Who would you draft over Shaq?

[Duderonomy]

Is there anybody you would take over him to start a team? Kareem or Jordan maybe.

[MAC system]

Maybe wilt, kareem or hakeem. Thats it

[Young X]

Michael Jordan.

[FreezingTsmoove]

Kareem, Hakeem, Duncan, Oscar, Lebron, Magic since I take loyalty to a franchise into account

[christian1923]

How is Michael Jordan a Maybe? :lol

[ralph_i_el]

no mere mortal

[Kiddlovesnets]

Lets see. Jordan, Wilt, Magic, Kareem and Bird, Id take these five over Shaq. Cant think of anyone else.
:rolleyes:

[Pushxx]

Bird, Magic, MJ, and Kareem.

Arguably Russell and/or Wilt, too.

[BlackWhiteGreen]

Kareem, Hakeem, Duncan, Oscar, Lebron, Magic since I take loyalty to a franchise into account


:biggums: :biggums: :biggums:

[FreezingTsmoove]

:biggums: :biggums: :biggums:

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=288636

[ThaRegul8r]

Depends on what kind of team I want to build. One's vision for a team (as well as philosophy) will determine what personnel to get in order to achieve that vision.

[DMV2]

With or without knowledge of their NBA careers? Because if you always know what the outcome is then you'll just pick the usually names (Jordan, Magic, Kareem, Russell). Then the maybe, Chamberlain, Bird, Duncan, LeBron.

Based on their college or high school prospective potential, I can only think of Chamberlain, Russell, Kareem, Magic and LeBron(because he was super hyped out of HS). But all of those guys are "maybe's."

I think only Kareem have a good chase to be picked over Shaq if we're going solely by their college/HS hype.

Maybe somebody with real good knowledge of draft scouting/reports can chime.

[gengiskhan]

Is there anybody you would take over him to start a team? Kareem or Jordan maybe.

No one in the History of the NBA

You can add Magic & Larry to that list too.

You draft players of potential.
MJ is only 6' 6".
Kareem lacks brute strength of Shaq & need Magic, Bird like floor leader.
Hakeem too.

Shaq was beast of nature. Blessed with Huge massive hands & strongest player to ever play in NBA. Even a lazy, bum Shaq will deliver atleast 3 NBA titles because 5 feet inside the paint. Shaq is absolutely UNSTOPPABLE.

Shaq can easily dominate because of his strength, brute force & huge hand size that controls the ball easily.

I see Shaq in the Draft. I'll pick him blindly over Top 5 GOATs.

Why?

Shaq "GUARANTEED" multiple titles. Others, I'm not too sure about.

[DMV2]

No one in the History of the NBA

You can add Magic & Larry to that list too.

You draft players of potential.
MJ is only 6' 6".
Kareem lacks brute strength of Shaq & need Magic, Bird like floor leader.
Hakeem too.

Shaq was beast of nature. Blessed with Huge massive hands & strongest player to ever play in NBA. Even a lazy, bum Shaq will deliver atleast 3 NBA titles because 5 feet inside the paint. Shaq is absolutely UNSTOPPABLE.

Shaq can easily dominate because of his strength, brute force & huge hand size that controls the ball easily.

I see Shaq in the Draft. I'll pick him blindly over Top 5 GOATs.

Why?

Shaq "GUARANTEED" multiple titles. Others, I'm not too sure about.
Partially agree with you but I think Kareem's legendary success at UCLA would get him some votes over Shaq on draft night.

[JellyBean]

I would pick Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

[La Frescobaldi]

No one in the History of the NBA

You can add Magic & Larry to that list too.

You draft players of potential.
MJ is only 6' 6".
Kareem lacks brute strength of Shaq & need Magic, Bird like floor leader.
Hakeem too.

Shaq was beast of nature. Blessed with Huge massive hands & strongest player to ever play in NBA. Even a lazy, bum Shaq will deliver atleast 3 NBA titles because 5 feet inside the paint. Shaq is absolutely UNSTOPPABLE.

Shaq can easily dominate because of his strength, brute force & huge hand size that controls the ball easily.

I see Shaq in the Draft. I'll pick him blindly over Top 5 GOATs.

Why?

Shaq "GUARANTEED" multiple titles. Others, I'm not too sure about.

Shaq had to have a great floor leader to win, too - Penny, Kobe, Wade.

Kareem and Chamberlain were both far better centers than O'Neal ever was.

If I had to choose between Shaq & Tim Duncan I would probably have nightmares over that decision.

