Clyde Drexler is underated.

[plupiter]

Yes, absolutely an incredible player.

I was thinking about him tangentially the last couple of days after I saw Ric Bucher argue for Hakeem being ahead of Shaq on the all-time center list. Bucher's only argument was that Shaq had more help than Hakeem, which seems strange because Russell, Wilt, and Kareem all had more help than Hakeem, so why single Shaq out in this regard?

Clearly in '94 Hakeem seemed to be surrounded primarily with role players. But who was the better second banana Drexler in '95 or Bryant in '00? Here's a look at their regular season stats:

Drexler (in Houston): 21.4 pts, 7 rebs, 4.4 asts, 1.8 stls, 51% fg
Bryant: 22.5 pts, 6.3 rebs, 4.9 asts, 1.6 stls, 47% fg

Here are the playoff stats:

Drexler: 20.5 pts, 7 rebs, 5 asts, 1.5 stls, 48% fg
Bryant: 21.1 pts, 4.5 rebs, 4.4 asts, 1.9 stls, 44% fg

[GMATCallahan]

and people always discredit his ring cause of hakeem, but some forget clyde was great that year too, in the last game vs the spurs he had 40 pts, one of few times in history 2 players in the same team score 40 a piece in a playoffs game.

Actually, that double-40 effort came in Game Four of the 1995 First Round versus the Jazz, but certainly the Rockets wouldn't have sniffed the championship without Drexler that season. In Game Seven of the Western Conference Semifinals, he out-scored Barkley 29-18, which was important because Kevin Johnson out-scored Olajuwon 46-37. As it turned out, Houston won 115-114.

[DreamRockets]

really ? cant believe i was so off, to be honest i was just talking out of my ass regarding in what game it happened but i was sure it happened that year.

[GMATCallahan]

Drexler was a tremendous passer and rebounder from the SG position, and it's something that most people overlook. Not just open court or flashy passes, either, but passes in the halfcourt off screen/rolls and on the interior, too. Just great vision and good touch. One of the best rebounding guards ever (only guys in the last 15 years who belong in that convo with him are MJ and Kidd, unless I'm forgetting someone).

You could argue for Paul Pierce when he's played guard, but Drexler was way up there, literally and figuratively.

[Loki]

You could argue for Paul Pierce when he's played guard, but Drexler was way up there, literally and figuratively.

Yeah, Pierce is great too. Dude's a horse. Don't know why I always took him for 6'7"-6'8". NBA.com and bbr.com have him at 6'6". He's thick, though.

[GMATCallahan]

He's my favorite alltime player, hence my name. He didn't garner as much attention back in the day because he played for a small market team. I think he got his due back then, but nowadays some of you might not remember him because we're in a different era.

He played with a high level of athletecism....think Shawn Marion with a better jump shot, but not as good a rebounder as Marion. He was a gazelle on the fastbreak and he had this jumping style where he bends his knees back and it looks like he got major air and hangtime because of that style. Back in 1989 he's the player that made me a Blazers fan. That and the fact that he's classy.

And Drexler was a vastly superior passer and ball-handler compared to Marion.

If Drexler had played in New York, he'd be a legend.

[Derek]

Yeah, Pierce is great too. Dude's a horse. Don't know why I always took him for 6'7"-6'8". NBA.com and bbr.com have him at 6'6". He's thick, though.

6'5"-6'6", but a solid 230. Kind of like Q Richardson. These guys are built like tanks.

[L.Kizzle]

And Drexler was a vastly superior passer and ball-handler compared to Marion.

If Drexler had played in New York, he'd be a legend.

He is a Legend .... Oh that type of Legend.

[GMATCallahan]

Yeah, Pierce is great too. Dude's a horse. Don't know why I always took him for 6'7"-6'8". NBA.com and bbr.com have him at 6'6". He's thick, though.

It's a shame that Danny Ainge has been wasting Pierce's prime. I know that Ainge means well and he does possess an eye for talent, but he's let precious year after precious year evaporate. Players with Pierce's pure scoring ability combined with an all-around game come along once every ten years for a franchise (at best).

Also, Doc Rivers needs to go. Why is everyone but Ainge aware that a change is needed?

[Derek]

It's a shame that Danny Ainge has been wasting Pierce's prime. I know that Ainge means well and he does possess an eye for talent, but he's let precious year after precious year evaporate. Players with Pierce's pure scoring ability combined with an all-around game come along once every ten years for a franchise (at best).

Also, Doc Rivers needs to go. Why is everyone but Ainge aware that a change is needed?

Their first shot was 2002. They were half way to beating the Nets for the East title. They blew that. They regained Antoine Walker in 2005 and won the Atlantic. Couldn't even defeat an Artest-less Pacer team. Two chances and they blew both. Pierce could have been so much better if 1)They kept Antoine Walker or 2)Traded him after the 2002-03 season.

[GMATCallahan]

Their first shot was 2002. They were half way to beating the Nets for the East title. They blew that. They regained Antoine Walker in 2005 and won the Atlantic. Couldn't even defeat an Artest-less Pacer team. Two chances and they blew both. Pierce could have been so much better if 1)They kept Antoine Walker or 2)Traded him after the 2002-03 season.

Well, they did trade Walker after '03.

'02 marked the Celtics' best shot, but they ran out of steam in a series that they certainly could have won. That summer, they traded Kenny Anderson and let Rodney Rogers go and have been slowly declining ever since.

[DreamRockets]

Yes, absolutely an incredible player.

I was thinking about him tangentially the last couple of days after I saw Ric Bucher argue for Hakeem being ahead of Shaq on the all-time center list. Bucher's only argument was that Shaq had more help than Hakeem, which seems strange because Russell, Wilt, and Kareem all had more help than Hakeem, so why single Shaq out in this regard?

Clearly in '94 Hakeem seemed to be surrounded primarily with role players. But who was the better second banana Drexler in '95 or Bryant in '00? Here's a look at their regular season stats:

Drexler (in Houston): 21.4 pts, 7 rebs, 4.4 asts, 1.8 stls, 51% fg
Bryant: 22.5 pts, 6.3 rebs, 4.9 asts, 1.6 stls, 47% fg

Here are the playoff stats:

Drexler: 20.5 pts, 7 rebs, 5 asts, 1.5 stls, 48% fg
Bryant: 21.1 pts, 4.5 rebs, 4.4 asts, 1.9 stls, 44% fg

if hakeem had only won a ring in 95 and hadnt won without drexler then shaq would be WAY above him, because as you point out bryant wasn't much of a superstar in the 1st championship they got, in fact he averaged 15 ppg on 38% shooting in the finals vs indiana, but because of that ring in 94 hakeem ranks above shaq IMO, what i don't see is why is seen as sacrilege to suggest that shaq or hakeem could be above wilt ? shaq won WAY more, and while wilt didnt have the sidekicks shaq had he had Hof supporting casts from top to bottom, russell get's far too much credit IMO, he is no doubt top 5, but all the top 5 have multiple championships, and all of them could carry the scoring load, escept russell, he should be 5th behind kareem, wilt, hakeem and shaq, in that order.

[Shep]

But who was the better second banana Drexler in '95 or Bryant in '00?

bryant. easily. kobe was the best shooting guard in the nba in '00 and top six overall, drexler, while also being the best shooting guard, was 14th overall in '95, while kobe was the sidekick for a 67 win team compared to drexler with a 47 win team.

he should be 5th behind kareem, wilt, hakeem and shaq, in that order.

all time centers? i'd say wilt, abdul-jabbar, robinson, olajuwon, shaq

[Loki]

bryant. easily. kobe was the best shooting guard in the nba in '00 and top six overall, drexler, while also being the best shooting guard, was 14th overall in '95, while kobe was the sidekick for a 67 win team compared to drexler with a 47 win team.

all time centers? i'd say wilt, abdul-jabbar, robinson, olajuwon, shaq

Kobe was certainly not top 6 in the NBA in 2000. Guys who were ahead of him based on impact, stats etc.:

Shaq
Duncan
KG
Malone
Payton
Webber
Mourning
Hill
Kidd
Iverson

Maybe one or two of those are arguable, but not 5 of them. Also, is Drexler at #14 your personal ranking, or are you going by some stat? I only ask because to have ranked guys all the way down to #14 is a bit unusual.

[DreamRockets]

bryant. easily. kobe was the best shooting guard in the nba in '00 and top six overall, drexler, while also being the best shooting guard, was 14th overall in '95, while kobe was the sidekick for a 67 win team compared to drexler with a 47 win team.

the lakers had better chemistry, a better bench, a better coach, and shaq had simply one of the greatest individual seasons of all-time that year, whereas hakeem's best season was 1994, not 1995, kobe was so high in the Sg's scale because of weak competition at the 2, drexler was so low because of great competition at the 2, bryant 2000 and drexler 1995 are highly comparable, people always underrated clyde so much, he averaged a near triple double in the finals (21/9/7 and shot 50%) kobe averaged 15 ppg on 37% shooting and shaq pretty much had to beat the pacers himself.

all time centers? i'd say wilt, abdul-jabbar, robinson, olajuwon, shaq

i just don't like the notion of "russell has 11 ring so he is the best, end of the story" logic, he gets far too much love IMO, like the babe ruth of baseball.