OT- NBA players, who was better
- Thread starter superjohn
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Shaq was more dominant & great for his time. Unbelievable l, dominant inside presence.
Olajuwon prob was the better overall beginning to end player career wise. Specifically based off defense & intangibles (Shaq has more questions as a teammate than Dream..
One question I’m intrigued by though is in today’s NBA, is does Dreams versatility make him a better player today or would teams find a way to make Shaqs pure dominance fit
Olajuwon prob was the better overall beginning to end player career wise. Specifically based off defense & intangibles (Shaq has more questions as a teammate than Dream..
One question I’m intrigued by though is in today’s NBA, is does Dreams versatility make him a better player today or would teams find a way to make Shaqs pure dominance fit
nelsonmuntz
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Sabonis would have dominated the NBA in the 80's if he had gotten there before his knees and feet failed, and a few hundred fewer vodka bottles had saturated his body.
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Shaq. he was so dominant. Hakeem more skilled. But Shaq was most dominant player of my time. Did not really see Jordan.
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Hakeem. Arguably the best defender of all time and the best offensive skillset for a big of all time.
Dream Jobbed 2.0
“Most definitely”
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The last sentence is pretty hilarious when you think about guys like Kevin Durant
He's still top 10 all time in steals. Just a fantastic defender in every way, and he would fit in nicely in today's game because he didn't have to be anchored in the paint to be good.
I think by "big", he means big in the traditional, back to the basket sense. You don't really see a game like he had anymore as the game has changed.
nelsonmuntz
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This is not nearly as big a "gotcha" as you think. Durant is a good outside shooter and great all around player, but Olajuwon won two Championships with really weak supporting casts in an era of some of the best players of all time.
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Hakeem was a better more skilled player. Unbelievably athletic center who could run the floor, defend, block shots and score with a solid mid range game. Basically did it all.
Shaq was a dominant force of nature. No one like him. If Chamberlain was that sort of force in the 60s....Shaq was the 90s version.
Both tremendous.
Shaq was a dominant force of nature. No one like him. If Chamberlain was that sort of force in the 60s....Shaq was the 90s version.
Both tremendous.
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Tough one to answer but I always go Hakeem. Shaq was more gifted, Shaq's peak was better (and absolutely insane) but too short (amazing that his age 30 season was his last great year). Shaq just didn't give a , especially once he got to LA. Phil's books on that era are a great read.
Shaq should have been at worst the second-best player I've ever watched, after Jordan. Instead he's somewhere near in the 8-12 range. He would have been something to behold if he had an above-average work ethic.
Hakeem was ridiculous and did it against phenomenal competition, owning other HOF bigs like Robinson, Ewing, and Shaq.
Shaq should have been at worst the second-best player I've ever watched, after Jordan. Instead he's somewhere near in the 8-12 range. He would have been something to behold if he had an above-average work ethic.
Hakeem was ridiculous and did it against phenomenal competition, owning other HOF bigs like Robinson, Ewing, and Shaq.
Huskyforlife
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Wonder what the advanced stats suggest? My subjective take would be Shaq, but he's one of my favorite players all time.
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Splitting hairs, both in the top 15 of all time on any NBA best player list...
I would say Olajuwon was the overall better player, although if Shaq wanted to he probably could’ve been the best player of all time. Shaq just wasn’t as passionate as a Kobe or Jordan in where most seasons he came back from the Summer over weight & out of shape.
Chin Diesel
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Gotta go with Hakeem. When Jordan was benched Olajuwon dominated Ewing, Robinson and Shaq and all of them were in or near their primes.
I do think Shaq gets the Wilt treatment where his physical dominance overshadows some of their feats.
Not sure if Yao ever exceeds the Flying Dutchman level of performance.
Would have loved to have seen a healthy Arvydis play in NBA. One of the few players who made Shaq's size look pedestrian.
I do think Shaq gets the Wilt treatment where his physical dominance overshadows some of their feats.
Not sure if Yao ever exceeds the Flying Dutchman level of performance.
Would have loved to have seen a healthy Arvydis play in NBA. One of the few players who made Shaq's size look pedestrian.
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I think many people still don't realize how good Yao was and how good he was going to be. He was injury plagued with foot injuries and other ailments by 25 and was done by the age of 28. He had turned into an unstoppable force on offense before his body failed him.
Chin Diesel
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Yao was never an elite rebounder and even when he played healthy was a good scorer but not great. I agree I'd like to see what another 5 years of health would have brought but I don't think he was getting much above what he had for career numbers. Multiple seasons of playing 32-35 minutes per game; you get a feel for what a player can do.