Shaq Retires - Page 2

I once heard Barkley make a similar observation (about himself). Basically, he was talking about how hard he had to work to be an effective player once age, back problems, etc. started to slow him down. He then basically acknowledged that he'd been a lazy bum when he still had his full physical gifts thereby left a lot on the table.

3rd greatest center ever.

+ 1000.

1 & 2? Hakeem, Wilt, Russel, Robinson? I'd agree Shaq is not #1 but he's had the most dominant finals performances of all time and, stressing championships in the modern day NBA, I'd probably pick Shaq. Shaq did put on too much weight over the years, but he was always a force.

1. Wilt 2. Kareem 3. Shaq 4. Russell 5. Hakeem

Where's Mark Eaton?

+1. It's been sad to watch him try to play the last few years. Yeah, Shaq could have been incredible. Only one regular season MVP award. I was surprised when I heard it last night, until I remembered his habit of eating cheeseburgers during the off-season, using the regular season to play himself into shape, and only really showing up for the playoffs. I endorse this post. David Robinson never had the fire to rank in the top 5, though he easily makes my top 10. Patrick Ewing also makes my top 10, but not the top 5. Where would Bill Walton rank? Top 10? Best passing center of all time, but foot problems really cut short his career. And Swen Nater. Where is Swen Nater?

Agree.


I never quite thought of it that way between Kobe and Shaq but now that you put it that way, it makes a lot more sense.

I would round out my top ten with Moses Malone, Robinson, Mikan, Walton, and maybe Dwight Howard (a bit premature, but he'll probably be there). Ewing could be there too, but his playoff record isn't strong enough.

this.

I realize this is the conventional wisdom, but I consider Wilt just as skilled a passer. Wilt, in the latter half of his career, was forced to become a great passer due to rule changes, defensive adjustments, and media/team pressure. In fact, he remains the only center to ever lead the league in assists.

Still it's hard to compare the two.

Walton never played a lot of minutes, the highest minutes per game he achieved was 34.8. His highest assist per game average was 5.0.

Wilt, meanwhile, average sixteen seasons of 40+ minutes, with a career average of 45.8 minutes over sixteen years (Holy Shit! This was before they had the trainers they do today). His highest assist per game average was 8.6, with three other seasons of 5.0+ assists.

Still, http://www.basketball-reference.com/...chambwi01.html and http://www.basketball-reference.com/...waltobi01.html allows us to compare average per thirty six minutes. I.e., if each player had played thirty six minutes they'd've collected these stats.

Walton's five best seasons, he had, per thirty-six minutes, assist averages of
5.2
5.4
4.7
4.5
3.9
Mean of 4.74

Wilt had
6.6
6.2
4.0
3.6
3.7
Mean of 4.82

Pretty damn close.

a good charitable guy who should have averaged 40/20. end of story. his peak should have been his median. I put him behind wilt, kareem, hakeem, russell and even mikan probably. at least we are getting to see the 2nd coming with dwight howard, an affable guy who will never be what he should be

what makes you say that?

the fact that he disappears for 10-15 mins a game, has games where he takes 8 shots and never gets any better. his supposedly great defense is based solely on blocks, he doesn't play passing lanes or redirect shots. probably that.

thank you. i am not that avid of a follwer of his, that was a good explanation.