10 best players I have seen in my time watching the NBA

[Booze Hound]

IMO neither Payton or Kidd are 'locks' for the Hall Of Fame. They may well get in but don't bet the house on it.

Stockton will probably ask for his nomination to be held back until Malone is eligible. They should go in together.

 

[jod23]

Stockton was a good passer. Not a great passer. Well actually he was a great passer but he just did it in an extremely boring fashion. Stockton could run a slow half court offense as good as anyone in the league. He was also an out an out thief, he could steal the ball from anyone. He was a great competitor and he played hard. Extremely durable, playing for 19 year and in 17 of those years he played all 82 games.

However...

Stockton couldnt score. He was simply not a scorer. He couldnt create his own shot and you would never go into a Jazz game fearing that Stock would drop 50 on you. Stockton also couldnt rebound the basketball. Two fundamentally important things in the game of basketball, rebound and score and he couldnt do either particularly well. He does hold the all time assists record but he did play 600 more games than Magic???

Magic has a better career average of 11.2 to 10.5 and Magic did in style. He is also the all time leader in steals but again...he played hundreds of more games than anyone else. Average wise...you see him down at 8th all time. Stockton was also not a great one on one defender, he could steal the ball but that was mainly because of his reading of the play and fast hands. But he couldnt lock down a great scorer.

So my opinion on Stockton is that he was a great player, a HOFer but he never won anything. Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas were winners and therefore are streets ahead of Stockton.

Magic
Thomas
.
.
.
.
.
Stockton/Kidd/Payton

 

[Crow-mosone]

Stockton was a good passer. Not a great passer. Well actually he was a great passer but he just did it in an extremely boring fashion. Stockton could run a slow half court offense as good as anyone in the league. He was also an out an out thief, he could steal the ball from anyone. He was a great competitor and he played hard. Extremely durable, playing for 19 year and in 17 of those years he played all 82 games.

However...

Stockton couldnt score. He was simply not a scorer. He couldnt create his own shot and you would never go into a Jazz game fearing that Stock would drop 50 on you. Stockton also couldnt rebound the basketball. Two fundamentally important things in the game of basketball, rebound and score and he couldnt do either particularly well. He does hold the all time assists record but he did play 600 more games than Magic???

Magic has a better career average of 11.2 to 10.5 and Magic did in style. He is also the all time leader in steals but again...he played hundreds of more games than anyone else. Average wise...you see him down at 8th all time. Stockton was also not a great one on one defender, he could steal the ball but that was mainly because of his reading of the play and fast hands. But he couldnt lock down a great scorer.

So my opinion on Stockton is that he was a great player, a HOFer but he never won anything. Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas were winners and therefore are streets ahead of Stockton.

Magic
Thomas
.
.
.
.
.
Stockton/Kidd/Payton

I don't disagree with what much you said here. I think you underrate Kidd a mite, but hey.
Kidd will walk into the HOF backwards.

Stockton is a very fine player, but this doesn't mean he is the greatest player. If I was choosing a point I'd take Isiah and then Kidd. Magic was a great, great player but not always at point. he played all 5 positions, and he is certainly in my side, but maybe not as a pure point.

 

[Crow-mosone]

IMO neither Payton or Kidd are 'locks' for the Hall Of Fame. They may well get in but don't bet the house on it.

based on ...?

 

[jod23]

I don't disagree with what much you said here. I think you underrate Kidd a mite, but hey.
Kidd will walk into the HOF backwards.

Stockton is a very fine player, but this doesn't mean he is the greatest player. If I was choosing a point I'd take Isiah and then Kidd. Magic was a great, great player but not always at point. he played all 5 positions, and he is certainly in my side, but maybe not as a pure point.

Magic was a pure as you could get?? Nobody ran an offence or ran the break like Magic. So what if he was 6'9 and could play other positions, when it comes down to it, Magic was a PG and the best damn PG the game will ever see.

 

[Crow-mosone]

Magic was a pure as you could get?? Nobody ran an offence or ran the break like Magic. So what if he was 6'9 and could play other positions, when it comes down to it, Magic was a PG and the best damn PG the game will ever see.

I dunno, he wasn't pure in my understanding of the word. a great point guard in the showtime offence, for me he was a great player rather than strictly a 1.

If I recall he lined up at centre in the 84 finals (might be out on the year).

 

[blackcat]

Folks it might be noted that with history's page let... err getting carried away,

in history's passing, a player's aura can only magnify... Bob Cousy, the original "Pistol Pete" Havilcek, and "Easy" Ed Mcauley...

Mcauley actually a joke, first MVP of the all-star game if my memory serves me right...

Do you think Mcauley (could be double L btw) was nicknamed "easy" because he was the original groupie? And I don't mean to twist the paradigm on its ear!

Back to the thread, MJ for mine Akeem (original speeling, before he added an H" second...

Hakeem played as a soccer goalie (as I am sure 99% of you know) and I am wondering what part that played in his footwork... as a goalie, he would have undoubtedly been skilled in field play also.

