Is KD the most unique player of all time?

[Shade8780]

How can he do the things he does when he's 6'11"?

[Johnny Jones]

dirk

[DuMa]

TMac

[JimmyMcAdocious]

I think Barkley is more of a rarity.

Also the word "unique" shouldn't be used with a modifier. Where's that spelling & grammar guy when you need him?

[Spaulding]

Barkley

[FreezingTsmoove]

He's going to go down as the NBA's all time leading scorer so I would say yes. And lol at comparing Tmac to Durant

[KG215]

dirk
:confusedshrug:

Durant's an inch or so shorter, but he's basically just turning into a more athletic version of Dirk.


I've always thought Barkley was the most unique player of all-time and I still have him at #1. And I'm not saying Durant is #2 on my list, but he is pretty damn unique. I mean if you just find the middleground between his 6'9" height (without shoes) and 7'5" wingspan, he's a near 7-footer with guard-like handles, near unlimited range on his jumper, and the fluidity and athleticism of SG/SF.


I'm sure jlauber will eventually tell us, with a mini-novel, why Wilt is the most unique player in NBA history, but I'm sticking with Barkley.

[Shade8780]

:confusedshrug:

Durant's an inch or so shorter, but he's basically just turning into a more athletic version of Dirk.


I've always thought Barkley was the most unique player of all-time and I still have him at #1. And I'm not saying Durant is #2 on my list, but he is pretty damn unique. I mean if you just find the middleground between his 6'9" height (without shoes) and 7'5" wingspan, he's a near 7-footer with guard-like handles, near unlimited range on his jumper, and the fluidity and athleticism of SG/SF.


I'm sure jlauber will be a long shortly with a mini-novel to tell us why Wilt is the most unique player in NBA history, but I'm sticking with Barkley.
He's been gone from this forum for like a year now :( Taught me a lot about Wilt.

[SilkkTheShocker]

LeBron ****ing James

[Johnny Jones]

He's been gone from this forum for like a year now :( Taught me a lot about Wilt.
LAZERUSS (sp?) is his new account.

[hateraid]

My all-unique team:

PG- Magic Johnson
SG- Adrian Dantley
SG- Lebron James
PF- Charles Barkley
C- Arvydas Sabonis

[no pun intended]

http://1heckofaguy.com/wp-content/photos/rodman.jpg

[gasolina]

A lot of things go into Durant's height and length but his body type allows him to play as a guard. Of course, it doesn't discount the hard work he put in to develop his shooting, handles, and other guard skills.

IMO Dirk takes it.

[pauk]

KD is 6'10" in shoes, around same height as Larry Bird, somewhat similar game aswell minus the passing/vision. He sure is unique tho, he is up there.... but the most unique are guys like:

Magic Johnson = 6'9" PG, are you kidding me? I can guarantee you right now you/we/humans will NEVER see another 6'9+ PG in the NBA... and he was actually the greatest PG ever, take that.... He could & did play all positions during his career aswell.

Lebron James = Same as above essentially, with much bigger frame, but has also that versatility on the defensive end, up there with Pippen as the most versatile defender ive ever seen.... Another thing, Lebron possess the most ridicilous combination of size/power/speed/vertical/agility/cardio etc. in NBA history in my opinion... that alone makes him very unique...

Scottie Pippen = Same as those guys above aswell but to a lesser effect, on the defensive end easily the most versatile defender of all time, you name ANY player on the court and he will do a great job, except perhaps if its Shaq he will be defending....

Charles Barkley = Enough said.

Dennis Rodman = Enough said.

(not a specific order)

and so on.... Obviously there are more guys like Shaq... Jordan... yes, Jordan... his talent/skill/athleticism all in all makes him extremly unique....

[Mass Debator]

Mugsy

[SamuraiSWISH]

He's like a taller, slightly longer, poor skilled version of T-Mac, combined with elements of basically, Dirk. So kind of, but not really. Either he's a taller poor man's McGrady, or a better ball handling, slightly shorter black version of Dirk.

