Dell's Pointless Lists - Greatest NBA Power Forwards

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  • dell71
    Enter Sandman
    • Mar 2009
    • 23919

    Dell's Pointless Lists - Greatest NBA Power Forwards

    Traditionally, NBA teams have often treated the power forward position as just a place to put another big body. Preferably, they wanted these guys to be strong rebounders and solid defenders. Any points were icing on the cake. From time to time, there were players who’ve risen above their station as just another big body and become truly great players from the 4 spot. Over the last decade or so, the power forward has evolved into becoming the best frontline player on a number of teams with true centers threatening to go the way of the dinosaur. If they do, maybe these guys will then rule the Earth:


    The Greatest Power Forwards of All Time

    Code:
    [size=1]Key:
    
    On the Mantle: championships, awards and honors
    On the Floor: career averages and notable totals
    pts: points			ppg: points per game
    reb: rebounds			rpg: rebounds per game
    ast: assists			apg: assists per game
    st: steals			spg: steals per game
    blk: blocked shots		bpg: blocks per game
    fg%: field-goal percentage
    ft%: free-throw percentage
    HOF: Hall of Fame
    AT: all time
    Coach Speak: about the player
    Sidenotes: Steals, blocked shots and offensive rebounds did not become official NBA stats until the 1973-74 NBA season.[/size]


    [youtube]H8pw7iRU3MY[/youtube]
    10. Dirk Nowitzki, 7’0” – 237
    On the Mantle: 1 MVP, 3 All-NBA 1st Team.
    On the Floor: 22.6 ppg (26th AT), 8.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.0 bpg, 47.1 fg%, 87.2 ft% (16th AT), 18527 pts, 7008 reb, 1068 three-pointers made (46th AT).
    Coach Speak: Dirk Nowitzki is different from virtually every player the NBA has ever seen. He has the skill set of an elite swing-player. If you try to get in his jersey, he can take you to the hole and bang off the dribble. Lay off him, he can drain threes with the best of them. What makes him so unique is he’s 7 feet tall. And he’s the best shooter of his size the game has ever seen. He’s gotten a lot of flack for coming up small in the playoffs but that’s simply unfair. During regular season play, he averages 22.6 ppg and 8.6 rpg. In post-season play, he averages 25.3 ppg and 11.1 rpg.



    [youtube]icJLs4t0lLo[/youtube]
    9. Dennis Rodman, 6’7” – 228
    On the Mantle: 5 Championship Rings, 2 Defensive Player of the Year, 7 All-Defensive 1st Team, 7 Rebounding Titles, 1 Field-Goal Percentage Title.
    On the Floor: 7.3 ppg, 13.1 rpg (11th AT), 1.8 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.6 bpg, 52.1 fg% (39th AT), 58.4 ft%, 11954 reb (21st AT).
    Coach Speak: Like many other conventional things, stats fail to justify The Worm’s greatness. He was offensively challenged, yet made well over half of the shots he took during his NBA career. He never finished in the top 10 in blocked shots or steals but he’s considered among the very best defensive players in the history of the game. He came to be known as a flat-out lunatic yet consistently outsmarted and outworked opposing players. Rodman took doing the dirty work to a whole new level. For my money, he’s the best on-the-ball defender I’ve ever seen. If you must look at stats think about this one: During an era that not only included Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and some bigger players on this list but also at least one 7-footer on the floor at all times for virtually every team, Rodman led the league in rebounding 7 times in a row and often by a rather wide margin. This also makes him the best rebounder I’ve ever seen. Sadly, his public persona might keep him out of the Hall of Fame.



    [youtube]XtacTEG3fC4[/youtube]
    8. Dolph Schayes, 6’8” – 220
    On the Mantle: 1 Championship Ring, 6 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 Rebounding Title, 3 Free Throw Percentage Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1973.
    On the Floor: 18.5 ppg, 12.1 rpg (16th AT), 3.1 apg, 38.0 fg%, 84.9 ft% (43rd AT), 18438 pts, 11256 reb (26th AT).
    Coach Speak: Schayes is often referred to as the link between the old game and the new game. During an era where being 6’8” made him one of the tallest players in the league, he was still an adept outside shooter. However, while his contemporaries were all switching over to the jump shot Schayes still went with a high-arcing two-handed set shot. To go with those 6 All-NBA 1st Team selections, he made the 2nd team 6 times as well. When he retired, Schayes was the all time leading scorer.



