Noyze
07-16-2012, 03:03 AM
Yes Tim Duncan played in the middle at Wake Forest and his back-to-the-basket game might elude us to think that only centers should play this way. But let's think outside the box for a second, bias aside.
Through out history we've seen players change the way we see the game. Oscar Robinson gets shafted at the point guard & shooting guard spots all the time cause he played both. At the time media personalities didn't wanna accept Magic as a true pg cause of his size and his perimeter back down play-style. Karl Malone helped define the Power Forward almost as well as Magic nearly broke the pg position, and the way we view it. It was set in our minds that this is the way it was done, if you wanted a dominant 4 he needed to be about 6'9-6'10, strong, rebounds, can run the floor and be able to step out to 15 feet and hit the jumpshot. Some might feel differently but that was more then the general vision of a 4, it was their job. To take on a different job or more responsibility at the same position can sometime make it tough to classify you. This applies in anything you do. Magic took on more then the traditional pg responsibilities cause he was capable of doing it. The Spurs playstyle coupled with Duncan's ability to run the floor and shoot allowed him to play the Power Forward spot most of his career. We don't praise versatility at the 4 and 5 as much as we want to admit. Remember Ralph Sampson & Hakeem Olajuwon?
So is Duncan not a Power Forward because he played with his back to the basket and controlled the paint? Is he too tall? Does he not take enough outside shots? Does he stand too close to the basket? Did he block too many shots? Did he not look enough like Karl Malone? Dirk also won a chip as a dominant Power Forward and doesn't play like anyone on our top 5 (unless you don't consider him a 4 either?). The game changes, as will our view of it. Jordan had scouts thinking all Shooting Guards from then on had to be 6'6 210-220 lbs with superior jumping ability. If you notice all the great players who helped define their position had less weaknesses then the ones before them. Seriously, think about it. They exploited it and captured our imagination.
PG - What did the PG spot look like before Magic ran off with 5 chips and started getting triple doubles every other game? 6'9 and that skilled, can he really be a point guard?
SG - Oh shit, MJ can post up, penetrate, and create offense? You mean shooting guards don't just shoot anymore? George Gerving, Jerry West, Oscar Robinson seemed to all have glaring weakness in their game once Jordan began to dominate (as did the other wing SF people compared Michael to).
SF - Imo still the least discovered position in the NBA. But Bird, Pippen, & Grant Hill showed it was a do-it-all spot to play. LeBron has expanded on that even further and whether or not we think he's as great as Bird you can't help but admit LeBron has less weaknesses then the rest.
PF - The reason Rings are a big deal here is because if you exclude Duncan from this position the the bar hasn't really been set that high as far as reaching the ultimate goal. That's unless you believe McKale was better then Barkley and Malone. Hell some consider Barkley to have been more talented then Malone but not as great a PF, all solid debates. Fact is if you do consider Duncan a PF his ability to consistantly score down low, control the paint on defense, force double teams and pass out trump the rest. This contributed to more chips and finals MVP's then anyone you add to this list. Also to be mentioned Dirk and Garnett, good arguments in their case at the 4.
C - The most competitive position for greatness. This is the only time where my statement might not apply, unless it was unanimous that Shaq was the greatest (since he's the last HOF center).
Through out history we've seen players change the way we see the game. Oscar Robinson gets shafted at the point guard & shooting guard spots all the time cause he played both. At the time media personalities didn't wanna accept Magic as a true pg cause of his size and his perimeter back down play-style. Karl Malone helped define the Power Forward almost as well as Magic nearly broke the pg position, and the way we view it. It was set in our minds that this is the way it was done, if you wanted a dominant 4 he needed to be about 6'9-6'10, strong, rebounds, can run the floor and be able to step out to 15 feet and hit the jumpshot. Some might feel differently but that was more then the general vision of a 4, it was their job. To take on a different job or more responsibility at the same position can sometime make it tough to classify you. This applies in anything you do. Magic took on more then the traditional pg responsibilities cause he was capable of doing it. The Spurs playstyle coupled with Duncan's ability to run the floor and shoot allowed him to play the Power Forward spot most of his career. We don't praise versatility at the 4 and 5 as much as we want to admit. Remember Ralph Sampson & Hakeem Olajuwon?
So is Duncan not a Power Forward because he played with his back to the basket and controlled the paint? Is he too tall? Does he not take enough outside shots? Does he stand too close to the basket? Did he block too many shots? Did he not look enough like Karl Malone? Dirk also won a chip as a dominant Power Forward and doesn't play like anyone on our top 5 (unless you don't consider him a 4 either?). The game changes, as will our view of it. Jordan had scouts thinking all Shooting Guards from then on had to be 6'6 210-220 lbs with superior jumping ability. If you notice all the great players who helped define their position had less weaknesses then the ones before them. Seriously, think about it. They exploited it and captured our imagination.
PG - What did the PG spot look like before Magic ran off with 5 chips and started getting triple doubles every other game? 6'9 and that skilled, can he really be a point guard?
SG - Oh shit, MJ can post up, penetrate, and create offense? You mean shooting guards don't just shoot anymore? George Gerving, Jerry West, Oscar Robinson seemed to all have glaring weakness in their game once Jordan began to dominate (as did the other wing SF people compared Michael to).
SF - Imo still the least discovered position in the NBA. But Bird, Pippen, & Grant Hill showed it was a do-it-all spot to play. LeBron has expanded on that even further and whether or not we think he's as great as Bird you can't help but admit LeBron has less weaknesses then the rest.
PF - The reason Rings are a big deal here is because if you exclude Duncan from this position the the bar hasn't really been set that high as far as reaching the ultimate goal. That's unless you believe McKale was better then Barkley and Malone. Hell some consider Barkley to have been more talented then Malone but not as great a PF, all solid debates. Fact is if you do consider Duncan a PF his ability to consistantly score down low, control the paint on defense, force double teams and pass out trump the rest. This contributed to more chips and finals MVP's then anyone you add to this list. Also to be mentioned Dirk and Garnett, good arguments in their case at the 4.
C - The most competitive position for greatness. This is the only time where my statement might not apply, unless it was unanimous that Shaq was the greatest (since he's the last HOF center).