[Orlando Magic]

http://specials-images.forbes.com/imageserve/08No5rf4XJ8tT/0x600.jpg

[28renyoy]

He's like a taller, slightly longer, poor skilled version of T-Mac, combined with elements of basically, Dirk. So kind of, but not really. Either he's a taller poor man's McGrady, or a better ball handling, slightly shorter black version of Dirk.

poor man's mcgrady :roll:

[jzek]

Shaq is.

7-1, 330 lbs and has the quickness of a SF.

[Orlando Magic]

poor man's mcgrady :roll:

Why is that funny? He is... at his best.

There is literally nothing that KD does better except perhaps 3 point shooting (without looking at the percentages).

[KG215]

Why is that funny? He is... at his best.

There is literally nothing that KD does better except perhaps 3 point shooting (without looking at the percentages).
I think "poor man's" anything makes it sound like there's a pretty big drop-off in impact, ability, etc. and that's not the case with McGrady and Durant.

[OhNoTimNoSho]

Most unique???


Have you guys never taken an english class? They are all unique, one can't be more unique than another.

[fpliii]

He's one of the rarer player prototypes we've seen (that skillset with his size). I'm not sure about most unique (Magic, Barkley, Rodman, Dirk, LeBron, etc.), but he's up there.

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Most unique???


Have you guys never taken an english class? They are all unique, one can't be more unique than another.

Right, the word is unusual or the 15 other synonyms. Common mistake.


Where's the Anthony Mason love?

[HardwoodLegend]

Toni Kukoc

[Primary]

Elgin baylor

[FatComputerNerd]

Odom deserves mention

So does uninjured Sampson

[HomieWeMajor]

IMO the answer is Shaq. 7 foot 2 400 pound point center who could play all 5 positions.
Did I hook you in ?

[DonDadda59]

Shaq
Barkley
Lebron
Lever
Magic

[FireDavidKahn]

Lebron.

[kshutts1]

Why do people say Dirk? Durant is currently better, and has the chance to be all time better, and is only an inch shorter, tops? I don't see how Dirk is more rare/uncommon than Durant.

But Barkley and AI take the cake for me.

[SyRyanYang]

what's so unique about Drik? A big man who can shoot? a lot of European bigs play like that. Boris "the lebron stopper" Diaw is more unique if anything

[Blackisbig]

Why is that funny? He is... at his best.

There is literally nothing that KD does better except perhaps 3 point shooting (without looking at the percentages).



Durant is better than prime TMAC in every facet of the game right now.

[Rose'sACL]

people don't realize this but i think KD has a great chance to end up as top 5 GOAT. This guy just can't be stopped. If you have been watching NBA for a long time, you should realize that this guy is something special.

[Round Mound]

[B]I Think Bird Belongs In The Conversation of Most Unique Players Ever. The Dude Was a 6

[Djahjaga]

what's so unique about Drik? A big man who can shoot? a lot of European bigs play like that. Boris "the lebron stopper" Diaw is more unique if anything

I'm insulted and I'm not even a Dirk fan.

[bizil]

My top four are Barkley, KG, Bron, and Magic. You also got T-Mac, Ralph Sampson, and Durant too.

[bizil]

T-Mac to me was like a mix between Penny Hardaway and George Gervin. He had Penny's awesome, smooth all around floor game to go with Gervin's epic scoring skillset. Scoring wise I see T-Mac and Gervin type of things in KD. But his floor game isn't like a Penny or T-Mac. Those guys can play and defend PG-SF. KD is more of a guy who can play SG-PF and is improving his floor game. Bird could play SG-PF and had point guard type vision to go with it. So in that sense, KD should keep looking along the path of Bird in terms of floor game. Because usually KD is gonna run SF or even some PF like Bird, although both could and have lined up at SG certain times. T-Mac was more of a swingman who could also play PG.

He's not a like T-Mac or Penny floor game wise. Durant and Bird are arguably the two greatest shooters to ever play the SF position anyway. Durant is just way more athletic and longer at 6'10 to 6'11 to go with it

[LBJMVP]

KD is 6'10" in shoes, around same height as Larry Bird, somewhat similar game aswell minus the passing/vision. He sure is unique tho, he is up there.... but the most unique are guys like:

Magic Johnson = 6'9" PG, are you kidding me? I can guarantee you right now you/we/humans will NEVER see another 6'9+ PG in the NBA... and he was actually the greatest PG ever, take that.... He could & did play all positions during his career aswell.

