All-time top 200 one thousand scenarios

[kshutts1]

That's an interesting argument. So Jordan is still GOAT to most in this setup. Who be your second and third?

I don't have him as THE current GOAT. Just one of the many candidates.

But melding my thoughts (talent gap) with 3ball's post of variety in scoring, I'd have to consider...
MJ, Bird, Lebron
as the three front-runners.

People may scoff at Lebron's inclusion, and note his fourth quarter deficiencies, but he's a legit spot-up shooter, and there's no denying that he's an effective scorer with the ball in his hands.

Others, considering it's a 10 year league, could be TMac because injuries had not yet ravaged him; Dirk because he's a matchup nightmare; and again with Magic because, even though he's not a scorer, a player with an innate ability to help others score really really stands out on a star-studded team.

[3ball]

So who would be the other two on your list?

Magic and Larry...

Along with MJ, those two have the widest capacity on offense (they are elite in the most number of ways - on-ball, off-ball, post, mid-range, you name it).

Because these guys have elite ability in the most areas, they have the most capacity to fit in with the widest range of teammates without diminishing these teammates' stats or capacity.

By fitting in the best and not diminishing the stats/capacity of teammates, the TEAM'S capacity is maximized, which prevents any possibility of underachievement - that's all you can ask for - that the team always plays to capacity, whatever that capacity is.

[HylianNightmare]

Shaq
Tmac
Lebron

[Marchesk]

Magic and Larry...

Those are really good choices for fitting in with a wide variety of teammates, but Lebron has elite athleticism and the body of PF, which might give him an added edge.

And I'm not a Bran stan at all, but the dude is a freakish athlete and one of the best all-around players ever.

[3ball]

I don't have him as THE current GOAT. Just one of the many candidates.

But we know this is just something you SAY - because you don't have any legitimate arguments for anyone over MJ..

It's always "well, MJ was 6/6 with the best stats-accolades-career, BUT...."

and then some garbage argument that pales in comparison that.
.

[kshutts1]

But we know this is just something you SAY - because you don't have any legitimate arguments for anyone over MJ..

It's always "well, MJ was 6/6 with the best stats/accolades/career, but...."

and then some garbage reason that pales to the "best stats/accolades/career/6/6" argument.

My way of ranking GOAT candidates... tiers... is strictly based upon lack of "legitimate arguments" for one player being above another. Jordan is one of 8 players in my first tier.

[3ball]

People may scoff at Lebron's inclusion, and note his fourth quarter deficiencies, but he's a legit spot-up shooter

He's not a good shooter - he shoots 35% on every distance outside of 5 feet..

This is a fact and proves he can't shoot - your statement that he's a good shooter is just another delusion by young fans so they can believe he's better than his postseason accolades and performance indicate.

People may scoff at Lebron's inclusion, and note his fourth quarter deficiencies, but he's a legit spot-up shooter, and there's no denying that he's an effective scorer with the ball in his hands.

Exactly, he's only an elite scorer in a point guard/ball-dominant capacity.. He can't score at an elite level playing off-ball, from the post, or from mid-range like Bird or MJ could...

Without this type of scoring versatility, he can't fit optimally with the wide range of supporting casts that MJ or Bird can.

In MJ's case, he led the league in scoring while playing off-ball, but was also a 30/9/11 point guard.. This is the kind of elite versatility in all scoring areas that would allow MJ to fit with a wider range of supporting casts than Lebron, who is only elite as a ball-dominator.

[kshutts1]

@3ball,

http://stats.nba.com/tracking/#!/pla...=PLAYER&dir=-1

The stats therein show Lebron shooting 40% from catch-and-shoot 3s.

[J Shuttlesworth]

He's not a good shooter - he shoots 35% on every distance outside of 5 feet..

This is a fact and proves he can't shoot - your statement that he's a good shooter is just another delusion by young fans so they can believe he's better than his postseason accolades and performance indicate.

He was one of the best catch and shoot players in the league in 2014




40% from 3 in 2013, 38% in 2014

As far as outside of 5 feet, just complete bullshit. He was over 40% from 10-16 for four years excluding 2015. From 3-10, he was 55% in 2014, and 43% career

[3ball]

Lebron was over 40% from 10-16 for four years excluding 2015. From 3-10, he was 55% in 2014, and 43% career

Lebron is mediocre from 3-10 feet - only 43% for his career.

He's horrific from 10-16 feet and 16 feet to the arc - only 35% and 38% respectively.. So it's a fact that he's not a good shooter - he's mediocre at best.

MJ destroys these stats - in 1997, he shot over 50% from all of the aforementioned distances:

http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/s...gular%20Season


That's why the Spurs let Lebron take wide open jumpers in 2013 - because his shooting is mediocre at best... It would be certain death if they did that against ELITE shooters like Bird or MJ, and we all know that.