    [youtube]dlSZC4TAYVc[/youtube]
    7. Kevin McHale, 6’10” – 210
    On the Mantle: 3 Championship Rings, 2 Sixth Man of the Year, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 1 All-NBA 1st Team, 3 All-Defensive 1st Team, 2 Field Goal Percentage Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1999.
    On the Floor: 17.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 0.4 spg, 1.7 bpg (28th AT), 55.4 fg% (12th AT), 79.8 ft%, 17335 pts, 7122 reb, 1690 blk (25th AT).
    Coach Speak: McHale is one of 2 guys on this list who spent several years making major contributions from the bench (Rodman is the other). He has 2 Sixth Man of the Year awards to prove it. When he became a starter, he was one third of arguably the best frontline in league history (and the ugliest but that’s another subject). With a wide array of post moves and incredibly long arms, he was virtually unstoppable with his back to the basket. He also used those long arms to make himself an excellent defender.



    [youtube]6PPaGUO5lRI[/youtube]
    6. Elvin Hayes, 6’9” – 235
    On the Mantle: 1 Championship Ring, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 3 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 Scoring Title, 2 Rebounding Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1990.
    On the Floor: 21.0 ppg (39th AT), 12.5 rpg (13th AT), 1.8 apg, 1.0 spg, 2.0 bpg (23rd AT), 45.2 fg%, 67.0 ft%, 27313 pts (8th AT), 16279 reb (6th AT), 1771 blk (23rd AT).
    Coach Speak: The first thing that comes to mind when people speak of Elvin Hayes is durability. Over his 16 year career, he never played less than 80 games in any season and only missed a total of 9 games. He also played exactly 50,000 minutes and retired as the all time leader in that category (he currently ranks third). But there was so much more to him than that. His rookie season was one of the best in the history of the game. He averaged 28.4 ppg and 17.1 rpg, leading the league in scoring and finishing 6th in rebounds. However, Wes Unseld, who averaged 15 ppg less but played on the 57 win Baltimore Bullets won the Rookie of the Year award (Hayes’ Rockets won 37 games). Nonetheless, Hayes continued to pour in points, grab lots of boards and turn plenty of opponents away via the blocked shot.



    [youtube]VXZYE9fPjHM[/youtube]
    5. Charles Barkley, 6’6” – 252
    On the Mantle: 1 MVP, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 5 All-NBA 1st Team, 1 Rebounding Title, Inducted into the HOF in 2006.
    On the Floor: 22.1 ppg (29th AT), 11.7 rpg (21st AT), 3.9 apg, 1.5 spg (37th AT), 0.8 bpg, 54.0 fg% (20th AT), 73.5 ft%, 23757 pts (22nd AT), 12546 reb (16th AT), 1648 st (20th AT).
    Coach Speak: Pound for pound, Sir Charles is one of the strongest men to ever play the game. His strength allowed him to become one of the most unique players in league history. He was listed at 6’6”, yet most people in the know say he’s closer to 6’4”. Still, The Round Mound of Rebound played the game like a man who stood 6’10”. If he caught the ball in the post, he could back down almost anyone. If he decided to face the basket, bodies bounced off him as he went barreling to the hoop. Over time, the athleticism he displayed as a younger player has been largely forgotten but he would often come flying through the lane for thunderous dunks over taller players. To his credit, after he developed back problems and no longer had that same type of lift he was still a dominant scorer and rebounder. And of course, he’s always been a larger than life personality both to his benefit and his detriment.



    [youtube]G0Z1xY48GKs[/youtube]
    4. Kevin Garnett, 6’11” – 220
    On the Mantle: 1 Championship Ring, 1 MVP, 1 Defensive Player of the Year, 4 All-NBA 1st Team, 7 All-Defensive 1st Team, 4 Rebounding Titles.
    On the Floor: 20.2 ppg (52nd AT), 11.1 rpg (29th AT), 4.3 apg, 1.4 spg (47th AT), 1.6 bpg (32nd AT), 49.6 fg%, 78.2 ft%, 21241 pts (31st AT), 11664 reb (23rd AT), 4530 ast (64th AT), 1443 st (38th AT), 1730 blk (24th AT).
    Coach Speak: KG is on the short-list of the most versatile players of all time. There is not a weakness to his game. The only knock on him, until his Celts won the championship, was that he was too unselfish. Other than try to shoot his team to victory, he can do anything asked of him on the court. He’s been a consistent 20 ppg scorer and won 4 rebound titles. He’s also one of the best passing big men ever with a remarkable 6 seasons averaging 5 apg or better (twice averaging 6). He’s been known to knock down the occasional 3 pointer as well. On the other end of the floor, Garnett can defend all five positions. Finally, I’m pretty sure he also worked as a hot dog vendor during timeouts back when he was in Minnesota.