[Pushxx]

It's significantly easier to build a championship team around someone like Magic, MJ, or Bird than Shaq.

[CP3MVP]

Lebron

:oldlol:

[gengiskhan]

Partially agree with you but I think Kareem's legendary success at UCLA would get him some votes over Shaq on draft night.

disagree brother!

Not every NCAA success story is guaranteed NBA Success (HINT: christian Lattner was suppose to be NEXT Larry Bird)

-With Shaq I get exactly What I see.

-Height of 7'1"
-Huge massive hands. Long Wingspan. Brute Force. Built like 3 trucks put into one.
-UNSTOPPABLE within 6 feet radius of the basket.
-Huge Hands guarantees tight ball handling in heavy traffic & one handed brutal dunks within 3 feet of the Basket.
-Nobody in the history of NBA can match this combo of Brutal force, height, wingspan, hand size & position. NOBODY !!!

I'll take it. Atleast 1 title is GUARANTEED (probably even 2 titles)!

with MJ, Magic, Bird, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, Hakeem, I am not GUARANTEED I can win atleast 1 title without Building a perfect team around them.

[Deuce Bigalow]

Shaq had to have a great floor leader to win, too - Penny, Kobe, Wade.

Kareem and Chamberlain were both far better centers than O'Neal ever was.

If I had to choose between Shaq & Tim Duncan I would probably have nightmares over that decision.
Chamberlain has half the rings Shaq has and yet he's a "far better center" than Shaq? I want a player that dominates in the Playoffs and Finals during the modern era.

[Human Error]

Probably no one. You can say Michael Jordan was the greatest player ever but still it'd be pretty crazy to draft Jordan over Shaq had they been on board at the same time.

[Young X]

Probably no one. You can say Michael Jordan was the greatest player ever but still it'd be pretty crazy to draft Jordan over Shaq had they been on board at the same time.
Why would it be crazy to draft Jordan over Shaq?

[DonDadda59]

If the draft were today? Absolutely no one in history. You have to remember that Shaq was drafted in a golden era of centers. In today's league he would absolutely dominate, even more so than during his prime years.

Who the hell would be his challenger at the C position? Dwight? Marc Gasol? :lol

[DMV2]

disagree brother!

Not every NCAA success story is guaranteed NBA Success (HINT: christian Lattner was suppose to be NEXT Larry Bird)

-With Shaq I get exactly What I see.

-Height of 7'1"
-Huge massive hands. Long Wingspan. Brute Force. Built like 3 trucks put into one.
-UNSTOPPABLE within 6 feet radius of the basket.
-Huge Hands guarantees tight ball handling in heavy traffic & one handed brutal dunks within 3 feet of the Basket.
-Nobody in the history of NBA can match this combo of Brutal force, height, wingspan, hand size & position. NOBODY !!!

I'll take it. Atleast 1 title is GUARANTEED (probably even 2 titles)!

with MJ, Magic, Bird, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, Hakeem, I am not GUARANTEED I can win atleast 1 title without Building a perfect team around them.
Not ever big guy is guaranteed a success either. Look at Thabeet and Oden.

We're looking at potentially, Kareem not only has the college success backing but also size and skills too. Laettner's success was more to due with the school he went to than his skills.

And like I said, Kareem's probably the only one you can make a case to pick over Shaq. That's actually saying a lot considering how many other all-time greats there are to pick.

[Human Error]

Why would it be crazy to draft Jordan over Shaq?
Shaq would be so much easier to build around, he will take his team to the playoffs no matter whom you surround him with. A team of Shaq + a legit NBA starter + 3 D-leaguers are still a playoff team. Can't say the same thing for Jordan.

[DMV2]

Why would it be crazy to draft Jordan over Shaq?
It would be a crazy pick in the 80's, or 90's. It was always common to go with a potentially great Big man over a potentially great perimeter player.

Things have changed over the past 10 years or so, and all because of Jordan. He made this league a perimeter superstar league. Nowadays, you have perimeter players hyped as much, or more than big's. In '03 alone, we got LeBron, Wade and Melo. Recent years, we got Durant, Rose and Wall.

[La Frescobaldi]

Chamberlain has half the rings Shaq has and yet he's a "far better center" than Shaq? I want a player that dominates in the Playoffs and Finals during the modern era.

Wilt had a few bad playoff games in his career - a very few - but he ALWAYS carried a full load of wood for teammates. The only truly stacked team he ever had was the '67 Sixers - that same team was ruined with injuries in the '68 playoffs.

