Hope I'm not overstaying my welcome with this series of posts! This is the hardest catagory for me. I vote Larry Bird, but a case could be made for almost any of them. In the end, it will probably be LeBron, but not yet.
if one takes the term greatest to mean lifetime accomplishments (like championships, career stats etc...), then Barry Bird and PIP are fighting it out. I voted for LJ as he's the best I've seen play STOMP
Lebron is very good and going to be great, but Larry was amazing. Bird was a better rebounder and passer, and those dagger threes he hit to win games.
Bird was absurdly good. Talked a lot of smack and backed it all up. I fucking hate the the Celtics and I still think Bird was the best small forward ever. LeBron may very well over take him someday, though.
This one is going to be tough. Bird actually played PF for the first half of his career, but right now, I think it comes down to Bird and Pippen. When all is said and done, I think it will be LeBron (barring injuries limiting the remainder of his career). God, there's some great players on that list. I think this is the toughest of all the postions to pick a winner. Some of those guys were insane scorers, some were great defenders, some great passers, some great in all aspects, and some of them excelled in the post season. Can you imagine how insanely good the Blazers would be right now with any one of those guys (in their prime) starting at SF? BNM
That is a very tough poll.... but I have to go with da Bird man.. Pippen Worthy Erving.. WOW, that is some amazing talent
He may not be the best, but in my opinion, if I was starting a team and needed to pick a SF, I would pick Pippen.
How the hell is lebron james on this poll? and why did you guys vote for him? lol, no rings, one mvp, no jumpshot, he is not even half way through his career and has not yet been the best player in the nba, so he is the best all time sf? end rant I voted for dr J because i figured everyone would vote for bird and I freaking love Dr J. Him in the open court was amazing to see, better than lebron imo
Right now for me it's Bird, but in 10-15 years time I think LeBron would be the man. He's likely to get 5+ MVP trophies (my guess is probably 7 or 8), some near triple-double seasons and a few rings too. Would be pretty tough to argue against him if he gets that.
Pip. His defense was masterful. His versatility and explosiveness on offense was seriously exceptional. Basketball is much more than just putting the ball in the basket. He'll always be one of my favorite sports' figures of all time.
I love Larry Bird, but I think its crazy to think that he was a better overall player than Lebron is now.
Right now it's Bird. He did basically everything you could do in a career. LeBron will be there, but it's Bird right now. And for what it's worth, it absolutely sickens me that 5 people have actually voted for LeBron, a guy who's only been in the league for 6 years, over numerous players who are in the HOF.
I'm old school, and have mad respect for Bird, Dr. J and guys like that. BUT how can you say 'Bron is "very good and going to be great"? He has been great since he played his first game in the L! I don't have career #'s in front of me, but was Larry really a better passer and rebounder? Shooting 3's, yes, but the rest? I don't remember seeing Bird snatch a board and go coast to coast the way LBJ does. James is the same size as Karl Malone, but has the skills of a PG! As hard as it is for me to say, we are currently watching a player that will someday be considered THE BEST EVER!
compared to other players in the league, it's average. Sorry. Watch how people guard him now. Constantly daring him to shoot. Sorry guys, but i am completely shocked lebron is second in the voting. His career isn't even close to over. Plenty of players look amazing in their firs 5-6 years then just die. Speaking of that, where is grant hill? his first 5-6 years are pretty comparable to lebrons... just saying.
Bird averaged 10 rpg for his career, so yes, he was definitely a better rebounder than Lebron is. I would say that Lebron is a better passer though. Bird was also a better shooter than Lebron in all aspects--not just from 3, but also from 2, from the line, and in the clutch. Lebron has far greater strength and athleticism than Bird ever had, and he's great because of it. Bird lacked strength and athleticism, and he was even greater in spite of it.
Bird at 23: 10.4 reb, 4.5 asst LBJ at 23: 7.9 reb, 7.2 asst Bird at 24: 10.9 reb, 5.5 asst LBJ at 24: 7.6 reb, 7.2 asst Bird averaged 10.0 reb/game over his career--playing next to Parish and McHale!! Lebron is on a team where he is the primary scoring option and ball handler. I would argue that Bird's assists came in the game flow, not from dominating the ball (Damon type assists). So, Lebron gets more total assists (although Bird increased to over 7 asst/game in his late 20s and early 30s), but I believe Bird was a much better passer. He just didn't dominate the ball as much. I doubt Lebron will ever hit 10 reb/game. He will score more points than Bird, but Bird had more scorers around him. And I haven't even talked about rings yet. Lebron isn't there yet. Forgot to mention that Bird shot 50% from the field and 88% from the line for a career. LBJ is at 47% and 74%--and Bird rarely dunked.
