GreatLakeState
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This is Charley Rosen's top all-time players by positin, from
foxsports.com. White players are pretty well represented:
Small forward
This category is the toughest to rate simply because small
forwards are arguably the NBA's best all-around athletes. They
must be able to handle and rebound, drive and spot-shoot, play
inside and outside, run and bangâ€â€and also guard each other.
No. 1 - LARRY BIRD
Compared to the other top-flight small forwards, Larry Bird
certainly wasn't much of an athlete. He was an inconsistent
perimeter shooter, except when a ballgame was racing toward
the final buzzer. And if he wasn't an exceptional man-to-man
defender, Bird compensated by playing smart team defense.
Although he was rather slow afoot, he seemed to always be in
the right place at the right time. Bird was also an incredibly alert
passer, a sure-handed rebounder, and a resourceful scorer.
His competitive edge was unparalleled, as was his toughness.
But Bird's biggest plus was his ability to anticipate the unfolding
of every critical play a heartbeat ahead of everybody else.
No. 2 - JOHN HAVLICEK
Hondo could run for days at a time. He never showed a sign of
weariness, not even when the Celtics were routinely scheduled
for back-to-back playoff games  usually Saturday night in
New York, and the following afternoon at home. During the
latter years of the Celtics' Russellian dynasty (and continuing
into the Cowens era), it was Havlicek who personified Boston's
game plan: Run, run, and keep on running, until the bad guys
lost their will to win  then run them off the court.
Always dangerous in the clutch, Havlicek was a threat to score
off the dribble or off a stop-and-pop. He was lightning in a bottle
without the ball, but his first step with the rock in hand was too
fast to defend. An unofficial poll of his contemporaries revealed
that Havlicek was the one small forward nobody wanted to
guard.
His perpetual hustle was just as effective on the uphill end of
the court. He was an All-NBA First Teamer from 1971-74, and
voted to the All-Defensive Team from 1972-76. Nobody was
quicker into the passing lanes, and nobody could get over
screens more consistently than Havlicek. Throughout his 16-
year Hall of Fame career, Havlicek was also the NBA's
perennial leader in floor burns.
No. 3 - SCOTTIE PIPPEN
Pippen was a dynamic scorer in half-court situations and also
an accomplished finisher on the run. He could play big and he
could play small; there was no aspect of the game he didn't
master. He was as comfortable in the triangle offense as Brer
Rabbit was in the briar patch. But what sets Pippen above the
rest is his ability to play suffocating defense at any of the skill
positions (point guard, shooting guard, and small forward).
Indeed, the only flaw in his game was a tendency to shoot
impulsive 3-pointers when the shot-clock was still in the high-
teens.
While Pippen was usually aloof with civilians, he was the
player that the other Bulls turned to for advice and solace.
(They were all much too afraid of MJ's caustic and insulting
remedies for their comparatively inferior talent.) Moreover, it
was Pippen who orchestrated the Bulls' stingy defense â€â€
making on-the-spot adjustments, and instructing his teammates
(including MJ) when to double, when to rotate, when to sag,
when to go over and when to go under screens.
On the defensive end of Chicago's six championships, Pippen
was Phil Jackson's surrogate coach-on-the-court.
No. 4 - JULIUS ERVING
Not only was Erving the best finisher of all time, fans, coaches
and players all held their breath when he approached the rim
with a full head of steam. What would Doc do next?
Eyewitnesses were seldom disappointed, because at least
once a game Erving did something nobody had ever seen. An
acrobatic layup in a crowd. A soaring dunk over a clutch of
high-jumping big men. A swirling flip shot from another
dimension of time and space.
But beyond his ability to stun and entertain, Erving was a
winner. He was a high-flying rebounder (especially on offense),
a creative shot-maker and passer, as well as an inspirational
and supportive teammate.
What couldn't he do?
Shoot from long range. (His 3-point accuracy in the ABA&
#151; 32.2 percent  was mostly due to the lightweight ABA
ball. In the NBA, he shot only 26.1 percent from downtown.)
Play solid position defense. (He tried to compensate by
ambushing the passing lanes.) And shoot with his left hand.
Even though Doc played 11 stellar seasons in the NBA (1976-
87), his knees were worn down by carrying the entire league
during his previous five-year stint in the red-white-and-blue
ABA. I was fortunate enough to see him play several times with
the Virginia Squires-as well as the New York Nets  and he
did things back then he couldn't do once his wheels started
wobbling. Like cut sharply without the ball; play energetic deny-
defense in the post and on the wings; jump five times after the
same rebound; dunk from a flat-footed takeoff against guys like
Artis Gilmore.