Meanwhile that dominating Shaq...................................
1993-94 Indiana Pacers sweep Orlando Magic in first round
1994-95 Houston Rockets sweep Orlando Magic in NBA Finals
1995-96 Chicago Bulls sweep Orlando Magic in Eastern Conference Finals
1997-98 Utah Jazz sweep Los Angeles Lakers in Western Conference Finals
1998-99 San Antonio Spurs sweep Los Angeles Lakers in Western Conference
2006-07 Chicago Bulls sweep Miami Heat in first round

Rings are won by teams, no question, but Chamberlain was always able to drag teams along behind him while Shaq had a lot dismal playoff failures even with some great teammates.

[ThaRegul8r]

disagree brother!

Not every NCAA success story is guaranteed NBA Success (HINT: christian Lattner was suppose to be NEXT Larry Bird)

Laettner was never the GOAT college player. Mentioning him in the same breath as Alcindor is ridiculous. Attempting to equate a "success story" to GOAT level is only something people with agendas would do, as they're only interested in proving their "point" and thus don't have an issue with taking liberties with the truth.

If you look at the college GOATs, Alcindor, Walton, Russell and Robertson, they were all all-time greats in the NBA as well, with the only note being that Walton's greatness was limited to a couple of seasons due to injury, but during that brief period he was an all-time great. (On an aside, it's also a more compelling argument when a player's dominance extends to multiple levels of play. If you dominate in college and continue to dominate once you get to the pros, being a GOAT candidate on both levels, that's definitely a plus as it means their dominance is transcedent.)

[gengiskhan]

Not ever big guy is guaranteed a success either. Look at Thabeet and Oden.

.

Did you deliberately skip the HIGHLIGHTED with BOLD I typed ??

Many here missing the whole point IMO

Guys.....You Draft someone on GUANRANTEED POTENTIAL

HUGE EXAMPLE IN THE NBA:

SHAQ was selected 50 greatest players ever to play the game in 1997.

By 1997. Shaq had

-NO Reg Season MVPs
-NO FMVPs
-NO Scoring titles
-NO Blocks titles
-NO DPOY
-Lost 1995 NBA Finals badly!

Despite pathetic resume, no one ever questioned Shaq's Top 50 players ever spot like they questioned Scottie Pippen's as 'Nique was Excluded.

Everyone who voted Shaq in the Top 50 players Ever in 1997 new one thing.

Shaq is a GUARANTEED MULTIPLE TITLES in near future in his peak prime. Its just a matter of "WHEN" & with which franchise.

[La Frescobaldi]

Laettner was never the GOAT college player. Mentioning him in the same breath as Alcindor is ridiculous. Attempting to equate a "success story" to GOAT level is only something people with agendas would do, as they're only interested in proving their "point" and thus don't have an issue with taking liberties with the truth.

If you look at the college GOATs, Alcindor, Walton, Russell and Robertson, they were all all-time greats in the NBA as well, with the only note being that Walton's greatness was limited to a couple of seasons due to injury, but during that brief period he was an all-time great. (On an aside, it's also a more compelling argument when a player's dominance extends to multiple levels of play. If you dominate in college and continue to dominate once you get to the pros, being a GOAT candidate on both levels, that's definitely a plus as it means their dominance is transcedent.)
+1

[fpliii]

Laettner was never the GOAT college player. Mentioning him in the same breath as Alcindor is ridiculous. Attempting to equate a "success story" to GOAT level is only something people with agendas would do, as they're only interested in proving their "point" and thus don't have an issue with taking liberties with the truth.

If you look at the college GOATs, Alcindor, Walton, Russell and Robertson, they were all all-time greats in the NBA as well, with the only note being that Walton's greatness was limited to a couple of seasons due to injury, but during that brief period he was an all-time great. (On an aside, it's also a more compelling argument when a player's dominance extends to multiple levels of play. If you dominate in college and continue to dominate once you get to the pros, being a GOAT candidate on both levels, that's definitely a plus as it means their dominance is transcedent.)

That meshes with the limited research I've done. I've been meaning to look into some of the college legends for a while (I spent a little while looking into Mikan and Russell, but nothing in depth...I haven't touched the other guys you mentioned).

Are those four on a tier by themselves? Who fills out the next level of all-time greats?

[La Frescobaldi]

That meshes with the limited research I've done. I've been meaning to look into some of the college legends for a while (I spent a little while looking into Mikan and Russell, but nothing in depth...I haven't touched the other guys you mentioned).

