Bill Russell unquestionable GOAT!!!!!

[liam]

The Greatest all time and I don't even think it's close:

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/watch-making-case-bill-russell-144958221.html

[mmmmm]

No argument from me.

He is at the top of my list.  With Wilt right behind him.

[gouki88]

I've always disliked trying to anoint a sole GOAT. It seems like an exercise in futility for the most part, considering how much basketball has changed.

I prefer to do it by decade:

50s: Bob Pettit
60s: Bill and Wilt
70s: Kareem
80s: Bird & Magic
90s: Jordan
00s: TD & Kobe
10s: LeBron
20s: TBA

These guys are guys that I think would be successful in any era, and have had remarkable impacts on the game. Their ability and work ethic would translate to any era.

Bill is as good as any, and has an argument to the be the top.

[tenn_smoothie]

I was reading yesterday how Fraud Lebron now has his sights set on winning 7 titles in order to surpass Jordan and lay claim to the greatest of all time title. No mention that he would still be 5 behind Bill Russell. It occurs to me that Russell being the greatest defensive player of all time is equal to another players greatest of all time offensive ability. Add in that Russell is at least the 2nd best rebounder of all time and a good scorer, though underrated, as well as the #1 title winner by a wide margin and he is easily the greatest of all time in my book.

[Moranis]

I've always disliked trying to anoint a sole GOAT. It seems like an exercise in futility for the most part, considering how much basketball has changed.

I prefer to do it by decade:

50s: Bob Pettit
60s: Bill and Wilt
70s: Kareem
80s: Bird & Magic
90s: Jordan
00s: TD & Kobe
10s: LeBron
20s: TBA

These guys are guys that I think would be successful in any era, and have had remarkable impacts on the game. Their ability and work ethic would translate to any era.

Bill is as good as any, and has an argument to the be the top.

Kobe seems very strange to put on that list.  Just not in the same category as those other guys and not even as good as Shaq (who had 4 titles in the decade and at least 3 he was the best player on the team if not all 4). 

[GreenlyGreeny]

I've always disliked trying to anoint a sole GOAT. It seems like an exercise in futility for the most part, considering how much basketball has changed.

I prefer to do it by decade:

50s: Bob Pettit
60s: Bill and Wilt
70s: Kareem
80s: Bird & Magic
90s: Jordan
00s: TD & Kobe
10s: LeBron
20s: TBA

These guys are guys that I think would be successful in any era, and have had remarkable impacts on the game. Their ability and work ethic would translate to any era.

Bill is as good as any, and has an argument to the be the top.

I think this is the only way to do it considering how different the eras are. The exception would be Brady in the NFL and Gretzky in the NHL in that they’d have been the best player by far in any era. Maybe MJ too, but it’s more interesting breaking it out by decade.

In terms of 2020s for NBA, betting heavily on Doncic...

[GreenlyGreeny]

I've always disliked trying to anoint a sole GOAT. It seems like an exercise in futility for the most part, considering how much basketball has changed.

I prefer to do it by decade:

50s: Bob Pettit
60s: Bill and Wilt
70s: Kareem
80s: Bird & Magic
90s: Jordan
00s: TD & Kobe
10s: LeBron
20s: TBA

These guys are guys that I think would be successful in any era, and have had remarkable impacts on the game. Their ability and work ethic would translate to any era.

Bill is as good as any, and has an argument to the be the top.

Kobe seems very strange to put on that list.  Just not in the same category as those other guys and not even as good as Shaq (who had 4 titles in the decade and at least 3 he was the best player on the team if not all 4).

An argument could be made for Shaq, Duncan or Kobe. Kobe’s untimely death secures his place as the best player of the mid/late 2000s, but clearly Shaq was the best of the early 2000s and Duncan was great the whole decade, always in the top three with those two...

[GreenlyGreeny]

I was reading yesterday how Fraud Lebron now has his sights set on winning 7 titles in order to surpass Jordan and lay claim to the greatest of all time title. No mention that he would still be 5 behind Bill Russell. It occurs to me that Russell being the greatest defensive player of all time is equal to another players greatest of all time offensive ability. Add in that Russell is at least the 2nd best rebounder of all time and a good scorer, though underrated, as well as the #1 title winner by a wide margin and he is easily the greatest of all time in my book.

Well, he only has 4 and maybe a 5th on the way this year. Doubt he gets to 6, let alone 7. Clearly the best player of the 2010s and clearly always going to be in the shadow of MJ even if he wins 7 or 8 (if Jordan’s dad had not been murdered, who really thinks MJ does not win 8 straight?)

[gouki88]

I've always disliked trying to anoint a sole GOAT. It seems like an exercise in futility for the most part, considering how much basketball has changed.

I prefer to do it by decade:

50s: Bob Pettit
60s: Bill and Wilt
70s: Kareem
80s: Bird & Magic
90s: Jordan
00s: TD & Kobe
10s: LeBron
20s: TBA

These guys are guys that I think would be successful in any era, and have had remarkable impacts on the game. Their ability and work ethic would translate to any era.

Bill is as good as any, and has an argument to the be the top.

Kobe seems very strange to put on that list.  Just not in the same category as those other guys and not even as good as Shaq (who had 4 titles in the decade and at least 3 he was the best player on the team if not all 4).

I think Shaq was the best guy of the early 2000s, but by 2003-04 he was not a top 2 big in the league anymore, let alone the dominant force he was in his 3 peat run. Kobe was a super-consistent guy over that decade, and dominated the whole decade.

