Who is the GOAT

[Deleted User 266]

Wouldn't be shocked if one or two of those teams finished ahead of the Lakers but I wouldn't bet on 3 of them.
Houston - Most dangerous backcourt in Basketball.
Dallas - Most dangerous white foreign combo in Basketball.
Portland - Not a single starter I would take over a Lakers starter. Well, maybe Lillard.
San Antonio - LeMarcus and DeMar are a great 1-2 punch and they have a nice supporting cast.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Neither LeBron nor AD should play a full slate of regular season games, so I think it's safe to say these teams finish above LAL:

LAC
UTAH
DEN
HOU

So I think it comes down to LAL or POR for that 5th spot unless Klay Thompson comes back way ahead of schedule.

[NDballer13]

My bad, forgot about Kuzma in the rankings of their best players. So Danny Green as 4th best player...although I guess rondo is close?

I just don't understand what good rondo does if LeBron and AD are both going to control the offense by being on the ball.

Rondo's role is to do exactly what Patrick Beverly does. Play nothing but defense and every game there's a chance the other teams best player will get ejected because they get so annoyed they punch him, lol.

I'm not sure what their exact roles are but Rondo is a guy who led the league in assists multiple times, averaged 6 or more rebounds per game more than one season, and averaged taking double digit shots multiple seasons.
I just looked it up. I didn't realize Beverly has averaged 37.9% 3pt shooting for his career. Comparatively, Kawhi has averaged 38.3 and George has averaged 37.8.

Rondo does do a lot of those other things, but I still see LeBron playing with the ball the majority of the time so Rondo's assists numbers will dip. Defense (steals) and being a great rebounder for his position are what I think Rondo will be asked to do on this team. He's been the ultimate "glue guy" for his entire career. Won't go out at get you 20 points every night, but still a very important piece who can effect the game by scoring even 0 points. No reason to expect that to change this year.

[Deleted User 286]

Neither LeBron nor AD should play a full slate of regular season games, so I think it's safe to say these teams finish above LAL:

LAC
UTAH
DEN
HOU

So I think it comes down to LAL or POR for that 5th spot unless Klay Thompson comes back way ahead of schedule.

I always forget about the Jazz!

[Cascadia]

It’s still MJ

[ousdahl]

[TDub]

Perhaps Dok should try that method. Couldnt be worse right?

[TDub]

It’s still MJ

On this, we agree.

[Deleted User 289]

Not the only time he shot free throws with his eyes closed.
I checked. Jordan made the other 6 free throws he took in that game with his eyes open.
KU's finest Mark Randall saw some clock in that game.

[DCHawk1]

Not the GOAT, but the best ten minutes you'll waste today:

[TDub]

I'm a big larry fan.

[PhDhawk]

He's tied to Magic forever, but if there was no Magic, Bird probably wins an NCAA title and 5 NBA championships.

[HouseDivided]

Not the GOAT, but the best ten minutes you'll waste today:

A healthy Larry Legend over the course of a normal-length career would have easily been the GOAT. Considering he played the last six years of his career with crippling back injuries, his numbers are downright amazing.

[PhDhawk]

There are a lot of guys from that era whose games don't translate to today. Guys like, Adrian Dantley, Alex English, and Bernard King come to mind. I think it would be easy to lump Bird in that category because of his average athleticism and length/size. But he was the best 3 point shooter of his generation in an era where it was grossly undervalued. He led the league in 3 pointers twice but he never had 100 in a season. Now guys make 300+. What he might lose athletically in today's game he'd make up for in perimeter shooting.

[InfiniteJ]

Bird never got the respect he should have for being a distributor of the ball.

[Cascadia]

Lol @ the thought of Bird’s game not translating to today’s game. He would be a Top 5 player in this years NBA

[CrimsonNBlue]

Seems conservative. To me Bird is on par with Durant. Durant’s prime, he was no worse than 2nd best in the league.

[TDub]

Give me larry over durant at anytime in their careers


I also think bernard king could play just fine today.

[InfiniteJ]

Give me larry over durant at anytime in their careers


I also think bernard king could play just fine today.

Give me Dominique Wilkins over Bernard King.

[Sparko]

Look at Wilt 1962 and you’ll see why he is GOAT forever. I understand his100-point Warrior jersey is for sale?