[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Keep it real… Regardless of era… Who are your top two players of all-time at each position and why?

[TONYDABOSS77Participant]

pg- magic johnson. . allowed byron scott to average 21 points in a season && is the all time leader in triple doubles
pg- oscar robertson. . averaged a triple double 6 times

sg- michael jordan. . mvp && defensive player of the year in 1988. . greatest ever
sg- kobe bryant. . a step below mj

sf- lebron james. . best all around player ever
sf- larry bird. . averaged 20,10,4 in like six str8 seasons

pf- kevin garnett. . can do everything
pf- tim duncan. . best post player ever

c- wilt chamberlain. . 100 points, 55 rebounds, led the nba in assists as a center
c- bill russell. . 11 rings. . started the defensive trend

[RoundballGuruParticipant]

Oscar was the man!!

[llperez]

center:

1)Wilt Chamberlain. He dominated his era with rediculous numbers.
2)Kareem Abdul Jabaar. Was a go to mvp candidate for about 20 seasons. Won at every level.

powerforward:

1)Karl Malone. His level of skill with passing, shooting and defense allowed him to play great basketball all the way until he was 40.
2)Tim Duncan. Would like to put him first, but he has diminshed at a much younger age then Malone.

smallforward:

1)Larry Bird. Unstoppable triple double machine who won 3 straight mvp’s.
2)LeBron James. I know a lot of people will rip on this pick, but the guy would be the second greatest sf ever if he retired tommorow in my book.

shooting gaurd:

1)Michael Jordan. He revolutionized the game and dominated his competition.
2)Kobe Bryant. As talented as anybody to ever play the game, but can’t put him ahead of Mike until we see where his career ends up.

point gaurd:

1)Magic Johnson. Could dominate a game without needing to score.
2)John Stockton. The defenition of pg. Zero weaknesses. Was always under control.

You could easily flip flop a lot of these guys. Very hard to leave off Russell, Robertson, Olajuwon, and Shaq.

[RoundballGuruParticipant]

Bill Russell on your list??

[RoundballGuruParticipant]

James Worthy was better than Larry Bird

[llperez]

If I was to subtract career accomplishments and just say who were the very best period, then my list would be:

centers- Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon

pf’s-Karl Malone and TIm Duncan (doesn’t change)

sf’s-LeBron James and a prime Grant Hill

sg’s-Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan(either guy could be first)

pg’s-Chris Paul, Gary Payton, and Steve Nash(I’m cheating and putting all 3 and you can put them in any order)

[TONYDABOSS77Participant]

pg- cp3
pg- gp

sg- mj
sg- kobe

sf- lebron
sf- t-mac

pf- karl malone
pf- tim duncan

c- wilt
c- hakeem

[RoundballGuruParticipant]

Top 2 Point Guards of all time: Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas

Top 2 Shooting Guards of all Time: Micheal Jordan and Jerry West

Top 2 Small Forwards of All Time: James Worthy and Lebron James

Top 2 Power Forwards of All Time: Kevin Garnett and Elvin Hayes

Top 2 Centers: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlin or Kareem Abul Jabar

Anything top that????

[RICO 1981Participant]

Man this is hard.

PG: Magic and the Big O: Magic was just clutch and as far as O, anybody that could avg a triple double is cool with me.

SG: Jordan and Kobe: The best two shooting guards period.

SF: Lebron and Pippen: Lebron is a game changer, a freak of nature, Pippen is the first true point forward and could defend

PF: Duncan and Barkley: Duncan is just a winner the best of all time more post moves than anyone, Barkley had more heart than anyone.

C: Kareem Abul Jabar and Shaq: Kareem was the most unstoppable scoreing threat ever, Shaq the most physical center ever.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Keeping it real… Regardless or era, rings and career accomplishments.

Center

1. Shaq – No way Russel, Wilt or Kareem could deal with a prime Shaq. Shaq is only 2nd to Jordan when it comes to the most dominant offensive force ever. You can argue for Wilt, but he played against a bunch of small guys.
2. The Dream – A better defender and had more offensive skill than Shaq, but wasn’t as dominate offensively. He’s 2nd to only Shaq as a center.

Power Forward

1. Timmy – During his prime, he was the best power forward I’d ever seen. Boring, but the best. He consistently dominated you in every facet of the game.
2. The Mailman – In my opinion… He, not LeBron, wins the award for the best body in NBA history. He was amazing physically. A prime Mailman would still be great in today’s game. He was also a great defender though he wasn’t a shot blocker.

Small Forward

1. LeBron – The greatest small forward already. Crazy, but it’s true. Hasn’t come close to reaching his peak.
2. Grant Hill – In his prime, he was amazing and was nearly a threat to reach a triple double every game. I’d take a prime Hill over Bird, Pippen, Dr. J and Nique.

Shooting Guard

1. MJ – He’s the great shooting guard ever. Regardless of time. He’d dominate any era. He’s the blueprint. The standard.
2. Kobe – Just as skilled as Jordan, but not as explosive/athletic. He can shoot the three and handle the ball better, but Jordan was the better defender and more competitive in my opinion.

Point Guard
1. John Stockton – He was a tough/hard nosed ass Steve Nash (shooting percentages and assists wise), but he played defense.
2. Isiah Thomas – He doesn’t get enough credit for how great he was because he isn’t well liked. He was a phenomenal player who was tough, competitive and fiesty in every way imaginable.

