Top 5 Players Ever From Each Position

[1987_Lakers]

My List:

C
1. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
2. Bill Russell
3. Shaquille O’Neal
4. Wilt Chamberlain
5. Hakeem Olajuwon

PF
1. Tim Duncan
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Karl Malone
4. Charles Barkley
5. Dirk Nowitzki

SF
1. LeBron James
2. Larry Bird
3. Kevin Durant
4. Julius Erving
5. Rick Barry

SG
1. Michael Jordan
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Jerry West
4. Dwyane Wade
5. James Harden

PG
1. Magic Johnson
2. Oscar Robertson
3. Steph Curry
4. Chris Paul
5. Steve Nash

[RRR3]

I challenge the order of your center list, and I think Bob Pettit has a great case for top 5 PF, but other than that we're basically in agreement.

[SouBeachTalents]

PG
Kyrie
Fisher
Mo
Kerr
Paxson

SG
Wade
Ray
JR
Delonte
Gibson

SF
Pippen
Odom
Artest
Woolridge
Ariza

PF
Gasol
Rodman
Bosh
Love
AD

C
Shaq
Ilgauskas
Bynum
Dwight
Thompson

[RRR3]

PG
Kyrie
Fisher
Mo
Kerr
Paxson

SG
Wade
Ray
JR
Delonte
Gibson

SF
Pippen
Odom
Artest
Woolridge
Ariza

PF
Gasol
Rodman
Bosh
Love
AD

C
Shaq
Ilgauskas
Bynum
Dwight
Thompson
Damn, you forgot my boy Chalmers.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

Point Guards: 1. Magic Johnson
2. Step Curry
3. Jason Kidd
4. Chris Paul
5. Oscar Robertson

Shooting Guards: 1. Michael Jordan
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Dwyane Wade
4. Jerry West
5. James Harden

Small Forwards: 1. Kawhi Leonard
2. Lebron James
3. Larry Bird
4. Kevin Durant
5. Scottie Pippen

Power Forwards: 1. Tim Duncan
2. Dirk Nowitzki
3. Kevin Garnett
4. Karl Malone
5. Charles Barkley

Centers: 1. Shaq
2. Kareem
3. Hakeem
4. Wilt
5. Bill Russell

[tpols]

thomas, stockton & kidd outside the top 5 PG's will be tough to support.

especially considering your ranking of chris paul.

[RRR3]

thomas, stockton & kidd outside the top 5 PG's will be tough to support.

especially considering your ranking of chris paul.
What's Zeke's case over CP3? RANGZ? :lol

[Whoah10115]

What's Zeke's case over CP3? RANGZ? :lol

Could be basketball.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

thomas, stockton & kidd outside the top 5 PG's will be tough to support.

especially considering your ranking of chris paul.

Thomas failed to ever even be a top 4 MVP candidate in regular season and his playoff numbers don't scream top 5 GOAT PG ever. I don't really see the argument for him at all.

[RRR3]

could be basketball.
rrrrrrrrrrrrranggggzzzz!

[RRR3]

thomas failed to ever even be a top 4 mvp candidate in regular season and his playoff numbers don't scream top 5 goat pg ever. I don't really see the argument for him at all.
rangz doe! Rangz doe! Rrrrrrrrrrrranggggggz doe!!!!

[tpols]

What's Zeke's case over CP3? RANGZ? :lol

i view cp3 as a GOAT point guard skill & talent wise but he simply couldnt keep it together for whole playoff runs.

would get knocked out everytime with injury.

while Zeke did shit like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysBBPJT6nJ8).

On top of being the leader of multiple championship teams in the golden era of basketball.

[RRR3]

Imagine Isiah Thomas and Harden having the Warriors on the brink of elimination :roll:



CP3 was about to beat that team.

[RRR3]

i view cp3 as a GOAT point guard skill & talent wise but he simply couldnt keep it together for whole playoff runs.

would get knocked out everytime with injury.

while Zeke did shit like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysBBPJT6nJ8).

On top of being the leader of multiple championship teams in the golden era of basketball.
Injury problems don't affect how good you are at basketball. Or else John Stockton would have been a better player than Dwyane Wade. Since you love stats so much, find me a single one that supports taking Zeke over CP3 as a basketball player.

[KD7]

If we're not taking into account rings and career accomplishments

PG.

1. Curry
2. CP3
3. Magic
4. Oscar
5. Nash

SG

1. Jordan
2. Kobe
3. Wade
4. Harden
5. West

SF

1. LeBron
2. KD
3. Bird
4. Kawhi
5. Erving

PF

1. Giannis
2. KG
3. Dirk
4. Barkley
5. Malone

C

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

[tpols]

Injury problems don't affect how good you are at basketball.

Actually they do. if you cant play, especially when it counts, how good you were when you were playing doesnt mean shit.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

i view cp3 as a GOAT point guard skill & talent wise but he simply couldnt keep it together for whole playoff runs.

would get knocked out everytime with injury.

while Zeke did shit like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysBBPJT6nJ8).

