Where does George Mikan rank all time?

[hawkfan]

Discuss.

[navy]

Number 2 all time behind Bill Russell.

[warriorfan]

GOAT he taught Bill how to play

[CavaliersFTW]

He should rank very high.

People won't though, because old.

[dubeta]

He should rank very high.

People won't though, because old.

I rank him above Wilt, so top 20

[oarabbus]

He should rank very high.

People won't though, because old.


Serious question. What kind of numbers do you think if Mikan was time traveled to today, and was given one year (with a professional team trainer) to study the modern rules of the game, learn modern dribbling techniques, and build muscle mass in the gym?

And would he be top 5?

[navy]

He should rank very high.

People won't though, because old.
Let's be real, what has Wilt accomplished that Mikan hasnt?

[bdreason]

I have him at #10 all-time, just ahead of Kobe and LeBron.

[CavaliersFTW]

Serious question. What kind of numbers do you think if Mikan was time traveled to today, and was given one year (with a professional team trainer) to study the modern rules of the game, learn modern dribbling techniques, and build muscle mass in the gym?

And would he be top 5?
How would I know, like 2 to maybe 4 games tops total's worth of field goals and miscellaneous plays exist of him - in random fragmented form. I haven't studied it all intently yet, nor even organized it and collected all of it, but I know there's simply not enough to understand how well he played the game, nor see all the things he was physically capable of. So I could never put a number on it.

From what little I do know and have seen I wouldn't doubt he could play today with his tools and competitive drive. He would be physically intimidating to play against still based on knowing through testimony that he played like Shaq, wanted to physically abuse his opponents and run them over when they played behind him - and I have seen clips of him bullying his way to the hoop which is a Shaq-like habit and not a habit of say, Wilt Chamberlain.

He's 6-10, that's likely a without shoes measurement, and on film it looks like he's also got trademark dominant-center-incredibly long arms (as should be expected) and though listed 245, that was his rookie weight (still 5lbs heavier than Dwight Howard as a rookie) he played the latter half of his career at 280lbs, this is without touching a weight. He was incredibly wide-bodied. He could be a 300lber today easy with weight lifting he's that class of size.

He was by all means, the league's first "diesel" because he was so big and powerful, and willing to use it in every way possible to his advantage. He was also mobile. Articles about him from his time detail that his biggest strength was not merely his size, but the fact that he could run the floor and out-play guys his size or smaller than him with agility and coordination which is again, a-la Shaq or Wilt. He was the Shaq or Wilt of his time. The NBA's first unstoppable diesel, based on sheer physical prowess and skill.

Bob Kurland, Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QfX6baLFFEo/UlTFlxAuISI/AAAAAAAAEu0/lu03u4Mdr1c/s800/Bob-Kurland%252C-Wilt%252C-MikanV%2520%25281%2529.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrSvm7vx8uk
A few clips from the 1954 ASG - George Mikan, number 99, keep your eye on him final season but he still looks like a load on both ends bullying his way inside a couple plays and showing great skill and coordination scoring from triple threat despite at that time being 280lbs which is a very big body on the floor even by today's standards.. blocks 7 footer Ray Felix in the paint with ease.

[J Shuttlesworth]

Hey cawkfan, how were the Hawks tonight?

[oarabbus]

He's 6-10, that's likely a without shoes measurement, and on film it looks like he's also got trademark dominant-center-incredibly long arms (as should be expected) and though listed 245, that was his rookie weight (still 5lbs heavier than Dwight Howard as a rookie) he played the latter half of his career at 280lbs, this is without touching a weight. He was incredibly wide-bodied. He could be a 300lber today easy with weight lifting he's that class of size.



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/GeorgeMikan.jpg/800px-GeorgeMikan.jpg

****ing alien arms :biggums:

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Higher than Wilt, that's for damn sure.

[T_L_P]

Greatness/accolades list? Very, very high (top 5 or 10).

All-time draft list? You're kidding yourself if he's in your top 1000

[CavaliersFTW]

Greatness/accolades list? Very, very high (top 5 or 10).