UCLA Lew Alcindor was all over Sports Illustrated. Check out http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/

There's actually a really nice search engine in that website. Although the writing has drooped sadly in recent years, Sports Illustrated used to be one of the finest collections of sportswriters in the world.

We used to devour those magazines looking for articles about Lew and the excitement of all of us when he went to the NBA was :eek: :eek: :eek: which totally proved out. What a great career that man had!!

[Doctor Rivers]

Did you deliberately skip the HIGHLIGHTED with BOLD I typed ??

Many here missing the whole point IMO

Guys.....You Draft someone on GUANRANTEED POTENTIAL

HUGE EXAMPLE IN THE NBA:

SHAQ was selected 50 greatest players ever to play the game in 1997.

By 1997. Shaq had

-NO Reg Season MVPs
-NO FMVPs
-NO Scoring titles
-NO Blocks titles
-NO DPOY
-Lost 1995 NBA Finals badly!

Despite pathetic resume, no one ever questioned Shaq's Top 50 players ever spot like they questioned Scottie Pippen's as 'Nique was Excluded.

Everyone who voted Shaq in the Top 50 players Ever in 1997 new one thing.

Shaq is a GUARANTEED MULTIPLE TITLES in near future in his peak prime. Its just a matter of "WHEN" & with which franchise.

God shut up

[Y2Gezee]

No one.


And I wanted to say Magic, Kareem, or Hakeem. I just couldn't.

[Lebron23]

Did you deliberately skip the HIGHLIGHTED with BOLD I typed ??

Many here missing the whole point IMO

Guys.....You Draft someone on GUANRANTEED POTENTIAL

HUGE EXAMPLE IN THE NBA:

SHAQ was selected 50 greatest players ever to play the game in 1997.

By 1997. Shaq had

-NO Reg Season MVPs
-NO FMVPs
-NO Scoring titles
-NO Blocks titles
-NO DPOY
-Lost 1995 NBA Finals badly!

Despite pathetic resume, no one ever questioned Shaq's Top 50 players ever spot like they questioned Scottie Pippen's as 'Nique was Excluded.

Everyone who voted Shaq in the Top 50 players Ever in 1997 new one thing.

Shaq is a GUARANTEED MULTIPLE TITLES in near future in his peak prime. Its just a matter of "WHEN" & with which franchise.


Shaq

1995 NBA Scoring Champion
1993 Rookie of the Year
1x All NBA 2nd team
4x All NBA 3rd team

1992-1997

[Flash31]

Wilt
Kareem
Russell maybe

NOBODY is drafting a perimeter player
over SHAQ or any on the greatest centers of
all time.

A center,great big man is rarer and more dominating and
changes the game and opposing team defense than
a perimeter player.As great as Jordan was
Wilt was even more dominating and a far better offensive nightmare
for the opposing team.They made so many rules to curtail wilt,shaq dominance than anything else.Adding zone defense,widening the lane,off and def 3 sec,5 sec back to the basket,intentional fouling,doubles on the off ball fronting,Adding the 3 pt line,Having to shoot free throws from behind the line,no 3 for 2s,Changing the way shots can be blocked.

Wilt avg 50,25,2,and however many blocks,at 60+% fg FOR A SEASON.
He avg 35,25 his first 7 years,he got 30000 pts in only 499
games about 7 seasons,Shaq was avg 35,12,3,2 in the finals
Kareem avg 20,9 for 20 SEASONS,Russell avg 20 rebounds for HIS CAREER

The sheer dominance of any of these centers and the problems and struggles they created for the opposing team makes them num 1 picks over ANY perimeter player.

[gengiskhan]

God shut up

stop loosing 27 pts lead before telling others to STFU !!!

f*****g L****r. :lol :lol

[gengiskhan]

Shaq

1995 NBA Scoring Champion
1993 Rookie of the Year
1x All NBA 2nd team
4x All NBA 3rd team

1992-1997

You right about 1995 scoring title. for some reason, I get confused with that 1994 scoring title Shaq lost to D'rob because of that 70+ pt game D'Rob.

still

Barkley had 1 season MVP.
Hakeem had 2 DPOY + 2 FMVPs + 1 MVP.

Shaq half a$$ed his whole career. If he tried, he could've easily landed 2-3 DPOY titles if Mourning can have 2 DPOY titles.

Still people knew. Shaq was once in a life time GOAT talent at Center position.

[fpliii]

UCLA Lew Alcindor was all over Sports Illustrated. Check out http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/

There's actually a really nice search engine in that website. Although the writing has drooped sadly in recent years, Sports Illustrated used to be one of the finest collections of sportswriters in the world.