    [youtube]PTIrG1Xn1Jk[/youtube]
    3. Bob Pettit, 6’9” – 205
    On the Mantle: 1 Championship Ring, 2 MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 10 All-NBA 1st Team, 2 Scoring Titles, Inducted into the HOF in 1971.
    On the Floor: 26.4 ppg (7th AT), 16.2 rpg (3rd AT), 3.0 apg, 43.6 fg%, 76.1 ft%, 20880 pts (33rd AT), 12849 reb (15th AT).
    Coach Speak: Bob Pettit is the man who defined the power forward position. He was such a relentless player, even Bill Russell raved about how hard Pettit worked. He finished in the top 5 in both scoring and rebounding during every season of his career except his last in which he only played 50 games. He never averaged less than 20.4 ppg or 12.4 rpg. In game 6 of the 1958 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, Pettit scored 50 points, becoming the first NBA player to reach that plateau in a playoff game. With it, Pettit’s Hawks won the NBA championship. He was also the first player to score as many as 20,000 points in a career and retired as the all time leading scorer.



    [youtube]pE4OxqDSB5I[/youtube]
    2. Karl Malone, 6’9” – 250
    On the Mantle: 2 MVP, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 11 All-NBA 1st team, 3 All-Defensive 1st Team.
    On the Floor: 25.0 ppg (11th AT), 10.1 rpg (43rd AT), 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg (45th AT), 0.8 bpg, 51.6 fg% (50th AT), 74.2 ft%, 36928 pts (3rd AT), 14968 reb (7th AT), 5248 ast (42nd AT), 2085 st (11th AT), 1145 blk (56th AT).
    Coach Speak: Malone simply couldn’t be stopped when he had the ball in his hands. He was great in the post and developed a deadly mid-range jumper. Often, if he didn’t score he got fouled. Malone made and attempted more free throws than any player in NBA history. He also ran the floor exceptionally well, despite appearing like a body builder. Over time, he would also become an excellent passer and defender as well. As one half of one of the NBA’s greatest duos (John Stockton, the other half), he would help lead his Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals twice and helped the Lakers get there during his final season. After that, he retired having scored more points than anyone not named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.



    [youtube]uN9FQ3RGjX8[/youtube]
    1. Tim Duncan, 6’11” – 248
    On the Mantle: 4 Championship Rings, 2 MVP, 1 Rookie of the Year, 2 Finals MVP, 1 All-Rookie 1st Team, 9 All-NBA 1st Team, 8 All-Defensive 1st Team.
    On the Floor: 21.5 ppg (33rd AT), 11.8 rpg (20th AT), 3.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.4 bpg (15th AT), 50.8 fg%, 68.5 ft%, 18947 pts (48th AT), 10348 reb (36th AT), 2097 blk (14th AT).
    Coach Speak: Tim Duncan might be the most underappreciated superstar the sport has ever had. He’s led his team to 4 NBA crowns, yet every time they win one he’s blamed for sagging TV ratings. The truth of the matter is 10 to 15 foot jumpers off the glass, combined with a workmanlike approach to the game just aren’t sexy. He’ll never win on style points but his efficiency is off the charts. He simply plays the game the right way. So much so, Shaquille O’Neal once labeled Duncan “the Big Fundamentals.” If you watch him, you’ll see it’s absolutely a fitting name. In short, he uses unspectacular methods to get spectacular results.


    More Bangers for Your Buck



    Buck Williams



    Chris Webber



    Dave DeBusschere



    Jerry Lucas



    Spencer Haywood



    George McGinnis



    Rasheed Wallace



    Ben Wallace




    Elvin Hayes showing off the acting skills…
    [youtube]kUun6A_EmUs[/youtube]
    (note how they misspelled his name in his own commercial)


    Charles Barkley telling us what we all know…
    [youtube]Bxuynicf9rI[/youtube]


    Tim Duncan having some off-court problems...
    [youtube]sUVewfxzIKU[/youtube]


    *Note: Stats of active players are current through 3/07/09
  • FirstTimer
    Freeman Error

    • Feb 2009
    • 18729

    #2
    Awesome list Dell. As usual. Very interested to see your Small Forward and Shooting guard lists.

    Comment

    • LC AAU
      Senior Member
      • Oct 2008
      • 14217

      #3
      lulz at Barkley video, Your lists = :jizz:
      sig is too big, resize it

      Comment

      • Primetime
        Thank You Prince
        • Nov 2008
        • 17526

        #4
        I liked the Rodman video better. What a hard ass.

        Comment

        • FlawLeSs
          South Beach Talent
          • Nov 2008
          • 1988

          #5
          ben wallace? great list tho
          www.youtube.com/kingoffla

          Comment

          • dell71
            Enter Sandman
            • Mar 2009
            • 23919

            #6
            Originally posted by FLAwLeSs
            ben wallace? great list tho
            How about a 4 time Defensive Player of the Year?

            (of course, that would be Ben Wallace)

            Comment

            • Kuzzy Powers
              Beautiful Like Moses
              • Oct 2008
              • 12542

              #7
              Id have to agree that Ben Wallace probably shouldnt be where near the list..

