GOATs and HMOATs: each franchise's best (and second best) players of all time
Jan 29, 2020 19:20:47 GMT
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Post by TimPig on Jan 29, 2020 19:20:47 GMT
h/t @bkisok for this article idea, where I’ll be taking every current franchise and determining who I think their best player of all-time is. In all but one case I also provide my thought for the franchise's most honorable mention of all time.
It won’t be an exact calculation as I’m taking into account things like where said player’s best years were, how long they were with the team, etc. which means there will be some subjectivity here.
Atlanta Hawks
GOAT: Stephen Jackson, SG
This was a tough choice. I looked back at some of the older years when the Hawks looked like they might be onto something pre-contraction, but that foundation wasn’t around long enough to win a championship and therefore didn’t crack this list. Looking at the Hawks dynasty of the 2020s, there were three consistent pieces that were high-impact players: Jackson, Jonas Valanciunas, and Olden Polynice. I picked Jackson as he’s one of the best three-point shooters the league has ever seen, combined with really solid defense and great rebounding from the wing. His win shares (158.6) slightly eclipse Jonas’ (154.4). Jackson’s 1.187 pts/tsa for his career also trumps Jonas’, who doesn’t crack the all-time rankings.
HMOAT: Jonas Valanciunas, C
It was really difficult to choose between him and Jackson but Jackson’s ability to threaten from deep ultimately wins the day. Valanciunas was a part of all of those championship teams and had no major holes in his game. Jonas was a more efficient scorer, better defender, and had fewer turnovers than the final member of the big three, Olden Polynice. Jackson’s list of personal awards is also about five times the length of Jonas’.
Charlotte Hornets
GOAT: Yao Ming, C
Another choice that was tough on its surface, but after calculating the career pts/tsa, Yao was the clear favorite over Giannis, who were both part of the Charlotte dynasty that won five titles with Druce’s help. One of the truly great players in sim league, he looks even more impressive if Fecta had fucked him over for two seasons by not setting a depth chart. Yao currently ranks 18th all-time in win shares and 2nd all-time in pts/tsa, trailing Kareem by .002. Yao was almost too good, having no holes in his game from the day he entered the league as a rookie. Elite efficiency, defense, turnovers, and very good rebounding.
HMOAT: Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF
Another player who came into the league and could’ve been a Hall of Famer just by performing throughout his career the way he did as a rookie, Giannis got much better, becoming a small forward who could average over 10 rebounds and 2 bleals per game. His good-not-great 3pt shooting kept him to a measly 1.17 pts/tsa for his career, but his longer career than Yao’s gives him a significant win share advantage (6th to 17th and 203 to 180 in total). Overall, it’s the scoring advantage that gives Yao the edge in Charlotte.
Chicago Bulls
GOAT: Oscar Robertson, PG
Oscar wins this contest for the Bulls as the only player in their history to win a regular season MVP award. He’s made multiple all-defense teams, all-league teams, and all-star teams, making him the most decorated Bull in TMBSL history. The pts/tsa sits at 1.157, so a bit lower than some of the other winners on this list but still good. His defense and rebounding are what set him apart and make him one of the league’s best ever. As a player who was drafted by the Bulls and re-signed to a full max despite offers from other teams, he gets brownie points for his loyalty.
HMOAT: Dave Lattin, SF
Listed at small forward, his best years were probably as a shooting guard, where his rebounding jumped from solid to really good later in his career. One of the most efficient wing scorers ever, Lattin’s career pts/tsa of 1.185 make Giannis look a pretty average scorer even though the two teamed up to win a title in Chicago near the end of their respective careers. Lattin was also a very good defender, averaging 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game for his career. His individual accolade list isn’t as extensive as Oscar’s, but he was a Bull through and through and went into the Hall of Fame as such.
