Now we're up to H, and that's Houston's territory. The Rockets came into existence in 1967, residing in San Diego, and then moved to Houston in 1971. Assessing their top 5 all time is one helluva task, they've had some greats. And it pains me that I couldn't find a place on my 5 for one of their more recent players - I toyed with having T-Mac on the list... but in the end went in a different direction.
Here they are: the top 5 Rockets of all time...
5. Ralph Lee Sampson, Jr - Sampson spent the first 4 and a half seasons at the Rockets, and that would be the best years of his career - an All Star every year. Stretching out to 7'4", when teamed with Olujawon they were a fearsome forest in defense, and nigh on impossible to defend on offense - the original "Twin Towers". Best remembered for his buzzer-beater to dethrone the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in '86: an amazing, twisting, prayer of a shot with 1 second left to win the game.
4. Elvin Ernest Hayes - Rookie year, the Big E quietly throws up a massive 54 points with the season just begun, and the last time a rook lead the scoring average was with Elvin Hayes. In his second season, he lead rebounding - the first time in a decade that someone not named Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain had done so. It's a pity that the Rockets traded him when they did, as the Big E had some of his best years coming. He finished his time, aptly, as a Rocket.
3. Calvin Murphy - Considered to be one of the best free throw shooters of all time, Murphy was only surpassed by The Dream as far as points scored for the Rockets. The diminutive point man (Murphy was measured a generous 5'9") is still the assists leader for the Rockets, more than 1000 ahead of his nearest rival.
2. Moses Eugene Malone - A 3 time NBA MVP (2 whilst a Rocket), Moses Malone put up NBA 2K11 numbers. In his first MVP season ('79), he averaged nearly 25 points and over 17 rebounds per game. The second of his MVPs at Houston ('82) he scored 31.1 ppg and 14.7 rpg. Insane numbers.
Tenacious and unrelenting on the boards, Malone still holds the record for offensive boards in a season - 587.
1. Hakeem Abdul Olujawon - 17 seasons. Seven. Teen. Seasons - as a Rocket. And the only player in the history of the NBA to win the MVP, the DPoY, and the Finals MVP all in the same year - and lead the Houston franchise to it's first ever NBA title. 12 All-NBA teams. 9 All D teams. 12 All Star teams. Hall of Fame. Was there any doubt that the The Dream would lead this list?
Just as he lead the Rockets franchise to their two titles in '94/'95, two titles that there is no way on this earth Houston could have won without Hakeem Olujawon, likely even substituting him with any other player playing at that time.
The next episode will be sponsored by the letter "i" - and that's the province of the Indiana Pacers!
The Philadelphia Warriors, the San Fransisco Warriors, the Golden State Warriors. Certainly a fantastic franchise fallen on hard times for a long time. Continuing with the task of selecting the top 5 for each and every team in the NBA, it's time for Jessica Alba's favourite team.
So, without further ado, may I present the top 5 players of all time for the Golden State Warriors...
5. Joseph Franklin Fulks - "Jumpin' Joe Fulks" played before the introduction of the shot clock - it was a time where the games were slow, and the scores were low. Even so, Fulks managed to average nearly 24 ppg - an amazing effort given most teams didn't score 80 points per game. An incredible athlete with a phenomenal jump, Joe Fulks was one of the first players in the Hall of Fame.
4. Paul Joseph Arizin - 10 time All Star. 3 All NBA teams. Hall of Fame inductee. Arizin also lead the Warriors to their first NBA Title in 1956. Definitely one of the shining lights of what was the golden age for the Warriors franchise. Arizin lost two seasons in his prime due to service in the Korean War, but still ranks in the scoring top 25 of all time.
3. Nathaniel Thurmond - "Nate the Great" started as Wilt Chamberlain's back up, but quickly graduated to playing alongside the Dipper, and immediately impacted games with 16.5 points and 18.1 rebound average. A Hall of Famer, Thurmond was the first player ever to record a quadruple double.
2. Richard Francis Dennis Barry III - Possessing uncanny accuracy, and perhaps unsurpassed court vision... and a now dead free throw shooting style (rumoured to be making a come-back!), Rick Barry was one of the best pure small forwards of all time. The Hall of Fame Rick Barry had stints with the Warriors in both their San Fransisco incarnation and the Golden State Warriors guise. He brought home 7 All NBA teams (and 4 All ABA teams), 8 All Star teams for the NBA (4x All Star ABA), a Finals MVP and a Championship. A living legend.
