Well, we're probably just never gonna agree on this (an Oakland / Philly thang, I guess
100 POINTS IN A GAME.
55 REBOUNDS IN A GAME.
50.4 PPG AND 25.7 RPG IN A SEASON.
UNFUKWITTABLE, MANG!!![/b]
Bill Russell WAS a bad muthaf***a, though... just not as bad as Dip, that's all. I WILL give him this title, though...
if people are still expecting him to be the next Shaq, that isn't gonna happen. how many 7'6"s have succeeded in the league? Yao is a fine player IMO.
SMUSH PARKER. this year's caron butler. perhaps more versatile. the perfect compliment for Kobe's efficient, high-tempo game. AND DID YOU SEE THAT STUFF ON ANDRE MILLER???!
i mean, SERIOUSLY FOLKS, 2 min. left in the game, Lakers down by 5. This fool is standing UPRIGHT, not the ideal defensive posture (if you actually wanna stop your opponent). not to mention, the half-ass help on a screen.
On the other hand, Smush Parker. I don't know his history, but damn, this fool is composed and FOCUSED. I LOVE THIS FOOL. He plays good defense too.
yeah,yeah i know....its early
Watching this shit in overtime nice to see a Lakers team with some fight in it
Smush is gonna be the new small-time-turned-big-time dude for the lakers
but did you just see that block by Kobe on Camby???
and how many Lakers were down for that transition defense sequence?
I'm pretty sure, Lamar wasn't.
hi.
triple coverage on #8, J over 2 defenders. Lakers up by 1, 0.6seconds remaining!!!!!!!!
single-handedly.
i am still a believer.
if there was a category for "clutch shots", all i could say is, he's climbing up exponentially.