Dallas Mavericks
GOAT: Kyrie Irving, PG
No doubt about this one, Kyrie is the greatest sim league player of all time and the greatest Maverick of all time. He’s still active but tops the win shares list by a laughable 31 win shares already. He’s posted the single greatest win share season of all time as well (25) and brought Dallas their only championship. His recent dip in scoring efficiency may prevent him from topping Miles Bridges in the all-time scoring category, but he ranks top 10 in TMBSL history in the following categories: field goals, field goal attempts, three pointers, three-point attempts, assists, and points. Even with an astonishing eight league MVPs that ranks well ahead of anyone else, he might be in the double digits if not for injury-shortened years in 2022, 2025, and 2026.
HMOAT: Cam Reddish, SF
Cam was a solid, well-balanced player for a long time who just couldn’t quite get the Mavericks over the hump. He too ranks near the top of the all-time leaderboards in most offensive categories, in large part because he was able to stay relatively healthy for almost two full decades in Dallas. A four-time all-league first-teamer, Delap just couldn’t surround him with quite enough talent to get him a ring. He’s since received one as an assistant to the coach with Kyrie’s help.
Detroit Pistons
GOAT: Bill Russell, C
The greatest defensive player we’ve seen, Russell is arguably the greatest center of all time, depending on what you value most. For me, I’m taking the center who has averaged 3.2 blocks and 14.3 rebounds per game for his career. Despite entering the league at 23 - four or five years older than most record-holders - he could certainly find himself near the top of at least the blocking and rebounding categories when his career comes to a close. His offense is quite average at 1.10 pts/tsa, but his elite defense has him at 147.3 win shares and counting for his career.
HMOAT: Rick Fox, SF
Fox was coming into his own before the Hawks and Lakers folded, which meant he’d go on to have his best years in Detroit. For about six consecutive years for the Pistons (there may have been a couple Nuggets years in there too), he was scoring 25-30 per game and one of the league’s top offensive players. A very good rebounder and underrated defender, he certainly deserved more than the two all-star nods he received. Shawn Kemp received some consideration here as well, but he was mostly a scorer who played average defense and turned the ball over too much.
Harlem Globetrotters
GOAT: Zach Randolph, PF
If I went by memory, the honorable mention below, Dolph Schayes, would be Harlem’s GOAT. Probably 5.0’s best franchise over the course of the entire iteration, they’ve had quite a few good players and five championships despite no Yao Mings, Kyrie Irvings, or Firsto Pickos. What they have had is Z-Bo, who somehow received no playing time during his first five seasons in the league. In comes Odin, who gives Randolph a one-year deal that was parlayed into a successful Harlem career. If you only take the years he was in Harlem, Z-Bo’s career numbers look much better than they do as a whole: 25ppg, 12rpg, 1spg, 1bpg, 1.8 TOpg, 56% from the field and 73% from the charity stripe. He’s fifth all-time in win shares (205.1) and sports an impressive 1.21 pts/tsa for his career. Six all-league first teams, five all-league second teams, 10 all-star games (and one all-star MVP), and five championships fill out the recently-retired big man’s trophy case. Truly impressive.
HMOAT: Dolph Schayes, PF
Even if he’s only the honorable mention, Dolph feels like the face of the Harlem franchise as their first round creation pick who led the team to its first title in 2002. His career wasn’t long enough for him to crack any leaderboard categories and his 1.17 career pts/tsa, while not terrible by any means isn’t all that impressive compared to many other names on this list. Dolph is one of few players to average 30ppg for their career, but also played some mean defense with 1.7 blocks per game and cleaned the boards, averaging 11.5 boards per game. Overall an excellent player and someone who could threaten with the three ball as well as inside. There isn’t much to dislike about Dolph’s career, but it’s hard to argue against Z-Bo’s five rings.
Miami Heat
GOAT: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, C
The Heat weren’t an easy team to pick for because Odin is not known for long-term attachments to players. He somehow has yet to win a title despite numerous rosters who felt like they should’ve been at the top. That said, not many Heaties have been there for very long, so I’m going with the second best player of all time in Kareem. If my memory serves me correctly, it was with Kareem that Miami got its farthest in the playoffs, losing a Game 7 to Chicago in the finals. Despite nearing the end of his career, the Big Dipper was still winning individual awards and putting up outstanding numbers during his three seasons in Miami - 27.6ppg, 12.9 rpg, 2.9 bpg, and 53% from the field.
