PostScript Sports

As we are in the dog days of the summer sports calendar. Now felt like as good of a time to roll out an updated all-time players ranking for the NBA. Today we jump in the list in reverse order and will rank the 41-50 greatest players of all time. Expect more detail as the list gets higher up. 

50

Bob McAdoo:

You’ll find on this list a prioritization of a few things. What was the peak of their career and how long did that last? How many championships, and for those championships what role did they play? Longevity and finally All-NBA and All-Star selections. McAdoo checks all of these. Like many stars of the 70’s McAdoo entered the league in 1972 as a 21 year old was ready to make a splash right away. The NBA’s second overall pick won the Rookie of The Year and just 2 years later won the leagues MVP with a split of 34/14/2 along with 3.3 Blocks and 1.2 steals. This era of the NBA and the counting stats can be highly correlated with the pace of play or at least to the amount of possessions each team was getting. In the 1970’s teams averaged about 106 possessions per game. To put that in perspective in the fast pace of todays NBA so far the 2020’s teams have averaged 99 possessions per game. This isn’t to take anything away from the stats of stars from the 70’s but provide context to the high volume of counting stats. To go along with McAdoo’s great start to his career and accolades in the 1970’s, McAdoo finished his career as the sixth man for the Lakers in the 80’s and won two championships. Many players of this era get lost in basketball history but McAdoo sure seems to have left his mark.

49

Dwight Howard:

Dwight Howard not being on the NBA 75 was in my opinion the biggest omission of the whole list. I understood current players not cracking the list that have a lot more career to go. But Dwight was the by far the best center in the league for nearly a decade. There have always been stories and frankly times I could see how Howard could be a difficult teammate, player to coach or someone for the media to interview. His bashful persona and overall seemingly jokey personality could definitely sour some. All of that can be true but his resume and what I watched in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s was the best center in the league and it didn’t feel close for 6 or 7 years. Selected first in the 2004 NBA Draft out of high school Dwight is one of the best athletes at the center position the NBA has ever seen. A strong frame, long arms and an ability to jump out of the gym made Howard a premier shot blocker, rim runner and rebounder. From the 07-08 season to the 12-13 season Howard led the NBA in rebound 5 out of 6 years and was Defensive Player of the Year three times. One thing of Howard’s defense I feel is overlooked is in his time in Orlando the rest of the team was not a strong defensive team. The guards and wings were able to play aggressive and knew even if their guy got by them they had Dwight to protect the rim behind them. Howard was a force, he lead his team to the Finals as by far the best player on that team. Though his offensive game never developed to that of some of the centers above him on this list Dwight was the best center in the league for a long time and that counts for a lot in my book.

48

Bill Walton:

Walton’s case is really simple for me. The peak he had was so high that even though he experienced an injury that derailed his career he left such a mark on the game that he can’t be left off this list. Sometimes I wonder about guys like Walton and if they played in todays game with better medical practices, better understandings of injury prevention and better shoes and equipment to play with. What would their careers look like? Walton came out of UCLA as the best prospect since Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) came out of the same school. In just his third year in the league Walton lead the Trail Blazers to their first and only NBA Championship in 1977. Known for his exceptional rebounding, passing and especially his outlet passing Walton lead the league in rebounds and blocked shots and finished second in MVP voting. In 1978 Walton won league MVP but broke a small bone in his foot that ended his season and left him only playing in 14 games over the next 4 seasons. Many speculate that the medical staff of the Blazers pressured him to play, maybe so, or maybe they didn’t know how to manage that sort of injury during that time. Whatever the case maybe his peak was ended and ended shortly. He was able to make a short comeback in the 80’s highlighted by winning the Sixth Man of The Year award for the Champion 1986 Boston Celtics. Even as one of the biggest “What If’s” in sports Waltons legacy on the game as a player and later as a broadcaster will always be remembered.

