| 31 July 2011
Rob/Brumbygg's take on the 10 greatest PFs of all time...
10: Dennis Rodman – the Worm was a defensive beast and a rebounding freak. His 6 titles with 3 teams is a testament to his results overshadowing his weirdness. Career scoring average of 7.3ppg sends him down my list, although others may rank him higher.
9: Dave DeBusschere – Played in the league from 62-74 (so even before my time) but was considered one of the best defenders in the league. Won 2 titles with the Knicks and averaged a double-double over his career.
8: Dirk Nowitzki – Probably would have been the unlucky 11th guy on this prior to winning the championship this year. One of, if not the, best Europeans to play in the NBA, Dirk is incredibly difficult to defend due to his ability to hit shots from almost anywhere.
7: Kevin Garnett – One of the more intense members of this list! A steal/gift from the T-Wolves after a glittering regular season career marred by an inability to go deep into the playoffs. KG arrived in Boston looking for a ring and was probably the single biggest reason that Boston won #17 and his injury the following year is probably the single biggest reason that Boston didn't repeat. The defensive intensity of Rodman but with the ability to score places him higher on the list.
6: Kevin McHale – one of the original Big 3 and the man who gave away KG. Boston has a lot to thank Kevin McHale for! His agility and freakishly long arms made him almost impossible to stop in the paint. Twice led the league in field goal percentage with over 60%! Even more impressive were his 2 appearances in Cheers as himself!
5: Bob Pettit – Before Bob Pettit the term Power Forward didn't exist. The first player to reach 20,000 points and the 3rd highest career rebounding average.
4: Charles Barkley – Sir Charles was undersized for this position, but became one of the greatest rebounders in the history of the NBA. Not only could he score and rebound, Charles had great touch and average 4 assists per game.
3: Karl Malone – The Mailman delivered everything but an NBA title. Malone and Stockton was one of the great double acts in the history of the league. Played in the league 19 years and played in the post-season 19 times. No championships, but that kind of longevity and results counts for a lot.
2: Elvin Hayes – The Big E was a pure scorer who led the league in scoring his rookie year. Won a title with the Bullets in 78 to go with 2 other finals appearances. His turnaround jumper from the baseline was as much of a certainty as death and taxes.
1: Tim Duncan – Can play the pivot, post up, hit the mid range jumper and kill you in so many methodical, almost boring ways. Does everything well and has 4 championships to back it up. The best PF of all time and one of the best players of a generation of greats.
