Since we are more than halfway through the month, I better get things cranking up.
It is interesting that players ##16-13 on my 2021 list are all going to be guys who will draw some criticism for how high I have them. You know what? If your list of all-time greats simply copies everyone else's list, your value to this exercise is 0. While that fact doesn't justify putting, say, Marcus Banks or Marcus Liberty as a top 40 player, I am more than comfortable with this grouping of 4.
16. Bob Pettit - I honestly cannot understand why lists have Pettit down in the 30s. It baffles me. Pettit played 11 years, won a title, won two MVPs, is one of two guys to lead his team over Russell's (Wilt is the other), probably should have received Cousy's MVP, so he should have three. Yet he is ranked down in the 30s with guys with no MVPs, no titles, and like 3 first-team All-NBAs. It is baffling. Anyway - Pettit was 10X 1st team All-NBA. His MVP placements are 1-1-2-2-3-4-4-4-6, meaning that in his 11 seasons he was regarded as a top 4 player 8 times and a top 6 player 9 times. His MVP placements are better than his contemporary Elgin Baylor. During his playing days, it was probably Russell/Wilt/Pettit.
Only 6 guys have ever been the all-time leader in career points scored. Pettit is 1. He retired at #1 in points and #2 in rebounds. Today, 55 years after he stopped playing, he is 14th all-time in WS/48 and 7th in PER.
Enough said. I will fight this Pettit battle until the day I die.
15. David Robinson
Here are some of David Robinson's key statistical placements:
Win Shares Per 48 - 5-2-2-6-1-1-2-1-1-3-1-5 (#2 all-time)
PER - 5-3-2-6-1-1-1-3-3-5 (3rd all time)
Win Shares 16th all-time
BPM - 6-4-2-6-1-1-2-1-4-6 (4th all-time)
VORP - 5-2-3-5-1-1-2-3-7 (10th all-time)
Defensive Rating - 2-2-1-6-8-3-1-1-1-1-2-2-3-4 (4th all-time)
He has two titles, an MVP, 4x All-NBA first-team, 1-2-2-3-3-6-6-7 MVP placements. He had a 20 WS season. 20. He won a scoring title. He scored 71 in a game.
Again, I will go to my grave defending the greatness of David Robinson.
14. George Mikan - George Mikan stopped playing in 1956. 24 years later, he was determined by people who were alive to see him play to still have been a Top 11 player in the history of the game. He won 5 titles, 3x had 20+ WS. Retired as the all-time leading scorer in league history. If they had the awards when he played, he probably has around 4 MVPs and 4 FMVPs which would mean it would be him and Jordan and LeBron and probably Bill Russell. And he'd have 5 titles, which LeBron does not have. So there is an argument that he is a top 3 player. So how much do you reduce for the lack of longevity? I mean, I have seen lists with Bill Walton claimed to be a Top 40 player. Walton played 1 1/2 great starter years and 1 great bench year. 2 titles. So, you do have to drop Mikan some (otherwise, why isn't Giannis on my list?) but I think 14 is a fair landing spot.
13. Karl Malone - I have said it before and I will say it again, if Karl Malone's regular season career is all you consider, he is a top 5 all-time player. Top 5. It is my top 4 guys and Karl.
WS - 4th
VORP - 4th
Points - 2nd
Rebounds - 8th
2 MVPs, 3 WC titles
MVP Placements - 1-1-2-3-4-4-4-5-7-7-7
11x first-team All-NBA (tied for 2nd all-time)
While I cannot seriously endorse it, it bears noting that he was even 3x 1st team all-Defense!! Bird and Magic combined? Zero.
So, those playoff failures? What do you do? I think you need to say that players with this level of regular season success and 3 conference titles deserve to still be ranked high. His longevity is insane and yet his per minute stats still hold up. But there are ZERO players in my remaining 12 who have no titles. The group of 12 guys has 53 titles. AND I can honestly say that I have heard at least someone say that they consider each of the Final 12 players to be the greatest player of all-time. I have never heard anyone say that they consider Karl Malone to be the greatest player of all-time. So, while you could make an argument for Karl all of the way up to #9, I will stop him at #13.
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