But even when his knees were sore and aching, the Doctor
was always IN.
No. 5 - RICK BARRY
A self-proclaimed basketball gypsy, Rick Barry spent four
primetime years playing (plus one season sitting out his NBA
option) in the ABA. Wherever he went, scoring was his bag â€â€
he led the NBA with 35.6 ppg in 1966-67. Quick and relentless
on the break, accurate from any distance on the move or with
his feet set, Barry was virtually unstoppable whatever a game's
pace.
He was also a record-breaking  and underhand-shooting â€â€
performer at the free throw line. Six times leading the NBA in
that department and finishing his NBA career with a lifetime
mark of 90 percent.
Barry was also an NBA pioneer  the first-ever point-forward.
He disdained showboating and his basic bounce- and two-
hand chest-passes were usually right on the mark. As the
fulcrum of the Warriors offense, Barry led Golden State to an
NBA title in 1975.
His defense was also fundamentalist. Blocked shots were not
in his repertoire, nor was he a board-hound, but his hungry
hands were always quick to gobble up any careless dribble or
pass. Credit his incredible anticipation for leading the league in
steals (2.85) in 1975-75.
Okay, he could be unbearably arrogant, and he always
believed he knew more about basketball than did any of his
coaches. But Barry was a gamer.
No. 6 - ELGIN BAYLOR
Elgin Baylor was the most dynamic scorer at his position. With
his hang-in-the-air prestidigitations, the "Man of a Thousand
Moves" finished his 14-year Hall-of-Fame career averaging an
even 27 ppg. He had a chronic facial tic that gave him a built-in
head-fake, but it was Baylor's powerful right-handed drives (he
would have starved to death if forced to eat with his left hand)
that broke down putative defenders. Play him soft and he'd
knock down fifteen-footers all night long.
Nor did Tick Tock mind passing the ball, but only when he
couldn't find a shot for himself. And he was a bear on the
boards  a lifetime average of 13.5 per game in the
rebounding department.
His defense, however, was pathetic.
Baylor would always put points in the book, but several
opponents remember having career games against his casual
defensive efforts. Another fly in Baylor's ointment was his
lackadaisical attitude toward practice. Immediately after being
forced into retirement early in the 1971-72 season, the L.A.
Lakers went on a record-breaking consecutive win streak that
lasted 33 games. Among other reasons for the run (namely the
presence of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich),
teammates credited the ferocity of the team's practice sessions.
But whatever his failings, Baylor could always make the net
dance to his own tune.
No. 7 BILLY CUNNINGHAM
The Kangaroo Kid was a rookie with Philadelphia in 1965, and
throughout his 11-year pro career (including two in the ABA),
he never lost his enthusiasm. He was the most prolific
rebounding small forward of his generationâ€â€especially on the
offensive boards.
Shooting was a weakness, and it wasn't until late in his career
that he mastered a dependable mid-range jumper. Even so, his
left-handed swoops to the hoop were virtually unstoppable and
he was a lifetime 21.2 ppg scorer. And whenever a game was
in the balance, Billy C. would find a way to score.
His defense was earnest and depended, mostly on his vertical
and lateral quickness. Yet he was far from being a stopper.
In the final tally, it's Cunningham's clutch scoring and board-
work that sets him above other prolific scorers at the No. 3 slot.
No. 8 - DOMINIQUE WILKINS
The Human Highlight Film could put the ball through the hole
on a regular basis. With his two-footed takeoffs, Wilkins could
power his way through, up and over the best bigs. His shooting
was erratic, but when he was in the zone he seemed to be
playing one-on-none.
Defense? So-so. Screen/rolls always left him befuddled.
Rebounding? Ordinary.
Passing? Below average, and only effected under duress.
Ball handling? Atrocious. His lifetime assist-to-turnover ratio
was 1:1.
Wilkins was a superb scorer on mostly pedestrian teams. But
oh those spine-tingling rim-rattlers!
No. 9 - JOE FULKS
In the summer of 1946, just prior to the NBA's initial season
(before the 1949 merger, the league was officially the
Basketball Association of America), owners of the 11 new
franchises were desperate to sign capable ballplayers. There
was no draft so everybody who could shoot a basketball and
chew gum at the same time was a free agent.
Eddie Gottlieb was in charge of the Philadelphia Warriors, and
he decided to take a chance on an obscure 6-foot-5, 190-
pound player from Murray State, a small-time college in
Kentucky. Joe Fulks was that player, and before enlisting in the
Marines he averaged 13.2 ppg over two varsity seasons.
In those days, any player regularly registering double-figures
was deemed an outstanding scorer, and a twenty-point
outburst called for celebratory headlines. But Murray State was
No-wheres-ville. But Gottlieb saw Fulks play for a Marine Corps
team and was impressed with a revolutionary aspect of
"Jumping Joe's" game: His deadly jump shot.
This was a time when players mostly took hook shots, layups or
two-handed set shots. Radicals like Hank Luisetti employed
one-handed sets. But jumpers were out of the question. How
could a player shoot accurately with both feet off the floor?
Gottlieb, however, saw that jumpers were unblockable and
could easily be unleashed against much taller players. So
Gottleib took a chance and signed Fulks to the highest salary in
the league, a whopping $6,000!
Gottlieb instructed Fulks to shoot first and never ask questions.
(He averaged a mere 0.4 assists per game as a rookie.) And,
from start to finish, Fulks was the BAA's leading point-maker
and top gate attraction. (Time called him "the Babe Ruth of
basketball.") Fulks finished the season averaging an
astounding 23.2 ppg, while the runner-up, Bob Feerick, only
tallied 16.8. In an early season game against Toronto, Fulks
astounded the sports world by scoring 41 points! No wonder
the Warriors were the first-ever BAA/NBA champs.
The following season, Fulks suffered various injuries but still
led the league with 22.1 ppg. Then in 1948-49, George Mikan
assumed control of the individual scoring heroics  but Fulks
still managed 26.0 ppg.
After the BAA absorbed the National Basketball League and
formed the NBA (1949), the competition got tougher, the small
forwards got bigger, and more players employed the jump shot.
Fulks remained an effective scorer (14.2 ppg in 1949-50, then
18.7, 15.1, 11.9, before retiring on the heels on another injury
plagued season in 1953-54.)
No other small forward ever dominated as did Joe Fulks in the
fledgling years of the NBA.
Other candidates  Alex English and Bernard Kingâ€â€both one-
dimensional, defenseless scorers. Paul Arizin and George
Yardleyâ€â€scorers, rebounders, and defensive duds.
Charley Rosen, former CBA coach, author of 12 books about
hoops, the current one being A pivotal season  How the
1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA, is a frequent contributor
to FOXSports.com.
foxsports.com. White players are pretty well represented:
Small forward
This category is the toughest to rate simply because small
forwards are arguably the NBA's best all-around athletes. They
must be able to handle and rebound, drive and spot-shoot, play
inside and outside, run and bangâ€â€and also guard each other.
No. 1 - LARRY BIRD
Compared to the other top-flight small forwards, Larry Bird
certainly wasn't much of an athlete. He was an inconsistent
perimeter shooter, except when a ballgame was racing toward
the final buzzer. And if he wasn't an exceptional man-to-man
defender, Bird compensated by playing smart team defense.
Although he was rather slow afoot, he seemed to always be in
the right place at the right time. Bird was also an incredibly alert
passer, a sure-handed rebounder, and a resourceful scorer.
His competitive edge was unparalleled, as was his toughness.
But Bird's biggest plus was his ability to anticipate the unfolding
of every critical play a heartbeat ahead of everybody else.
No. 2 - JOHN HAVLICEK
Hondo could run for days at a time. He never showed a sign of
weariness, not even when the Celtics were routinely scheduled
for back-to-back playoff games  usually Saturday night in
New York, and the following afternoon at home. During the
latter years of the Celtics' Russellian dynasty (and continuing
into the Cowens era), it was Havlicek who personified Boston's
game plan: Run, run, and keep on running, until the bad guys
lost their will to win  then run them off the court.
Always dangerous in the clutch, Havlicek was a threat to score
off the dribble or off a stop-and-pop. He was lightning in a bottle
without the ball, but his first step with the rock in hand was too
fast to defend. An unofficial poll of his contemporaries revealed
that Havlicek was the one small forward nobody wanted to
guard.
His perpetual hustle was just as effective on the uphill end of
the court. He was an All-NBA First Teamer from 1971-74, and
voted to the All-Defensive Team from 1972-76. Nobody was
quicker into the passing lanes, and nobody could get over
screens more consistently than Havlicek. Throughout his 16-
year Hall of Fame career, Havlicek was also the NBA's
perennial leader in floor burns.
