Tag: Shawn Kemp

All-Time Philadelphia 76ers vs. All-Time Minnesota Timberwolves

Commentary

SWEEP!

Results

Philadelphia wins, four games to none.

Next Round

Philadelphia faces the winner of the All-Time Knicks vs. All-Time Cavaliers.

More Commentary

The only interesting battle between the All-Time Philadelphia 76ers vs. All-Time Minnesota Timberwolves is at the power forward position, where three legends will face off (Charles Barkley, Dolph Schayes, and Kevin Garnett). Garnett was part of a recent renaissance at the position that re-set the all-time rankings. Here are the statistics for the greatest power forwards ever, and then my rankings, from 10 to one (note: Elgin Baylor, Billy Cunningham, Chris Bosh, and Pau Gasol had more years at other positions than at power forward in the basketball-reference.com database, so they’re not included in this analysis).

Greatest Power Forwards Infographic
Honorable Mention

Bailey Howell, Tommy Heinsohn, and Vern Mikkelsen were multiple time all-stars who contributed to championship teams over the course of their underrated careers…Through nine seasons, Shawn Kemp made six all-star game appearances, and was an integral cog in several championship-level teams in Seattle. However, his career soon fell off of a cliff, and he has the least compelling case of the 19 players listed here…Spencer Haywood won Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season in the American Basketball Association, but had his greatest NBA success on a string of losing teams in Seattle…Dave DeBusschere and Dennis Rodman are two of the greatest defensive players of all time, who were key contributors to championship teams. It’s difficult to leave them out of the top 10, but their combined three all-NBA team appearances and limited offensive arsenals prevent them from being placed above the other legends on the list…Chris Webber and George McGinnis have similar statistical profiles, and each has an intriguing Hall-of-Fame case. However, Webber’s prime was cut short by injuries, and McGinnis was not nearly as dominant in the NBA as he was in the ABA.

10. Jerry Lucas
Lucas was a rebounding machine who made three all-NBA first-team appearances in the 1960s ahead of the likes of John Havlicek and Willis Reed (who was considered a power forward for a few years in his career). He was a contributor to the second Knicks championship team (off the bench), had a very high field goal percentage for his era, and currently ranks as the fourth leading rebounder in NBA history on a per game basis.

9. Kevin McHale
McHale never had to carry a team on his own, and came off the bench for the majority of his career. When he was on the court, however, he was an offensive force, and currently has the highest field goal percentage in NBA history for a non-center (outside of Bo Outlaw, who rarely shot the basketball). He was also a brilliant defender, making six all-NBA defensive teams. Similar to Rodman and DeBusschere, he lacks the all-NBA team appearances that others on the list accumulated. However, he was a far superior offensive player to either of those two, and while his excellent defense may not have been as renowned as either of theirs, it was still elite, and thus, his all-around play lands him in the top 10.

8. Elvin Hayes
I’ve already chronicled the many criticisms of Hayes, who was as difficult a personality as there was in the NBA. However, it’s hard to look past his 12 all-star game appearances, six all-NBA appearances, and the fact that he was the leading scorer and rebounder on a team that won the NBA championship. You could win with Elvin Hayes, despite his personality issues, and his resume secures his place on this list.

7. Dolph Schayes
Schayes was one of the NBA’s best players in its infancy, making six All-NBA first team and six All-NBA second team appearances from 1950 to 1961. He was the best player on a championship team (the 1955 Syracuse Nationals), and was one of only 10 players to make the league’s Silver Anniversary team.

5. (Tie) Charles Barkley and Dirk Nowitzki
These are two of the greatest offensive players in NBA history. Dirk is one of the greatest jump-shooting big men ever, while Barkley did his best work near the basket. Barkley was also a relentless rebounder, while Nowitzki is one of only two players to register below eight rebounds per game on this list. Both thrived in the playoffs; in 123 playoff games, Barkley averaged 23.0 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 3.9 APG, and had a 24.2 PER, while Nowitzki averaged 25.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 24.0 PER in 140 playoff games. Barkley infamously never won a championship, while Nowitzki was the best player on the Mavericks only championship team in 2011. Each won one MVP award, and each led the league in PER one season. Nowitzki gets extra credit for leading a constantly rotating supporting cast to 11 straight 50 win seasons during the prime of his career.

