4 Quarters Radio: February 15

The first-period curriculum for February 15:
--Scott chatted with MTSU baseball coach Steve Peterson a couple of days before the season began. They touched on new pitchers and where the coach expected the team's power hitting to come from.
--Scott also asked the coach how much he believes in specialization among college baseball relief pitchers.
--MTSU alumni like Brett Carroll, Bryce Brentz and Will Skinner are scattered throughout the professional ranks, and Coach Pete discussed how those players have been keeping in touch with the program.

1st Intermission: "Okie From Muskogee" by Merle Haggard.

The second-quarter curriculum:
--Still all alone in the studio, Scott took time to compare the reactions to the drug problems of entertainers like Whitney Houston and those of athletes like Lawrence Taylor or Len Bias.
--In Whodaman, Scott paid respect to a Wizards fan who was ready to catch an ass-whipping from LeBron James. He also gave a shout to a listener who threw the official 4QR salute at a Middle Tennessee basketball game. Tweet your pics of you holding up four fingers to @4QuartersRadio and you'll always get a shout out.

Halftime Show: "Air" by Talking Heads.

The third-quarter curriculum:
--Scott discussed the onset of Linsanity, especially pondering the commentary from boxing champ Floyd Mayweather. El Prof was surprisingly sympathetic to Money May's point of view, which is not to say he agreed.
--Also, a brief history lesson on the first Asian-American player in pro basketball history (no, it wasn't Lin).

3rd Intermission: "Let's Roll" by Yelawolf feat. Kid Rock.

The fourth-quarter curriculum:
--Scott spoke with MTSU women's basketball coach Rick Insell as the season began to wind down. Topics included the surprising production from the Lady Raider backcourt, the shot selection of gunner Kortni Jones, and expectations that he harbors for his recruits.
--Coach Insell also waxed lyrical about his lone senior, Molly McFadden, on the eve of her honors at Senior Day.
--In the Epic Fails, Scott took the Chinese and Taiwanese governments to task for having nothing more important to do than fight over who claims Jeremy Lin's heritage. Also, he laid into Colts owner Jim Irsay for trying to play public relations chicken with Peyton Manning.

Postgame Show: "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" by George Jones.

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4 Quarters Radio April 4

The first-quarter curriculum for April 4:
--The fellas talk about Kentucky winning the NCAA tournament, with Brandon still not terribly grateful even with a Wildcat victory winning him an evening of free food and drink. The fellas weigh their issues with John Calipari against the likability of his one-and-done crew. Scott also looks fearfully ahead to the days when Calipari can flash a ring in recruiting. Los Guys also stop and marvel at the evolutionary mutations that caused the Lexington riots.

1st Intermission: "Soul Killing" by The Ting Tings.


The second-quarter curriculum:
--In a 4Q first, most of a segment is devoted to talking professional wrestling. Brandon and special guest Clint Halford cover their impressions of WrestleMania 28. Brock Lesnar's return to Raw the following night gets some discussion as well.
--In Whodaman, Jeremy names a Wildcat who needs to return to school, Brandon big-ups baseball's most valuable agent, and Scott gives love to a guy whose face got totally pucked up (and no, that's not a typo).

Halftime Show: "Let Them Talk" by Spoek Mathambo.


The third-quarter curriculum:
--The fellas play around with ESPN's NBA Playoff Predictor, deciding whether some of the probabilities are way off or very right. Even Laker fan Jeremy can't disagree with some dire chances for LA.
--Scott weighs in on the new Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, some more deserving than others.
--The Knicks' honesty regarding injury reports and the Bulls' wisdom in not extending their coach catch brief mention.

3rd Intermission: "Overbiter" by Say Anything.


The fourth-quarter curriculum:
--MLB talk starts off the fourth, as Joey Votto and Matt Cain get enormous contracts. Scott poses the question of whether Votto's deal is a better idea than those given to Prince and Pujols.
--Hockey Correspondent Miranda Martin hops on a mic to talk some puck, naming off her expected Stanley Cup contenders.
--Mike Milbury's rant on Sidney Crosby gets aired, and Miranda's unsurprisingly in agreement. She does squirm out of an Odds Makers moment regarding the Predators' chances at the Cup finals...and ended up losing on a statement of doubt for the Capitals.
--In the Epic Fails, Jeremy has a couple of guys suffering embarrassing plays on the court, Brandon has a guy stealing a taco, and Scott finds another excuse to sing.

