So Bill Simmons had this long monologue on his podcast where he compares Walton,Clyde and Dame. Starts around 20:30 minute mark: https://www.theringer.com/bill-simm...-flames-out-with-chris-ryan-and-wesley-morris I love Dame, but i tend to agree with Bill - mostly because i'm biased towards higher peaks in one's career rather than a longer career with less accomplishments. A little extra nugget i saw: Dame Playoffs: 22-40 (12 series; 8 seasons) Clyde Playoffs: 45-48 (20 series; 11 seasons) Thought some of you would find it interesting. Text version:
Simmons says some stupid stuff, but this was obviously true even before everyone turned on Dame for his trade request. Of course, it's also true that both Walton and Drexler were surrounded by better talent on their finals teams.
Walton was obviously better at his peak than Dame is, was or ever will be... I'm not sure I can say the same about Clyde and I love Clyde. Clyde just had a better team around him. Dame has had not only less talent on his teams than Clyde and Walton did when they were most successful but Olshey never gave a fuck about fit and the way both Walton's Blazers and Clyde's Blazers fit together was a thing of beauty. So for me it was always that Dame was going to be the best Blazers player of all time. Now because none of them will have finished the race here and Dame just edged out Clyde on points, I think it's a very hard discussion... unless you're like Bill Simmons and peaks are more important to you than sustained excellence and you absolutely disregard what a player is surrounded with and define his success by team achievement. At that point yeah Dame is obviously third but I think that lacks the nuance necessary to make a fair conclusion.
I hate to say it because it hurts so much, but if we're talking "what ifs", there is no more brutal what if than if Arvydas Sabonis would have come over in 1986. The healthy Arvydas may have been the greatest player ever. As big as Wemby (but much stronger), as offensively talented as Larry Bird, the passing vision of Magic Johnson, and as athletic as David Robinson. THAT would have been our greatest Blazer. Better than Big Bill at the height of his powers (which I was lucky enough to see in person).
These are obviously the top 3 Blazers all with major pluses and minuses. Whatever on ranking them past that. STOMP
Between Walton, Bowie, Sabonis, and Oden...a few breaks here and there -- wait, a few less breaks here and there -- and this franchise could easily surpass LA and Houston for the best ever collection of centers. Somewhere, Nurk is jumping up and down, saying, "pick me! pick me!"
One of the things for me when it comes to comparisons like this is the question of: Who would you rely on the most in the last seconds to get you the winning shot? For me it is Walton.
You need a basket in the last few seconds to win you a game, and you're NOT taking Dame out of those 3?!
Walton is below both. I was leaning towards Dame over Clyde in recent years because I didn't like Clyde's exit from the team or coldness to the franchise later. But Clyde wasnt this disrespectful as Dame is being, so I can't really assume Dame will be far better as I was suspecting before. I'd rank them Clyde Dame Walton. Walton was too short of a period and too many injuries. Obviously with a title he has the best single season, but I would attribute some of the credit to teammates and GM.
Two HoFers, though....and Sabonis beat Divac 14-8 and had much higher PER (fewer win shares, though, due to the injuries and showing up late, injured and past his prime.) I'll give you Wilt and Shaq though.
Damian was a 10 on offense and a 2 on defense. Clyde was about an 8 on both ends. Walton was probably the best but he played so few games overall it's hard to award him that title.
And that is where debates can be had. Greatest....in terms of peak level, or greatest in terms of accumulation?