HMOAT: Nick Van Exel, PG
This one feels controversial. Van Exel is probably the league’s best ever distributing point guard with an 8:1 ast:TO ratio and also had some really nice offensive years as a sharpshooter on the outside. While I can’t confirm, I’d bet that he has played more years for the Heat than any other player since Odin took over (nine seasons). A really solid rebounder for a point guard at 4.9 per game for his career, he also averaged more bleals per 36 than TOs per 36 for a positive Billy ratio. Tim Duncan could’ve been the pick here, but like Kareem, he had a very brief Heat career and I wanted to pay some homage to a guy that Odin was willing to bring back after getting rid of.
New Orleans Pelicans
GOAT: Danny Manning, PF
Far and away the best Pelican in their two-year existence and a fantastic pick by Newguy in the expansion draft. Manning is 24 years old and after receiving upgrades, shooting nearly 55% from the field this year. A strong rebounder as well, he’d become a top power forward in a league that is struggling for really good bigs if he sees some natural defensive growth. From what I can tell he was only actually a Pelican in 2031, so I’m not entirely sure why he’s listed as one in 2030? Either way, a really nice building block for a young franchise if they can surround him with talent.
HMOAT: Not going to go there with New Orleans. Pretty sure everyone else they’ve signed is merely trade fodder.
Oakland Oaks
GOAT: Sam Jones, SG
Another franchise with a relatively short history, Jones was one of the league’s top shooting guards for a number of years and a nice first draft pick for Kujo. Unfortunately, Jones was never surrounded with enough talent to really get to showcase his skills. Not for lack of trying on Kujo’s part, however, as he took some big swings on guys like Guy Rodgers and Boogie Cousins. In hindsight, Jones hasn’t been great, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a productive player for ten seasons. Three all-league third teams and an all-league second team is more than most Oaks can claim, so he gets the nod here.
HMOAT: Marcus Camby, C
This was perhaps the most shrewd move made by Kujo in his near decade as a GM. Camby wasn’t getting minutes in a stacked Harlem frontcourt and bid a healthy amount on a player that I’m not sure anyone else took much of a chance on. Ward even said after Camby signed with Oakland that he “hoped I wasn’t the one who encouraged Kujo to give Camby that offer.” With starter’s minutes, he flourished and became a very solid two-way big who was particularly good on the defensive side. Not an all-league player, he’s a decent starter on just about any team and a very, very good third big on most.
Orlando Magic
GOAT: Tracy McGrady, SG
Whoa, TimPig with a scorching take here. How does T-Mac surpass all-time great Kareem, who also spent the majority of his career with the Magic? Three rings to none, that’s how. As good as Kareem was, he could never get the Magic over the hump in his seven seasons in Orlando. McGrady has done it three times and has been the best player on all three of those teams, even if he was surrounded with more help than Kareem ever was (Wilt Chamberlain, Mike Conley, Stephen Jackson, Walt Bellamy). What’s even more impressive is that McGrady, like Zach Randolph above, looked like a bust through his first five years split between Mike, SPL, and Odin. As soon as he arrived in Orlando, he took off and became one of the league’s best two-way wings. He’s one of the best examples of a player being used incorrectly for years and actually being really good when put in the right system.
HMOAT: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, C
As much as I wanted to put Mike Conley or Wilt Chamberlain here, I couldn’t do it. Kareem becomes the first player to hit the list twice after spending more of his years in Orlando than any other city. Those were his prime years when he was able to consistently rack up 30+ points per game (including an incredible 36 per game in 2014) and 12+ rebounds per game (15.3 per game in 2018 wtf). He’s second all-time in win shares, sixth in rebounds, seventh in blocks, and eighth in points. An incredible player who certainly deserved to end his career with more than one ring.
