OK -- We are Going from Our 140 Down to a top 80

From the list of 140 guys, I am going to have to cut down. 


Barring some extraordinary circumstances (since it is my list, I get to determine the extraordinary-ness of the circumstances), the following 69 guys should be deleted from consideration for a Top 36 list for having 1 or fewer all-NBA or all-ABA awards.  After all, barring some special reason for keeping you off, shouldn't a top 36 player be recognized as first-team all-league at least twice in his career? 


So, here are the 69 guys in danger: 


LaMarcus Aldridge
Ray Allen
Carmelo Anthony
Nate Archibald

Chauncey Billups


Chris Bosh
Roger Brown
Vince Carter
Tyson Chandler


Dave Cowens


Adrian Dantley
Dave DeBusschere
Clyde Drexler

Alex English
Patrick Ewing

Harry Gallatin
Pau Gasol
Manu Ginobili
Blake Griffin
Tim Hardaway


Tom Heinsohn
Grant Hill
Al Horford
Dan Issel
Dennis Johnson

Gus Johnson
Kevin Johnson
Marques Johnson
Bobby Jones

Sam Jones


DeAndre Jordan

Shawn Kemp
Bernard King
Bob Lanier
Kyle Lowry
Kevin Love

Shawn Marion
Slater Martin
Bob McAdoo
Kevin McHale


Reggie Miller

Paul Millsap
Vern Mikkelson
Sidney Moncrief
Earl Monroe
Alonzo Mourning
Chris Mullin
Dikembe Mutombo
Robert Parish

Tony Parker

Paul Pierce

Jim Pollard


Mark Price
Willis Reed
Mitch Richmond

Dennis Rodman
Jack Sikma

Amare Stoudemire
Nate Thurmond
Wes Unseld


Ben Wallace
Bill Walton


Bobby Wanzer
Chris Webber
Dominique Wilkins
Buck Williams
James Worthy

George Yardley

Max Zaslofsky


So, I get to keep 9.  Who should I keep?  Well, I will keep the 5 MVPs -- Dave Cowens, Bob McAdoo, Willis Reed, Wes Unseld and Bill Walton. 


If you were literally the #1 player in the league, all other things being equal, you deserve to reach the final 80. 


So, I have 4 "saves" - who gets them?  Here are guys I put under serious consideration -- Ray Allen, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Dan Issel, Bob Lanier, Kevin McHale and Reggie Miller.


A review of Win Shares and MVP shares indicates that the guys who need to go are McHale and Lanier.  So that leaves Allen, Clyde, Ewing, Issel and Miller.  Since Issel was not ever even 2nd team all-NBA and was only once first-team all-ABA, I am going with the other guys.  So, my final pile of 80 will be. 




1 -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Ray Allen
Paul Arizin
Charles Barkley

Rick Barry
Elgin Baylor

Dave Bing
Larry Bird
Kobe Bryant
Wilt Chamberlain

11 -- Bob Cousy
Dave Cowens
Billy Cunningham
Steph Curry
Mel Daniels
Bob Davies
Anthony Davis

Clyde Drexler

Tim Duncan
Kevin Durant


21 -- Julius Erving

Patrick Ewing
Bob Feerick
Walt Frazier
Joe Fulks
Kevin Garnett
George Gervin


Artis Gilmore.
Tom Gola
Hal Greer
31 -- Richie Guerin
Anfernee Hardaway
James Harden
John Havlicek


Connie Hawkins
Elvin Hayes
Spencer Hayward
Dwight Howard
Allen Iverson

LeBron James


41 -- Magic Johnson
Neil Johnston

Michael Jordan

Jason Kidd
Kawhi Leonard
Jerry Lucas
Ed Macauley

Karl Malone


Moses Malone
Pete Maravich
51 -- Bob McAdoo
Tracy McGrady
Dick McGuire
George Mikan

Reggie Miller


Yao Ming
Steve Nash
Dirk Nowizki

Hakeem Olajuwon
Shaquille O'Neal

61 -- Chris Paul

Gary Payton
Bob Pettit
Scottie Pippen
Willis Reed
Oscar Robertson

David Robinson
Bill Russell
Dolph Schayes
Bill Sharman

71 -- John Stockton
Maurice Stokes
Isiah Thomas
David Thompson
Wes Unseld
Dwayne Wade

Bill Walton

Jerry West
Paul Westphal
Russell Westbrook