Basketball Poll

[DelawareValleyDem]

Looks like we have a good number of basketball fans here. Vote for the best center ever to play in the NBA

[Mojambo]

1. It's close between Wilt and Kareem.

I voted Kareem because he dominated over a more extended period.

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. Shaq

Has to be. He'd dominate anyone from any era.
Close second is Hakeem.
Third is Wilt.
Fourth is Russel.
Fifth is Kareem.

[lazarus]

6. Let me guess

You never watched Wilt play, did you?

For all of Shaq's "dominance", he's never once led the league in rebounding.

That's simply pathetic.

And Wilt actually showed up for every game. As did Russell.

Hakeem? Two seasons does not a career make. He was incredible for about 2 years. The rest of his career, he was an elite center, but not up there with Wilt and Russell. I'd prefer Kareem over Hakeem.

But I refuse to allow anyone to be called "dominant" when he can't even be bothered to get rebounds.

Heck, Wilt once led the league in assists, just to prove he could.

[frylock]

3. bill russell owned chamberlain..

freakin' owned him. This coming from a lifelong Laker fan.

[mosin]

4. Kareem

My heart loves David Robinson, but my brain made me vote for Kareem.

[lazarus]

5. depends

best at what?

best at winning championships: Russell
best at dominating statistically: Chamberlain

As much as I love David Robinson, I can't put him above either of those two.

Least deserving to be on any "best of" list: Shaq

[Fight_n_back]

7. The most skilled and complete center ever was...

Bill Walton. He played two full years and his team won championships in both of those years. It is difficult to call someone the greatest on the basis of two years played nearly ten years apart,so I didn't.

Chamberlain v Russell is a difficult one to figure. I don't buy the "more championships" argument unless you are going to believe that Vernon Maxwell was a better guard than Pete Maravich or that Mark Rypien was a better QB than Dan Marino. I did hear an interesting argument though regarding the famous "Willis Reed game". An old timer pointed out that the reason Russell is better than Wilt is that Russell would have gone right at Reed and forced him to play on that bad knee. Wilt backed off and allowed Reed to motivate his team. Chamberlain was 2-9 from the field in that game.

Kareem played against both Russell and Chamberlain. Chamberlain dominated him physically.

I voted for Wilt. I find it hard to believe that Boston would have been WORSE with him at center rather than Russell.

[Tom Kitten]

8. I'm glad

someone mentioned Walton...No, two seasons does not a great career make, but when he was healthy he was the best. The year following Portland's title, he was healthy and the Blazers started 50-10. He got injured, and with the team starting Tom Owens, a capable scorer but not nearly the talent Walton was, the same team finished 8-14 and was ousted in the first round by Seattle, led by their rookie Jack Sikma...

It is hard to figure why Walton was so injury prone. Once, immediately prior to the start of the season, he jumped over a lawn sprinkler in a public park,. He hit it with his foot and broke a bone in it! Then he was in a car accident. The litany went on, always frustration and disappointment.

I was really happen for him, though, when he won his second title with the Celtics. I don't think he played after that season, though. He injured himself again riding an exercise bike is what I've heard.

[Fight_n_back]

9. Extremely people have foot problems

as well as heart problems. It is not uncommmon at all. Remember Rik Smits? His feet were made of glass.

Walton has a fused ankle and can't even run anymore. 22 of 24 vs Memphis St in the finals.

That Portland team was brilliant.

[KitchenWitch]

17. That is not entirely true

Some extremely tall people have Marfan's Syndrome, which is a genetic condition that affects connective tissues, thus the muscle and joint injuries. It also affects the aortic arch, and sometimes Marfanoids end up dying because the aortic arch ruptures.

Not all extremely tall people have this syndrome, therefore they are not all prone to those types of injuries and medical problems.

[Champ]

10. Also can't forget.....

the activist he was. Arrested at an anti-war rally, publicy critizing Nixon and the FBI. I wish more athletes (as well as anyone) today would get more involved.

[Mabus]

13. Kareem played against Russell?

I thought Kareem was drafted in 69, the same year Russell retired. Am I crazy?

[theboss]

16. The knock on Wilt was that he was too nice

I can't remember who made the argument - maybe Jerry West - that Wilt was always so huge and gifted that if he had played the game like Russell did, he would have seriously injured someone every night. Basically, he was afraid to hurt Reed, whereas Russell would have knocked him on his ass at the first opportunity.

I don't know if I buy that completely, but it's an interesting theory.

The truth is probably that Russell played on dominant teams. All he had to do was keep Chamberlain from scoring fifty and the Celtics could win. Anytime Chamberlain was surrounded by a decent supporting cast, his team dominated the league.

[Mabus]

11. Rock Chalk Jayhawk

Wilt was one of the best all around athletes. He is one of the players for whom they had to rewrite the rules of basketball to keep other teams competitive.

I still get teary eyed thingking about Wilt's return to KU a few years before his death. He stayed for over 3 hours, I've heard up to 5, to make sure that everyone who was in line got to say hello and get an autograph.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

12. Bill Walton

I'm conflicted. As a Jayhawk I have Wilt close to my heart. But as an aging hippie I have got to throw some love to Bill Walton. He was as dominant as Jabbar, succeeding him at UCLA and turned the 76-77 Trailblazers into a remarkable TEAM of roll players with a great center. One game in the championship series against Philly that year he almost had a quadrule double (points, rebs, assists and blocks). When he was on his game he was as great as any center ever, as John Wooden himself alludes to in the preface to Walton's autobio Nothing But Net.

Long live Sister Patty! Power to the people!

[Bluzmann57]

14. Bill Russell

He changed the way basketball was played, he owned Chamberlain, and he won 13 championships. So it should be Russell in a landslide. Of course there's another Bostonian who should have won in a landslide too...ah never mind.

[theboss]

15. Over a career, Chamberlain

He was almost Shaq's size at a time when players looked like Rick Barry. And he was more athletically gifted than Shaq.

But I agree with those who say that if you could have one center at his peak health for one game, it would be Walton. Unfortunately, we had very very few glimpses of a healthy Walton.

[Lefty48197]

18. Kareem, but I voted for Mikan anyway.

.

[klyon]

19. Who was best?

Chamberlain and Hakeem both had huge impacts on the game in their respective days. Hakeem redefined the position. Shaq is just a more physical copy of Hakeem. Hakeem out moved Shaq many times. Shaq was slow to mature,didn't blossom until LA,in my opinion. I voted for Hakeem.

KL