04-14-2021, 04:09 PM
(04-14-2021, 03:14 PM)TXBamanut Wrote: I'm not sure I can go there. You look at blocks per game, for me, on rim protection and he's 18th, in the meat of his career, and there are guys that are ahead of him, having to add in their over-the-hill stats into that blocks per game number.
He is OUTSTANDING, but I'm not putting him in the best ever or best of this millennium list yet. This year is the most blocks per game that Rudy has ever had in a season at 2.8...and Alonzo Mourning put up 2.7 per game...at age 35 in 2005-06 (painful year) in 2/3 the minutes per game, btw. He's just one on the list ahead of Rudy.
Not going to try and derail a KP thread, but Gobert's impact goes beyond counting stats (as Kamm has demonstrated thoroughly). His sheer length and speed is what makes him so unique. He's 2 inches taller than Mourning and has a 3 inch longer wingspan, but still has the ability to cover the same amount of ground as young Zo could. I think in todays run n gun heavy PnR game, there are less opportunities for blocks like the mid 90s early 2000's heavy iso post up game. I can easily see Gobert averaging 3+bpg in that era.
I'm already there to put Gobert on the best of all time paint protectors pyramid. Maybe I went a bit too far to say he's the best in the last 22 years because there were 2 people named Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan during that time in their prime but I think Gobert has shown enough to be included with those guys.
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.