On top of being the leader of multiple championship teams in the golden era of basketball.

Kareem was 40 years old at the time and Lakers still won the series in game 7 when Isiah Thomas had 10 points on 38% TS

[1987_Lakers]

thomas, stockton & kidd outside the top 5 PG's will be tough to support.

especially considering your ranking of chris paul.

Isiah's inefficiency is his downfall to me, career 52 TS% & didn't have a consistent jumper. You can say "2 rings", but Isiah individually peaked in the mid 80's. Made no All-NBA teams after 1987.

Stockton had amazing longevity, for that alone he deserves consideration, but it's hard to put Stockton on the list considering Nash was the type of guy who could take over games with his scoring, was the lead man on historic offenses, 2 MVPs is the icing on the cake for me. Yes, you can say "Stockton was a better defender", but you can get away with not having a good defender at the PG spot. I don't mind people having Stockton, but I like Nash.

Chris Paul is a rich man's Isiah Thomas, he is the total package at PG, could score, shoot, defend, pass, create turnovers, high IQ, you name it. You can't find me a more well rounded PG than CP3.

[1987_Lakers]

i view cp3 as a GOAT point guard skill & talent wise but he simply couldnt keep it together for whole playoff runs.

would get knocked out everytime with injury.

while Zeke did shit like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysBBPJT6nJ8).

On top of being the leader of multiple championship teams in the golden era of basketball.

Is there really that big of a difference in postseason play? CP3 is a career 21/5/9 on 58 TS% in postseason play compared to Isiah's 20/5/9 on 52 TS%, keep in mind Isiah played in an era that was faster paced, so numbers came easier, despite this, they still have similar numbers and CP3 is actually more efficient.

We all know Isiah had great postseason moments, but he also had one of the biggest chokes ever in '87 vs Boston when he threw the ball away to Bird.

[Whoah10115]

rrrrrrrrrrrrranggggzzzz!

I love Chris Paul, and maybe I haven't re-visited a potential list, but Isiah is a beast, got to a "Bird steals the ball" brink against near-peak Celtics, was maybe a bad call away from that heroic performance stopping a near-peak Lakers, swept said Lakers (Magic was out a lot, but swept), held off the Jordan Bulls.

The argument against that would be he maybe wasn't at his best at all those points...but Paul wasn't really at his throughout that season where they almost beat the Warriors.

I can rank Paul ahead of Isiah and Stockton...or behind both. I think I rank Kidd #3 at this point. Maybe #4 if I remember Curry. Tho Kidd would be clear #2 for me if he could shoot.

Or if he were on a better team and shot less.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

rangz doe! Rangz doe! Rrrrrrrrrrrranggggggz doe!!!!

Isiah is a tough guy to evaluate. Out of the 2 rings he won, his finals performance in 1990 was top 5 goat PG level and that's about it.

VS bulls in 1990 17 points 8 assist 51% TS i don't see why Paul couldn't do that. And in 1989 he was on 48% TS for the entire playoff run which is pretty unacceptable unless you're a Scottie Pippen level defender.

[Whoah10115]

All these people who didn't watch and can't go on YouTube quoting stats.

Can't we watch a bit?

[AirBonner]

If we're not taking into account rings and career accomplishments

PG.

1. Curry
2. CP3
3. Magic
4. Oscar
5. Nash

SG

1. Jordan
2. Kobe
3. Wade
4. Harden
5. West

SF

1. LeBron
2. KD
3. Bird
4. Kawhi
5. Erving

PF

1. Giannis
2. KG
3. Dirk
4. Barkley
5. Malone

C

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

This is a decent list. I was wondering when someone was going to mention Nash. The man took two MVPS back to back

[tpols]

Is there really that big of a difference in postseason play?

when we're talking the ability to play, there is.

i would probably take chris paul at his peak over even magic since he could also shoot better and was tremendous on defense.

But he was simply unavailable in too many key series.

Clippers couldve beat the dubs in 2015 if he was healthy, and ditto to the extreme in 2018 against the supposedly unstoppable + durant dubs.

[light]

In rough order:

1s - Magic, Oscar, Kidd, LeBron, Curry

(before you dismiss LeBron consider that he'll end up top 3 in assists and is an all-time great passer anyway - known as an elite PG)

2s - Jordan, West, Iverson, Kobe, Wade

3s - LeBron, Bird, Dr. J, Pippen, Durant

4s - Duncan, Malone, LeBron, Garnett, Dirk

(before you dismiss LeBron consider that he won 2 MVPs, 2 FMVPs and 2 rings at PF)

5s - Kareem, Wilt, Shaq, Russell, Hakeem

And before you say, "you can't put so-and-so ahead of jilted player!" - understand that these are all the guys I would choose at the position ahead of those jilted players if I had to.

