The Big Red Head He could have scored way more points but he didn't care about that he effected the game in other ways. The thing that sets him apart from the others is he made players around him so much better!
Bottom line: one player in franchise history has a championship ring, a Finals MVP, and an NBA MVP. You can argue the game is different today, and you'd be right, but comparing Apples and Oranges just gets you a bunch of squashed fruit. Walton is the GOAT Blazer until someone matches his accomplishments. That being said, only one other Blazer before now has even had a sniff at matching those accomplishments, and he ran into a guy called Michael Jordan. Bad luck. I think in today's game, in today's league, and with the makeup of the Blazer franchise, Dame would have to play at historical levels like he did last night EVERY NIGHT to even be considered for MVP. A championship? If the Blazers had had Nurk for the playoffs last year, they could have had a chance. But that's the breaks of the game (reference intended). The 1977 Title Team and for 50-60 games the following season, the Blazers were healthy. All their best players were in their prime. Once the wheels fell off after Walton and several other players got injured to end the 78 season, they became "just another good team" real quick. Such is life in the NBA.
I will say Walton needed Luke with him though. Luke was the perfect power forward for that era. He was just a total badass mf'er.
Walton brought the city a championship. I wasn’t even born at the time, but I don’t see how anyone could put Lillard ahead of him. Regular season stats don’t mean anything. You are comparing 1 trip to conference finals sweep vs a championship.
Walton will agree with you, and does at every opportunity. Hell, he named his kid after Luke. As great as Walton was, without Lucas, Davis, Gross, etc. he wouldn't have had the success he did. Same with MJ with Pippen, Rodman, and Horace Grant. Shaq and Kobe with Robert Horry, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher. The NBA, for all of it's individual starfucking, is still a TEAM game, and without the right pieces around a "superstar", they are simply a stat accumulator.
So do Twardzik, Steele, Hollins, Lucas... Winning a title is great, but it doesn’t equate to being the greatest player to wear a Blazers uniform. Bill had 1 and 3/4 glorious seasons with the Blazers and a talented roster. Then he single-handedly crashed the franchise. Dame has carried teams short on talent to the playoffs all but one year of his career, including the WCF last year. He’s the best leader in the game and his play has improved every year. Best Blazer ever, in my humble opinion.
Of course, it’s the ultimate goal of every team, but it’s a team achievement that’s dependent on having good teammates and having enough grit, and some luck, to beat other good teams. Greatest player, IMO, is about individual talent and intangibles rather than team achievements.
Dame scoring 61 against the Warriors G League team cannot even compare to Walton bringing the city a championship... I could care less about individual statistics... Dame has not won anything yet... even Drexler at at least made it to finals.
Right now, I'd say that it's Walton for peak and still Drexler for (Portland) career. Lillard has been excellent, and his modern three-point attack has Drexler for scoring efficiency, though Drexler put up similar per-36 scoring with a lower usage rate. He also has an edge in Assist Rate, but Drexler has a larger relative edge in Rebound Rate. The thing that puts Drexler over the top right now for me is that he was a better defender. He wasn't an all-world defender or anything, but he was solid while Lillard has been below average most of his career. Drexler has big edges in cumulative value stats, obviously, as he's played more (Portland) seasons than Lillard has. It'll be interesting to revisit this when Lillard has played as many seasons for Portland as Drexler did.
Greatness to me doesn't have to do with time served. In my lifetime, Bo Jackson is the greatest athlete I've ever seen. Was it short lived? Absolutely. Was his career cut short by injury so he doesn't have the career numbers? Certainly. But there were things he could do on both a football field and a baseball field that no one did....maybe ever. The speed, the power, the natural ability all equaled greatness. Walton was one of the greatest centers to ever play and Clyde was #2 to the Goat during his career. Dame, as much as I and others like/love/adore him, is nowhere near that level in the conversation historically. I get adding in the community, the longevity, and several other factors that aren't to be dismissed in any way....and if that is what it take to get Dame to 'greatest' Blazers, that is fine for those who embrace that and can certainly understand where anyone who believes that is coming from. Just not at the level of Walton or Drexler for me.
When Lenny Wilkins was fired he stated “If Bill Walton is healthy next year they will win a championship”. Walton made players around him so much better!
If you include leadership as a metric, then Dame hands down. If you just look at the talent of the player, then Walton.