Postgame Show: "You're the Right Kind of Girl" by Lee Fields.

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4 Quarters Radio: October 21, 2011

The first-quarter curriculum for October 21:
--Scott and Bobby kick off a show with the fiasco that was the NFL trade deadline, and the show's resident Raider fan gets to weigh in on the Carson Palmer trade. Also, Scott's highly reluctant to give Mike Brown any praise for playing his poker hand well.
--The trade deadline's failures are discussed for a moment, with the Lions' misfortune as a keen example. The first order of business is to suggest a better date. Also, other deals that could have been made but weren't get dragged out into the light.
--The weather is starting to turn in Tennessee, and it's a prime time to discuss the NFL's cities and which ones have the best and worst weather.

Featured music: "Come On Over" by Veronica Falls.


The second-quarter curriculum for October 21:
--Mack Burke returns after a five-month sabbatical, and he gets an opportunity to vent on the trade deadline himself. The gist: "Won't someone think of Jason Campbell?"
--The fellas ponder whether the Schwartz/Harbaugh dustup should go into the Octagon, and whether coaches need to be duty-bound to shake hands after a game.
--Bryant Gumbel's comments about David Stern get played, and the fellas have a momentary chat on what Gumbel really meant. Perhaps surprisingly, there's not a lot of disagreement on the subject of Stern.
--In Whodaman, Bobby touts a running back who stomped the indomitable Suh. Mack's Whodaman and Epic Fail are oddly one and the same. Scott gives respect to a guy who seriously reps his team in a pimped hearse.

Featured music: "Miracle Worker" by SuperHeavy.



The third-quarter curriculum for October 21:
--4Q's first-ever in-studio guest, MTSU men's basketball coach Kermit Davis, stops in to talk about the early days of practice and the upcoming season.
--The coach starts off weighing in on what the college game would look like with players like Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams staying around instead of sitting out in the locked-out NBA. Scott and Coach Davis also discuss their eligibility rules of choice.
--MTSU forward Torin Walker's eligibility status gets discussed, as well as a brief explanation of why he's having problems in the first place.
--Forward LaRon Dendy's potential for postseason honors comes in for serious discussion.
--Several candidates exist for the point guard position, and Scott asks (ahem) point blank who's in the lead.
--The packed early-season schedule draws a look, and Coach Davis lays out the credentials of his team's opponents. The players will be disappointed to learn that there's no time for fun when the Blue Raiders head to Los Angeles.
--Coach Davis identifies the team to beat in the Sun Belt for the 11-12 season. Also, a player who could dominate the Sun Belt gets discussed.
--Scott and Coach Davis talk a little music on the way out.

Featured music: "Standing On Higher Ground" by Leslie West featuring Billy Gibbons.


The fourth-quarter curriculum for October 21:
--Scott and Mack are able to discuss a little baseball, and there is a chat about what can be done to improve the World Series.
--Baseball's calendar, which is about to become more crowded, catches some grief.
--Nolan Ryan begins his approach toward Scott's pantheon of all-time favorite sports owners.
--Scott lights the fuse and lets Mack rant for a minute on the Theo Epstein situation.
--Between Theo and Rex, Mack's Epic Fail is well-covered. Scott's resides in Europe, with a team that didn't check with the neighbors before finding a sponsor.

Featured music: "She Really Got to You" by Ivy.

Shaq Joins Turner Sports: Call Him "The Big Analytical"

Anyone who has been clamoring to hear Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal trade jabs and comments about the NBA will soon have their wildest dreams granted.

Fresh off a retirement that concluded an unquestioned Hall of Fame career, Shaq has signed an agreement to join the Turner Sports team, including the studio show Inside the NBA. Shaq will fill the fourth chair alongside Barkley, Kenny Smith, and host Ernie Johnson, as well as provide content for NBA.com and occasionally show up on NBA TV.

Placing O'Neal, who's known for occasional verbal outbursts as an interview subject, alongside Barkley, who's never stopped his outbursts as an analyst, could lead to fantastic TV, some of the most entertaining sports coverage ever taped. It could also lead to a flaming trainwreck playing out in the nation's living rooms.