We used to devour those magazines looking for articles about Lew and the excitement of all of us when he went to the NBA was :eek: :eek: :eek: which totally proved out. What a great career that man had!!

Good stuff! I'm too busy looking at covers right now to get to the articles though, these are some great photos. I'm looking forward to reading some articles later, thanks for the link.

Two questions -- when do you think SI was at its best, and when do you think it fell off as a legitimate sports periodical?

[FKAri]

It would be a crazy pick in the 80's, or 90's. It was always common to go with a potentially great Big man over a potentially great perimeter player.

Things have changed over the past 10 years or so, and all because of Jordan. He made this league a perimeter superstar league. Nowadays, you have perimeter players hyped as much, or more than big's. In '03 alone, we got LeBron, Wade and Melo. Recent years, we got Durant, Rose and Wall.

Not him. Stern did. Stern wanted there to be next Jordans coming into the league.

[Nash]

Obviously you want the guys who can do the most for your team. So guys like MJ, Magic, Bird, Lebron and Oscar Robertson would be high on the list. Not only will they score for you but they will also playmake and make everyone around them better. Basically getting 2 for 1.

[Duderonomy]

:oldlol: @ Lebron. Duncan or Kobe would be less of a Reach. Even if you knew how good MJ would be you wouldn't take him, Shaq had the talent to make a bad team good instantly and be a playoff lock every season. http://m.youtube.com/index?&desktop_uri=%2F#/watch?v=A2ihMxi1H4M

[b1imtf]

Andray Blatche

[Rubio2Gasol]

I wouldn't take anyone if we're talking pre-draft specifications other than maybe Wilt.

Re-evaluating careers I'll take more than a couple dudes.

[Whoah10115]

More than 10.

[CavaliersFTW]

Wilt, Bill Russell, Kareem, 18 year old Sabonis are 4 players I would consider

[pauk]

Michael Jordan
Hakeem Olajuwon
Lebron James
Larry Bird
Magic Johnson
Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Oscar Robertson
Wilt Chamberlain


..and ofcourse Reggie Miller :)

[livingby3's]

Tim Duncan is underrated imo. I will take him. A big man who function relatively great at both ends, loyal, longevity, he's one of the few guys I think will excel in many different eras of basketball.

[LockoutOver11]

IVERSON... duh!

[gin17]

hakeem, wilt, kareem


if i had the benefit of foresight, jordan or bird. i may also try picking duncan.

[Duderonomy]

Despite pathetic resume, no one ever questioned Shaq's Top 50 players ever spot like they questioned Scottie Pippen's as 'Nique was Excluded.

Everyone who voted Shaq in the Top 50 players Ever in 1997 new one thing.

Shaq is a GUARANTEED MULTIPLE TITLES in near future in his peak prime. Its just a matter of "WHEN" & with which franchise.
For once I actually agree with you.

[deja vu]

I'd draft Wilt Chamberlain over him. Dude was a beast. He would have thrown Shaq around like a rag doll since he was one of the strongest men in the world. Wilt bench pressed 500 pounds like it's nothing and killed a mountain lion with his bare hands. Call me when Shaq can do those herculean feats.

:coleman:

[ralph_i_el]

I'd draft Wilt Chamberlain over him. Dude was a beast. He would have thrown Shaq around like a rag doll since he was one of the strongest men in the world. Wilt bench pressed 500 pounds like it's nothing and killed a mountain lion with his bare hands. Call me when Shaq can do those herculean feats.

:coleman:

I'm sure he could take on a herculean feast though

[Foster5k]

Without hindsight, I'm not taking anybody over Shaq. Hopefully, I can also draft/trade and get a good SG to pair with Shaq, then it's game over for the leauge.

With hindsight, I'll take Michael Jordan. Dude was/would be unstoppable no matter what era. If he didn't retire early and come back, probably would of won more rings than Bill Russell.

So, Shaq without hindsight.

The G.O.A.T(Michael Jordan) with hindsight.

[MisterAmazing]

Kareem, Hakeem, Duncan, Oscar, Lebron, Magic since I take loyalty to a franchise into account


:coleman:

[zizozain]

Kareem, Hakeem, Russell, Wilt, Kobe, Magic

[crisoner]

I always say take the big man first over all.

But the only exception I would make of course is Jordan.
LeBron is looking like he may be an exception as well and is a good argument.

There for....

Jordan
Kareem
The Dream

and that's it.