1. Wilton Norman Chamberlain - Few #1s are this easy. For a team with so many historically great players as the Warriors, the Big Dipper is head and shoulders above his peers at this franchise. Forget the Warriors, no-one in basketball has had quite the impact that Wilt had. No-one. Described as "scary, flat-out frightening..." by reporters of the time, Chamberlain changed history time and time again in his time at the Warriors. His list of achievements is absolutely too long to list, suffice to say that there isn't an NBA player who comes remotely close. If he were a character in a movie, we'd dismiss him as being to unrealistic. The man was - quite literally - larger than life.
The Detroit Pistons. A team with a pretty damn big history. Those "Bad Boys", huh?
And amazing to see the different fortunes of them post-playing-careers. Joe Dumars success staying in Detroit through to Isiah Thomas's well-documented insanity at New York... and of course Bill Laimbeer's successes coaching in the WNBA - and now joining the Timberwolves as an Assistant Coach.
There are a helluva lot of players who could make this list - and it will be interesting to see who each Bloguin NBA site comes up with (you'll be able to see the voting in the top ten in a day or so at Hoops Manifesto).
Anyway... as players, Detroit's Top 5 - with malice-style:
5. Grant Henry Hill - If it's hard to remember the player Grant Hill was prior to career-threatening injuries, it's a little understandable. But Hill was one of the most exciting players in the NBA when first he joined the Pistons and won the 1995 Rookie of the Year. He then went on to make 5 straight All NBA teams.
Immensely popular, Hill even beat out Michael Jordan on the fan balloting for the 95/96 All Star game. From 2000, Hill suffered injuries that would stop his rising star. Imagine what could have been if ... well, let's not go there.
4. Joe Dumars III - If post playing-career were counted, Dumars would be #1 or 2 for Detroit. But we're looking solely at playing days - Dumars gets #4.
14 years a Piston, Michael Jordan declared him to be the best defender he ever faced. Winning back-to-back NBA titles in '89/90 (and the Finals MVP for '89), Dumars was an NBA All-Star 6 times, and All-D 4 times. Even tho' he was one of the "Bad Boys", famed for his sportsmanship.
3. Robert Jerry Lanier, Jr - 1991 NBA Hall of Famer. Eight-time NBA All-Star. Career he averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Averaging a 20/10 double for a decade is indicative of a great player. Had the biggest feet of any player in his era (size 22).
2. David Bing - The Pistons weren't so hot whilst Bing was there, but Dave Bing was - 22+ ppg over 6 seasons stands testament to that.
Still top ten all time in eight categories for the Pistons, Bing won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1967 with the Pistons and was an All-Star seven times, winning the All-Star MVP award in 1976. He also was an All-NBA First Teamer twice, also one of the 50 greatest players of all time.
1. Isiah Lord Thomas III - Forget about the nut-baggery that's gone on in the past few years with him, "Zeke" is the best player to have ever worn a Pistons uniform. Leader of the Detroit Bad Boys, he was no angel.
Hall of famer, #11 retired by the Pistons, he remains Detroit's all time leader in points, assists and steals. Named one of the 50 greatest players of all time.
As has been shown around the 'net, there was a pretty intense brawl during the Greece/Serbia... ummm... "friendly" last Thursday leading up to the FIBA Worlds...
And the one question that keeps on echoing over, and over in my mind is as the title states: is OKC Thunder center Nenad Krstic the biggest pussy in basketball today?
Playing for Serbia (he's number 12 - blue shirts) he's slapping guys from behind, taking swings, throwing chairs at guys... and then looks like he's on roller-skates when Greek center Sofo "The Greek Shaq" Schortsanitis (white uniform - number 15) takes exception to his behavior (at about 0.51 and on).
Have you ever seen someone and thought, "Hey! They look just like <insert name>!!" ?? I sure as hell have (and it's weird: here in Japan I see 'Asian versions' of celebrities).
Continuing on with the process of giving the top 5 players for each NBA franchise (in conjunction with the top ten voting organised by Hoops Manifesto), I found the Denver Nuggets to be the hardest thus far. Leaving off players of real quality: Dan Issel, Kiki Vandeweghe and Spencer Haywood - the Nuggets provided some tough decisions.
But here they are: my top five Denver Nuggets of all time.
5. Lafayette "Fat" Lever - Probably the best multi-faceted player to ever play for Denver, and with no disrespect to Chauncey Billups, the best point man to play in a Nuggets strip.
This point guard would never be considered a giant (he stood at 6' 3"), but due to an uncanny knack of being in the right spot at the right time, he often lead the Nuggets in rebounding.
On January 7th, 1987 in a losing effort against the Chicago Bulls (96-100) Lever had the amazing stat-line of 31 points, 16 rebounds, 12 assists, 6 steals and a block.
4. Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo - Beginning his NBA career at the Nuggets, Dikembe Mutombo averaged nearly 13 points, 13 boards, and a whopping 3.8 blocks per game. Mutombo won the first of his four DPoY awards whilst wearing a Denver uniform, and of course - developed the famous finger-wag there.
His unparalleled defense puts him right up near the top of "greatest big men ever" - and a fitting place on Denver's best 5 ever.
3. Carmelo Kiyan Anthony - Forget the rumours abounding about 'Melo and a possible move to the Garden, he's clearly one of the best to ever play in a Nuggets uniform (I actually think many will disagree with having him as low as #3). Anyway... Anthony has been the centerpiece of a Denver renaissance, and around him the Nuggets have built a team that has made the playoffs every single season.
There's no question in my mind that Carmelo Anthony is one of the top 5 players in the league.
2. David O'Neil Thompson - David Thompson was Michael Jordan's role model. For a player to have that status, he's no doubt a phenomenal player. Possessing absolutely amazing leaping ability, "Skywalker" Thompson used the alley-oop as one of the mainstays of his offensive array. In his rookie season, Thompson won Rookie of the Year and took the Nuggets to their one and only (ABA) Finals. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996, David Thompson is probably best remembered for his 73 point game in the last game of the '77-78 season.
1. Alexander English - Hall of Famer Alex English once said of his own game,
"It's like being a willow tree that blows in the wind but it doesn't break. It's a strong branch, a strong tree that bends and can withstand all kinds of tornado-type winds but it doesn't break. That is the kind of idea I played with."
Once finding his place at Denver, English embarked on a decade-long scoring spree. In eleven seasons in Colorado, Alex English averaged 25.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, and is still the all-time leader in Nuggets scoring.
Described as 'graceful, elegant', English's #2 jersey was retired by Denver in 1992, a mere year after his retirement.
Continuing on with the Hoops Manifesto's project, he we go with the All Time Top 5 for the Dallas Mavericks. Quite a young franchise, the Mavs sped to success quickly - reaching the playoffs after only a few years.
Anyway, here are the top 5 Dallas Mavericks of all time...
5. Derek Ricardo Harper - By the mid-80s, Harper had established himself as one of the premier point guards in the NBA. He's top 5 in Dallas All Time scoring, and #1 in steals and assists.
4. Stephen John Nash - After an unimpressive start at Phoenix (after being drafted at #15), Steve Nash was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. By his 3rd season as a Mav, he was an All Star... and an All NBA team member. Nash gets the nod ahead of Harper, his impact was more substantial. Averaging 14.6 ppg and 7.2 apg - he's top 5 points/assists in Dallas. But at the end of the 03/04 season, Dallas let Nash walk, and he returned to the team that initially drafted him. Nash was a damn good point at Dallas, but no-one could have prognosticated the player he'd become as a Sun.
3. Rolando Antonio Blackman - "Ro" Blackman could be arguably at #2, such is his importance to the Dallas Mavericks franchise. 4 All Star berths, and part of 6 playoff-bound Maverick teams, Blackman is also 2nd on the all time scorers list (only behind Nowitzki). He was the leader on that list for 18 years.
2. Mark Anthony Aguirre - Starting with the 82/83 season, 3-time All Star Mark Aguirre ran through 6 straight seasons where he scored 22 ppg or better - and 4 seasons above 25 ppg. Aguirre also averaged nearly 4 assists, and nearly 6 rebounds per. In the 1983/84 season, Aguirre was the key to Dallas's rise to prominence in the West, scoring 29.5 ppg and taking them to their first ever trip to the playoffs. His 24.6 ppg average is the leading per game average for the Mavs.
1. Dirk Werner Nowitzki - When you hear "Dallas Mavericks", one of two people come to mind, and Dirk's the non-billionaire's face you're thinking of. Easily the best to play the game in a Dallas uniform, Nowitzki's played an impressive 920 games as a Mav, amassing 23 ppg. Dirk's been at Dallas since he first came to the NBA 13 years ago, and he has a veritable laundry-list of accolades. MVP, 9 times All Star, 10 times All NBA, and of course... Mark's BFF.
The question I'll start with is: is there are better owner in professional sports? Not just basketball... 10 titles in 30 years. He's the winningest owner in US pro-sports... and has had teams with some of the most amazing basketballers to ever step on the hardwood.
You can play online poker during the commercial break while your watching the Lakers on TV.
About Bloguin
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.
Advertisers
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
Bloggers Wanted
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 