Portland Trail Blazers
GOAT: David Robinson, C
I forget about some of the incredible bigs this team has had. The two guys on this list, Dwight Howard, Jake T. The Admiral tops them all as a title winner and one of the best centers of the last decade. The list of individual accolades for Robinson is long and includes numerous all-league, all-defense, and all-star selections. With outstanding efficiency, free throw shooting, rebounding, and defense, the only slight flaw in Robinson’s game were his turnovers, which in 5.0 were only slightly higher than your average high-usage big. I love D-Rob and wish he could’ve come to Chicago for a shot at another title before his career likely ends this offseason.
HMOAT: Amare Stoudemire, C
Mr. Trail Blazer Caron Butler felt like the right choice here, but the dude could only crack the Hall of Fame after an illegal absentee vote and some last-second vote changes, which doesn’t do enough for me despite him being one of the best defensive and best rebounding wings of all time. Anyway, on to Amare. He had a really interesting career arc as he was placed into an outside offense in Minnesota, where he was really able to take advantage of the +50 threes upgrade he received early in his career. That, of course, came at the expense of improving his defense via the lab, but was acceptable when you consider how many points he racked up with the T-Wolves. After moving to Portland in contraction, he was much less of an outside shooter but was still an extremely effective player, leading the Blazers to their first title. He was an easy unanimous first-ballot Hall of Fame which gets him the nod.
Tri-Cities Blackhawks
GOAT: Tim Duncan, PF
The Big Fundamental spent his final years in the Tri-Cities, culminating with perhaps the most anti-climactic career ending for a Hall of Famer ever, as Duncan was put on injured reserve in a fruitless effort for BK to lose a game to a cupcake team. For this exercise, I did not include previous iterations of BK’s teams, but Duncan did actually get drafted years ago by his New Orleans Buccaneers, so we’ll give them a few more brownie points for that. Duncan was one of the most efficient scorers in TMBSL history for a good chunk of his career, only seeing that efficiency dip during his later years when he went from elite to merely very good. His rebounding wasn’t excellent, but it was fine. Above average to good defense, low turnovers, and an eventual Hall of Fame induction make him the best Blackhawk ever. It took quite a bit to get Duncan when Tri-Cities did - an expiring Chris Webber and the eventual rights to Laphonso Ellis - as he was 33 and on an enormous contract for four more years.
HMOAT: Josh Howard, SF
The Blackhawks haven’t been around long, and after a surprisingly successful first couple of years since their return, they had a couple of good candidates here: Paul Silas, Kawhi Leonard, John Wall, Olden Polynice. None played in the Tri-Cities for more than a couple of seasons though, whereas Howard has been there five and counting. Howard isn’t particularly great or bad at anything, but he’s consistent and can play two positions well, which is something every team welcomes. I went off the board a bit here and am making the assumption that he’ll hang around with the Blackhawks for at least a good chunk of his career, which is why he gets the honorable mention award. Who wouldn’t want to keep him around if he can be a capable starter and keeps signing for peanuts?
Washington Bullets
GOAT: Simisola Shittu, C
This one hurts to write. Simi is Washington’s only Hall of Famer because everyone here is mean to me and likes to hurt my feelings and voted him in as a Bullet instead of a Bull when he obviously should’ve entered Cooperstown in the red and black. It also hurts because Kn will never read this. Alas, Simi was one of the best of all-time, averaging a double-double for 19 consecutive seasons, playing exceptional defense the entire time while averaging a miniscule 1.2 turnovers per game for his career, a number that gets more and more impressive as more time passes. His career numbers would look even more impressive had he been fully upgraded early in his career. If so, his career numbers are probably hovering closer to 26 points per game and 12 rebounds.
HMOAT: Greg Monroe, C
The Bullets have had a lot of really, really good players and numerous teams who could’ve competed for titles with just a bit of an investment. Monroe is well on his way to becoming Washington’s second Hall of Famer despite also never receiving all of his upgrades. The only slight flaw in his game were his turnovers, which were over 2.5 per game during the prime years of his career when he was a primary option. Other than that, he was an efficient scorer, a good defender, an elite rebounder. Hell, he could even pass the ball like a guard, averaging over 5.6 assists per game on two separate occasions and 3.9 per game for his career. He was a Bullets lifer and deserves to go into the Hall wearing their colors.