This does not mean I think Shaq is the 4th greatest player of all time.
But if I had the 4th pick of an all time team I will be getting Shaq over Wilt.
Maybe I am a homer to my era but I would get Shaq at 4 and the three above players before Shaq.

[senelcoolidge]

If we are talking about big men..than Wilt easily. Unstoppable offensively and defensively. Great passing big man.

[Thorpesaurous]

I think about this all the time, about the truely great prospects I've seen. Not so much how they turned out, but how they were percieved entering the league, and how I viewed their potential at that point.

Shaq is right at the top, just for his shear size and athleticism alone. One of the issues I think people have with Shaq is that inspite of his rediculous resume, you could make a pretty good case that he still underachieved.

Shaq, Lebron, immediately come to mind. So does Chris Webber, who's the first guy I remember coming out of HS with the kind of hype he did. And his skill set was so enormously complete. Of course he was taken first then traded, but still, that was due to the presence of Shaq on this list. Derrick Coleman, who's from my favorite school, and played in a way I found particualarly appealing, and I was pretty young at that point. Of course that didn't work out so well.
Much before that I don't remember a ton, as I was pretty young. But I do actively remember Ewing and Hakeem were both considered franchise changers, to the point where the Ewing draft fix is a pop culture fixture. And Ralph Sampson was a 7-4 do everything guy with a 3 National Player of the Year Pedigree coming in, who'd allegedly been offered the opportunity to go first in drafts going back to HS (a story he tells first person about Red Aurbach in the Jim Valvano 30 for 30, which was spectacular by the way).

So I'm looking at guys more in terms of how you'd draft them if every prospect were thrown in the same pot together, so it makes anyone who didn't go one a little tricky to guage, like Jordan, who was a dynamic prospect.


If you're asking it the other way, I'm building a team, and knowing what I know after the fact, who would I want to build it around, I'd take Kareem.

[Just2McFly]

Only Kareem.

[ILLsmak]

lol again with the WILT WOULD HOUSE SHAQ bullshat.

The other night when I watched Shaq's jersey get retired, those clips they showed of him... I remembered... how ****ing big that dude is. It's ridiculous how gigantic he was.

Like Kobe said dude is like the biggest athletic beast in NBA history. So, yeah you'd probably take him first if they were all coming out of college.

But if people could tell careers, other guys would have arguments. However, I think he would still be near the top because he could be plugged into a lot of other situations and still be successful. We never saw Shaq without a great wing... so we don't know how he'd play.

-Smak

[Lebron23]

Only Michael Jordan (with hindsight)

[Rubio2Gasol]

Not a single person if we talking bout going on talent. Knowing his career - there are a good few.

[MastaKilla]

there are 10+ players easily that i would take over that lazy slob.

Could Shaq win a title as DA MAN without having another top 3 player in the league beside him?

Gimme MJ, Hakeem, KAJ, Tim Duncan, Magic, Bird, Kobe, Lebron, Wilt, all day over Shaq

[vert48]

I think Shaq could have been picked over anyone on potential, but his work ethic is no where near these 5, so they would all get the nod over Shaq:

Michael Jordan
Larry Bird
Magic Johnson
Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Wilt Chamberlain

[La Frescobaldi]

lol again with the WILT WOULD HOUSE SHAQ bullshat.

The other night when I watched Shaq's jersey get retired, those clips they showed of him... I remembered... how ****ing big that dude is. It's ridiculous how gigantic he was.

Like Kobe said dude is like the biggest athletic beast in NBA history. So, yeah you'd probably take him first if they were all coming out of college.

But if people could tell careers, other guys would have arguments. However, I think he would still be near the top because he could be plugged into a lot of other situations and still be successful. We never saw Shaq without a great wing... so we don't know how he'd play.

-Smak
Shaq is the only guy Wilt went and got interviews to say Shaq had the opportunity to be better than Wilt himself. The ONLY guy he remotely said that about.
I dunno what would happen if '72 Wilt met up against 2001 Shaq except there WOULD be an earthquake in that town!!
Wilt from his Sixers days though...dude was just so fast, agile, totally ferocious and by far that vertical he had. It would be the dream of dreams to see them go after it

[bbp1aya]

There is no possible way that I would draft Magic or Bird over Shaq.

Not Jordan either unless we're talking about hindsight (in which case this becomes just "who's better than Shaq" thread :coleman: )

Kareem, Hakeem. Wilt, depending on era. That's it.

