A PRIME Walton vs a PRIME Sabonis

[LAZERUSS]

I think a closer comparison would be a prime Dave Cowens and a prime Sabonis.

And I likely would take Cowens.

[SpanishACB]

that's most likely because the only footage you've seen is of a washed up injured Sabonis

[LAZERUSS]

that's most likely because the only footage you've seen is of a washed up injured Sabonis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUz3C0p-Yso

A young, skinny Robinson, at nowhere near his peak, outplayed what was probably a peak Sabonis.

BTW, Robinson was CLEARLY more athletic.

[LAZERUSS]

Russell
Thurmond
Reed
Lanier
Gilmore
McAdoo
Walton
Cowens
Moses
Ewing
Robinson
Shaq
KAJ
Wilt

That's a start, and I likely would take players like Cowens and Hayes over a prime Sabonis, as well.

There are probably some that I unintentionally left out, too.

[SouBeachTalents]

Russell
Thurmond
Reed
Lanier
Gilmore
McAdoo
Walton
Cowens
Moses
Ewing
Robinson
Shaq
KAJ
Wilt

That's a start, and I likely would take players like Cowens and Hayes over a prime Sabonis, as well.

There are probably some that I unintentionally left out, too.

Hakeem's a pretty big omission

[Uncle Drew]

I could come up with a LONG list of NBA centers, and in their primes, that I would take over a prime Arvydas.

Based on what?

[LAZERUSS]

Hakeem's a pretty big omission

Oh yes...thanks.

I did a quick list in my head.

[LAZERUSS]

Based on what?

Based on what we know.

A nowhere near his prime Robinson outplayed a peak Sabonis. And a decade later he was wiping the floor with him.

Shaq just crushed Robinson, Hakeem, and Ewing in his career H2H's, and destroyed an old Sabonis.

McAdoo at age 40 was a better scorer in the Euroleague than Sabonis ever was.

A 39 year old Kareem annihilated a 24 year old Hakeem in their H2H's.

An aging Thurmond outplayed a PEAK Kareem in the '72 playoffs, and overall, in their career H2H's, held a PEAK KAJ to a .447 FG%.

Moses just pounded Kareem in their 40 career H2H's.

A prime Chamberlain was FAR more dominant against the same centers that a PEAK Kareem faced.

[SpanishACB]

you make arguments based off one game or on even one action of the game and don't feel silly when you make those big posts?

by the way, the thread is now about wilt

[LAZERUSS]

you make arguments based off one game or on even one action of the game and don't feel silly when you make those big posts?

by the way, the thread is now about wilt

Not at all. It's about ALL of the truly great centers. And a prime Sabonis would be well down that list.

[Uncle Drew]

A nowhere near his prime Robinson outplayed a peak Sabonis..

You mean the game in '88 when Sabonis just came back from an achilles tendon injury?

And a decade later he was wiping the floor with him.

You mean when Sabonis finally decided to come to the NBA, while being broken down, and it being a miracle for him to basically walk, let alone play?

[LAZERUSS]

You mean the game in '88 when Sabonis just came back from an achilles tendon injury?

Alright...tell us exactly when this "peak" Sabonis ever played a game, then. And please give us the list of true NBA centers that he outplayed in that time frame.

[Uncle Drew]

Alright...tell us exactly when this "peak" Sabonis ever played a game

I don't know. If you don't mind, I wasn't watching European basketball in the 80's. I'm just keeping to the facts.

But comparing a broken down player to Shaq, the most dominant ever, and, at his peak, the greatest to ever play, seems pretty unfair to me.

[SpanishACB]

Alright...tell us exactly when this "peak" Sabonis ever played a game, then. And please give us the list of true NBA centers that he outplayed in that time frame.

there was no peak sabonis in the NBA, I thought american NBA fans were aware of this?

there was just a broken down player, think of Kobe, just worse, doing what Duncan has been doing the past couple of years with added range

[LAZERUSS]

I don't know, If you don't mind, I wasn't watching European basketball in the 80's. I'm just keeping to the facts.

But comparing a broken down player to Shaq, the most dominant ever, and, at his peak, the greatest to ever play, seems pretty unfair to me.

You asked me, "based on what?"

I responded by what we KNOW.

Show us a peak Sabonis dominating someone of the calibre of a peak David Robinson.

Was Sabonis an outstanding NBA center? Yes, even a well past his peak Arvydas played well in his short NBA career. But there are those here who would have us believe that he was a Top-10 center of all-time. I just don't have ANY evidence to support that.