It won’t be an exact calculation as I’m taking into account things like where said player’s best years were, how long they were with the team, etc. which means there will be some subjectivity here.
Atlanta Hawks GOAT: Stephen Jackson, SG
This was a tough choice. I looked back at some of the older years when the Hawks looked like they might be onto something pre-contraction, but that foundation wasn’t around long enough to win a championship and therefore didn’t crack this list. Looking at the Hawks dynasty of the 2020s, there were three consistent pieces that were high-impact players: Jackson, Jonas Valanciunas, and Olden Polynice. I picked Jackson as he’s one of the best three-point shooters the league has ever seen, combined with really solid defense and great rebounding from the wing. His win shares (158.6) slightly eclipse Jonas’ (154.4). Jackson’s 1.187 pts/tsa for his career also trumps Jonas’, who doesn’t crack the all-time rankings.
HMOAT: Jonas Valanciunas, C
It was really difficult to choose between him and Jackson but Jackson’s ability to threaten from deep ultimately wins the day. Valanciunas was a part of all of those championship teams and had no major holes in his game. Jonas was a more efficient scorer, better defender, and had fewer turnovers than the final member of the big three, Olden Polynice. Jackson’s list of personal awards is also about five times the length of Jonas’.
Charlotte Hornets GOAT: Yao Ming, C
Another choice that was tough on its surface, but after calculating the career pts/tsa, Yao was the clear favorite over Giannis, who were both part of the Charlotte dynasty that won five titles with Druce’s help. One of the truly great players in sim league, he looks even more impressive if Fecta had fucked him over for two seasons by not setting a depth chart. Yao currently ranks 18th all-time in win shares and 2nd all-time in pts/tsa, trailing Kareem by .002. Yao was almost too good, having no holes in his game from the day he entered the league as a rookie. Elite efficiency, defense, turnovers, and very good rebounding.
HMOAT: Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF
Another player who came into the league and could’ve been a Hall of Famer just by performing throughout his career the way he did as a rookie, Giannis got much better, becoming a small forward who could average over 10 rebounds and 2 bleals per game. His good-not-great 3pt shooting kept him to a measly 1.17 pts/tsa for his career, but his longer career than Yao’s gives him a significant win share advantage (6th to 17th and 203 to 180 in total). Overall, it’s the scoring advantage that gives Yao the edge in Charlotte.
Chicago Bulls GOAT: Oscar Robertson, PG
Oscar wins this contest for the Bulls as the only player in their history to win a regular season MVP award. He’s made multiple all-defense teams, all-league teams, and all-star teams, making him the most decorated Bull in TMBSL history. The pts/tsa sits at 1.157, so a bit lower than some of the other winners on this list but still good. His defense and rebounding are what set him apart and make him one of the league’s best ever. As a player who was drafted by the Bulls and re-signed to a full max despite offers from other teams, he gets brownie points for his loyalty.
HMOAT: Dave Lattin, SF
Listed at small forward, his best years were probably as a shooting guard, where his rebounding jumped from solid to really good later in his career. One of the most efficient wing scorers ever, Lattin’s career pts/tsa of 1.185 make Giannis look a pretty average scorer even though the two teamed up to win a title in Chicago near the end of their respective careers. Lattin was also a very good defender, averaging 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game for his career. His individual accolade list isn’t as extensive as Oscar’s, but he was a Bull through and through and went into the Hall of Fame as such.
Dallas Mavericks GOAT: Kyrie Irving, PG
No doubt about this one, Kyrie is the greatest sim league player of all time and the greatest Maverick of all time. He’s still active but tops the win shares list by a laughable 31 win shares already. He’s posted the single greatest win share season of all time as well (25) and brought Dallas their only championship. His recent dip in scoring efficiency may prevent him from topping Miles Bridges in the all-time scoring category, but he ranks top 10 in TMBSL history in the following categories: field goals, field goal attempts, three pointers, three-point attempts, assists, and points. Even with an astonishing eight league MVPs that ranks well ahead of anyone else, he might be in the double digits if not for injury-shortened years in 2022, 2025, and 2026.