First off, let's remember that Chuck and Shaq once faced off in a memorable fight. All is forgiven now, but wait until someone gets the bright idea to have a re-enactment. A ball comes flying in from offcamera, clocks Shaq in the head, and it's on.

Eh, for that matter, that might be pretty entertaining, and the two of them would almost certainly play it for laughs now.

Okay, what about criticizing former colleagues? Well, Shaq has had his fun with comments about the likes of Greg Ostertag, or at least a Karl Malone dummy in Shaq's hands did ("Glad I'm playin' with a center, that Greg Ostertag was a bum."). And there was also his contentious relationship with the Sacramento "Queens."

So many rookie analysts, however, have difficulties criticizing former teammates. Well, maybe Shaq's already got that problem licked. (Okay, unfortunate choice of words. Right, Kobe?)

You know what? Never mind. It's time to get that new NBA labor deal done, so we can be assured of seeing Shaq and Chuck suited up for Opening Night as soon as possible.

David Stern, free The Big Analytical now.

 

NBA Players Association Supports Taking Talents to Europe

According to the New York Times, NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter has sent a letter to 450 players, fully blessing any athlete who explores the option of playing abroad during the league's lockout.

In the letter, Hunter said that the lockout's purpose was to "economically pressure our players to agree to an unfavorable collective bargaining agreement." He also added, "If the owners will not give our players a forum in which to play basketball here in the United States, they risk losing the greatest players in the world to the international basketball federations that are more than willing to employ them."

In the wake of New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams' agreement to play for the Turkish club Besiktas this fall, nearly every other star player in the league has had to face questions about his own plans for a protracted lockout. Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire tweeted that he had decided against Europe as a viable option, but backpedaled from that stance on ESPN Radio this week.

Stoudemire's reversal seems telling, especially in the wake of Hunter's letter, the published excerpts of which read like labor-leader posturing from word one. The letter's stance seems likely to inform responses from every player who gets lockout questions from now until Dealday.

Williams claims to have talked to many players highly interested in playing for European clubs. Stars like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Durant aren't ruling anything out. Their waffling rings hollow, though.

According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, Williams' Besiktas contract will pay him $200,000 per month. His Nets contract is set to pay him $199,509 per game for the 2011-12 season. Players like Williams and the others mentioned above don't need the money one bit. At least they shouldn't, but you never know. Antoine Walker never seemed to need the extra cash, either.

Players like Sonny Weems are a different story. The Toronto Raptors' forward, slated to make $850,000 this year, signed with a club in Lithuania. Philadelphia forward Darius Songaila is headed to Turkey for $1.5 million, not much less than Williams.

The risk of contract-voiding injury is likely too great for guys like Wade or Durant to entertain traveling to a different country to play for what amounts to pocket change. Especially when there's a likelihood that they may not even see said pocket change.

Phoenix Suns swingman Josh Childress told ESPN's Ric Bucher (Insider piece) that "If a guy isn't playing well or a team is out of the playoffs, they'll just stop paying you. I know tons and tons of players who just walked away because they didn't want to go through the hassle of going to court to get their money."

Childress, who spent two years playing for the Greek club Olympiacos, doesn't understand why any player with a large guaranteed contract would go to Europe and put it all in jeopardy. Players like Weems, Songaila, and Thunder center Nenad Krstic, who's bound for Russia, don't fall into that category. They're also not the kinds of names that will move the needle stateside, for fans or the league.

Kobe and Wade understand the politics of the labor negotiations well enough to know that ruling out options takes pressure off the owners to move on their proposals. Amar'e needed a little reminder after getting carried away on Twitter.

If David Stern thought for a moment that all of his owners' high-priced superstars were ready to throw it all away to play for clubs whose names are only familiar to dedicated soccer fans, there might be a bit more urgency in negotiations. Guys like Sonny Weems and Darius Songaila, however, may just be written off as collateral damage.

Unfortunately for Billy Hunter, it's guys like Weems and Songaila who are the only ones who really have any motivation to make this move.

