Best NBA Player to Come Out of the Big East

[HuskyWarrior611]

Harden won 2 MVP’s averaged 36 ppg and has been mostly quite efficient. That Rockets teams also woulda beaten the Warriors if CP3 doesn’t get hurt. However you feel about Harden now shouldn’t matter, he has an all time peak and is arguably the 3rd greatest SG ever.

You’re putting your personal feelings ahead of stats/accolades. I’m not a huge AI or Harden guy, but the facts are the facts.

I hear what you’re saying, but as a Harden hater I cringe at comparing him to AI.

AI left it all on the court every night and would show up in huge playoff moments. Harden mentality wise seems to be the opposite.

Can’t take Harden over Wade in that 3rd spot either because of that reason and the fact he has no rings.

 

[gsmooth]

While at a bar over the weekend was talking to my PC fan buddy about how Ray was at the game on Friday. That conversation eventually evolved into who is the best NBA player to ever come out of the big east. I'll preface by saying we are in our mid 30s so not overly savvy on 80s early 90s BE but our list came down to four names Ray, Ewing, Iverson, and Melo. I'm sure we likely forgot people but who does the yard think is the best NBA player to come out of the BE.

I have read this thread past your response, but one that should be included if it already has not in the 4 pages is Jimmy Butler aka Jimmy Buckets.

 

[Dogdeacon]

No they didn't. Philly beat the Bucks with Ray, Big Dog, and Cassell in the Conference finals.

Yes but that was a crazy shaky David Stern era NBA officials influenced result. The refs stole that series from the Bucks to put Iverson in the finals for the league. I'd be much angrier about that if Ray didn't get his chips later.

 

[superjohn]

Yes but that was a crazy shaky David Stern era NBA officials influenced result. The refs stole that series from the Bucks to put Iverson in the finals for the league. I'd be much angrier about that if Ray didn't get his chips later.

That's not how I remember that series or Iverson's career, he was the little guy version of Shaq where he was getting hacked constantly with no foul calls. Tim Donaghy even talked about a conspiracy between the refs to screw Iverson over in games.

 

[storrsroars]

That's pretty silly, Ray played with much better players than Iverson did.

Iverson was a volume shooter, who often wasn't even top 20 in FG% among guards. To me, that's a bug, not a feature.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Upon reading the thread title, I immediately thought Ewing

Ewing was the first name to come to mind as well. Wade did not play in the BE so he should not be considered. For over a decade if he was on the floor regardless who was playing around him the Knicks were very competitive. Never great but did they really surround him with plus talent in the nba. He never had a Pippen, or a Stockton or a Bryant or a Drexler. All the teams that beat us back then had two super stars the Knicks really never did. As a die hard UConn fan it was tough at first for me as a fan because Georgetown were the Detroit Pistons of college basketball when Ewing was there. After a few years I became a fan because he played hard and cared. Can’t hold a grudge forever.

 

[Hunt for 7]

If we are going to count Wade then my pick is the Big O Oscar Robertson he played at Cincinnati.

 

[Dutch Boyd]

I think the clear answer is Ewing. Followed by Ray, AI, Mullin, Melo, and probably Rip and D. Coleman in some order. If you count Marquette, DWade jumps to second.

Saying DWade is Big East is like saying Melo is ACC. Boneyard logic. SMH

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Iverson was a volume shooter, who often wasn't even top 20 in FG% among guards. To me, that's a bug, not a feature.

Who was he gonna pass to? Aaron McKie?

 

[The Yakk]

Not to take a left turn on the thread topic, but I'm curious - is there anyone besides Carmelo who is considered a "great" (or even a very good) who came out of Syracuse? It's shocking how few have had an impact in the NBA besides Carmelo. Just asking since I love rubbing Cuse fans' noses in anything possible...

Was thinking maybe Sherman Douglas, Derrick Coleman, Rony Seikaly, and Hakim Warrick? They were all a while ago so I'm not sure of their NBA careers, but the amount of UCONN alums in the NBA who have had solid to very good to great careers seems exponentially higher... who wanted to play crap zone their entire college career anyway???

Lol to me this is Boeheim's real legacy.

How many of Boeheim's Syracuse players ever won an NBA title, or even played in the finals?

How many besides Anthony and Coleman were all stars?

How many times did an NBA GM ever say, "Man, if I could just get that Syracuse guy that will put my team over the top"?

The answers are zero, zero, and no times.

Boeheim's legacy is a 40-year roster of talented but sour losers and me-first chemistry killers. Deon Waiters is the archetype.

 

[HuskyFich]

Lol to me this is Boeheim's real legacy.