HMOAT: Cam Reddish, SF
Cam was a solid, well-balanced player for a long time who just couldn’t quite get the Mavericks over the hump. He too ranks near the top of the all-time leaderboards in most offensive categories, in large part because he was able to stay relatively healthy for almost two full decades in Dallas. A four-time all-league first-teamer, Delap just couldn’t surround him with quite enough talent to get him a ring. He’s since received one as an assistant to the coach with Kyrie’s help.
Detroit PistonsGOAT: Bill Russell, C
The greatest defensive player we’ve seen, Russell is arguably the greatest center of all time, depending on what you value most. For me, I’m taking the center who has averaged 3.2 blocks and 14.3 rebounds per game for his career. Despite entering the league at 23 - four or five years older than most record-holders - he could certainly find himself near the top of at least the blocking and rebounding categories when his career comes to a close. His offense is quite average at 1.10 pts/tsa, but his elite defense has him at 147.3 win shares and counting for his career.
HMOAT: Rick Fox, SF
Fox was coming into his own before the Hawks and Lakers folded, which meant he’d go on to have his best years in Detroit. For about six consecutive years for the Pistons (there may have been a couple Nuggets years in there too), he was scoring 25-30 per game and one of the league’s top offensive players. A very good rebounder and underrated defender, he certainly deserved more than the two all-star nods he received. Shawn Kemp received some consideration here as well, but he was mostly a scorer who played average defense and turned the ball over too much.
Harlem GlobetrottersGOAT: Zach Randolph, PF
If I went by memory, the honorable mention below, Dolph Schayes, would be Harlem’s GOAT. Probably 5.0’s best franchise over the course of the entire iteration, they’ve had quite a few good players and five championships despite no Yao Mings, Kyrie Irvings, or Firsto Pickos. What they have had is Z-Bo, who somehow received no playing time during his first five seasons in the league. In comes Odin, who gives Randolph a one-year deal that was parlayed into a successful Harlem career. If you only take the years he was in Harlem, Z-Bo’s career numbers look much better than they do as a whole: 25ppg, 12rpg, 1spg, 1bpg, 1.8 TOpg, 56% from the field and 73% from the charity stripe. He’s fifth all-time in win shares (205.1) and sports an impressive 1.21 pts/tsa for his career. Six all-league first teams, five all-league second teams, 10 all-star games (and one all-star MVP), and five championships fill out the recently-retired big man’s trophy case. Truly impressive.
HMOAT: Dolph Schayes, PF
Even if he’s only the honorable mention, Dolph feels like the face of the Harlem franchise as their first round creation pick who led the team to its first title in 2002. His career wasn’t long enough for him to crack any leaderboard categories and his 1.17 career pts/tsa, while not terrible by any means isn’t all that impressive compared to many other names on this list. Dolph is one of few players to average 30ppg for their career, but also played some mean defense with 1.7 blocks per game and cleaned the boards, averaging 11.5 boards per game. Overall an excellent player and someone who could threaten with the three ball as well as inside. There isn’t much to dislike about Dolph’s career, but it’s hard to argue against Z-Bo’s five rings.
Miami Heat GOAT: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, C
The Heat weren’t an easy team to pick for because Odin is not known for long-term attachments to players. He somehow has yet to win a title despite numerous rosters who felt like they should’ve been at the top. That said, not many Heaties have been there for very long, so I’m going with the second best player of all time in Kareem. If my memory serves me correctly, it was with Kareem that Miami got its farthest in the playoffs, losing a Game 7 to Chicago in the finals. Despite nearing the end of his career, the Big Dipper was still winning individual awards and putting up outstanding numbers during his three seasons in Miami - 27.6ppg, 12.9 rpg, 2.9 bpg, and 53% from the field.