 

Yao Ming Retires, And A Generation Now Understands Bill Walton

Skilled, potentially dominant big men are very difficult to find in basketball these days. Dwight Howard’s had years to develop something resembling an offensive repertoire, learning from one of the last talented inside scorers, Patrick Ewing. Shaquille O’Neal’s sheer physicality made up for any lack of moves, as defending him was much like posting up a CSX freight train.

It’s for this reason that the NBA is highly likely to miss Yao Ming. Listed at 7’6” and admitting to 7’3”, the NBA’s first Chinese star is still considered a better ambassador than player. This despite a career that saw averages of 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocks per game. Should the numbers have been greater? Perhaps.

 

Still, why is the bar set that much higher for Yao than it is for, say, Bill Walton? Is it simply based on the extra four inches of height? Walton did produce more as a rebounder and shot-blocker despite being “only” 6’11, but otherwise, the two men possessed several similarities.

Both were very gifted passers for pivots and possessed better scoring range than most of the brutes that they guarded night in and night out. When it came to scoring, Yao was as skilled as any center since his Houston predecessor Hakeem Olajuwon.

His career free throw percentage is second only to Dirk Nowitzki among seven-footers. Yao’s 2006-07 season put him in fast company when he averaged 25 points per game. Only seven other seven-footers have recorded a 25-ppg season, and you may recognize some of the names: Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Ewing, Nowitzki, O’Neal, Olajuwon, Robinson. All of them are or one day will be Hall-of-Famers.

Yao’s decision to truncate his career rather than hang on as a spare part, as Walton did in backing up Robert Parish in Boston, is likely to be held against him, because he never got to wear a ring. Walton is still in the Hall of Fame despite the foot problems that ravaged his stat sheet even worse than Yao’s.

Walton is likely in the Hall even more for his dominance in college than for his all-too-brief moments of NBA glory. Yao proved capable of performing on the game’s biggest stage, and his impact in putting the NBA product in front of the world’s biggest consumer market should more than trump anything Walton did at UCLA. Perhaps Yao’s not bound for Springfield on the first ballot, but it’s absolutely possible, and advisable, that he get there.

 

Should "The King" Become "The Wizard?" (Or, Why Gregg Doyel Can Suck It)

The headline does not suggest that LeBron James should be traded to Washington. Far from it. He’s fit in nicely in his current role with the Miami Heat. Rather, the question is an onomastic one, the study of names themselves.

“The King” connotes something majestic, something regal, kind of like…I dunno… “His Airness.” “The Wizard” suggests a person who can make something out of nothing, turn chaos into beauty, a name that conjures thoughts of… “Magic.” I’ll explain later, but first to the moronic drivel that inspires me today.

CBS Sports columnist Gregg Doyel (I’m not linking here because you’ve probably already seen it, plus Doyel’s a goof and doesn’t deserve the hits) decided to drop the hammer on LeBron for “shrinking” in these NBA Finals, particularly in Game 3. LeBron’s offending stat line? 17 points, nine assists.

Doyel made fun of LeBron’s admirably direct answer to his (I’ll admit) admirably direct question, the one where LeBron (correctly, it would seem) called out Doyel for ignoring the game and simply staring at stats.  LeBron’s defense on Jason Terry has reduced the Dallas Mavericks to a one-man team, albeit a team with one man who can nearly win games himself. That apparently means nothing to Doyel.

(Does anyone else remember when “Doyyyyyyy” was interchangeable with “Duhhhhhh”? In this case, it still should be.)

That defense apparently means something to Dirk Nowitzki (the aforementioned one man), who’s begging his coach and teammates to get Terry open so he can get some help. But, Doyyyyyy-el obviously knows what’s happening here better than the guy that’s on the court.

LeBron’s ninth assist was a bullet to a wide-open Chris Bosh, who stuck what turned out to be the winning basket. It’s the kind of play that’s made by a man who’s looking to make good players (Bosh) great and great players (Finals MVP-in-waiting Dwyane Wade) legends. Players like… Magic Johnson.

Doyyyyyy-el, like most other fans who only casually observe the game, wanted LeBron to be the new Jordan. Stay his whole career (at least until he was too old to dominate) with one team and win titles that way. Oh, and score 30 points per game to the exclusion of all else every night. He’s left the team that drafted him while still in his prime, and now he dares to focus on setting up others and shutting down opponents’ gunners in the NBA Finals. The nerve of some people, eh?