Thinking the Pete Newell camp should have some cross training like soccer or kick boxing for footwork for the big lunks. Apologise profusely to big lunks.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Fair enough mate, we're going on the best we've seen, otherwise the likes of Cousy, Havlicek, West, Robertson, Monroe, Archibald etc would all come into the equation.

Sadly, although I don't really like the guy, it may take until after Kidd is close to retirement/retired before people truly appreciate his place among the alltime greats.

 

[Yze_Magic]

Listen to Jason Kidd tell it: "The best player at the point guard is still playing. He's 40 years old in Stockton. We all have to be patient until he retires. He holds the torch. He sets the standards. He still looks like he's 20 years old. He doesn't play the minutes of a 20-year-old. But when he's out on the court, he's very effective. Stockton is the best at what he does."




game, set , match Yze_Magic

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Why are other people's quotes clinching an argument of the best players we've seen? If the argument was the best player Barkley had seen, or the best player Kidd had seen, then you'd have it wrapped up.

But you seem to have trouble countering our personal arguments with ones of your own, instead resorting to what other people think. Do you want me to find quotes about Kidd and Payton to counter your quotes about Stockton?

 

[Crow-mosone]

Listen to Jason Kidd tell it: "The best player at the point guard is still playing. He's 40 years old in Stockton. We all have to be patient until he retires. He holds the torch. He sets the standards. He still looks like he's 20 years old. He doesn't play the minutes of a 20-year-old. But when he's out on the court, he's very effective. Stockton is the best at what he does."




game, set , match Yze_Magic

moron

 

[hoshmen1985]

1. Michael Jordan
2. Scottie Pippen
3. Larry Bird
4. Hakeem the Dream
5. Sir Charles
6. KG
7. Allen Iverson
8. Kobe Bryant
9. Clyde Drexler
10. Magic Johnson

These players I loved watching and when I get to watch the NBA I still look out for the ones that are left there.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

^ Good to see someone mention Glyde, very underrated. A phenomenal player who never gets the props he deserves when talking about the greatest guards.

 

[Yze_Magic]

Why are other people's quotes clinching an argument of the best players we've seen? If the argument was the best player Barkley had seen, or the best player Kidd had seen, then you'd have it wrapped up.

But you seem to have trouble countering our personal arguments with ones of your own, instead resorting to what other people think. Do you want me to find quotes about Kidd and Payton to counter your quotes about Stockton?

umm I am getting quotes from people who played against him for years, and who saw him game in and game out, and who actually play in the NBA

 

[Fall Out Boy]

umm I am getting quotes from people who played against him for years, and who saw him game in and game out, and who actually play in the NBA

It's all an act, it's got to be.

The thread is entitled '10 best players I have seen in my time watching the NBA', not '10 best players some former NBA players and analysts have seen in their time watching the NBA'.

See the difference?

 

[jerry springer]

6. Karl Malone. The Premier PF.

no love for tim??? not even in your top 10.....

 

[Yankee Magpie]

Not wanting to incite you but if Stockton and Malone were that good you'd think they'd have a ring. I'd put Stockton at 6. Malone would be my number 2 though.

I hate Stockton and Malone, but they were THAT good. Jordan was just that damn incredible. If he hadn't gone on walkabout in baseball the Bulls surely would've won 2 more titles. You could make arguments for both of them being the best ever at their respective position. Certainly they're both at least top 3 all time at their position.

 

[jerry springer]

couldnt run?

couldnt make his own shot?

NEVER MADE BIG PLAYS?


I can not believe the crap i hear on these boards

well what big plays did he make????? name one big one,sean elliot probably made more.......

 

[jerry springer]

and chris jent has more rings than both stockton and malone combined.....

 

[Yankee Magpie]

and chris jent has more rings than both stockton and malone combined.....

Every championship team has at least a couple of crap players. Will Purdue won rings with both Chicago and San Antonio, but he was a rubbish player. A lot of great players missed out on rings due to Jordan and the Bulls... Ewing, Payton, Stockton, Malone, etc.

 

[hoshmen1985]

and chris jent has more rings than both stockton and malone combined.....

lol mark madsen has more than them aswell now thats funny!!!

 

[Knowledge]

Reggie Miller should be on your list tragic

 

[CURVE]

no love for tim??? not even in your top 10.....

I'm sure one day I'll rate him, but at the moment I still think Malone, Barkley, Worthy and McHale are better PF's than Duncan. But maybe my empressions of past players are exaggerated somewhat by the passion I felt for the game as a teenager when these guys were the stars and I was playing for 4 or 5 hours every day.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

It's always easier to rate a guy after he's retired, rather than Duncan who's still got a good 6-7 years left in the game, and is right in his prime. Once Duncan retires, his name will go up in lights as an all-time great; his career achievements already measure up to the best, and there is still more to come.

 

[Daytripper]

1. Jordan
2. Magic
3. Bird
4. Malone
5. Isiah Thomas
6. Drexler
7. Shaq
8. Duncan
9. Ewing
10. Olajuwan

Apologies to :
Kobe, Stockton, Richmond, Robinson, Garnett, Iverson, Barclay and Dumars.

In 5 years, I'd expect Garnett, Kobe and LeBron to be in the top 10.