Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
Wilt's a hard guy to grade because the era he played in just didn't have anyone like him. He's kinda like Babe Ruth in that regard - he was just the only guy doing what he did. Relative to his peers, Wilt should be #1 with nobody particularly close, IMO.
But the question his how much you have to adjust for era. I really can't find fault with how anyone answers that.
Regarding Shaq v. Olajuwon - I don't think there's any question that Olajuwon was more 'skilled'. But it's just impossible to overstate how physically dominant Shaq was, especially at his peak. His combination of size and athleticism made him simply an impossible question to deal with.
Olajuwon was unquestionably a more aesthetically pleasing player to watch. And if you'd have taken his skills and put them in Shaqs body you'd have essentially broken the sport. But Shaq HAD that body. And he used it damn well. Moreover, he was a gifted passer and had amazing feet in the post. Shaq was very skilled in his own right, he was just able to manifest that skill in a more physically imposing way.
I don't mind Shaq being ahead of Olajuwon.
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Hakeem carried two teams to championships. Shaq had Kobe and Wade, who were both elite players. Before that, he had Penny. Shaq never carried a team by himself.
Hakeem was miles better defensively. Look at his all-NBA defensive team accolades, plus defensive player of the year. Shaq didn't have the same effect on the defensive end. Not saying he was bad defensively, but he wasn't on Hakeem's level.
Also, despite Shaq's dominance, it's not like he won scoring titles every year. He scored 29 per game three times in his career. Won two scoring titles. Yes, his free throw shooting cost him more scoring titles. Point is, his physical dominance didn't result in otherworldly numbers.