No. 3 - SCOTTIE PIPPEN
Pippen was a dynamic scorer in half-court situations and also
an accomplished finisher on the run. He could play big and he
could play small; there was no aspect of the game he didn't
master. He was as comfortable in the triangle offense as Brer
Rabbit was in the briar patch. But what sets Pippen above the
rest is his ability to play suffocating defense at any of the skill
positions (point guard, shooting guard, and small forward).
Indeed, the only flaw in his game was a tendency to shoot
impulsive 3-pointers when the shot-clock was still in the high-
teens.
While Pippen was usually aloof with civilians, he was the
player that the other Bulls turned to for advice and solace.
(They were all much too afraid of MJ's caustic and insulting
remedies for their comparatively inferior talent.) Moreover, it
was Pippen who orchestrated the Bulls' stingy defense â€â€
making on-the-spot adjustments, and instructing his teammates
(including MJ) when to double, when to rotate, when to sag,
when to go over and when to go under screens.
On the defensive end of Chicago's six championships, Pippen
was Phil Jackson's surrogate coach-on-the-court.
No. 4 - JULIUS ERVING
Not only was Erving the best finisher of all time, fans, coaches
and players all held their breath when he approached the rim
with a full head of steam. What would Doc do next?
Eyewitnesses were seldom disappointed, because at least
once a game Erving did something nobody had ever seen. An
acrobatic layup in a crowd. A soaring dunk over a clutch of
high-jumping big men. A swirling flip shot from another
dimension of time and space.
But beyond his ability to stun and entertain, Erving was a
winner. He was a high-flying rebounder (especially on offense),
a creative shot-maker and passer, as well as an inspirational
and supportive teammate.
What couldn't he do?
Shoot from long range. (His 3-point accuracy in the ABA&
#151; 32.2 percent  was mostly due to the lightweight ABA
ball. In the NBA, he shot only 26.1 percent from downtown.)
Play solid position defense. (He tried to compensate by
ambushing the passing lanes.) And shoot with his left hand.
Even though Doc played 11 stellar seasons in the NBA (1976-
87), his knees were worn down by carrying the entire league
during his previous five-year stint in the red-white-and-blue
ABA. I was fortunate enough to see him play several times with
the Virginia Squires-as well as the New York Nets  and he
did things back then he couldn't do once his wheels started
wobbling. Like cut sharply without the ball; play energetic deny-
defense in the post and on the wings; jump five times after the
same rebound; dunk from a flat-footed takeoff against guys like
Artis Gilmore.
But even when his knees were sore and aching, the Doctor
was always IN.
No. 5 - RICK BARRY
A self-proclaimed basketball gypsy, Rick Barry spent four
primetime years playing (plus one season sitting out his NBA
option) in the ABA. Wherever he went, scoring was his bag â€â€
he led the NBA with 35.6 ppg in 1966-67. Quick and relentless
on the break, accurate from any distance on the move or with
his feet set, Barry was virtually unstoppable whatever a game's
pace.
He was also a record-breaking  and underhand-shooting â€â€
performer at the free throw line. Six times leading the NBA in
that department and finishing his NBA career with a lifetime
mark of 90 percent.
Barry was also an NBA pioneer  the first-ever point-forward.
He disdained showboating and his basic bounce- and two-
hand chest-passes were usually right on the mark. As the
fulcrum of the Warriors offense, Barry led Golden State to an
NBA title in 1975.
His defense was also fundamentalist. Blocked shots were not
in his repertoire, nor was he a board-hound, but his hungry
hands were always quick to gobble up any careless dribble or
pass. Credit his incredible anticipation for leading the league in
steals (2.85) in 1975-75.
Okay, he could be unbearably arrogant, and he always
believed he knew more about basketball than did any of his
coaches. But Barry was a gamer.
No. 6 - ELGIN BAYLOR
Elgin Baylor was the most dynamic scorer at his position. With
his hang-in-the-air prestidigitations, the "Man of a Thousand
Moves" finished his 14-year Hall-of-Fame career averaging an
even 27 ppg. He had a chronic facial tic that gave him a built-in
head-fake, but it was Baylor's powerful right-handed drives (he
would have starved to death if forced to eat with his left hand)
that broke down putative defenders. Play him soft and he'd
knock down fifteen-footers all night long.
Nor did Tick Tock mind passing the ball, but only when he
couldn't find a shot for himself. And he was a bear on the
boards  a lifetime average of 13.5 per game in the
rebounding department.
His defense, however, was pathetic.
Baylor would always put points in the book, but several
opponents remember having career games against his casual
defensive efforts. Another fly in Baylor's ointment was his
lackadaisical attitude toward practice. Immediately after being
forced into retirement early in the 1971-72 season, the L.A.