The way he’s conducted his career doesn’t resemble the way Magic Johnson conducted his, either, but his game, build, and skills have resembled Magic since day one. That’s the Hall of Famer I’ve wanted LeBron to model himself after since the beginning. His size, speed, and ballhandling abilities make him an absolutely unstoppable playmaker and facilitator when he’s got someone to set up.

The worst games the Miami Heat have had this season have been when Wade and James play tug-of-war with control of the ship. Game 2 of these Finals was a night where Dwyane Wade couldn’t miss, but who started heaving up ill-advised shots late in the game? Yes, LeBron. He tried to be Jordan and didn’t quite measure up.

If Erik Spoelstra broke him of that and let him know that his passing and defense would be more helpful than trying to score 30, Spo may deserve more credit than I, or anyone else, has been willing to give him since nWo South Beach tried to burn the arena down with July’s glorified pep rally.

Doyyyyyy-el denigrates the importance of people who can play defense, saying, “James played the defensive-stopper card. That's why he's out there, you know. For his defense. He's not a latter-day Michael Jordan. He's a latter-day Dudley Bradley.” Uh, yeah, because Dudley Bradley went for 17 and nine in the Finals exactly… oh, wait, he never played in the Finals. Barely played in the regular season, for that matter.

If 17 points and nine assists in the Finals are the numbers of a “shrinking” superstar, then what to make of Magic? He went for 17 or fewer points with nine or more assists 18 times in his Finals career.

Mr. Doyyyyyy-el, care to try and make a case that Magic Johnson and his five rings wilted in the Finals? Shrank from the spotlight? Disappeared in the clutch? Go ahead and try it. Let’s see what happens then.

Last May, I wrote that if LeBron wanted to win a championship, he HAD to go to South Beach and play in Dwyane Wade’s house. He did, and now look where he finds himself: two wins from that elusive championship.

I’m far from a LeBron apologist, in case you’re wondering. The Decision frosted my cookies just as much as anyone else’s, because it was a complete puss-out on LeBron’s part not to shoot straight with the Cavs. Still, this turn of events isn’t the end of civilization as we know it, and those who think it is kind of need to get over themselves.

The Heat’s early-season struggles and their few stumbles in the playoffs have been when these two alpha dogs both wanted to pull the sled themselves. When LeBron remembers that he has an uncanny ability to elevate others, the sledding seems to be so much smoother. If the Mo-Heat-os keep playing the way they are right now, LeBron could, and should, have himself a “magical” moment on which a legacy can be built.

Call him "Merlin" James.

 

Rank-a-Shaq: Where O'Neal Stands Among the All-Time Giants

If I went nuts and started piling up a Bill Simmons-esque “Pyramid” of my favorite NBA players ever, I’d probably catch grief because the big guys would catch hell. Maybe somebody else loves the big guys who can plant themselves on the block and dare the opposing stiff to stop him, and fair play to them. Personal preference and all that.

My kind of player veers more toward the skill-finesse type of game, the moves or shots that just make you either practice harder or throw up your hands and say “screw it, I quit.” Touting a player as one of the best of all-time simply because he hit the genetic lottery and ended up seven feet tall is kind of knee-jerk. Sure, Wilt Chamberlain could rack the kinds of stats that would make NBA Jam players climb to the next difficulty level, but how many really skilled bigs did he face night in and night out?

So, now that we’ve established that I’m more of a Jerry West/John Havlicek kind of guy than a Chamberlain/Russell sort, does it disqualify me from discussing the best centers of all time? Hope not, because that’s exactly what’s coming.

With Shaquille O’Neal’s retirement, there’s sure to be a rush of historical assessments coming, and some are sure to name Shaq as the best big man ever. I would ask those people to please put down the Kool-Aid. Again, personal preference.

Let’s get into which big men I do rate highly, and why. My Top 5 centers read thusly:

5. Wilt Chamberlain

Career Averages: 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds, .540 FG%, .511 FT%, 2 NBA titles

Wilt’s numbers were always outrageous, but let’s not front: they should have been. The game had never seen a guy of Wilt’s size, stature, and skill level. There were other tall fellas, guys like the 6’11” Walt Bellamy or the 6’11” Nate Thurmond, but Wilt outweighed both of those guys by 50 pounds.

