Because it’s early October and we have college hoops practices getting underway, along with NBA preseason action, I figured it was a good time to give my basketball lifer’s opinion on some different rankings and lists I’ve thought about and put together.
Why have I done this?
Well in this country, we count championships and rings. We keep score and rank and list. I can hear my wife laughing now saying “these are the things you are wasting your brain power on and thinking about during your spare time,” and I have to say unfortunately yes, I can’t help myself .
And since I’ve spent my entire life coaching, watching, studying and being involved in the game, hopefully my opinions have some merit.
The 5 Greatest College Coaches
1. John Wooden, UCLA
2. Dean Smith, North Carolina
3. Bob Knight, Indiana
4. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
5. Al McGuire, Marquette
I know some people might find fault with number five, but since Al McGuire was a New Yorker who I looked up to and identified with, I’ll admit some personal bias on this pick.
The 5 Greatest NBA Coaches
1. Phil Jackson
2. Gregg Popovich
3. Pat Riley
4. Red Auerbach
5. Chuck Daly
You can’t argue with Jackson’s 11 championships. Yes, he had some of the greatest players ever. And that certainly made it easier. But I am not going to hold that against him.
Next, I’m going to list the top 13 players of all time by position, but I’m only going to list the players I saw with my own eyes in my lifetime. Hopefully that caveat will keep from upsetting some folks reading this article, because when you start talking about who belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of hoops, it can get very sensitive. To pay homage to some of the greats I really didn’t get to see, these five on a list by themselves:
1. Wilt Chamberlain
2. Bill Russell
3. Oscar Robertson
4. Jerry West
5. Elgin Baylor
Top 13 Starting Lineup
G- Magic Johnson
G- Michael Jordan
F- Julius Erving
F- Larry Bird
C- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
I know my first team has two small forwards with Doctor J. and Bird, but I just couldn’t get myself to put one of them on the second team after all I grew up and fell in love with the NBA during the 1980s.
Second Team
G- Isiah Thomas
G- Kobe Bryant
F- LeBron James
F- Tim Duncan
C- Shaquille O’Neal
Three I Must Mention
Hakeem Olajuwon
Kevin Durant
Allen Iverson
I know there are always guys you end up leaving out, including power forwards Kevin McHale, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitski, a shooter like Reggie Miller and other small forwards like Bernard King and Dominique Wilkins. Here are some fun bonus lists:
Point Guards I grew up idolizing
1. Pistol Pete Maravich
2. Nate Tiny Archibald
3. Walt Frazier
4. Ernie DiGregorio
5. Paul Westphal
Since I always root for the little guy, here’s a list of five of my favorite small guards six-foot and under of all time.
1. Chris Paul – who, by the way, I coached against in the NCAA Tourney
2. Calvin Murphy
3. Muggsy Bogues
4. Michael Adams
5. Dana Barros/John Bagley
The 5 most unique players I ever saw
1. Charles Barkley
2. Allen Iverson
3. Adrian Dantley
4. Ralph Sampson
5. George Gervin/ David Thompson
5 Pioneers of position-less basketball
1. Magic Johnson
2. LeBron James
3. Penny Hardaway
4. Tracy McGrady
5. Grant Hill/Danny Manning
Honorable mention to Lamar Odom and Steve Smith.
Favorite tough guys
1. Scott Skiles
2. Buck Williams
3. Gary Payton
4. Ron Artest
5. Ben Wallace
I could keep going all day, but I hope that even though these lists are my personal take on things, this gives you food for thought to enjoy while we’re waiting for the season to start.
Bobby Gonzalez, former head coach at Manhattan and Seton Hall, is a part-time commentator and columnist for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