Lakers went on a record-breaking consecutive win streak that
lasted 33 games. Among other reasons for the run (namely the
presence of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich),
teammates credited the ferocity of the team's practice sessions.
But whatever his failings, Baylor could always make the net
dance to his own tune.
No. 7 BILLY CUNNINGHAM
The Kangaroo Kid was a rookie with Philadelphia in 1965, and
throughout his 11-year pro career (including two in the ABA),
he never lost his enthusiasm. He was the most prolific
rebounding small forward of his generationâ€â€especially on the
offensive boards.
Shooting was a weakness, and it wasn't until late in his career
that he mastered a dependable mid-range jumper. Even so, his
left-handed swoops to the hoop were virtually unstoppable and
he was a lifetime 21.2 ppg scorer. And whenever a game was
in the balance, Billy C. would find a way to score.
His defense was earnest and depended, mostly on his vertical
and lateral quickness. Yet he was far from being a stopper.
In the final tally, it's Cunningham's clutch scoring and board-
work that sets him above other prolific scorers at the No. 3 slot.
No. 8 - DOMINIQUE WILKINS
The Human Highlight Film could put the ball through the hole
on a regular basis. With his two-footed takeoffs, Wilkins could
power his way through, up and over the best bigs. His shooting
was erratic, but when he was in the zone he seemed to be
playing one-on-none.
Defense? So-so. Screen/rolls always left him befuddled.
Rebounding? Ordinary.
Passing? Below average, and only effected under duress.
Ball handling? Atrocious. His lifetime assist-to-turnover ratio
was 1:1.
Wilkins was a superb scorer on mostly pedestrian teams. But
oh those spine-tingling rim-rattlers!
No. 9 - JOE FULKS
In the summer of 1946, just prior to the NBA's initial season
(before the 1949 merger, the league was officially the
Basketball Association of America), owners of the 11 new
franchises were desperate to sign capable ballplayers. There
was no draft so everybody who could shoot a basketball and
chew gum at the same time was a free agent.
Eddie Gottlieb was in charge of the Philadelphia Warriors, and
he decided to take a chance on an obscure 6-foot-5, 190-
pound player from Murray State, a small-time college in
Kentucky. Joe Fulks was that player, and before enlisting in the
Marines he averaged 13.2 ppg over two varsity seasons.
In those days, any player regularly registering double-figures
was deemed an outstanding scorer, and a twenty-point
outburst called for celebratory headlines. But Murray State was
No-wheres-ville. But Gottlieb saw Fulks play for a Marine Corps
team and was impressed with a revolutionary aspect of
"Jumping Joe's" game: His deadly jump shot.
This was a time when players mostly took hook shots, layups or
two-handed set shots. Radicals like Hank Luisetti employed
one-handed sets. But jumpers were out of the question. How
could a player shoot accurately with both feet off the floor?
Gottlieb, however, saw that jumpers were unblockable and
could easily be unleashed against much taller players. So
Gottleib took a chance and signed Fulks to the highest salary in
the league, a whopping $6,000!
Gottlieb instructed Fulks to shoot first and never ask questions.
(He averaged a mere 0.4 assists per game as a rookie.) And,
from start to finish, Fulks was the BAA's leading point-maker
and top gate attraction. (Time called him "the Babe Ruth of
basketball.") Fulks finished the season averaging an
astounding 23.2 ppg, while the runner-up, Bob Feerick, only
tallied 16.8. In an early season game against Toronto, Fulks
astounded the sports world by scoring 41 points! No wonder
the Warriors were the first-ever BAA/NBA champs.
The following season, Fulks suffered various injuries but still
led the league with 22.1 ppg. Then in 1948-49, George Mikan
assumed control of the individual scoring heroics  but Fulks
still managed 26.0 ppg.
After the BAA absorbed the National Basketball League and
formed the NBA (1949), the competition got tougher, the small
forwards got bigger, and more players employed the jump shot.
Fulks remained an effective scorer (14.2 ppg in 1949-50, then
18.7, 15.1, 11.9, before retiring on the heels on another injury
plagued season in 1953-54.)
No other small forward ever dominated as did Joe Fulks in the
fledgling years of the NBA.
Other candidates  Alex English and Bernard Kingâ€â€both one-
dimensional, defenseless scorers. Paul Arizin and George
Yardleyâ€â€scorers, rebounders, and defensive duds.
Charley Rosen, former CBA coach, author of 12 books about
hoops, the current one being A pivotal season  How the
1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA, is a frequent contributor
to FOXSports.com.