4. Karl Malone
As Jack McCallum described in Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever, I believe that Barkley was a better player than Malone during their respective primes. However, Malone’s work ethic allowed him to get the very best out of his body, and his 14 all-star game and all-NBA appearances reflect this. Malone was fortunate to play his entire career with one of the greatest orchestrators in NBA history, while Barkley didn’t play with an elite playmaker until he was traded to Phoenix, and Nowitzki lost Steve Nash just as both were entering their respective primes. Malone’s PER dropped from 23.9 in the regular season to 21.1 in the playoffs, and he wasn’t at his best in his two NBA Finals appearances. Malone gets credit for being a solid defender, which isn’t something that can be said about Barkley or Nowitzki. Numbers three through six are very close, and could change once Nowitzki’s career is finished.

3. Kevin Garnett
During his prime, Garnett may have been the best all-around player in the NBA. While he wasn’t the scorer that Barkley, Nowitzki, or Malone was, he was still a multitalented offensive threat, who once averaged a mind-blowing six assists per game from the power forward position. He’s also one of the handful of greatest defensive players in NBA history, operating almost as a giant Scottie Pippen, who could singlehandedly disrupt opposing offenses. In Minnesota, his postseason play was sometimes criticized, but he never had adequate talent around him to win a championship. He led the Celtics to a title in his first year with the club, and could have repeated if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury the next year (he was never the same player after that). His all-around play places him in the top three.

2. Bob Pettit
Pettit has an unassailable resume. He made the all-star game every year of his career. He made the All-NBA first team in each of his first 10 seasons, and made the second team in his 11th and final year. He was the best player on a championship team, and led the Hawks to three other NBA Finals appearances. Advanced statistics support the fact that he was one of the handful of greatest players ever, and he is one of only three players on this list to win multiple regular season MVP awards.

1. Tim Duncan
The only ‘criticism’ of Duncan is that he’s played half of his career at center, but for our purposes, he’s eligible for this list (basketball-reference.com has him listed as playing primarily power forward in 10 seasons, and primarily playing center in eight). Like Malone and Nowitzki, Duncan has aged like fine wine, and has accumulated the most all-star game, all-NBA, and all-NBA defensive appearances on this list. His advanced statistics are spectacular. He’s a two-way player, who can operate as the offensive and defensive anchor on championship-level teams. He’s won five championships, and has been the clear-cut best player on four of those teams. His playoff PER is virtually identical to his regular season PER. And he’s still going! Duncan is the greatest ever.

All-Time Oklahoma City Thunder vs. All-Time Milwaukee Bucks

Our first matchup features two very intriguing teams, the All-Time Oklahoma City Thunder vs. All-Time Milwaukee Bucks. It’s a shame that one of these teams will be eliminated so early, but this shows the depth of talent in our tournament. Below is a breakdown of this classic battle.

Oklahoma City’s Advantages

Perimeter Defense: Specifically, the defense of former Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton. The Bucks starting lineup does not feature a traditional point guard, and Payton’s presence will force them to use more of Oscar Robertson and/or Sam Cassell as the primary ballhandler. When one of these two replaces Ray Allen, there’s less spacing around Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; when one of them replaces Sidney Moncrief, the Bucks perimeter defense is severely compromised. If the Bucks play lineups featuring Robertson or Cassell, Allen, Moncrief, and Marques Johnson, then they’ll suffer on the boards, despite the presence of Jabbar.

Frontcourt Length: Kevin Durant, Shawn Kemp, and Jack Sikma are all over 6’10”, which will cause problems for the Bucks on both ends of the floor. If the Bucks try to play small ball against this unit, they’ll get murdered on the boards, and Durant and Kemp’s athleticism won’t allow Milwaukee to have a large edge in quickness on the perimeter.

Three Point Shooting: This team, featuring one of the greatest groups of three point shooters in this tournament, will never be out of a game. Lineups with Durant at the 4 will be particularly unguardable, and the Bucks won’t be able to physically dominate him on the other end of the court unless they play Vin Baker alongside Jabbar. Baker would have no chance against Durant on defense, so the Bucks will avoid using this lineup as a counter.

