10) Elgin Baylor
The only man on my list without a championship ended up being Elgin Baylor. I’ll explain that, but first you have to know I struggled mightily picking between Baylor, Jerry West (the logo, 27, 7, and 6 on his career) and Oscar Robertson (26, 10, and 8, and averaged a triple-double for an entire year).
By putting Baylor here I fight the impulse to go the traditional route and simply rely on the championship ring count. Though titles are important in judging a player’s greatness, it certainly wasn’t Baylor’s fault that he didn’t get one. He, West, and Wilt Chamberlain all share blame for not winning more titles. However, once Baylor retired, West and Wilt finally did win one ring with LA.
Next, judging the standout nature of Baylor’s numbers, he has been historically underrated for whatever reason. Overlooked perhaps because he was part of the best trio of all time, but then again, Wilt and West get plenty of attention. I think because West was the rare, great white player, and Chamberlain was the largest human people had ever seen, Elgin slipped through the cracks just a little. But taking a look at his numbers, one must appreciate him, as evidenced by his placement at #10 on my list.
For his career he averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds despite the fact that his knees basically quit on him half way through his career. He looked to be all but finished because of those knees in 1965 when his scoring dipped to 17 points a game, but then he promptly averaged 27, 26, and 25 respectively over the following three seasons. Over his first seven seasons, before his knee troubles, the 6’5” guard, Baylor, compiled averages of 31 points and 16 rebounds per game.
6’5”. 16 rebounds per game.
I know you can’t take away injuries—they’re part of every sport, and plenty of careers have been ruined, shortened, or diminished by them—but perhaps there is no greater example of what could have been than with Elgin Baylor. Even despite his horrible knees, he was a dominant player. Before he battled injuries he was in Wilt-territory in terms of statistical production.
Baylor was the 1959 Rookie of the Year, made 11 All-Star teams, and was a ten-time All-NBA First Teamer. For ten years of his career, he was among the five best players in the league. He never won an MVP award but was a top-5 finisher seven times and a top-3 finisher four times, perhaps due to splitting votes with his superstar teammates West and Chamberlain. Seven times Baylor was a top-10 rebounder, top-5 four times. He was top-5 in scoring seven times and finished second three times. Baylor was also a top-10 assist man six seasons. In his best season Baylor averaged 38 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Nobody—save for Wilt—has ever had a year like that. 22nd on the all-time scoring list, Baylor is also the 25th-best all-time rebounder, an extraordinary accomplishment for a guard.
I realize that some of this may seem like I’m a Baylor apologist, and maybe I am. But when the man was healthy, he was a force like we’ve never seen. An athlete before his time, in a seven year window he was the best guard/forward in the league. Even after his knee injuries, he had five First Team All-NBA seasons. His toughness, production, and dominance when healthy are what make Elgin Baylor 10th on this list. If he had been as lucky as, say, Kobe Bryant in terms of health, we might be listing Baylor as the best player of all time.
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| #10 Elgin Baylor |
9) Tim Duncan
I kept trying to slide “The Big Fundamental” down my list, and that has been the story of Duncan’s career. He’s great, but maybe so great that we forget about him: at least 20 and 10every year in a quiet way. Never does Duncan get a technical, soar for a spectacular dunk, or wow us with a Dirk Nowitzki-like inside-outside game. Duncan lives in the post, scores efficiently, owns the boards, blocks shots, and is perhaps the smartest player of his era.
Always a mix between forward and center, Duncan faced plenty of elite competition throughout his career. Early on he battled Karl Malone. In their respective primes Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, and Duncan faced off constantly, and Shaquille O’Neal was also an omnipresent nemesis. Through it all Duncan was profoundly great, never disappearing in big games, never frustrated by one particular matchup. He had a way to beat everyone, and with four championships, he did just that.
Also consider Duncan’s help. Early he had an aging David Robinson, later he had very good but never great wingmen in Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. Duncan has never had a Hall of Famer in his prime as a teammate.
For his career Duncan averages 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game all while shooting 50% from the field. In his best season he put up 26 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks per game. In the playoffs Duncan’s career averages rose to 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Four rings and never lost once he reached the Finals. Two regular season MVPs, three Finals MVPs, was the 1998 Rookie of Year, made thirteen All-Star games, and nine times finished top-5 in MVP voting. Led the league in rebounds once and was top-5 eleven times.
Thirteen times Duncan made the All-NBA team, including nine times on the First Team. He also made thirteen All-NBA Defensive Teams. For six consecutive years Duncan made First Team All-NBA and First Team All-NBA Defense. In other words, he was the best offensive and defensive player at his position for six straight years and was never far off the rest of his career.
In Duncan’s time the Spurs racked up thirteen 50-win seasons, including three 60-win campaigns, and the one time they didn’t they went 37-13 in a lockout-shortened year. Keep in mind though, the year the season was shortened San Antonio was on pace for 61 wins.
Duncan could definitely be higher on this list because when he’s on your team, you’re a title threat. At this point in his career obviously he is declining, but if you gave him a solid, supporting cast during his 12-year prime, Duncan could win a ring. Additionally Duncan receives points for staying with one team his entire career, and ensuring that every single year, Spurs fans root for a major contender.
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| #9 Tim Duncan |
--from @AdamHocking
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