All-time draft list? You're kidding yourself if he's in your top 1000
As a talent, you don't become the MD of your time (by Shaq-like levels over his peers mind you) being a sub-1,000 tier all-time talent.

I suppose there's no way of knowing for sure, or convincing anyone who's already made their mind up that he sucks.

But logically he's likely more talented (or harder working or any combination of a set of traits that made him successful) than the lion share of big men that have ever played.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

As a talent, you don't become the MD of your time (by Shaq-like levels over his peers) being a sub-1,000 tier talent.

I suppose there's no way of knowing for sure, or convincing anyone who's already made their mind up that he sucks.

But logically he's likely more talented (or harder working or any combination of a set of traits that made him successful) than the lion share of big men that have ever played.
Yes you do. If you take Joel Pryzbilla and put him up against high-school level kids he'll look like the ****ing GOAT. Competition matters.

[dubeta]

Am I reading this wrong, or is cavsftw trying to argue Mikan would be Shaq-like in today's league? :oldlol:

http://www.nba.com/media/encyclopedia/GMikan_275_060320.jpg

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2008/writers/marty_burns/02/06/suns.trade/p1.shaq.jpg

:roll: :roll: :roll:


Oh it hurts doesn't it? Have to constantly argue and convince others that players in the 50's-60's would translate in todays league, just to prop up Wilt, forcing him to make absurd, laughable comparisons and convincing himself its true :oldlol:

[navy]

As a talent, you don't become the MD of your time (by Shaq-like levels over his peers mind you) being a sub-1,000 tier all-time talent.

I suppose there's no way of knowing for sure, or convincing anyone who's already made their mind up that he sucks.

But logically he's likely more talented (or harder working or any combination of a set of traits that made him successful) than the lion share of big men that have ever played.'

Weak era

[ILLsmak]

He should rank very high.

People won't though, because old.

historically, easily top 10. I would troll people on here... Wilt people (sorry) about Mikan cuz that's about where people really draw the line. But he still balled.

If you're doing a top 10 list and it's focused on Dynasties, you gotta put him in top 10. It's very hard to argue him top 5 though.

Russell has to be on there. Wilt does, too, because crazy stats. Kareem, Bird/Magic, and Jordan. Then Mikan? Then Duncan/Shaq. dot dot dot whatever you wanna do after that.

And that's a solid list. Can throw Kobe on there. Can't really argue LeBron on that particular list.

We got a bunch of people for that last ten spot.

It's hard to put him out of the top 10 but you gotta, IMO. I'd throw him on a top 15 or 20, easy. If we were ranking artists or musicians or whatever, he'd be in the top ten. But bball fans, as a whole, are more into now.

edit: @ Dubeta... dudes need to get over what people would do if they were time warped. Shaq coulda been working stocking shelves cuz nobody taught him ball back then, also. Mikan DID ball. He won 5 rings. 5 rangz bro. Actually, he won 7, but 4 if you only count NBA. I personally would count them all. Whether he was playing on a peach basket or not.

-Smak

[FireDavidKahn]

People who try to compare players across different eras are morons. The best way is to see how dominant they were against their peers. Because of that, Mikan is one of the GOAT.

[ImKobe]

GOAT. easy

[Psileas]

Looking at the pic of Mikan with Wilt and Kurland, I doubt he was only 6'10, even if the photo doesn't show their whole bodies. He looks pretty close to Wilt's height and Wilt doesn't seem bending and he also looks as tall as Kurland (or marginally shorter), and Kurland was a 7-footer, which is consistent with what we see here, next to Wilt again. Mikan might very well be very close to the 7-footer range.
Couple this with his wide shoulders and his long arms and, from these standpoints, he resembles a white Anthony Davis. He'd likely still be less overall athletic, but heavier and stronger, a definite C. With modern training, he'd likely produce high numbers as well, since, as it has been mentioned, he had a killer instinct that few bigs could match and, as it's heard, he was a hard and worker who never quit. Needless to say, and this almost doesn't even need to be assumed, nowadays, his injury matters would have been taken better care of.

[GimmeThat]

I suppose I put him in the category of once in about 15 years player when considering ones cognitive ability




edit- and let history delusion me