Russell to LeBron: "Thank you for leaving me off your Mt. Rushmore."

There is really only one definite player who should be in everybodies mt. Rushmore and that is MJ, the rest is virtually impossible to make without always leaving at least 1-2 guys "who should be there instead".

[QUOTE=pauk]There is really only one definite player who should be in everybodies mt. Rushmore and that is MJ, the rest is virtually impossible to make without always leaving at least 1-2 guys "who should be there instead".[/QUOTE]
I agree.

Why it became this big?

LeBron listed the most influential players to him. Picking Mount Rushmore is not just about picking the greatest 4. It is more like the most influential.

[IMG]http://sportscrack.com/images/lebrondirktaste_large.jpg[/IMG]

Did Bill wear this t-shirt? :lol

[QUOTE=Odinn]Why it became this big?

LeBron listed the most influential players to him. Picking Mount Rushmore is not just about picking the greatest 4. It is more like the most influential.[/QUOTE]
Exactly.

[QUOTE=tpols]hell no I wouldnt choose kobe over russell.. I havent seen him play, but Ive read a lot about him and specifically seen what past legends have said and all signs point towards him being the master of intangibles and on another level of understandoing how to impact the game[/QUOTE]

Seriously? That means nothing. All the historical accounts are probably skewed by the fact that he's the one of the greatest winners ever. But if you haven't seen him play, you just don't know enough to decide who the better player is.

And yet another cold, ruthless victory for Russell.

These pathetic bran stans disrespecting Russell.... :facepalm

Basketball isn't just about stats, it's sad we don't have enough footage of 50-60's basketball...

I said it once, I will say it again. It is the Lebron haters that reveal the greatness of Lebron. Not his stans. Not the media or his teammates or opponents, but his haters.

Lebron was asked to name HIS Mt. Rushmore of NBA players. And because he did not name YOUR Mt. Rushmore haters are catching feelings. All because it is Lebron, whose opinion really shouldn't be more important than anyone else when it comes to lists like this.

If CP3 was asked to name HIS Mt. Rushmore and left off Magic or Bird, not a ONE of you would give a rat's ass. Or if it was Wade who left of Russell, I promise you we will not get any of this "Oh my God, he is disrespecting a basketball legend." We certainly would not get more than 0.5 a page.

But because it is Lebron, we get 20+ pages of haters talking about Lebron's opinion. This haters, is why Lebron is already an all-time great.

[QUOTE=CavaliersFTW]God damn it seems like you haven't got a clue how Russell played, or what he did and how much of it those guys TRIED to emulate. Stop looking at their differences and start looking for their similarities. I don't think you've seen enough of Russell though, from the sounds of things. Doesn't seem like you understand the breadth of his abilities and impact. Those guys DID emulate Russell,
[/quote]
Its obvious that those three players [B]did not pattern their game[/B] after Russell because Kareem and Hayes had whole different priorities on the court. They came in taking 24 and 25 shots per game. They played a skilled game. They didn't look to facilitate on offense. They didn't outlet like Russell. Its been years since I seen the Haye's clip but I recall he came in a gunner and later on became defensive minded, but it didn't stick either. It would serve Reed no advantage at all to think like playing like Russell. That's like Barkley emulating Gervin.

[quote]
to the best of each of their abilities, they of course had their own different set of tools, flair and skill sets to put a twist on it but at the end of the day Russell was one giant inspiration for how they played and what habits they'd pick up on the court. Just because you're not aware of how much Russell could do and how much others emulated his play doesn't mean it isn't the truth. I think you need to do a lot more research on Russell before you jump to these conclusions. Russell isn't some guy who played great defense 'but' (whatever insult... bad offense, bad practice habits, unskilled etc) and got lucky 11 times. You've got him pegged wrong if that's what you believe.[/QUOTE]
I only said he wasn't skilled with the pill in his hand and its been written he didn't like to practice. Everything else you are saying. I have him in my top five all time. So, that's no diss. And I am one of a few, that argues about the strength of defense when comparing players here. He has a flaw and its a flaw that few people would let go. In the Mount Rushmore of all sports in the OTC section, all of the people seriously mentioned were SUPER duper skilled players and were magical with the tool they worked with. Not average or below average. Its not a crazy request on my part. And people have a right to want skilled craft as the pillar of their criteria of greatness.

[QUOTE=FLDFSU]I said it once, I will say it again. It is the Lebron haters that reveal the greatness of Lebron. Not his stans. Not the media or his teammates or opponents, but his haters.

Lebron was asked to name [B]HIS[/B] Mt. Rushmore of NBA players. And because he did not name YOUR Mt. Rushmore haters are catching feelings. All because it is Lebron, whose opinion really shouldn't be more important than anyone else when it comes to lists like this.

If CP3 was asked to name HIS Mt. Rushmore and left off Magic or Bird, not a ONE of you would give a rat's ass. Or if it was Wade who left of Russell, I promise you we will not get any of this "Oh my God, he is disrespecting a basketball legend." We certainly would not get more than 0.5 a page.

But because it is Lebron, we get 20+ pages of haters talking about Lebron's opinion. This haters, is why Lebron is already an all-time great.[/QUOTE]
This.

Lebron has a Mount that he fits in on. Guys that are the pillars to his game and his aspiring greatness. Everybody should have a Mount that they aspire to fit into. Nobody is really going hard about the original Mount Rushmore and its in stone. Its a personal thing as to who you have as great influence on your life. Not something Lebron is imposing on other people.

With that said, you wonder if Jordan, Mr.-not-give-props, on his Mount? Could you imagine the uproar when he says David Thompson? But if its personal why should anybody care?

How does one pattern their game off Bill Russell? Hes a defensive and rebounding beast, master of intangibles and team play. He wasnt flash..Pointguard, by your definition of greatness, Allen Iverson is a top 5 GOAT candidate :oldlol:


Kids want to play like whats in style.. what looks cool. Crossovers, dunks, fadeaways.. thats why Dr. J, Jordan, Kobe etc. are the ones you see kids copying and trying to be like.

Who patterns their game off of a guy like Russell or Rodman? Thats just hard work lol.. no oohing and ahhing over it but its what wins. Such a arbitrary and unimportant way of judging something. Has absolutely nothing to do with the impact they had.

[QUOTE=DaSeba5]You simply can't have a Mt Rushmore of basketball players.[/QUOTE]
yes you can
magic/kobe/kareem/shaq

Actually you can pattern your game after Russell by observing the details of how he does things. How to keep blocks inbounds... the art and science of help and recover, all the little tricks to help you be a threat but still be able to protect the basket... the best timing and technique on blocks, when and how to jump... how to use your lower body (your posterior, in fact) to gain position on the block on offense, and how to deny position on defense... how to screen properly, how to do a good outlet pass etc.

Effort is only one part of defense. There is a lot of skill involved. Same thing with off the ball offense.

[QUOTE=JohnFreeman][IMG]http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131126084710/walkingdead/images/0/0f/Post-15337-Christian-Bale-confused-gif-Hje6.gif[/IMG][/QUOTE]
What? Missed the LEbron lame dunk session in practice while his teammates where in the sidelines taking pictures, after he said he would win the dunk contest but being afraid to actually try :lol

Miami betas.