HELL, the thing about Wilt that everybody knew was to beat him you had to put him on the free throw line (remember the granny shots he made famous). That included outright tackling him. Handchecking? hahahahaha. Wilt would have thrived in that environment. The only way to beat him in his prime was to foul him. HARD. He may have been the WORST free throw shooter of all time. If not for that, he may well have scored over 150 points in a game. LOL. Even in the “3 to make 2″ era, Wilt threw up more bricks than a stone mason on steroids.

Did you also know the reason he quit college ball at Kansas after his junior year, was because people were tackling him around the waist whenever he touched the ball, taking him to the floor HARD? And the NCAA would do nothing about it. The man took probably the hardest beatings of any player in NCAA and NBA history. (even putting aside, the severely unsightly racial attacks on Kansas players everywhere they went because Chamberlain was “colored”. Folks forget that).

Handchecking? hahahahahha. You can’t be serious….

Not that there is anything wrong with the Xs and Os fundamentals taught by Hank; those still have a place even in today’s game. “Pick and roll” is as old as dirt, actually.

And it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

Offense may have ruled the league in the 60s, but defense won the titles (Celtics).

And in regards to feeding him the ball around midgets; don’t confuse Wilt with George Mikan. There was much more to his game than just standing under the basket doing the Andre the Giant thing.

No defense NBA in the 60s? hahahahaha. Bill Russell would like a few words with you son. Not only did they actively look at destroying offenses (which was the trademark of the Celtics), they even figued out ways to “accidently take out ” loudmouth fans spouting venomous BS from the front rows DURING the games. (as per an interview Russell gave with the Today show after his retirement).

So, in your time travels, a word of advice: DUCK! LOL.

And Wilt wasn’t always this monster of a man many remember from his Laker days. When he first came up (with the Harlem Globetrotters before the NBA) he was skinny as a rail (Wilt the Stilt. Ever think about that nickname?) Wilt, in those days, was 4000 volts of high reflex, high coil muscle mass that is still unparalleled by anybody else I have ever seen play this game. And many think it was ONLY because he was a 7 foot+ tall freak of nature? Bollocks, his energy level, speed, power, and finesse (other than at the foul line, LOL) were unreal (even if he had been 6’5″, he would have ruled).

Wilt in the late 1950s-early 1960s? I’d put him up against anybody, from any era, and like his chances to come out on top.

But neither the Stilt nor Big O are fair protoypical comparisons to Jordan’s game. Somebody like Dr. J in his ABA days (it’s a shame now he spent his best years in the ABA); thats the better comparison to Jordan’s game (and much of Jordan’s slashing, angular floor game came directly from Dr. J, who cut unparalleled, breath-taking edges on the floor when he first came up. Dr. J bent the rules of gravity FIRST. Jordan followed and expanded on it).

So this whole argument is BS, and an utter waste of time. I love them all really, and nothing ever gonna change that. I know what I saw, and have loved every minute of it when it’s done right.

Ken “The Kid” Griffey grew up in a major league dugout son. His daddy was Ken Griffey, of Cincinnati’s infamous Big Red Machine. The Kid (one of many dugout kids with the Big Red Machine) grew up around a whole slew of future Hall of Famers (both BRMs and visitors). In fact, his Dad’s first year in MLB was Willie “the Say Hey Kid” Mays’ last year (with the New York Mets). The Kid, though young, was around for the summer of 73 during the Say Hey Kid’s (informal) Farewell Tour taking place at National League parks all over America.

Everybody loved Willie, man, well, except maybe Bowie Kuhn (but thats another story).

NOTE: Ken Griffey, Sr.’s last 2 years in baseball were 1990-1, where he was teamates with his son for the Seattle Mariners. On 9/14/90, father and son hit back to back homers against the Kansas City Royals. Does it get any better than that? Baseball heritage ran deep in that family, what with so much talk about the 75-76 Big Red Machine given some consideration as one of the GOATs (though I personally despise that designation).