[Solid Snake]

I'd take ANYONE else from anyone's top 10 list over Shaq (assuming the top 10 list is relatively "normal," and not some weird personal list).

[DatAsh]

Assuming I have all players for the duration of their careers, and my goal is to win, I'll take the players that I think were better than Shaq over Shaq : Russell, Jordan, Magic, Wilt, Kareem, Bird

[westsideozzie]

Shaq was dominant for 10 years, and then he was just a lard ass.

[Knicksfever2010]

Is there anybody you would take over him to start a team? Kareem or Jordan maybe.

ewing

[DMAVS41]

The players that I rank higher.

Jordan
Russell
Magic
Wilt
Kareem
Duncan

Debatable...Bird and Hakeem

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

The players that I rank higher.

Jordan
Russell
Magic
Wilt
Kareem
Duncan

Debatable...Bird and Hakeem

Nice list. Hypothetically speaking, if Bird never had back problems, I would take him over Shaq too.

[KOBE143]

Kobe

[I<3NBA]

Kobe
retard alert

[dh144498]

Kareem, Hakeem, Duncan, Oscar, Lebron, Magic since I take loyalty to a franchise into account

:roll:

[Actinium59]

Whithout hindsight I would take over Shaq:
Kareem / Lew. He was the centerpiece of the most dominant NCAA team of all time, without ungardable shots. You had to know that he would become an all time great pretty easily.
Walton. So dominant in college. Same thing as Kareem, same team, but later. And a perfect record. They were winners and ungardable, both ready to dominate in the big league.

Obviously Wilt, because of his superior physical ability than Shaq (and the fact that he played hard both way of the floor).

And If I were a GM. If I had Shaq in the same draft as Ralph Samson, Hakeem, the admiral or Duncan I would have a hard choice. They all seem much easier to work with because of their more team-oriented character and demeanor.

As for Larry, Magic or Michael, well I would have picked those only if there were no future all-time great center in the draft. But i'd rather build a team around a big man, it's far easier to find quality guard than quality bigs.

I have no clue about Russel and Mikan, but perhaps they could have been considered at the same level as Shaq going into the draft. Well luckily those who picked them got more titles than Orlando and all the Florida's team combined :D

And the true unkown factor could be Yao, he was so tall and with the biggest marketing edge over anyone. But, I would have hired the best medics team ever to greenlight him or not before my choice. And hire a shooting coach right away to teach him fundamentals to be immediately ready. Imagine him with a reliable Kareem like hook-shot.

And I'm no expert of college basketball, so I can't say anything about (Oscar - guard so after Shaq), Bellamy or Baylor, but maybe they were also a no brainer.

[Kurosawa0]

Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Kareem. That's really it.

[WillC]

Larry Bird.

He's the only player who can truly get the most of his teammates while also possessing the ability to dominate the game on his own if necessary.

Bird guarantees you 50+ wins even if surrounded by crap.

Not sure you can say that for any other player in NBA history. Maybe LeBron too. That's it.

[Scholar]

Are we to assume Shaq would be the same person he was in his actual career?

By this what I mean is:

- Coming into seasons out of shape
- Not willing to play alongside any other stars (Chris Webber, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, etc.)
- No loyalty to a franchise (how many did he play for? :durantunimpressed: )
- More interest in being a celebrity than an athlete


If that's all true, then I'd easily take Kareem, Jordan, Wilt, possibly Hakeem, Bird and Magic over him.

[ILLsmak]

Shaq is the only guy Wilt went and got interviews to say Shaq had the opportunity to be better than Wilt himself. The ONLY guy he remotely said that about.
I dunno what would happen if '72 Wilt met up against 2001 Shaq except there WOULD be an earthquake in that town!!
Wilt from his Sixers days though...dude was just so fast, agile, totally ferocious and by far that vertical he had. It would be the dream of dreams to see them go after it

Hey, I think any all time great including (and especially) Wilt would be a great match up for Shaq. It depends on how people called it. If they let them play, Shaq would dominate anyone.

What I was referring to is that Shaq is bigger than Wilt, period. In terms of who was more immovable on the block, it's no comparison. But yeah, you'd think someone like Wilt could get around Shaq. They are both ridiculously long, too. I wish they could play a game where fouls were called as they should be but where neither would be able to foul out. Because that's what I see when I think of Shaq matching up against Wilt. A foul on nearly every play.

-Smak

[LBJFTW]

Not knowing about how their careers would turn out? No one and it's not even close.

[WillC]

Not knowing about how their careers would turn out? No one and it's not even close.