[Michael.S.Participant]

PG- Allen Iverson, and Magic Johnson
SG-Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant
SF-LeBron James and Tracy McGrady
PF-Tim Duncan, and Karl Malone
C- Wilt Chamberlain, and Shaq

[sameolGParticipant]

TONYDABOSS77 I wanna shake your hand for that first post

[Champzilla21Participant]

I think som people who are forgetting Kg played sf during his best years in Minnesota and wasnt really considered a pf untill he finally had some1 at his postion who was worth playing and now hes considered a pf at boston because pierce plays their and he can no longer keep up with the sf’s like he use too

[itsOvaParticipant]

Registered a long time ago, but only recently have been looking at the forum
and its one of the best place to talk bball
so.. heres mine

PG- Magic: at 6’9, he can play all 5 positions
Chris Paul: imagine what would he do if he was 6’3 or taller.
SG- MJ, and Kobe: both of them are on another level, others are not even close, however, MJ is still a level higher than Kobe.
SF- Larry Bird: never watched any of his games, but heard he was good
LeBron James: dont really like him personally, but couldnt think of anyone else at the moment
PF- Barkley: because he is 6’5, and still punishing alot of bigger guys
Tim, KG, and Malone, a tie: there are really alot of outstanding PFs in the history
C- Wilt: he scored 100 points, and averaged 50 points in a single season..
SHAQ: From his early days in Orlando, to his era in LA, he is the best player in the league after MJ left.

[whiteflashParticipant]

I’m sorry, but calling Lebron James the best all around player ever is f#@king retarded. There’s been multiple people in the modern era who’ve put up better all around stats, namely Jordan and Bird. Lebron can play and is a genetic anomally, but he’s certainly not the best all around player or small forward ever.

PG- Stockton [Barkley called him the most underated player in NBA history and the best pg of all time. Works for me.]
Isiah Thomas [Beat Magic in the finals, who had maybe the most stacked team of all time.]

SG-Jordan [greatest player of all time and it’s not even close. Look at some of his stats during his first 4-5 years in the league. He was on some NBA Live sh!t]
Kobe Bryant [The best scorer in NBA history. His 81 against Toronto in early ’06 is the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen in sports.]

SF-Bird [his game was on a level that only a few have reached and only one has passed.]
Dr.J [completely revolutionized the game. Came into the league a little older and a step slower and still dominated. Having big Mo there definitely helped.]

PF-Time Duncan [So basic. Nothing he does blows you away until you look at his resume. A game changer in the truest sense of the word.]
Barkley [6’5″, heavy set, rebounding and dunking machine. Nolan Richardson said “Aerodynamically, the bumblbee ain’t supposed to fly, but it does.” when describing Barkley.]

C- Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon [The smoothest, most fluid big man ever. Played during the NBA’s golden age for bigmen and dominated all of them, including Shaq.]
Shaq [The definition of physical specimen. Michael Jordan was once asked when was the last time he was intimated on the court, and he replied “The first time I played against Shaq. I stood next to him at center court and realized he could really hurt me if he wanted to.” Always thought that was a telling quote.]

Almost put Magic at pg and Karl Malone at the 4, but decided against it. As great as Magic was he was thrust into the ultimate situation. Anybody could’ve [should’ve] been able to take those teams to the finals. If Malone hadn’t have had Stockton his career wouldn’t have been as great.

[Adi Joseph]

1. Michael Jordan
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. Wilt Chamberlain
4. Bill Russell
5. Larry Bird
6. Magic Johnson
7. Shaquille O’Neal
8. Hakeem Olajuwon
9. Kobe Bryant
10. Jerry West
11. Tim Duncan
12. Moses Malone
13. Julius Erving (only if you include ABA career)
14. Oscar Robertson
15. Bob Pettit
16. Karl Malone
17. Elgin Baylor
18. John Havlicek
19. Kevin Garnett
20. George Mikan

As a sidenote from my own list, Basketball-Reference.com has a really interesting statistical measure to determine greatest players ever. http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/hof_prob_career.html

Note that ties aren’t actually ties, it’s just rounding that makes it look like ties. There’s definitely some major flaws. Players are overrated for winning a lot. But the list proves surprisingly accurate when you view basketball through a dialectic scope. 

[RUDEBOY]

Point Guards..Magic-No player in history made his teammates look better.Isaiah Thomas-best little man to ever play the game…
Shooting Guards.Jordan-His competiveness made him the best ever.Kobe-has a variety of offensive moves..shooting guard might be the only position you might not get an argue over who the top 2 are..
Small Forwards.Dr.J.-Changed the way the game is played..brought playground basketball to the professional ranks.Lebron-Might finish his career as best player ever
Power Forwards.Duncan-love him or hate him.either way.u have to admire how he plays the game.Garnett-even though he played small forward during his early years..his defensive prowness gives him the nod over Malone
Centers.Shaq-the most dominant big ever….and his larger than life personality brings in fans who aren’t fans of basketball
Kareem-Maybe the best big man ever…was unstoppable in the post

[PureshooterParticipant]

Starters first, followed by second string:

PG: Magic/Stockton
SG: Jordan/Kobe
SF: Lebron/Bird
PF: Duncan/Garnett
C: Kareem/Olajuwon

The center spot is definitely the toughest for me. Leaving off Shaq, Russell and Chamberlain seems crazy, but Russell didn’t have a great offensive game and Chamberlain and Shaq couldn’t shoot worth a damn and would be liabilities at the free throw line in crunch time.

[Author]

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