“Now consider that the bulk of his competition at the center position was significantly smaller than he was. There’s a lot of hoopla surrounding the Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell matchup. Yet, Russell was only listed as 6-9 to 6-10 220lbs. Another Hall of Famer, Dave Cowens, was listed as 6-8 230lbs. Wes Unseld was only listed at about 6-6 to 6-7, and Willis Reed was only 6-9 240lbs. Of course, one could say that Shaquille O’Neal is much larger than most of his opponents, but the fact was, Chamberlain dwarfed everybody, where O’Neal is at least used to frequently facing other seven footers.” (Suite101: Could Wilt Dominate Today’s NBA?, http://www.suite101.com/content/could-wilt-dominate-todays-nba-a19578#ixzz1VmosUKbg)

1. I agree that Wilt Chamberlain may have been the most dominant scorer for his first 7 years. He averaged over 35 ppg. However, his career average is exactly the same as Jordan’s. What does this mean…it means Jordan was more consistent over his career in scoring for his team. He kept dominating AFTER his first 7 years vs. Wilt, who dropped almost by an average of 10pts per game after his first 7 years…only dominated because he was tall…once the league caught up…he was good…but not great. We saw the same thing happen to Shaq. Look up Wilt’s stats…this is fact.

2. Ring count matters, but you have to use context. Bill Russel was an awesomen player and leader on the court. But his main contribution was rebounds. He was a tremendous rebounder. That was it…a great rebounder who also helped a great team win championships. He is not and should not be in the discussion for greatest player. It’s almost like saying Rodman should be a part of great player discussion because of the rebounds he pulled down for Chicago. I think this is an over-reach here.

3. As for the Lebron vs. Jordan comparison, just look up their stats at how they both were performing by age 26 in the league. (great article here http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoopmiamiheat/post/_/id/8143/mj-vs-lebron-what-the-stats-say)
Jordan averaged 31 ppg vs. Lebron at 27 ppg in the regular season. In the playoffs, Jordan averaged 32ppg vs. Lebron at 27ppg. I have watched both eras…no comparison for me. Jordan is a greater scorer and player hands down. However, I get that Lebron is a better rebounder. But HE SHOULD BE. He is 6′ 10″. Not taking away from him, just saying he isn’t that great at either. He is good. Jordan at 6′ 6″ was amazing at guarding anyone from guard to shooting forward. He wasn’t as strong as Lebron but his mental toughness was amazing.

4. The argument about 7 teams vs. 30 teams in regular season is ridiculous. I have played competitive ball and playing more skilled players night after night shows mental toughness, athletic skill and acumen, and diverse competitiion that dictates you find different ways to win each night. Playing 30 teams is hands down much more difficult to prepare for mentally and physically. Playing only 7 teams is like playing your big brother every day. You learn their weaknesses and strengths much easier, where you can exploit and defend against over time.

5. Ok. Now let’s talk about when it counts. Wilt averaged 22.5ppg lifetime in the playoffs. Jordan averaged 33.4ppg lifetime. I think Kareem needs to recheck what is means to be a scorer. A great scorer is consistent and wins. That is the context I use. Given they both played 16 seasons…Jordan is the greatest scorer, the greatest player to play the game.

In my opinion, Jordan is the greatest. The statistics prove it.

Also his dad played baseball when Mays was around. I’m pretty sure Griffey knows all about baseball from that period.

What’s left of the troika that won 6 titles? Scotty Pippen. He was around 33 at the time and – feet and back problems – he was damaged goods. Jackson is gone and Jordan is gone. Build a team around Scotty Pippen? Not gonna happen. In addition he wanted a long term big money contract. Not gonna happen. What did Krause do? Big money long term contract for Pippen in a sign-and-trade deal. with Houston. What did Pippen do after that? Nothing of any consequence.

As far as Wilt, he was the most dominant in the span of 1959-1966 but after that… ehhh… pretty good. When you look at his record breaking numbers, the thing that is so different in his numbers would be the staggering amount of shots he took in a season. The season he averaged 50.4 ppg he took 3,159 shots!? Only shooting 50%! The most shots MJ ever took in a season is 2,279 when he averaged 37.1 ppg. It was a different game back then. It was bully-ball, give the ball to the only guy on the court above 6’8” and have him either make the shot or get fouled.

You can’t compare rebounding of a Center to a Shooting Guard as well… I respect you Kareem, but in no way, shape or form is any of the players you listed better than MJ and for that matter any player ever. The charisma, the drive, the clutch, the heart, the passion, the name, and the game… Greatest of ALL-TIME… Michael Jeffery Jordan…

-CReese