I agree with you GreenlyGreeny, Brady & Gretzky are the only two team sports players who totally eclipse all others. In individual sports there are a few (Federer, Schumacher, Ali, Phelps) but in team sports it's a different beast.

[Moranis]

I've always disliked trying to anoint a sole GOAT. It seems like an exercise in futility for the most part, considering how much basketball has changed.

I prefer to do it by decade:

50s: Bob Pettit
60s: Bill and Wilt
70s: Kareem
80s: Bird & Magic
90s: Jordan
00s: TD & Kobe
10s: LeBron
20s: TBA

These guys are guys that I think would be successful in any era, and have had remarkable impacts on the game. Their ability and work ethic would translate to any era.

Bill is as good as any, and has an argument to the be the top.

Kobe seems very strange to put on that list.  Just not in the same category as those other guys and not even as good as Shaq (who had 4 titles in the decade and at least 3 he was the best player on the team if not all 4).

I think Shaq was the best guy of the early 2000s, but by 2003-04 he was not a top 2 big in the league anymore, let alone the dominant force he was in his 3 peat run. Kobe was a super-consistent guy over that decade, and dominated the whole decade.

I agree with you GreenlyGreeny, Brady & Gretzky are the only two team sports players who totally eclipse all others. In individual sports there are a few (Federer, Schumacher, Ali, Phelps) but in team sports it's a different beast.

Kobe was definitely more consistent, but he also only won the MVP once and only has 1 title in that decade as the best player on this team. 

Shaq was still 1st team All NBA through 2006, so he had 7 1st team All NBA's in that period, the same amount as Kobe had in the decade (Shaq also picked up a 3rd Team in 09 so only wasn't on an All NBA Team 2 of the 10 years that decade).  They both won only 1 MVP, but Shaq was the unquestioned best player on 3 title teams and Kobe was on that team (and you could argue was still better than Wade for that 4th - though Wade had a monster Finals and Shaq did not, the other 3 playoff series and the regular season they were much closer).  Considering they played together for so long and Shaq was always the better player, I just have a hard time including Kobe anywhere in the discussion of those other great players.  Kobe just wasn't in their class of player. 

[Somebody]

I've always disliked trying to anoint a sole GOAT. It seems like an exercise in futility for the most part, considering how much basketball has changed.

I prefer to do it by decade:

50s: Bob Pettit
60s: Bill and Wilt
70s: Kareem
80s: Bird & Magic
90s: Jordan
00s: TD & Kobe
10s: LeBron
20s: TBA

These guys are guys that I think would be successful in any era, and have had remarkable impacts on the game. Their ability and work ethic would translate to any era.

Bill is as good as any, and has an argument to the be the top.

Good list. I'd go with Russell alone in the 60s and KG/Duncan for the 2000s though

[gouki88]

I've always disliked trying to anoint a sole GOAT. It seems like an exercise in futility for the most part, considering how much basketball has changed.

I prefer to do it by decade:

50s: Bob Pettit
60s: Bill and Wilt
70s: Kareem
80s: Bird & Magic
90s: Jordan
00s: TD & Kobe
10s: LeBron
20s: TBA

These guys are guys that I think would be successful in any era, and have had remarkable impacts on the game. Their ability and work ethic would translate to any era.

Bill is as good as any, and has an argument to the be the top.

Good list. I'd go with Russell alone in the 60s and KG/Duncan for the 2000s though

I see no issue with more Celtic (and I guess T-Wolf) love

[Somebody]

The Greatest all time and I don't even think it's close:

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/watch-making-case-bill-russell-144958221.html

Here's an article with film and statistical analysis making the case for his GOAT candidacy: https://backpicks.com/2018/04/02/backpicks-goat-3-bill-russell/

[Somebody]

I've always disliked trying to anoint a sole GOAT. It seems like an exercise in futility for the most part, considering how much basketball has changed.

I prefer to do it by decade:

50s: Bob Pettit
60s: Bill and Wilt
70s: Kareem
80s: Bird & Magic
90s: Jordan
00s: TD & Kobe
10s: LeBron
20s: TBA

These guys are guys that I think would be successful in any era, and have had remarkable impacts on the game. Their ability and work ethic would translate to any era.

Bill is as good as any, and has an argument to the be the top.

Good list. I'd go with Russell alone in the 60s and KG/Duncan for the 2000s though

I see no issue with more Celtic (and I guess T-Wolf) love

Ikr. Still find it shocking that no one even considered KG for the 2000s: he blended consistency throughout the decade with a massive peak.

[gouki88]

I've always disliked trying to anoint a sole GOAT. It seems like an exercise in futility for the most part, considering how much basketball has changed.

I prefer to do it by decade:

50s: Bob Pettit
60s: Bill and Wilt
70s: Kareem
80s: Bird & Magic
90s: Jordan
00s: TD & Kobe
10s: LeBron
20s: TBA

These guys are guys that I think would be successful in any era, and have had remarkable impacts on the game. Their ability and work ethic would translate to any era.

Bill is as good as any, and has an argument to the be the top.

Good list. I'd go with Russell alone in the 60s and KG/Duncan for the 2000s though

I see no issue with more Celtic (and I guess T-Wolf) love

Ikr. Still find it shocking that no one even considered KG for the 2000s: he blended consistency throughout the decade with a massive peak.

People very easily forget what happens in Minnesota sadly. Seems that all their star players get a certain level of disrespect, or ignored.