              Me and my boy were having an argument that Rasheed Wallace is a top10 PF of all time, he says yes, I say no. This list will definitely help my argument.

              Comment

              • The Messenger
                Senior Member
                • Nov 2008
                • 5063

                #8
                1. Tim Duncan
                2. Karl Malone
                3. Charles Barkley
                4. Kevin Garnett
                5. Kevin McHale


                Click the banner above or below to visit the greatest chises on Earth!


                Comment

                • Lupe
                  Posts a lot
                  • Nov 2008
                  • 4315

                  #9
                  Originally posted by sunsfolife
                  where the fuck is amare in this?
                  :doh:

                  Originally posted by Len B
                  Lupe is good peeps. He gets a bad rap from people who take message boards too seriously and forget what it's like to be young and online. I consider Lupe a top 100 prospect in the minors and someday becomes a solid poster.

                  Comment

                  • Juggernaut
                    Sitting on the Sidelines
                    • Dec 2008
                    • 5670

                    #10
                    Proud to see Dirk crack the top 10

                    Very impressed with your list

                    Duncan being 1 is a bit too much, I rather see him at 2 but I can see why people place him at 1

                    Comment

                    • Esjay
                      Luck2Hilton
                      • Feb 2009
                      • 2328

                      #11
                      Originally posted by sunsfolife
                      where the fuck is amare in this?
                      Where he belongs: far far away.

                      Comment

                      • The Messenger
                        Senior Member
                        • Nov 2008
                        • 5063

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Juggernaut
                        Proud to see Dirk crack the top 10

                        Very impressed with your list

                        Duncan being 1 is a bit too much, I rather see him at 2 but I can see why people place him at 1
                        Duncan is the un-argued, un-debated, best power forward of all time.

                        You're a Spurs fan?


                        Click the banner above or below to visit the greatest chises on Earth!


                        Comment

                        • Juggernaut
                          Sitting on the Sidelines
                          • Dec 2008
                          • 5670

                          #13
                          Spurs fan...no. European basketball players...yes.

                          i love manu and tony, but im not the biggest fan of duncan

                          he's amazing, yet im hesitant to make him the best of all time

                          Comment

                          • dell71
                            Enter Sandman
                            • Mar 2009
                            • 23919

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Juggernaut
                            Proud to see Dirk crack the top 10

                            Very impressed with your list

                            Duncan being 1 is a bit too much, I rather see him at 2 but I can see why people place him at 1
                            Your welcome.

                            And thanx.

                            Duncan has already done something no other PF can claim. He was without question the best player on 4 championship teams. 2 of them included (soon to be) HOF center David Robinson. The Mailman racked up all sorts of stats and personal accolades but in the end, won nothing.

                            Originally posted by Bob Kuzzy
                            Id have to agree that Ben Wallace probably shouldnt be where near the list..

                            Me and my boy were having an argument that Rasheed Wallace is a top10 PF of all time, he says yes, I say no. This list will definitely help my argument.
                            As far as Ben Wallace goes, if I can recognize Rodman then I can definitely make Big Ben an honorable mention. The man did win 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards, 2 more than Rodman, and was so dominant on that end of the floor he made All-NBA (2nd & 3rd team) 5 times without ever averaging double-digits in pts. In a couple of those seasons there was serious talk of him winning the MVP. And if Rodman is the best on-the-ball defender I've ever seen, Wallace might be the best off-the-ball defender I've ever seen. I agree, watching him now, you'd never know that. He's a shell of his former self. However, that former self did some great thing. So I'll definitely stick by having Ben Wallace very near this list.

                            Rasheed Wallace has the kind of talent that should put him near the top of this list. For whatever reason, he seems content to not quite be "the man" and for all he has done, I don't think he's ever fulfilled his full potential.

                            Originally posted by sunsfolife
                            where the fuck is amare in this?
                            Like Rasheed, Amare has all time caliber talent. He needs to stay healthy. And no, he really hasn't done anything to say he definitely belongs to be mentioned with these guys, yet. We'll see.
                            Last edited by dell71; 03-22-2009, 01:39 AM.

                            Comment

                            • Senser81
                              VSN Poster of the Year
                              • Feb 2009
                              • 12804

                              #15
                              Dave DeBusschere probably belongs at the #7 spot above McHale, and possibly the #6 spot above Hayes. When the Knicks beat the Lakers in the Finals with Willis Reed hobbling on a bad knee, it was DeBusschere who actually did all the work. He was a monster at U of Detroit, averaging 20+ points and rebounds per game. He only played 2 years of college ball because he left school early to pitch for the White Sox. He was only 6-6, but he was the best defensive forward in the NBA when he played, and is arguably the best defensive forward in NBA history.

                              Comment

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