Lebron James = Same as above essentially, with much bigger frame, but has also that versatility on the defensive end, up there with Pippen as the most versatile defender ive ever seen.... Another thing, Lebron possess the most ridicilous combination of size/power/speed/vertical/agility/cardio etc. in NBA history in my opinion... that alone makes him very unique...

Scottie Pippen = Same as those guys above aswell but to a lesser effect, on the defensive end easily the most versatile defender of all time, you name ANY player on the court and he will do a great job, except perhaps if its Shaq he will be defending....

Charles Barkley = Enough said.

Dennis Rodman = Enough said.

(not a specific order)

and so on.... Obviously there are more guys like Shaq... Jordan... yes, Jordan... his talent/skill/athleticism all in all makes him extremly unique....


is magic really 6 foot 9? i remember watching some interview, i forgot who it was, but they questioned him about his height because he was the same height as the guy interviewing him and he was definetely not 6 foot 9.

not saying magic is not one of the most unique players of all time... just questing his height.

[Round Mound]

is magic really 6 foot 9? i remember watching some interview, i forgot who it was, but they questioned him about his height because he was the same height as the guy interviewing him and he was definetely not 6 foot 9.

not saying magic is not one of the most unique players of all time... just questing his height.

[B]6

[therammingman]

i posed the question in a thread once asking if anyone in history had the shooting ability and driving and dunking ability kd has.

someone said ray allen but even in his prime slam dunk contest days, he couldnt finish the way we have seen KD do.

[dunksby]

KD is a very special player, people only see LeBron's greatness but KD will work his way out of LeBron's shadow eventually.

[bdreason]

Barkley.

[BlazerRed]

A lot of things go into Durant's height and length but his body type allows him to play as a guard. Of course, it doesn't discount the hard work he put in to develop his shooting, handles, and other guard skills.

IMO Dirk takes it.

There is no world where Dirk is more unique of a player than Durant. Durant has better handles, rebounds better, blocks more, has the same range as dirk and plays better defense. No argument.

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Durant is better than prime TMAC in every facet of the game right now.

Every facet? Really?

People matching blow for blow in the hyperbole department here.

[Element]

Barkley takes this here easily

[hateraid]

Wow. This is not to insult anybody but this thread is a reminder to how young this board is and how old I really am.
Some of the picks were a no-brainer in which they are referenced so much that even a teenager could have known to post it. Players like Magic, Lebron, and especially Barkley.
I'm surprised nobody had noticed my reference to Adrian Dantley and Arvydas Sabonis.
Dantley was a 6'5 guard who had an outside game, but played post like Kevin McHale. He had post moves that centers today could not emulate. He was practically unblockable in the post with so many pump fakes and up and unders you would think Dwight Howard should have asked to be mentored by him

Sabonis was referenced to be a 7'4 point guard. Literally even played the position internationally. He was actually compared to a taller Magic at one point in his career!

They should probably be in the top 3 unique players and especially up there with Barkley

[pegasus]

Wow. This is not to insult anybody but this thread is a reminder to how young this board is and how old I really am.
Some of the picks were a no-brainer in which they are referenced so much that even a teenager could have known to post it. Players like Magic, Lebron, and especially Barkley.
I'm surprised nobody had noticed my reference to Adrian Dantley and Arvydas Sabonis.
Dantley was a 6'5 guard who had an outside game, but played post like Kevin McHale. He had post moves that centers today could not emulate. He was practically unblockable in the post with so many pump fakes and up and unders you would think Dwight Howard should have asked to be mentored by him

Sabonis was referenced to be a 7'4 point guard. Literally even played the position internationally. He was actually compared to a taller Magic at one point in his career!

They should probably be in the top 3 unique players and especially up there with Barkley

But he didn't play PG in the NBA. He was a better version of Vlade in terms of having an excellent court vision and feel for the game that you rarely see from guys with that kind of height. But that doesn't mean that he could dribble or shoot like a guard. That would be KD.