How many of Boeheim's Syracuse players ever won an NBA title, or even played in the finals?

How many besides Anthony and Coleman were all stars?

How many times did an NBA GM ever say, "Man, if I could just get that Syracuse guy that will put my team over the top"?

The answers are zero, zero, and no times.

Boeheim's legacy is a 40-year roster of talented but sour losers and me-first chemistry killers. Deon Waiters is the archetype.

Selling out kids careers for the zone D.

 

[The Yakk]

That's pretty silly, Ray played with much better players than Iverson did.

Win shares is supposed to adjust for that.

 

[AdamaNation]

My first thought is Ewing, AI, Melo, Mullin and then everyone else. I obviously love Ray, but those four to me are at a tier above Ray. Ewing and AI were 7-time All-NBA players, Melo 6, Mullin 4. Ray had two. I feel like prime Mullin in GS were better than Ray's years in relative obscurity in Milwaukee and Seattle. Also, Wade is a tier above Ray. That's not an insult. Wade is probably the best two guard of all-time not named Jordan or Kobe.

Andre had a chance to be in the list but…..

 

[The Yakk]

Selling out kids careers for the zone D.

Carmelo was talented beyond belief. So was Derek Coleman. I used to go to Knicks/Nets games in the 90's. In the fourth quarter of close games the Nets would put DC at center and he would eat. Ewing. Up.

But your team always has a ceiling with those guys. Carmelo could not coexist with Jeremy Lin--a guy who could have helped him get the Knicks to the next level--and ran him out of town. Why?

DC froze out Tate George on the Nets because he was still salty over the UConn win in 1990. I know George wasn't all that great, but he's your teammate. WTF?

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Ray also scored nearly 25k points and was top 25 all-time when he retired. This despite sacrificing the last couple of years of his scoring prime in Boston.

 

[Greg]

While at a bar over the weekend was talking to my PC fan buddy about how Ray was at the game on Friday. That conversation eventually evolved into who is the best NBA player to ever come out of the big east. I'll preface by saying we are in our mid 30s so not overly savvy on 80s early 90s BE but our list came down to four names Ray, Ewing, Iverson, and Melo. I'm sure we likely forgot people but who does the yard think is the best NBA player to come out of the BE.

You need to add Coleman but imo it was Ewing.

 

[hookshot]

Mullin from SJ deserves a mention.

Ray has 2 NBA Championships, but my gut says Ewing is the correct answer.

Would take Mullin over all of the above, close with Ewing but hard to compare

 

[Mr. French]

Some interesting takes in this thread, fa sho.

 

[Lynyrd]

If Billy Owens went to any other BE team he would be on the list. No one killed more talent than Boeheim.

 

[TyroneShoo]

Iverson, Mourning, Carmello, Allen, Artest
cant Count wade since he never played in MSG in the league‘s signature event

 

[OceanDoggie]

Wade over Ray? Not in my opinion. Ray is the 2nd greatest 3 point shooter in history. Why do so many people refuse to give our players the respect they should ge given?

Wade is definitely over Allen as a player. However, Wade never played a game in the Conference, so it's idiotic to consider him.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

AI

 

[storrsroars]

Who was he gonna pass to? Aaron McKie?

McKie shot for a better %.

The year they got to the finals, the 76ers had Mutombo, Kukoc, Ratliff in addition to McKie and AI. Kukoc missed the playoffs, but it wasn't a talentless team leading up to then. Excellent defense from the 4 & 5 spots, and all the starters shot for better % than AI. He did have options, but that apparently wasn't the game plan.

What they didn't have once Kukoc went down was anyone who could shoot a 3, including AI. If they had that, who knows.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Saying DWade is Big East is like saying Melo is ACC. Boneyard logic. SMH

Not disagreeing but some would include him.

It's like the ACC counting the national titles Miami won while in the Big East

 

[OceanDoggie]

McKie shot for a better %.

The year they got to the finals, the 76ers had Mutombo, Kukoc, Ratliff in addition to McKie and AI. Kukoc missed the playoffs, but it wasn't a talentless team leading up to then. Excellent defense from the 4 & 5 spots, and all the starters shot for better % than AI. He did have options, but that apparently wasn't the game plan.

What they didn't have once Kukoc went down was anyone who could shoot a 3, including AI. If they had that, who knows.

Kevin Ollie was the secret sauce on that bench...

On a serious note, People forget that when they traded for Mutombo mid-season that him and Ratliff was about as good as any duo in the league, outside of the Spurs, to try and slow down Shaq.

At the end of the day it just didn't matter.