So, for example, I would take LeBron and Kidd at PG over Nash or Stockton. I think most (all?) teams would pick Bron there too, if they really had that choice.

Same goes for PF - I would take LeBron at PF over almost everybody except maybe Duncan or Garnett.

But even then, for the playoffs I may choose LeBron at PG, SF & PF over anybody.

[tpols]

This is a decent list. I was wondering when someone was going to mention Nash. The man took two MVPS back to back

a decent list with duncan outside the top 5 PF's and Giannis #1?

your basketball fan card has been revoked.

[AirBonner]

when we're talking the ability to play, there is.

i would probably take chris paul at his peak over even magic since he could also shoot better and was tremendous on defense.

But he was simply unavailable in too many key series.

Clippers couldve beat the dubs in 2015 if he was healthy, and ditto to the extreme in 2018 against the supposedly unstoppable + durant dubs.
Id take prime Nash over Prime CP3. CP3 had a knack for coming up short where as Nash didn’t

[RRR3]

when we're talking the ability to play, there is.

i would probably take chris paul at his peak over even magic since he could also shoot better and was tremendous on defense.

But he was simply unavailable in too many key series.

Clippers couldve beat the dubs in 2015 if he was healthy, and ditto to the extreme in 2018 against the supposedly unstoppable + durant dubs.
Damn, really? Magic had a year shooting like 38% on 3s on good volume (for the time period at least) iirc. He’d probably be a solid 3PT shooter today. Fair point on the defense but didn’t Magic lead the best offenses ever?

[RRR3]

Iverson over Kobe and Wade? Pass the meth bro.

[1987_Lakers]

This is a decent list. I was wondering when someone was going to mention Nash. The man took two MVPS back to back

I have Nash at #5 in my OP. :oldlol:

Back to Isiah, I always find it weird how appalled people were that they selected Stockton over him in the Dream Team, yes, he was blackballed the players didn't want him, but based on play by that point, did he even deserve to be selected? Stockton was at the peak of his powers at that point, while Isiah was coming off a pretty "meh" season, Stockton was clearly the better player by that point.

[RRR3]

I have Nash at #5 in my OP. :oldlol:

Back to Isiah, I always find it weird how appalled people were that they selected Stockton over him in the Dream Team, yes, he was blackballed the players didn't want him, but based on play by that point, did he even deserve to be selected? Stockton was at the peak of his powers at that point, while Isiah was coming off a pretty "meh" season, Stockton was clearly the better player by that point.
There’s a mountain of evidence suggesting Isiah is one of the most overrated players of all time. He was the leading scorer on a team that beat MJ 3 times. This has quite an effect if you ask me.

[Rico2016]

My List:

C
1. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
2. Bill Russell
3. Shaquille O’Neal
4. Wilt Chamberlain
5. Hakeem Olajuwon

PF
1. Tim Duncan
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Karl Malone
4. Charles Barkley
5. Dirk Nowitzki

SF
1. LeBron James
2. Larry Bird
3. Kevin Durant
4. Julius Erving
5. Rick Barry

SG
1. Michael Jordan
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Jerry West
4. Dwyane Wade
5. James Harden

PG
1. Magic Johnson
2. Oscar Robertson
3. Steph Curry
4. Chris Paul
5. Steve Nash

How the hell did you post a nearly PERFECT top 25 list? (top 5, per position, 5 positions total)

The only change I make is at the PF. I'd bump Dirk up to #3 and move Malone and Barkley.

[tpols]

Damn, really? Magic had a year shooting like 38% on 3s on good volume (for the time period at least) iirc. He’d probably be a solid 3PT shooter today. Fair point on the defense but didn’t Magic lead the best offenses ever?

if chris paul had an immortality genie to wish to, a magic lamp? i think he'd lead better than magic. his passing & playmaking were right on that level, but shooting totally impeccable.

and the fact that a dude 5'11 was signifigantly better on defense than a 6'9 fella is remarkable.

[1987_Lakers]

How the hell did you post a nearly PERFECT top 25 list? (top 5, per position, 5 positions total)

The only change I make is at the PF. I'd bump Dirk up to #3 and move Malone and Barkley.

:pimp:

[RRR3]

if chris paul had an immortality genie to wish to, a magic lamp? i think he'd lead better than magic. his passing & playmaking were right on that level, but shooting totally impeccable.

and the fact that a dude 5'11 was signifigantly better on defense than a 6'9 fella is remarkable.
I’m not saying I agree with you but CP3 is likely the least flawed player I’ve ever seen in terms of overall mastery of basketball skills. If he was elite at 3s instead of merely good (he’s had some great years shooting the 3 tbf) he’d be perfect.

[1987_Lakers]

I’m not saying I agree with you but CP3 is likely the least flawed player I’ve ever seen in terms of overall mastery of basketball skills. If he was elite at 3s instead of merely good (he’s had some great years shooting the 3 tbf) he’d be perfect.

CP3 and a peak Hakeem certainly come to mind.