47

Walt Frazier:

Much like McAdoo and many others players of the 1970’s and prior often get forgotten in these lists and discussions for more modern players. But Frazier was the best point guard of the 1970’s and there isn’t anyone really that close. Frazier was a defensive menace and was recognized for that being on the NBA All-Defensive First Team 7 years in a row from 1969-1975. In that 7 year run he also was either on First or Second Team All-NBA and lead the New York Knicks to their only two NBA Championships. Frazier like many stars of that era played alongside great players. Willis Reed and him carried the load as the teams best players but were accompanied by Hall-of-Famers: Bill Bradley, Jerry Lucas and Dave DeBusschere. Though I think the league of the 1970’s should get it’s due respect the league was different in terms of quality and number of players in the league. Frazier was the leagues third great point guard and held that title for many years.

46

Elvin Hayes:

Another player of the 70’s era who put up godly numbers in a high paced era. Hayes was the #1 overall pick out of the University of Houston and instantly was one of the leagues best players. Hayes essentially never missed a game and was an All-Star for his first 12 seasons in the league. He dominated in decade but often gets overshadowed by fellow big man Kareem Abdul Jabbar for big man supremacy in the 70’s. Hayes was part of a two headed big man attack in Washington that secured the 1978 Championship and appeared in two other finals in 75 and 79. After 40 years removed from the league Hayes still currently places 15th All-Time in points scored and 6th All-Time in rebounds (NBA/ABA combined stats).

45

Anthony Davis:

Out first active players to make the list. Davis’s game has evolved since entering the league as the #1 pick out of Kentucky in 2012. Davis entered the league as a defensive menace and arguable the best prospect to enter the draft since Lebron James in 2003. His presence on the defensive end has been felt as a 3 time leader in blocked shots and 5 selections to the All-Defensive team. Davis now is back in the driver seat as a lead guy after spending the last 5.5 seasons with Lebron James in Los Angeles where they were able to secure one NBA title. Davis has been a staple in the league for over a decade. How much higher he ends up on this list will come down his availability to play as maybe the only knock on his resume now is his time spent sidelined due to injury.

44

Bob Cousy:

If dominating an era is something to be accounted it’s impossible to leave off Cousy in a top-50 list. Cousy was the first great point guard of the NBA. Ahead of his time for the time and the lead guard in what was the start of the first dynasty in basketball. A 12x All-Star and a 6x NBA champion the accolades and stats are there the level of competition, the number of teams and players in the league do play a part in those numbers but the greatness of Cousy and the Celtics can never be forgotten.

43

Luka Doncic:

Luka comes in at #43 on our list after just seven years in the league. In his short career Luka has already donned 5 NBA All-First Teams, a scoring title and a NBA Finals appearance. When adding a younger player to a list like this you don’t necessarily project but take into account that Luka is only going into his 26 year old season and there will be more to come. Now wearing the Purple and Gold in Los Angeles it seems as though he is who the Lakers are turning the keys over to. With new ownership and seemingly determined (maybe spiteful) Doncic the Lakers seemed poised to be a competitive team for a long time.

42

Allen Iverson:

Allen Iverson has one of my favorite Basketball Reference pages to look at. Listed at 6’0” and 165 pounds the accomplishments, points and minutes played are astounding. Iverson is known for not only changing the game for his on court play but his swagger and tenaciousness. A league MVP, 4 scoring titles, 7x All NBA and an Finals appearance that he was essentially solely responsible for. Iverson’s resume is really only missing a Larry O’Brien. Was Iverson always playing the best team basketball? No. Was his shooting percentage as high as other all-time greats? No. But to that I say, who the hell cares. He dragged a franchise that was a dumpster fire and brought it back to relevance all while being himself and an insane scorer. 

41

Clyde Drexler:

Clyde unlike many of his counterpart 1990’s stars, Clyde was able to secure a ring after a mid-season trade to the 1995 Houston Rockets. Clyde was an outstanding athlete at the guard position. He lead his Blazer teams to two NBA Finals but came up short to the Bay Boy Pistons and Jordan’s Bulls. Clyde was a 10x All-Star and essentially the second best shooting guard in the league for the majority of his career. For an out of the gym leaping ability his career often gets remembered as one of longevity and as a triumph after capturing that lucrative title in 95.