IN THEIR PRIME, which big man was the best?

[Gedas]

The whole "if" never dies.. first sabonis, now darko. I'm not buying it sorry.

there's no "if" here, it's almost certain he was the best in ~90.

[Matthew]

Where's Wilt?

Oh i'd say it but it's too low (no pun intended )

there's no "if" here, it's almost certain he was the best in ~90.

[cklitsie]

Oh i'd say it but it's too low (no pun intended )

LMAO! And don't pay attention to the Lithuanian Mr. Know-It-All.
Americans are the evil breed, everything Lithuania has done is downplayed while actually THEY are the world power America pretends to be.

[Unrestrict3D]

It's really difficult to include players like Wilt Chamberlain because, of course, many of us never got to see him play. Unfortunately, I was born in 1987 and I do not have ESPN Classic nor NBA TV so I just know Wilt was good, real good.

Wait, I think I might have ESPN Classic now since we switched cable companies. Schaweet.

[Matthew]

How good is "real good"?

[Unrestrict3D]

How good is "real good"?

Like Kobe-good.

[Matthew]

Out of curiosity, who is (in order) your top 15 players of all time?

[BIG GREEN]

Out of your list...i'd have to say shaq and Olajuwan. Hakeem's reign at the top of his game didn't last too long though...compared to shaq.

All-time id have to go with Wilt with lew alcindor a close number 2; Shaq would be a close third. I do believe if shaq played in wilt's time he would've dominated more because of his size...and the difference in rules. He probably would've had a 150 point game...no shit.

Ignorance is no excuse...read-up and educate yourself on nba history if you're a true fan. That's what the internet is for...not just porn.

[Fenix]

Out of your list...i'd have to say shaq and Olajuwan. Hakeem's reign at the top of his game didn't last too long though...compared to shaq.

Hakeem played in against Kareem, Moses, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq played against who? Against aging trio of Olajuwon, Ewing and David Robinson and it's not like he dominated them. Quite contrary, he was pwned on many occassions. Even Shaq said that Hakeem is and will always be no.1.

[Matthew]

Its not like shaq dominated the 96-2002 era? You're an idiot and the double standard you hold is a joke.

[Its_asdf]

Didn't Hakeem roast Shaquille O'Neal in the finals before? I think Shaq was still a tad too young to be in his prime though.

[John WB]

Yeah, I'd personally take 2001 Shaq over 94 or 95 Hakeem.

Shaquille O'Neal
Hakeem Olajawon
Tim Duncan
Patrick Ewing
David Robinson
Kevin Garnett
Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk's stock is rising, but you can't put him ahead of any of these guys just yet.

[Fenix]

Its not like shaq dominated the 96-2002 era? You're an idiot and the double standard you hold is a joke.

Double standard against who? Olajuwon defeated Shaq and Ewing in the Finals. Shaq played against 50 year old Dikembe Mutombo. Well, lets look at the facts: Shaq agains Hall of Famers? 0-1. Olajuwon against Hall of Famers? 2-0. I don't hold a double standard, I just look at the result. You can't deny that Wilt was a more dominant force than Russell and yet you rank former higher than latter. Aren't you the one with double standards?

[John WB]

Its not like shaq dominated the 96-2002 era? You're an idiot and the double standard you hold is a joke.

Double standard against who? Olajuwon defeated Shaq and Ewing in the Finals. Shaq played against 50 year old Dikembe Mutombo. Well, lets look at the facts: Shaq agains Hall of Famers? 0-1. Olajuwon against Hall of Famers? 2-0. I don't hold a double standard, I just look at the result. You can't deny that Wilt was a more dominant force than Russell and yet you rank former higher than latter. Aren't you the one with double standards?

You can't always go by the one on one match-ups. The NBA Finals is about what TEAM is the best, not individual players. Although they can do a lot to get their teams there.

Example:
MJ's faced Isiah in the playoffs and lost, but who in their right mind would pick Isiah over his Airness?

[Matthew]

Absolutely not, becuase I like Hakeem more than I like shaq. Heres where the double standard lies: You say Hakeem beat shaq: This is true. But shaq in orlando had no veteran supporting cast apart from horace grant. Shaq was only 23 or 24, and his passing and shooting skills werent anywhere near developed yet, so its not like shaq was in his "prime".