HMOAT: Nick Van Exel, PG
This one feels controversial. Van Exel is probably the league’s best ever distributing point guard with an 8:1 ast:TO ratio and also had some really nice offensive years as a sharpshooter on the outside. While I can’t confirm, I’d bet that he has played more years for the Heat than any other player since Odin took over (nine seasons). A really solid rebounder for a point guard at 4.9 per game for his career, he also averaged more bleals per 36 than TOs per 36 for a positive Billy ratio. Tim Duncan could’ve been the pick here, but like Kareem, he had a very brief Heat career and I wanted to pay some homage to a guy that Odin was willing to bring back after getting rid of.
New Orleans Pelicans GOAT: Danny Manning, PF
Far and away the best Pelican in their two-year existence and a fantastic pick by Newguy in the expansion draft. Manning is 24 years old and after receiving upgrades, shooting nearly 55% from the field this year. A strong rebounder as well, he’d become a top power forward in a league that is struggling for really good bigs if he sees some natural defensive growth. From what I can tell he was only actually a Pelican in 2031, so I’m not entirely sure why he’s listed as one in 2030? Either way, a really nice building block for a young franchise if they can surround him with talent.
HMOAT: Not going to go there with New Orleans. Pretty sure everyone else they’ve signed is merely trade fodder.
Oakland Oaks GOAT: Sam Jones, SG
Another franchise with a relatively short history, Jones was one of the league’s top shooting guards for a number of years and a nice first draft pick for Kujo. Unfortunately, Jones was never surrounded with enough talent to really get to showcase his skills. Not for lack of trying on Kujo’s part, however, as he took some big swings on guys like Guy Rodgers and Boogie Cousins. In hindsight, Jones hasn’t been great, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a productive player for ten seasons. Three all-league third teams and an all-league second team is more than most Oaks can claim, so he gets the nod here.
HMOAT: Marcus Camby, C
This was perhaps the most shrewd move made by Kujo in his near decade as a GM. Camby wasn’t getting minutes in a stacked Harlem frontcourt and bid a healthy amount on a player that I’m not sure anyone else took much of a chance on. Ward even said after Camby signed with Oakland that he “hoped I wasn’t the one who encouraged Kujo to give Camby that offer.” With starter’s minutes, he flourished and became a very solid two-way big who was particularly good on the defensive side. Not an all-league player, he’s a decent starter on just about any team and a very, very good third big on most.
Orlando MagicGOAT: Tracy McGrady, SG
Whoa, TimPig with a scorching take here. How does T-Mac surpass all-time great Kareem, who also spent the majority of his career with the Magic? Three rings to none, that’s how. As good as Kareem was, he could never get the Magic over the hump in his seven seasons in Orlando. McGrady has done it three times and has been the best player on all three of those teams, even if he was surrounded with more help than Kareem ever was (Wilt Chamberlain, Mike Conley, Stephen Jackson, Walt Bellamy). What’s even more impressive is that McGrady, like Zach Randolph above, looked like a bust through his first five years split between Mike, SPL, and Odin. As soon as he arrived in Orlando, he took off and became one of the league’s best two-way wings. He’s one of the best examples of a player being used incorrectly for years and actually being really good when put in the right system.
HMOAT: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, C
As much as I wanted to put Mike Conley or Wilt Chamberlain here, I couldn’t do it. Kareem becomes the first player to hit the list twice after spending more of his years in Orlando than any other city. Those were his prime years when he was able to consistently rack up 30+ points per game (including an incredible 36 per game in 2014) and 12+ rebounds per game (15.3 per game in 2018 wtf). He’s second all-time in win shares, sixth in rebounds, seventh in blocks, and eighth in points. An incredible player who certainly deserved to end his career with more than one ring.
