[TRC1991Participant]

Rank Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Elvin Hayes and Bob Pettit 1-7

 

Kevin Garnett: (19.3 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 4 apg, 1.5 bpg, 1.3 spg, 58% FG, 79% FT)

– 1x NBA Champion
– 14-time NBA All-Star
– 1x NBA MVP
– 1x NBA Defensive Player of the Year
– NBA All-Rookie Team
– 9x All-NBA selection
– 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection

 

Dirk Nowitzki: (22.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1 bpg, 48% FG, 38% FT, 90% FT)

– 1x NBA Champion
– 1x NBA MVP
– 1x NBA Finals MVP
– 10x NBA All-Star
– 11x All-NBA selection

 

Tim Duncan (20.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.2 bpg, 51% FG, 69% FT)

– 4x NBA Champion
– 2x NBA MVP
– 13x All-NBA selection
– 13x NBA All-Defensive Team selection
– 13x NBA All-Star
– NBA Rookie of the Year
– NBA All-Rookie Team

 

Charles Barkley (22.1 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.5 spg, 54% FG, 74% FT)

– Hall of Fame
– 1x NBA MVP
– 11x NBA All-Star
– NBA All-Rookie Team
– 11x All-NBA selection

 

Karl Malone (25 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 52% FG, 74% FT)

– Hall of Fame
– 2^nd all-time in points scored
– 1x NBA MVP
– 11x NBA All-Star
– NBA All-Rookie Team
– 11-time All-NBA selection

 

Bob Pettitt (26.4 ppg, 16.2 rpg, 3 apg, 44% FG, 76% FT)

– Hall of Fame
– 1x NBA Champion
– seventh all-time in points per game in NBA history
– third all-time in rebounds per game in NBA history
– 11x NBA All-Star
– NBA Rookie of the Year
– 2x MVP
– 11x All-NBA selection

 

Elvin Hayes (21 ppg, 12.5 apg, 1.8 apg, 2 bpg, 1 spg, 45% FG, 67% FT)

– Hall of Fame
– 1x NBA Champion
– fourth all-time in total rebounds in NBA history
– eighth all-time in points in NBA history
– 12x NBA All-Star
– 6x All-NBA selection
– 2x NBA All-Defensive Team selection
– NBA All-Rookie Team

[bobbybParticipant]

Too many different eras, playing styles, None of these players are similar.  They are all greats.

[llperez]

well i didnt see petit or hayes play. I have studied up on them some and i do know that before the barkley/malone debate of all time great pf in the 90’s, petiti was widely considered the greatest pf ever. When the boston celtics won 10 rings in 11 years, it was petit’s team they lost to in the finals. For this, i think he is the number 4 pf all-time obviously based on his era simlar to how guys like bill russell, oscar robertson and jerry west would struggle big time trying to play in todays game but get respect for doing what they did when they did it.

So as for your list:

1-tim duncan

2-karl malone

3-charles barkley

4-bob petit

5-kevin garnett

6-dirk nowitzki

7-elvin hayes

[HaleParticipant]

 For what it’s worth, what Barkley did was by far the most incredible considering his serious lack of height. 

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

Never watched Petit or Hayes but ranking the other 5 guys, this is what I’ve got.

5. Dirk Nowitzki

4. Kevin Garnett

3. Charles Barkley

2. Karl Malone

1. Tim Duncan

 

[BenchWarmerParticipant]

In my downtime I read stats… Kg has never shot 58 % in a season let alone his career but.
Timmy
Karl
Kg
Barkley
Dirk

[Lebron’s HairlineParticipant]

 Dirk: best shooter ever for a pf, Duncan best leader out of all of them, Malone best scorer, kg best all around player and versatile, Barkley toughest and probably the most talented considering he was 6’5 but dominated the glass and could score. Can’t speak for Hayes or Pettit they were before my time

[blood]

 is the best PFever,and this thread was on this site like 3-4 times in last 3 months…can we discuss something else 

[Krypt14Participant]

 Pretty much in agreement with llperez and Tongue out like 23. Karl Malone was awesome on a level that KG and Dirk were not, and no championship can change that. However, KG is a very close third to Malone due to his all round game. 6APG in a season for a power forward is incredible. Duncan’s all round game and his championships put him at #1 in my mind.

 

On another note I would love to see how all of them in their prime would match up!

[corneggParticipant]

You can’t rank these players.

They’re all pretty much the same and in diffrent eras.

[ItsVictorOladipoParticipant]

I find it pretty hard to include Petit and Hayes in this discussion because the eras they excelled in were so different than the modern era (mid 80s on). Instead of Petit and Hayes, I feel Kevin McHale should be included, he won 3 titles, was a very good defender and was one of the most skilled PFs I have ever seen.

Now McHale’s career statistics might pale in comparison to the rest of the guys on the list but it’s important to keep in mind that unlike everyone else he was never the focal point of his offensive system (Even when he averaged 26.1 PPG in 1987 he was the second option for the Celtics). Also, since he played the same position as a guy named Larry Bird (Bird played PF in the early 80s) he didn’t really get a chance to start till he was 28 and he didn’t get significant playing time or shots at the basket till he was 26. If McHale had played on a worse team he probably would’ve won fewer championships but he would certainly been able to inflate his stats.

Kevin McHale (17.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 55% FG, 80% FT)

3 Time NBA champion

7 Time NBA All-Star

2 Time NBA Sixth Man of The Year

6 Time NBA All-Defensive Team Selection

NBA All-Rookie Team

Anyway here’s my ranking of the modern era guys:

1. Tim Duncan: A winner, and a dominant player on both ends of the court he is the ultimate team player willing to sacrifice personal accomplishments for the good of the team.

2. Karl Malone: The best PF I have ever seen offensively (and the best player in his late 30s I have ever seen including MJ and Abdul-Jabbar), he was also an underrated defender and a good passer, especially later in his career. His lack of championships hurts him, moreso because he played with some very talented Jazz teams.

3. Kevin Garnett: A terrific all-around player, Garnett could post up, shoot, handle the rock, pass, rebound, defend on the perimiter and protect the basket. Not the winnner Duncan has been, or as assertive offensively as most of the guys on the list but a great player regardless.

4. Charles Barkley: The foil to Malone, Barkley will be remembered for a long time. A very good all-around player in his own right, Barkley was an awesome offensive force, the best inch for inch rebounder I have ever seen and also an incredible ball-handler and passer for his size and position (Most people forget that he averaged over 4 APG in nine different seasons and used to dribble coast to coast and either beat smaller guards for the layup or make ridiculous passes on a weekly basis when he was in his prime). Due to his height and his conditioning his defense was never the best though, and that’s why he sits just behind KG in my opinion.

5. Kevin McHale: Yep, I’m probably going to be negged for this but I think he was better than Nowitzi. Career stats and All-NBA team selections will obviously disagree with me but I feel McHale was better defensively and could’ve been just as dangerous offensively if he was the first option on a team like the Mavs (as far as I’m concerned averaging 17.9 PPG on 12.7 FGA is just as impressive as averaging 22.9 PPG on 16.8 FGA). His post moves were perhaps the best I’ve ever seen for a PF.

6. Dirk Nowitzki: Dirk Digger is a a great player, the iconic Mav, the greatest shooting PF of all time, an amazing player offensively and an underrated rebounder (8.3 RPG over his career and 5 seasons over 9 RPG is pretty good for a guy who didn’t make his living in the low post). However after winning a championship last year I feel like a few of his weaknesses might be getting overlooked. Dirk was pretty soft for most of his career and was a not a good defender. I am glad that he has shed those labels but personally I still wouldn’t rank him ahead of McHale.

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