Milwaukee’s Advantages

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: If Oklahoma City decides to double Kareem, then the Bucks have the perimeter firepower to make them pay. Lineups with Ray Allen and Michael Redd will be particularly difficult to defend from beyond the arc. Sikma is a crafty defender, but he doesn’t have the size or length to effectively defend Jabbar one-on-one, and if he gets in foul trouble, Oklahoma City doesn’t have another true center on the roster.

Defending Durant: Marques Johnson will make Durant, Oklahoma City’s best scorer, work very hard on the defensive end of the floor. In late game situations, expect the Bucks to put Moncrief on KD, despite the size mismatch. Smaller defenders have had some success against Durant (Jason Kidd, for example), since he doesn’t have the bulk to dominate them down low. He can shoot over anybody, but Moncrief will make him work for everything.

X-Factor

Foul trouble and Roster Depth: Both teams have plenty of backcourt depth, but don’t have a deep roster of big men. Can the Thunder’s bigs stay out of foul trouble defending Jabbar? When Sikma sits, Kemp will serve as his primary defender, so player/coach Lenny Wilkens will have to stagger their minutes and play Spencer Haywood and Detlef Schrempf alongside both big men. Vin Baker will have to step up in case Kareem gets in foul trouble, which (needless to say) is a big downgrade for Milwaukee on both ends of the court.

Results

These two teams go back and forth in a seven game battle. Oklahoma City proves to have a deeper bench, but Milwaukee has the best player in the series. Down the stretch of the deciding game, Durant hits a three to put the Thunder up by one. Seven seconds remaining. Larry Costello knows exactly what to draw up:

Bucks win four games to three.

Next Round

Milwaukee faces the number one seeded Boston Celtics.

All-Time Oklahoma City Thunder Team

All-Time Oklahoma City Thunder Team

It’s hard not to feel terrible for Seattle sports fans. Their basketball team was in the middle of one of the greatest draft runs in NBA history when they left town. After three straight laughable drafts featuring Robert Swift (2004), Johan Petro (2005), and Mouhamed Sene (2006), the franchise did a complete 180, and drafted Kevin Durant (2007), Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka (2008), then James Harden (2009). The one thing they can hang their hat on is the terrible luck that their former team has had in Oklahoma City, with key injuries seemingly halting every run since their 2012 NBA Finals appearance (thanks Lil B!). Small consolation I’m sure, but at least they haven’t turned into the dynasty that they seemed destined to become. Hopefully the NBA rectifies this situation soon, and awards Seattle a new team, but for now, since the history books mark this as one franchise, I’ll highlight the all-time Oklahoma City Thunder team, featuring (gulp) the great players in Seattle Sonics history.

And what a fun team it is! In the backcourt, there are a plethora of options, and I went with Gary Payton and Ray Allen as the starters. Ironically, these two were traded for one another, as the Sonics saw that GP was near the end of the line, and got five peak Ray Allen years in exchange. The depth of this backcourt is insane, with Lenny Wilkens, Russell Westbrook, Gus Williams, and Downtown Freddy Brown providing ample firepower off the bench. They’ll play plenty of three guard sets and be a nightmare for opponents to guard.

Kevin Durant and Shawn Kemp are the starting forwards, one of the more athletic pairings in the tournament. Spencer Haywood definitely has a case to start, but he’ll get plenty of minutes off the bench, along with three point bomber Dale Ellis, and the multitalented Detlef Schrempf. Jack Sikma is the man in the middle, and he’ll have to play a lot of minutes as the only true center on the team. For stretches of each game, this team will have to embrace small ball and put Durant or Schrempf at the four and Kemp or Haywood at the five, which isn’t ideal defensively, but can devastate opponents on the offensive end.

There were many tough omissions in the process of selecting this team. Dennis Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Bob Rule, Xavier McDaniel, Tom Chambers, and Serge Ibaka all have intriguing cases for inclusion. I decided to select (those who I feel are) the 12 best players in franchise history, regardless of position, but there are many different ways to build this team effectively.

Three-point shooting is an enormous strength, with Allen, Durant, Ellis, Brown, and Schrempf capable of overwhelming opponents from beyond the arc. They might struggle against opponents with strong interior play, with a lack of big-man depth off the bench. The 16th seeded team in our tournament, the Sonics/Thunder franchise has a very intriguing first round match up with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Coach – Even though George Karl had a higher winning percentage, I’ll go with Lenny Wilkens, who helped guide them to their only championship.

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .536