Bob Mcadoo should have been included in the top 50 players of all time in 1997.

[WillC]

Yes, McAdoo was a huge snub.

As was Dominique Wilkins.

You could also make a strong case for Artis Gilmore, Bernard King, Alex English, Adrian Dantley and others.

However, I believe the voters tried to cover a range of decades and positions, thus someone like Lenny Wilkens or Dave Bing (PGs) got in at the expense of more deserving big men and wing players.

[bizil]

Great post as always.

In fairness to McAdoo, he was a superior post player than Dirk and could penetrate from the top of the key. In his prime had years where he blocked more than 3 a game, had more than 4 assist per game and more than 15 rebounds per game. McAdoo, had one of the best all around games in the history of the league. He outscored Kareem in his prime by huge ppg numbers. While not long lasting, it was an undeniable skill set and as you said, had more influence on todays game as much as anybody. McAdoo was shooting from 3 point land despite there not being a line there.

Well said sir! As u said, Bob was also an elite big man in terms of big man duties such as the blocked shots and boards! I think peak McAdoo as a C or PF is the top 10 of all time AT EITHER position in terms of peak. Ideally, I would view him as a PF. Peak wise, the only PF's FOR SURE I would take over him are Duncan, KG, and Barkley.

[bizil]

Yes, McAdoo was a huge snub.

As was Dominique Wilkins.

You could also make a strong case for Artis Gilmore, Bernard King, Alex English, Adrian Dantley and others.

However, I believe the voters tried to cover a range of decades and positions, thus someone like Lenny Wilkens or Dave Bing (PGs) got in at the expense of more deserving big men and wing players.

I agree! They tried to cover a wide range of guys for sure. But looking at that list, u gotta take off Shaq and Bill Walton in my book. How is Walton's career better than McAdoo's. Bob has an MVP just like Bill. He has two rings in comparison to Bill's two. But Bob was better for much longer than Bill with three scoring titles. And I love Walton! Peak wise, he's for sure a top 10 center ever. And in the all around sense, he's a top five center ever. But his overall resume doesn't matchup to Bob's. And Shaq had NO CASE over guys like Nique, English, and Dantley at that point in time!

[WillC]

I have no problem with Walton's selection. You already pointed out that his peak was outstanding and resulted in a famous championship victory (something McAdoo never achieved as his team's best player but, rather, as a valuable role player).

McAdoo also played minimal defense and benefited from the fast pace of his era (and, specifically, his team).

However, he definitely belonged on the top 50 list ahead of Dave Bing for example.

[bizil]

I have no problem with Walton's selection. You already pointed out that his peak was outstanding and resulted in a famous championship victory (something McAdoo never achieved as his team's best player but, rather, as a valuable role player).

McAdoo also played minimal defense and benefited from the fast pace of his era (and, specifically, his team).

However, he definitely belonged on the top 50 list ahead of Dave Bing for example.

I don't have a problem in general with Bill on the list. But not at the expense of McAdoo on the list. And sure Bob had his weaknesss, but his OVERALL CAREER is more impressive that Walton's career. A 50 Greatest list ISN'T about peak value, it SHOULD be about your overall resume. It's not Bob's fault he was on teams in his prime years that weren't ready to contend. Bill was simply TOO INJURY PRONE to make the list over McAdoo. As u said, in a perfect world, both should be on the list.

But if I had to choose between Bob and Mac for the list, give me McAdoo. If u are talking flat peak, give me Walton. Unless u are a Magic, MJ, Bron, Bird, or Kobe kind of perimeter player, the most valuable asset in bball is a dominant all around or alpha dog center. Like Walton, Kareem, Wilt, Hakeem, Shaq, Moses, or Duncan (even though he's listed as a PF, he's a dominant 7 footer with a dominant center's skillset). Bob was more a true PF who played as an undersized center often.

[Big#50]

Half of the old timers on the list wouldn't make my top 100 now.

[WillC]

Half of the old timers on the list wouldn't make my top 100 now.

Fast forward another 50 years and kids will be saying the same thing about Jordan and LeBron, i.e. that they don't belong on the list.

Learn to respect the game's history and early superstars.

[Psileas]

I don't have a problem in general with Bill on the list. But not at the expense of McAdoo on the list. And sure Bob had his weaknesss, but his OVERALL CAREER is more impressive that Walton's career. A 50 Greatest list ISN'T about peak value, it SHOULD be about your overall resume. It's not Bob's fault he was on teams in his prime years that weren't ready to contend. Bill was simply TOO INJURY PRONE to make the list over McAdoo. As u said, in a perfect world, both should be on the list.

But if I had to choose between Bob and Mac for the list, give me McAdoo. If u are talking flat peak, give me Walton. Unless u are a Magic, MJ, Bron, Bird, or Kobe kind of perimeter player, the most valuable asset in bball is a dominant all around or alpha dog center. Like Walton, Kareem, Wilt, Hakeem, Shaq, Moses, or Duncan (even though he's listed as a PF, he's a dominant 7 footer with a dominant center's skillset). Bob was more a true PF who played as an undersized center often.

With the cases of "marginal" top-50 selections, PR's and general fame would play a major role too, imo. I'm not that sure Walton would have entered had he chosen to stay away from the action and fall into relative obscurity or had he had the mundane personality of someone like Kareem.

[BoutPractice]

One of the most underrated superstars... also played a huge historical role in foreshadowing later developments in the NBA. There's a direct line from McAdoo to current players like Durant.

[LAZERUSS]

McAdoo's three year run from 73-74 thru 75-76 is probably a top-10 peak all-time. And that includes his post-seasons, as well,...and in one of which he averaged 37.4 ppg.

He not only finished 2-1-2 in the MVP balloting in those three years, but he should have won it in 75-76.

His peak season, in 74-75 was amazing. He averaged 34.5 ppg on a .512 eFG%, in an NBA that averaged 102.6 ppg on a .457 eFG%. Compare that with Durant's '13-14 season of 32.0 ppg on a .560 eFG% in an NBA that averaged 101.0 ppg on a .501 eFG%. As you can see, McAdoo averaged more ppg against the league average, and had almost the same differential against league average eFG% (.055 to Durant's .059.)

And while McAdoo was no longer a dominant player in the 80's, he had a senesational '82 post-season run. In fact, in playing considerably less minutes, he put up nearly identical numbers as Kareem did in the '82 Finals. KAJ played 35.3 mpg, and averaged 18.0 ppg, and 7.7 rpg, on a .531 FG%...while McAdoo played 27.5 mpg, and averaged 16.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and shot .569 from the floor. So he certainly was a major contributor to a title team.

It is pure speculation, of course, but a peak McAdoo had a range of 20+ feet, so the assumption would be that, had the 3pt line existed back then, that he would have adapted to it, and likely could have scored even more ppg, as well.

And as Pointguard already pointed out, McAdoo was running away with scoring titles in years in which a prime Kareem was playing in. Not only that, but he was outscoring Kareem H2H in most of them (albeit, KAJ was probably more efficient and was the better rebounder.) BTW, his best game against Kareem was a 45 point outburst, and in which he hit 17 consecutive shots from the floor at one point.

Too bad his prime was cut short by injuries, or he would most certainly have gone on to be one of the all-time greatest scorers in NBA history.

[La Frescobaldi]

Half of the old timers on the list wouldn't make my top 100 now.

Doesn't change anything.
It was a snapshot at that time, presented at the All-Star game, and it was honors for all those who were the greatest up to that time.

A new list that removed some of them in favor of players who built their entire careers on the shoulders of those guys would be purest stupidity.

[La Frescobaldi]

I agree! They tried to cover a wide range of guys for sure. But looking at that list, u gotta take off Shaq and Bill Walton in my book. How is Walton's career better than McAdoo's. Bob has an MVP just like Bill. He has two rings in comparison to Bill's two. But Bob was better for much longer than Bill with three scoring titles. And I love Walton! Peak wise, he's for sure a top 10 center ever. And in the all around sense, he's a top five center ever. But his overall resume doesn't matchup to Bob's. And Shaq had NO CASE over guys like Nique, English, and Dantley at that point in time!

Big Mac was never the face of the league, and Walton was. Yeah Walton's career was damaged by injury, but Mac, as great a scoring threat as he was at all times, was never the player Walton was. Walton was incandescent.

Absolutely McAdoo should have been a Top 50 player. It was an outrage.

[pudman13]

LAZERUSS, La Frescobaldi...do either of you have any insight into why he got traded around (i.e. given away) the way he was in that 1976-1980 period?

I've watched those Laker finals games multiple times, and he looked to me in the early 80s just as deadly on offense as he was when he was winning scoring titles in the early 70s.

[LAZERUSS]

LAZERUSS, La Frescobaldi...do either of you have any insight into why he got traded around (i.e. given away) the way he was in that 1976-1980 period?

I've watched those Laker finals games multiple times, and he looked to me in the early 80s just as deadly on offense as he was when he was winning scoring titles in the early 70s.

Damaged goods.

[moe94]

Agreed. The sad thing is Lebron would not make the current top 50. His era too weak, teams too stacked, too many paid refs, too many collisions, too many PEDs, etc. Maybe top 50 3rd options ever? But if your life deepened on it, would you really take Bran over Bibby or Pressey? Nah

Stop posting on ISH while high on gas or glue or whatever it was you said you did.