But agree with the majority. Barkley's gotta be the most unique player ever. KD could surpass him eventually if he adds more dimensions to his game.

[chips93]

Sabonis was referenced to be a 7'4 point guard. Literally even played the position internationally. He was actually compared to a taller Magic at one point in his career!

They should probably be in the top 3 unique players and especially up there with Barkley

did sabonis reallly have that good guard skills? i thought he was an extraordinarily skilled big, but more like a ruch mans marc gasol, than a fully-fledged 7 foot point guard.

having said that, ive only seen highlights of him in his younger, athletic days.



dantley was definitely very unique too. ive only seen a handful of his games, but i just saw him as a really undersized power forward, with a great low post game.

[hateraid]

did sabonis reallly have that good guard skills? i thought he was an extraordinarily skilled big, but more like a ruch mans marc gasol, than a fully-fledged 7 foot point guard.


having said that, ive only seen highlights of him in his younger, athletic days.


But he didn't play PG in the NBA. He was a better version of Vlade in terms of having an excellent court vision and feel for the game that you rarely see from guys with that kind of height.

Internationally he was quoted to have to assume the position on certain occassions to present match-up problem. Not to mention he had sick range. Check some of his highlights and alot of it is showcasing his 3pt ability



dantley was definitely very unique too. ive only seen a handful of his games, but i just saw him as a really undersized power forward, with a great low post game.

Undersized for a power forward? Try undersized for a SMALL forward even. The guy is the same size as Jrue Holiday!
Imagine Jrue pump faking the current Rockets front line and being able to consistently juke them and get buckets, and yet step out to mid range area and knock down jumpers.
Too me that is the most unique player to ever play, even over Barkley

[DirkNowitzki41]

There is no world where Dirk is more unique of a player than Durant. Durant has better handles, rebounds better, blocks more, has the same range as dirk and plays better defense. No argument.

:biggums:

Dirk rebounds better, blocks more, and defense is a wash. Dirk is really underrated on D. No argument. :facepalm

Durant does have range and better handles though.

[gasolina]

:biggums:

Dirk rebounds better, blocks more, and defense is a wash. Dirk is really underrated on D. No argument. :facepalm

Durant does have range and better handles though.
When you think about it, Durant is a slightly taller version than Tmac. Or a really tall small forward. He has elite small forward skills, on a small forward frame, just taller.

I'm not discounting Durant as a great player, but the only thing unique about him is he's tall. Lebron James is more unique since he has point guard skills, post up skills, and can pretty much defend 1-4

Dirk on the other hand has a frame of a PF, slightly taller, with the skillset of a small forward and a power forward. He can post you up if you're small, take you to the hole if you're big and slow, or pretty much shoot over anyone. He can also rebound well and is an ok defender at his position.

Again. Not saying Durant is a better player than Dirk, but he isn't that unique.

[scm5]

Wow. This is not to insult anybody but this thread is a reminder to how young this board is and how old I really am.
Some of the picks were a no-brainer in which they are referenced so much that even a teenager could have known to post it. Players like Magic, Lebron, and especially Barkley.
I'm surprised nobody had noticed my reference to Adrian Dantley and Arvydas Sabonis.
Dantley was a 6'5 guard who had an outside game, but played post like Kevin McHale. He had post moves that centers today could not emulate. He was practically unblockable in the post with so many pump fakes and up and unders you would think Dwight Howard should have asked to be mentored by him

Sabonis was referenced to be a 7'4 point guard. Literally even played the position internationally. He was actually compared to a taller Magic at one point in his career!

They should probably be in the top 3 unique players and especially up there with Barkley

Of course Dantley had post moves that C's can't emulate, he's smaller and much more coordinated. This doesn't make him a unique player, just a highly skilled guard that can post. MJ and Kobe have devastating post moves as well, many that C's today can't emulate.

As for Sabonis being a 7'3 PG, no. Talented passer/playmaker, but he was not a PG. Sure, he could handle the ball well for a player his size, but so could Shaq and Pau, both 7'1 players.