Portland Trail Blazers GOAT: David Robinson, C
I forget about some of the incredible bigs this team has had. The two guys on this list, Dwight Howard, Jake T. The Admiral tops them all as a title winner and one of the best centers of the last decade. The list of individual accolades for Robinson is long and includes numerous all-league, all-defense, and all-star selections. With outstanding efficiency, free throw shooting, rebounding, and defense, the only slight flaw in Robinson’s game were his turnovers, which in 5.0 were only slightly higher than your average high-usage big. I love D-Rob and wish he could’ve come to Chicago for a shot at another title before his career likely ends this offseason.
HMOAT: Amare Stoudemire, C
Mr. Trail Blazer Caron Butler felt like the right choice here, but the dude could only crack the Hall of Fame after an illegal absentee vote and some last-second vote changes, which doesn’t do enough for me despite him being one of the best defensive and best rebounding wings of all time. Anyway, on to Amare. He had a really interesting career arc as he was placed into an outside offense in Minnesota, where he was really able to take advantage of the +50 threes upgrade he received early in his career. That, of course, came at the expense of improving his defense via the lab, but was acceptable when you consider how many points he racked up with the T-Wolves. After moving to Portland in contraction, he was much less of an outside shooter but was still an extremely effective player, leading the Blazers to their first title. He was an easy unanimous first-ballot Hall of Fame which gets him the nod.
Tri-Cities Blackhawks GOAT: Tim Duncan, PF
The Big Fundamental spent his final years in the Tri-Cities, culminating with perhaps the most anti-climactic career ending for a Hall of Famer ever, as Duncan was put on injured reserve in a fruitless effort for BK to lose a game to a cupcake team. For this exercise, I did not include previous iterations of BK’s teams, but Duncan did actually get drafted years ago by his New Orleans Buccaneers, so we’ll give them a few more brownie points for that. Duncan was one of the most efficient scorers in TMBSL history for a good chunk of his career, only seeing that efficiency dip during his later years when he went from elite to merely very good. His rebounding wasn’t excellent, but it was fine. Above average to good defense, low turnovers, and an eventual Hall of Fame induction make him the best Blackhawk ever. It took quite a bit to get Duncan when Tri-Cities did - an expiring Chris Webber and the eventual rights to Laphonso Ellis - as he was 33 and on an enormous contract for four more years.
HMOAT: Josh Howard, SF
The Blackhawks haven’t been around long, and after a surprisingly successful first couple of years since their return, they had a couple of good candidates here: Paul Silas, Kawhi Leonard, John Wall, Olden Polynice. None played in the Tri-Cities for more than a couple of seasons though, whereas Howard has been there five and counting. Howard isn’t particularly great or bad at anything, but he’s consistent and can play two positions well, which is something every team welcomes. I went off the board a bit here and am making the assumption that he’ll hang around with the Blackhawks for at least a good chunk of his career, which is why he gets the honorable mention award. Who wouldn’t want to keep him around if he can be a capable starter and keeps signing for peanuts?
Washington BulletsGOAT: Simisola Shittu, C
This one hurts to write. Simi is Washington’s only Hall of Famer because everyone here is mean to me and likes to hurt my feelings and voted him in as a Bullet instead of a Bull when he obviously should’ve entered Cooperstown in the red and black. It also hurts because Kn will never read this. Alas, Simi was one of the best of all-time, averaging a double-double for 19 consecutive seasons, playing exceptional defense the entire time while averaging a miniscule 1.2 turnovers per game for his career, a number that gets more and more impressive as more time passes. His career numbers would look even more impressive had he been fully upgraded early in his career. If so, his career numbers are probably hovering closer to 26 points per game and 12 rebounds.
HMOAT: Greg Monroe, C
The Bullets have had a lot of really, really good players and numerous teams who could’ve competed for titles with just a bit of an investment. Monroe is well on his way to becoming Washington’s second Hall of Famer despite also never receiving all of his upgrades. The only slight flaw in his game were his turnovers, which were over 2.5 per game during the prime years of his career when he was a primary option. Other than that, he was an efficient scorer, a good defender, an elite rebounder. Hell, he could even pass the ball like a guard, averaging over 5.6 assists per game on two separate occasions and 3.9 per game for his career. He was a Bullets lifer and deserves to go into the Hall wearing their colors.