If we knew nothing about how their careers would turn out, then the draft would look like this:

http://basketballjournalist.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/nbas-ultimate-fantasy-draft.html

[dh144498]

If we knew nothing about how their careers would turn out, then the draft would look like this:

http://basketballjournalist.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/nbas-ultimate-fantasy-draft.html

:biggums:

lebron 3rd and MJ 11th. :lol

love the description for Kobe: See above (but substitute golf, baseball and gambling with soccer, hotel workers and Italian).
:lol

[OhNoTimNoSho]

Shaq is guaranteed pure raw domination. Even Jordan needed a specific set of pieces around him to win. You can just throw Shaq in a variety of situations and he will most likely deliver a chip.

[ThaRegul8r]

Are we to assume Shaq would be the same person he was in his actual career?

By this what I mean is:

- Coming into seasons out of shape
- Not willing to play alongside any other stars (Chris Webber, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, etc.)
- No loyalty to a franchise (how many did he play for? :durantunimpressed: )
- More interest in being a celebrity than an athlete

I'm not sure why one would say they're taking someone and then assuming they aren't the person they actually were. You'd then be getting into some alternate reality stuff. (And if you're getting into alternate realities, then there'd be nothing stopping someone from saying things like, "Well maybe in an alternate reality Shaq is an 80% FT shooter.") When you draft someone, you get everything that they were, for better or for worse. Which includes the bad as well as the good. It's then up to each person to balance them and decide whether, for them, the good outweighs the bad.

[WillC]

:biggums:

lebron 3rd and MJ 11th. :lol

love the description for Kobe: See above (but substitute golf, baseball and gambling with soccer, hotel workers and Italian).
:lol

Read the introduction to the article. Remember, Jordan wasn't even the 1st pick in his draft, so there's no way he had more hype than LeBron.

In fact, if anything, Jordan is perhaps too high at 11th.

(For the record, I think he is the GOAT. But not at the age of 20)

[crisoner]

TRUTH

If any of you guys are GM's. And we did not know how any of these players careers would pan out.

Coming out of college Shaq would be picked first above all other players.
His size strength and skills set him far a part.

[TOLATE]

david robinson or rick barry

[AlphaWolf24]

TRUTH

If any of you guys are GM's. And we did not know how any of these players careers would pan out.

Coming out of college Shaq would be picked first above all other players.
His size strength and skills set him far a part.


absolutely this....

- If no one knew how each player would turn out...Shaq would most likely get the #1 pick over anyone ( size/speed/ etc..)

- after seeing how thier careers panned out....

Kareem
Russell
Jordan
Kobe
Magic
Duncan
Bird


all get the nod over Shaq.

[dh144498]

absolutely this....

- If no one knew how each player would turn out...Shaq would most likely get the #1 pick over anyone ( size/speed/ etc..)

- after seeing how thier careers panned out....

Kareem
Russell
Jordan
Kobe
Magic
Duncan
Bird


all get the nod over Shaq.


:applause:

[jcsrplumply]

Probably some centers like Wilt and Kareem but it's kind of unlikely since he is the most gifted physically (I don't know about Wilt sorry didn't watch him play).

[Bandito]

Nobody, maybe Wilt if he's as good as described. I've seen some plays but I don't know if he will be as dominant today. But honestly I wouldn't draft nobody over him not even MJ.

[jcsrplumply]

Nobody, maybe Wilt if he's as good as described. I've seen some plays but I don't know if he will be as dominant today. But honestly I wouldn't draft nobody over him not even MJ.
I think so too :p, MJ got drafted 3rd in 1984 so I don't think him getting drafted with the likes of Shaq,Wilt and Kareem. :D

[Raymone]

The Chosen King.

[RagaZ]

Not even the best player in the 21th century.

[Bandito]

The Chosen King.
Who would choose Bernard King over Shaq? You newfags make me :roll: while :facepalm at the same time.:coleman:

[Bandito]

Not even the best player in the 21th century.
Well we still have 87 years and there hasn't been a player as dominant as him.

[jcsrplumply]

The Chosen King.
:lebroncry:

[Overdrive]

Shaq had to have a great floor leader to win, too - Penny, Kobe, Wade.

Kareem and Chamberlain were both far better centers than O'Neal ever was.

Oscar, Magic and Jerry West were needed by those guys, Top. No center, aside from Hakeem and Walton, wins alone.

[RagaZ]

Well we still have 87 years and there hasn't been a player as dominant as him.

I doubt that someone will pass Tim in our lifetime.