Durant is unique because we've never seen a 6'10 - 6'11 player capable of doing the things he's doing. He's one of the best all-around shooters the game has ever seen. He's consistent from the midrange and from 3, and seemingly only getting better. He is as agile as most SG's are and half a foot taller. In terms of handles, he's got better handles than Lebron who has very good handles for a player his size. Durant's height and wingspan put him amongst the longest players in the league. Unlike Sabonis, we know Durant can play PG at an NBA level from his playoff run without Westbrook.

In terms of physical stats, since we can't be sure, we'll just assume. He came into the league measured at 6'9 with a wingspan of 7'4.5. His standing reach was measured at 9'2. By all accounts, he's grown about inches. Let's leave his wingspan alone and just generously give him the full two inches (6'11) to his standing reach. This would give him a standing reach of 9'4.

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/measurements.php?year=All&sort2=DESC&draft=0&pos=0&sort=6


Greg Oden 9' 4"
Hasheem Thabeet 9' 5"
DeSagana Diop 9' 5"
Brook Lopez 9' 5"
Shaquille O'neal 9' 5"
Brendan Haywood 9' 5.5"

The man has the length of a true Center. He can hang with the best of them in terms of shooting. His handles are actually good enough to play PG at an NBA level. He has the agility of a SG.

I can't think of another player that can claim this.

We've seen hyper athletic players that are 6'8, 6'9 (Tmac/Lebron). We haven't seen someone with the actual length of a Center be able to do all the stuff Durant can.

[CavaliersFTW]

How can he do the things he does when he's 6'11"?
If you think KD is 6-11 than Larry Bird is also 6-11. Both are the same height. Now what does KD do that Larry Bird didn't do?

[CavaliersFTW]

[QUOTE=Round Mound][B]6

[hateraid]

Of course Dantley had post moves that C's can't emulate, he's smaller and much more coordinated. This doesn't make him a unique player, just a highly skilled guard that can post. MJ and Kobe have devastating post moves as well, many that C's today can't emulate.

By that theory any player 6'5 and under are more skilled than any center in the league. That is a totally diminishing statement towards AD. AD was clearly better at applying this skill on an NBA level amongst the bigs. This is a skill no other guard has been able to emulate. Guard on guard yes, guard on CENTER, extremely rare.
Using Kobe and Jordan as examples don't quite compare as they use athleticism and a fadeaways to acquire the majority of their points in the paint and don't post-up to the true sense of the word "post-up" which is battle underneath the basket. To put it in a more clear description McHale guarded Dantley during their match-ups due to their similar play and position under the basket. AD is 6 inches shorter

In comparison to players mentioned, Barkley has been emulated by Anthony Mason and compared to Elvin Hayes. Magic has been compared to Oscar. I have never heard or seen a player that closely resembles Dantley. Like I said, imagine Jrue Holiday posting up Kevin Garnett. That's a close comparison.


As for Sabonis being a 7'3 PG, no. Talented passer/playmaker, but he was not a PG. Sure, he could handle the ball well for a player his size, but so could Shaq and Pau, both 7'1 players.

You make this a comparison yet you don't see the similarities with Durant to Bird and Dirk?
Sabonis has much more separation to Shaq and Pau than Durant has to Bird and Dirk.

[Vertical-24]

Mugsy

"Shoot the ball you f*cking midget!"

[chips93]

It was 6-7.5 - remember though, that is w/o shoes

kd is 6'9 barefoot, so its not an insignificant height difference

and id say kd is a better ball handler than bird, and definitely a better 3pt shooter.

[CavaliersFTW]

kd is 6'9 barefoot, so its not an insignificant height difference

and id say kd is a better ball handler than bird, and definitely a better 3pt shooter.
Larry Bird is 6-9 barefoot too, the guy who was 6-7.5 was Magic, but they measured Larry Bird for those same Olympics and he actually was a legit 6-9 w/o shoes on. So that's why I said in a few posts up that he is the same height as KD. Their wingspans are probably different, but their height is the same.

[Hoopz2332]

Durant is a "black" Dirk?:coleman: