kgbaseball Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Gheorghe Muresan is the reason Billy Crystal hosts the Emmy's every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 exactly. i don't remember hakeem the dream ever doing that. some athlete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjbourg1 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Let me get one thing straight: Dirk is not very athletic at all. He can't jump and he isn't quick. He can obviously shoot it amazingly well for his size, so I'll give him that. The improvement of his defense is a joke; he's easily the worst defender in the entire league. I definitely agree here that Dirk is not very athletic at all. He runs the floor well for a big guy, but that doesn't mean he's "athletic." Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson (pre-knee injury days), and currently Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, and Dwight Howard...those guys are "athletic. (Yes I know that Amare and Bosh are only 6'10 and Howard is only 6'11, but I'm just using them to get my point across.) Another young, athletic guy is Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets. I believe he's like 7-1. Kevin Garnett should also be mentioned in this topic. He's right around the 7 ft. mark. Overall though I'd have to go with Hakeem. If anyone has seen some of his older highlights of him running the floor and blocking shots from out of nowhere and dunking all over people, you'll know what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjbourg1 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 I almost forgot one of the greatest of all time...SHAQ! In his Orlando days (and pre-350+ pound days) he was very athletic too. My dad saw him play in the Texas high school state championship (Shaq went to a high school in San Antonio). He said he was an incredible athlete for being that tall. I was there too, but I was only 3 or 4 years old at the time and don't remember him at all. Kind of getting off topic, but I've also seen Chris Bosh, Kendrick Perkins, Deron Williams, Bracey Wright, Daniel Gibson, TJ Ford, and Daniel Ewing (all in the NBA) play at the TX state championship. Those are the guys that just jump to mind whom I've seen play. I've seen a few other professional athletes (and big time college players) play at this tournament, but I don't want to get too far off topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dasda Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 I couldn't pick Dirk over Olajuwon. He blocked shots, rebounded, ran the floor like no other big man in history, imo. He could not only guard, but shut down any position on the floor. If I was going to start a franchise, Hakeem's my pick. And yes, that's over Jordan. Couldn't agree more the man in his last year with the Toronto Raptors, banged up knees and all was among league leader in steals yes steals it was 1.76 or something. DREAM in MY OPINION the GREATEST BIG man to ever play the game. He could do it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjbourg1 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Here is a link to a video that will provide plenty of evidence as to why Hakeem is the most athletic big man of all time. If you don't want to watch the whole 10 minute video, at least watch the first 5 minutes and you'll be more than impressed. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1sS_wiIfL4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred13 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Why has no one said Erving "Magic" Johnson. The man was a 7-foot PG, how van you call that not being athletic. While The Admiral and Dream are both great Players, there athleticism cannot be compared to that of Magic's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarlinsMS_35 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 I have to say KG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 i don't know how magic was a seven-footer when he was 6'9". if we're rounding up, then my pick would have to be tracy mcgrady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjbourg1 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Yea Magic was definitely not a 7 footer. He's at least 3 inches off. He's not even considered a true "big man." Now he is the greatest "big" point guard (and best point guard period) of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tebjr Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 Dirk is better than Detlef Schrempf. I'll agree with that, but my point was that the way Dirk plays is not new to the game. He hasn't revolutionized the way the position is played. Olajuwon did. Schrempf played the same way Dirk does. Away from the basket. The only difference in the two is that Schrempf was better defensively, and Dirk is better on the offensive end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tebjr Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 first of all, you lost all credibility by if you're picking olajuwon over jordan for your franchise. Jordan was a great player, I'll give him that. But he didn't start winning until the legitimate "team players" were gone. Magic, Bird, Isiah. He played in a watered down league, that needing to survive the loss of these players, pushed Jordan as nothing but a ratings booster. The league found someone that fans would tune in to watch, so he was made to look like Superman. Those Bulls teams were good, and they wouldn't have made their