NLSC Greatest of All-time: #24

Moses played on a million different teams and nobody cares about Rick Barry so we can all see where this is going

-26th number of the many

-#23 was won by Michael Jordan

-#24 is also easy

-You can vote for players in any way you want: On-court impact, Off-court impact, championships etc.

Nominees:

1. Rick Barry (1965-66 to 1977-78)

P/36	R/36	A/36	TS%	Ortg	Drtg	PER	Ws/48
24.9	6.8	4.5	.526	Nr	Nr	21.9	.173

* ABA years included. His O/Drtgs include just his last seasons, not enough to make a contribution.

So his Warriors swept the Bullets in the 1975 NBA Finals.

Barry was a terrific scorer early in his career. He was a good rebounder, and got to the line often. He was also one of the best free throw shooters in NBA history. His true prime was in the ABA, but that league was weaker than the NBA at the time.

People mistake Barry for being just a scorer. He averaged 10 rebounds a game in his rookie year, and became a capable passer later when he couldn't get to the line as often as he used to. How can a player that posts a PER of 29.6 be labelled as "just a scorer".

Barry wasn't exactly a good three point shooter. During his time in the ABA, he shot 27% on 1.6 attempts per game. He also got in foul trouble during his prime. Later Barry became a smarter defender.

Sadly, he played in an era nobody cares for, so he is constantly left out of every conversation possible.

2. Kobe Bryant (1996-97 to 2005-06)

P/36	R/36	A/36	TS%	Ortg	Drtg	PER	Ws/48
24.1	5.2	4.5	.552	111	104	23.2	.184

* I think it's best for everyone if I don't talk about Kobe.

Fuck Kobe.

And to think my parents bought me his jersey because they thought I liked him.

Fuck my parents.

3. Sam Jones (1957-58 to 1968-69)

P/36	R/36	A/36	TS%	Ortg	Drtg	PER	Ws/48
22.8	6.4	3.3	.503	Nr	Nr	18.7	.182

* No really, fuck Kobe.

4. Moses Malone (1977-78 to 1981-82)

P/36	R/36	A/36	TS%	Ortg	Drtg	PER	Ws/48
23.6	13.9	1.4	.578	115	105	24.4	.192

* Mighty Moses. He probably doesn't get mentioned enough because he played on like a million teams. Still, some MVPs and a championship couldn't fin a way around him.

He is the perfect center in his prime. Can score north of 20 on a regular basis, is one of the best, if not the best rebounder of his era, get's to the line like crazy, makes his free throws and is okay on defense. Okay so he's not perfect, he could be a better rebounder and passer, but he was amazing.

He had 14 straight seasons with his Ortg 110 or higher. 14 ! He led the league in PER, and had 13 straight seasons with his PER 20 or higher. What ? He was the best offensive rebounder in the league during his prime and always brought wins to his team. Moses was an offensive beast and is an All-time great. How is he not mentioned as one of the most consistent great players ever ?

Because it's not like Tim Duncan has 18 straight seasons with his PER 21 or higher.

Other Notable Player Shoutout

Jonathan Bender could've been Kevin Durant before it was cool. Bill Bradley was a part of the Knicks championship teams. Bill Cartwright wore it after his prime but still won some titles with Chicago. Tom Chambers was a good scorer for the Sonics and Suns, but he is remembered for his dunk that got bronzed. World B. Free for it for the Clippers, where he scored the most points and took the most shots in his career. Paul George wore it before switching to that stupid PG-13 idea. Tom Gugliota wore it during his best years, which weren't that great. Still made the All-star team. Spencer Haywood was a double-double machine. He had a 30/20 season in the ABA. Richard Jefferson was a good scorer and defender. Jamal Mashburn took loads of shots and was a volume scorer. Antonio McDyess wore it with the Nuggets, which was the prime of his career. Andre Miller wore it for most of his career. A solid passing point guard. Paul Millsap wore it with the Jazz before becoming an All-star player. Morris Peterson had some good years in Toronto. Pooh Richardson had some good seasons. A capable passer. Rik Smits wore it during his first few years with the Pacers, before hitting his prime. Reggie Theus was a good combo guard. He could put up 20 points on solid efficiency while handling the backup playmaker tasks for his team. Jan Vesely was a bust nobody talks about. Seriously, whee was he ranked that high ? He can't shoot and isn't even that athletic. Speaking of busts nobody talks about, Marvin Williams makes the list. Looking at his stats, I wouldn't necessarily call him a bust, but he was the 2nd pick in the Draft that included Chris Paul. Mark Aguirre was one of the best scorer in the 80s. He thinks that he was a better player than Adrian Dantley, and that it isn't even up for discussion. What a knob.

Don't let him get two numbers. Just don't.

Kobe.

Let's make Kobe the first player in here to win the best in two numbers.

You know what? As difficult as it is to argue against Kobe - and he'll likely win, which I can't really disagree with - I'm actually going to vote for Moses Malone. Indeed, as he was the first player to bypass college for the NBA, players like Kobe, KG, T-Mac, LeBron, and Shawn Kemp owe a lot to Moses. He was definitely a trailblazer in that regard...though for all the teams he played for, he was never actually a Trail Blazer.

His numbers were impressive, and although he moved around far more than most other all-time greats, he seemed to have an impact wherever he went. He won back-to-back MVPs with two different teams, took the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981, and upon joining the Sixers for the 1982/1983 campaign, he helped tip things in their favour and avenge their seven game loss to the Lakers the year prior. They didn't go undefeated as he famously predicted ("fo', fo', fo'"), but with only one loss in that postseason, they were damn close. Granted, he was wearing #2 at the time.

Speaking of which, I know I already voted for Malone at #2 - which he won - but I'll see if I can make things interesting. Or at the very least, ensure that Kobe doesn't win unanimously.

4-1 baby.

Shit man. I was afraid of this to happen and here it is. So my vote goes to Malone.

We still need couple more to tie. Come on people. Come on.

Kobe...

Haters gonna hate...

Since Kobe won #8, I vote for Moses at his peak.

Voted for Kobe. I have failed my dad.

i voted kobe then had to go take a hot shower for a couple hours