Your NBA top 10 all time

[RebusRankin]

1. Jordan
2. Russell
3. Bird
4. Magic
5. Wilt Chamberlain
6. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
7. Robertson
8. West
9. Olajuwon
10.Shaq

Some questions to consider, how would Russell be considered if they had all defensive teams, DPOY and Finals MVPs when he played. Potentially you adding 5-6 Finals MVPs, 10-13 DPOY awards and 10-13 first team all defensive nods to his resume.

Does Bird get short changed when compared to Magic due to Magic playing longer (or at his pear longer)? Bird does have 3 MVPs and finished second in the voting 4 times (81,82,83,88), 3 rd in 87 and 4th in 80. Thus in his first nine years he was always considered basically top 4 in the league but more so top 2. How many others can claim that?

[BballTim]

Some questions to consider, how would Russell be considered if they had all defensive teams, DPOY and Finals MVPs when he played. Potentially you adding 5-6 Finals MVPs, 10-13 DPOY awards and 10-13 first team all defensive nods to his resume.

  I think that might add a little to his resume but not much, as people pretty much give him credit for most of that. It's widely assumed that he'd have garnered all of those defensive honors, and I don't know that I've ever really heard a lack of awards argument against him as a defender.
 

[RebusRankin]

Some questions to consider, how would Russell be considered if they had all defensive teams, DPOY and Finals MVPs when he played. Potentially you adding 5-6 Finals MVPs, 10-13 DPOY awards and 10-13 first team all defensive nods to his resume.

  I think that might add a little to his resume but not much, as people pretty much give him credit for most of that. It's widely assumed that he'd have garnered all of those defensive honors, and I don't know that I've ever really heard a lack of awards argument against him as a defender.
 

True but people will cite guys like Kobe or Jordan and note their number of all defensive teams apperances or finals MVPs. I think it would elevate Russell more in some fans minds. Not so much many here who are so knowledgeable but the casual fan.

[BballTim]

Some questions to consider, how would Russell be considered if they had all defensive teams, DPOY and Finals MVPs when he played. Potentially you adding 5-6 Finals MVPs, 10-13 DPOY awards and 10-13 first team all defensive nods to his resume.

  I think that might add a little to his resume but not much, as people pretty much give him credit for most of that. It's widely assumed that he'd have garnered all of those defensive honors, and I don't know that I've ever really heard a lack of awards argument against him as a defender.
 

True but people will cite guys like Kobe or Jordan and note their number of all defensive teams apperances or finals MVPs. I think it would elevate Russell more in some fans minds. Not so much many here who are so knowledgeable but the casual fan.

  True, but I've never heard a conversation of great nba defenders that skipped over Russ.

[RebusRankin]

Second Bird question, does Bird being able to put up 20, 7, 9 in his past two years when his back and body was so messed up he was in traction a ton add to his greatness? Negate some of the Magic played longer arguments?

[DavorCroatiaFan]

In their first 9 seasons, until Larry's body starts to give up on him, in MVP voting Bird was 8-1 vs Magic.
1980: Bird 4. , Magic N/A without a vote
1981: Bird 2. , Magic 11.
1982: Bird 2. , Magic 8.
1983: Bird 2. , Magic 3.
1984: Bird MVP, Magic 3.
1985: Bird MVP, Magic 2.
1986. Bird MVP, Magic 3.
1987. Magic MVP, Bird 3.
1988. Bird 2. , Magic 3.
In same period Bird recieves 271 and Magic 89 first place votes.
Magic won more rings but in same period he gets 6 great years of James Worthy and Bird gets 0 minutes from Len Bias.
Magic is great player, maybe equal to Bird but not superior.

[BballTim]

In their first 9 seasons, until Larry's body starts to give up on him, in MVP voting Bird was 8-1 vs Magic.
1980: Bird 4. , Magic N/A without a vote
1981: Bird 2. , Magic 11.
1982: Bird 2. , Magic 8.
1983: Bird 2. , Magic 3.
1984: Bird MVP, Magic 3.
1985: Bird MVP, Magic 2.
1986. Bird MVP, Magic 3.
1987. Magic MVP, Bird 3.
1988. Bird 2. , Magic 3.
In same period Bird recieves 271 and Magic 89 first place votes.
Magic won more rings but in same period he gets 6 great years of James Worthy and Bird gets 0 minutes from Len Bias.
Magic is great player, maybe equal to Bird but not superior.

  I think there was a lot of sentiment that the reason Bird didn't win in 87 was because they didn't want to give him four straight.

[DavorCroatiaFan]

Bill Simmons is often wrong, but i agree with his claim in "The Book of basketball" that Bird was robbed of 1981 MVP award...

[RebusRankin]

Bill Simmons is often wrong, but i agree with his claim in "The Book of basketball" that Bird was robbed of 1981 MVP award...

Me too and you made an excellent argument about his MVP votes versus Magic. To me the fact that he had 9 years as no lower than top 4 and 7 out of 9 as top 2, you got to put him ahead of Magic. Plus a player averages 20ppg, 7apg, 9rpg and the media would be praising him, that's Bird in his "declining" years with a freaking shot back. Dude would be in traction and could still do that.

Simmons needs to revise his rankings.

[DavorCroatiaFan]

Yeah, BS tried to not look like a homer, but he ends up looking like a i****

[cdif911]

I'm not looking at anyone else's before posting, I'm going to go the route of making an all-top 10 team, starters and bench, filling out the positions so we'd be able to play real games

C- Russell, Chamberlain
PF - Duncan, Malone
SF - Bird, Hondo
SG - Jordan, Magic
PG - Big O, Stockton

I'm not sure if these are my top 10 players of all time, but as a team they can do absolutely everything - lock down d, rebounding, shooting, ball movement, and Wilt can get huge stats in blowouts for us

[OsirusCeltics]

1. Bill Russell
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. Oscar Robertson
4. Walt Frazier
5. Hakeem Olajuwon
6. Wilt Chamberlain
7. Micheal Jordan
8. Larry Bird
9. Shaq
10. Julius Erving

[Roy H.]

In no particular order:

Bill Russell
Wilt Chamberlain
Oscar Robertson
Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird
Shaquille O'Neal
Tim Duncan
Jerry West
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Nenad Krstic

Toughest omission: Hakeem

[D Dub]

In no particular order:

Bill Russell
Wilt Chamberlain
Oscar Robertson
Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird
Shaquille O'Neal
Tim Duncan
Jerry West
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Nenad Krstic

Toughest omission: Hakeem

I get Krstic over Hakeem, but Shaq too???

[Roy H.]

In no particular order:

Bill Russell
Wilt Chamberlain
Oscar Robertson
Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird
Shaquille O'Neal
Tim Duncan
Jerry West
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Nenad Krstic

Toughest omission: Hakeem

I get Krstic over Hakeem, but Shaq too???

Ask me again tomorrow, and I'll probably give you a different answer.  I see those two in a virtual tie.