runs without him, but he's not even in my top 5 as far as greatest ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veesmack Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Shaq always said Hakeem was the best he ever faced. So I would agree that Olajuwon is better. He had the most deceptive post moves ever and excellent footwork around the basket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 and that's why you have no credibility if you don't even have jordan in your top five greatest players ever. fact of the matter is, if you believe the league was watered down when jordan made both of his threepeats, then by that same logic olajuwon couldn't wipe jordan's a$$. maybe you've forgotten, but olajuwon won his two titles the two years jordan was out of the league. if he were in the league at those times, it probably would've been a different story. unless for some reason you happen to believe that those two years just by coincidence weren't "watered down." houston happened to beat a knicks team that jordan's bulls consistently ran over. then they went on to beat a magic team that wasn't really that great of a team (relative to most nba finals teams). at least jordan's bulls beat a damn good suns team, a great jazz team (twice), a solid sonics and blazers teams, and a lakers team (oh wait, with magic, but he wouldn't be that key of a player apparently). funny thing, cuz i remember isiah thomas and larry bird (albeit at the end of his career) still being in the league when jordan started winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tebjr Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 The league was watered down when the Rockets won as well. I never said it wasn't. Magic and Bird were on the way out when the Bulls started winning, and Isiah wasn't far behind. I'm sure it would have been a different story if Jordan hadn't retired. The league would have kept pushing the Bulls. All the teams the Bulls beat were decent teams, but none of them were teams the league would have wanted as champs. And if you take that as I think this stuff is fixed, yes I do. Just about all sports are anymore. But that's a different argument for a different time. Jordan was the face of basketball, and the league wasn't going to lose the money that would come from that. The league has been watered down for years now. You want to like Jordan, great. I just don't happen to think he could have carried any of the legends jock straps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tebjr Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 And for argument's sake, here's my top 5. 1-Wilt Chamberlain 2-Bill Russell 3-Magic Johnson 4-Larry Bird 5-Kareem A. Jabbar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bama Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 And for argument's sake, here's my top 5. 1-Wilt Chamberlain 2-Bill Russell 3-Magic Johnson 4-Larry Bird 5-Kareem A. JabbarOh come on...the league may have been watered down, but Jordan's up there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastflink2009 Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 I'll agree with that, but my point was that the way Dirk plays is not new to the game. He hasn't revolutionized the way the position is played. Olajuwon did. Schrempf played the same way Dirk does. Away from the basket. The only difference in the two is that Schrempf was better defensively, and Dirk is better on the offensive end. Dirk drives alot more now. He isn't afraid to take a hit, and for a 7 footer he has the quickest dribble drive I've ever seen. IMO he's up there w/ Hakeem and Robinson. And yes he has revolutionized the position. Now teams are going to PF that are able to shoot like Bogut. What did Hakeem do to revolutionize the position. Kareem and Chamberlin were identical players IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 right, so hakeem is the best all around player and would be the guy you start a franchise with, but even he is not in your top 5 greatest players of all time. makes perfect sense. and jordan's career was fixed to make him look better than he was. perfect sense. and the league was watered down. right. as if there is any real way to measure that. but the league was watered down when russell and chamberlain played too, so i guess i'm taking them out of the top five. i'll replace them with isiah thomas and dominique wilkins. but that wouldn't make any sense since a player's greatness isn't measured by what era they played in since there's no way to measure that. nobody in their right mind would not recognize jordan as being the greatest if not at the very least in the top five greatest players ever. otherwise by your same argument, no one would consider babe ruth the greatest ever. it's not about liking one or another, it's about recognizing greatness. jordan won 6 titles. period. he was the defining player of his era. even bird and magic themselves recognize that. like i said, no credibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tebjr Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 Well, lets just agree to disagree homer. And the fact that I have no credibility with you, well that means nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snash13 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Alvin Adams. I dont think he was 7 feet but he was close. he ran the floor like a point guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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