Hakeem on the other hand did have an impresive run to back to back championships, nobody is taking that away from him. But if you're going to say shaq was only dominant against hall of famers not in their prime, you should hold hakeem to the same standard

As for Dikembe, Shaq droped 33 ppg, 16 rpg, over 5 assists, blucks around 3 blocks for that series. This was when dikembe was DPOY! look at the numbers again.

The reason for Russell ahead of wilt is simple: 11 rings compared to two. In the biggest of moments, was wilt truely unstopable? His average droped 8 ppg in the playoffs. Russel deserves to be ahead of wilt.

[Fenix]

But shaq in orlando had no veteran supporting cast apart from horace grant.

If that's the standard, Hakeem only had Drexler. Check the Basketball Reference for the ages of their supporting casts.

Shaq was only dominant against HoF player past their prime, true, but Hakeem dominated players of his past, present (Ewing) and future (Shaq). Who did Shaq actually beat? 35 year old Mutombo? Rik Smits? You can't compare someone being the best center in a league filled with them (Robinson, Ewing, Mutombo, Shaq,...) to a guy who played against scrubs or the guys who were only shadows of their former selves.

[Riot]

What has Dirk done again?

NBA FInals: Dirk 1, KG never...

I have shaq as the best centre ever, and only behind Russell (bill would be a pf in todays game) in terms of big men.

Last time I checked, it was the Dallas Mavericks who were in the NBA Finals, not Dirk Nowitzki alone. Because if my calculations are correct that means Dirk Nowitzki is a mere .08 percent of the team (or so). It helps when you have other teammates who can pick up the slack and play good, smart basketball (Terry, Harris, Howard, Stackhouse, etc) and a great young coach who has preached defense, something Nowitzki is just learning about. Not to mention the fact that Avery Johnson is an extremely smart coach, he also has the best coaching staff in the league.

So, don't try that stupid little "Dirk is in the NBA Finals so he is better" excuse. Dirk has always had a better team than Garnett but this is the first year he's getting the Finals because of Avery Johnson and the other guys who have brought defense to Dallas. Dirk, obviously, is a large part of what they do but don't think for a second that they wouldn't be where they are today if they had Kevin Garnett instead of Dirk Nowitzki.

[The X]

No. 1 is a tough call, but I have to give it to Shaq just beating out Hakeem, just due to the impact of his game, more championships, less decline in skills at end of career etc....

1. Shaquille O'Neal
2. Hakeem Olajuwon
3. Tim Duncan (almost No. 2 but Hakeem was great)
4. Karl Malone
5. Dirk Nowitzki (surprising to have him this high, but it does say in their prime & at the moment I feel he's more important than any off the puffcakes that I have listed numbers 5 through 7)
6. David Robinson
7. Kevin Garnett
8. Patrick Ewing

[J@3]

Last time I checked, it was the Dallas Mavericks who were in the NBA Finals, not Dirk Nowitzki alone. Because if my calculations are correct that means Dirk Nowitzki is a mere .08 percent of the team (or so). It helps when you have other teammates who can pick up the slack and play good, smart basketball (Terry, Harris, Howard, Stackhouse, etc) and a great young coach who has preached defense, something Nowitzki is just learning about. Not to mention the fact that Avery Johnson is an extremely smart coach, he also has the best coaching staff in the league.

So, don't try that stupid little "Dirk is in the NBA Finals so he is better" excuse. Dirk has always had a better team than Garnett but this is the first year he's getting the Finals because of Avery Johnson and the other guys who have brought defense to Dallas. Dirk, obviously, is a large part of what they do but don't think for a second that they wouldn't be where they are today if they had Kevin Garnett instead of Dirk Nowitzki.

I still think most people would take Dirk over Garnett based on the last two seasons.

[Deadmaninc]

I say Wilt

[Big_Mike]

Shaquille O'neal

Arvydas Sabonis didn't have shit against SHAQ!

[Gedas]

Shaquille O'neal

Arvydas Sabonis didn't have shit against SHAQ!

I'll give you a hint. TRY TO READ

[Riot]

I still think most people would take Dirk over Garnett based on the last two seasons.

Garnett is a better rebounder, defender, low-post offensive player and he is more verstile (although Dirk is, too). Garnett is also the better passer of the two.

[Fenix]

Yeah, but one is in the playoffs and the other one is... well, not.

[Raps13]

What has Dirk done again?

Just about everything KG has. Granted KG has won an MVP trophy but that doesnt mean Dirk doesnt deserve one. What exactly has KG done in the playoffs? Dirk wins that battle clearly. I would pick Dirk before KG any day