40 Best Blazers - Sabonis at #20?!

Bill Walton once said that Sabonis was the best player at 20 years old that he had ever seen outside of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

 

Bill Walton also said that Greg Ostertag is one of the top centers on this planet... - so, take it with a grain of salt.

 

He was...consider how many people are on the planet, even if you constrain it to those who play basketball. The fact that Ostertag made the NBA and had a reasonably long career shows he was one of the top centers on the planet. "One of the top on the planet" is actually a lesser claim than "one of the top centers in the NBA."

It's easier to be among "the top" when compared against a larger pool, with many more inferior talents in it.

 

Yes, but I've watched both and Duncan's are boring and efficient, while Sabas's were behind the back pinpoint bounce passes in traffic. Sabas would've averaged a lot more if his recipients hadn't been so startled they tended to bobble them.

Duncan's great, no question, but he doesn't have the amazing vision that Sabas had.

(Olajuwon's skills in low-post moves outclassed everyone ever, but he couldn't pass like Sabas either.)

I wouldn't mind that: Kidd's the flashier passer - Stockton was very meat-and-potatoes. Plus he had Karl Malone to pass to (Kidd had... Kenyon Martin?) and a stat-keeper who ridiculously inflated his totals.

 

Observe:

Pre-Injury Sabas

 

What do you expect. It is Jason Quick.

 

Arvydas Sabonis is my favorite Blazer of all time.

I want his Blazer jersey

 

You overvalue Sabonis. Yes, he could shoot threes (not remarkably), free throws (good for a big man), and make creative passes, but you know.. Shaq made great passes too and Shaq killed Sabonis in the playoffs. Duncan is more skilled as well. Look up Game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals. Now THAT is a display of skills! And in a title clinching game!

Sabonis averaged 12 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 apg, and 1 bpg in his career.

In the most important game of his NBA career (Game 7 of the 2000 WCF), he scored 6 points (2 of 6 shooting), grabbed 5 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, had 1 steal and no blocks in 33 minutes.

It's not an accident that he was never an All Star.

He was a fine player, yes, but Top 5? nooooooo. Top 10? absolutely not. #20? Makes sense.

 

Right. I'll be sure to rank him right behind Yi Jianling on the all-time list of international players, too, right?

As for how Sabas played in important games, let's just agree that the Blazers wouldn't have been sniffing the WCF in '99 or '00 without Arvydas.

And do you agree that Stoudamire belongs ahead of him?