Watching Wilt play had to be like seeing a high school senior schooling a bunch of freshmen. Still, it wasn’t until he got guys like Hal Greer, Chet Walker, and Billy Cunningham around him, AND let them take some shots once in a while, that he was finally able to win a championship.

1965-66: Wilt 25.2 FGA/game, team goes 55-25, loses to Celtics in East Finals

1966-67: Wilt 14.2 FGA/game (4^th on team), team goes 68-13 and wins title

Those who want to eviscerate LeBron because he couldn’t carry Cleveland to a title need to remember Wilt. It took him a few years to prove that the game had passed one-man teams by.

4. Shaquille O’Neal

Career Averages: 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, .582 FG%, .527 FT%, 4 NBA titles

Shaq gets up on Wilt because by the 1990’s, the NBA did have a few skilled big men for him to compete against. Shaq took on the likes of Ewing, Olajuwon, Mutombo, Mourning, Robinson, Duncan, and Howard, and though he still had a physical advantage on them, it wasn’t the straight mismatch that Wilt’s games seemed to be.

The sad part about both guys is simply imagining how many points they could have scored and how many more games they could have won if either man could have shot his free throws worth a damn. Wilt would have had another 2,246 points, about 2.1 per game, if he’d been a 70% free throw shooter. Shaq left 1,941 points on the table, or about 1.6 per game. Both men played a lot of games in their careers that could have swung on another two points.

I subscribe to this philosophy: when it got down to the end of a close game, Shaq and Wilt were liabilities. Until later in their careers, their teams couldn’t ignore them on offense, so opportunities to foul them were endless. When it’s a two-point game and you know it’s not likely a shooter’s making both free throws, why let them do anything with the ball?

It put a ton of pressure on their teammates to go get the offensive rebounds after the inevitable bricks. When over the period of your career, your limitations contributed to a great many losses and never got remedied, you have little claim to being the best anything of all time.

3. Bill Russell

Career Averages: 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, .440 FG%, .561 FT%, 11 NBA titles

Let’s get this out of the way now: if Shaq or Wilt could have shot freebies with any competence, they would leave Russell in the dust. The fact that a 215-pound man could be one of the game’s legendary centers underscores how thin the crop was in the ‘60s.

Russell could charitably be called mediocre offensively, and he was never the prime option for Boston. Of course, he never had to be. I think we could possibly fill an entire 12-man roster with Hall of Famers from those Celtics teams that won 11 championships in 13 years. Let’s try it:

Bill Sharman, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, Frank Ramsey, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, Satch Sanders, Clyde Lovellette, John Havlicek, Bailey Howell…okay, that’s 10. But if we add in the Hall of Fame coaches John Thompson and Don Nelson, there’s our 12. When you’re surrounded by an entire wing of the Hall of Fame, it’s hard to give you much credit for winning 11 championships.

What Russell did do was dominate defensively, revolutionizing the art of shot-blocking. He got credit for using blocks as outlet passes, starting thousands of Celtics fast breaks. Contrast that with guys like Wilt and just about every center in the SportsCenter era (I’m looking at you, Dwight Howard), who would rather smack the ball into row five and glare at the opponent. “Never mind that you’ll get to score again, I just owned your ass and will enjoy it for these eight seconds. This proves that my testicles are of superior size to yours. And no one will remember if the game’s a one-point loss for us.”

Still, if we wanted to pick a modern-day player to compare to Russell, our closest bet might be Dennis Rodman. Great rebounder, great defensive player, won a lot of titles playing with better, more skilled players. I dare you to find someone better.

2. Hakeem Olajuwon

Career Averages: 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 3.1 blocks, .512 FG%, .712 FT%, 2 NBA titles

This is the one that I expect to catch grief for. “Hakeem over Wilt and Russell, ARE YOU INSANE?” If that’s the definition, then yes, I guess I am. A few points in my favor:

Hakeem played against the same crop of big men that Shaq did, except replace guys like Howard with guys like Kareem. Trade up. Oh, and Hakeem outplayed Shaq in the 1995 Finals, despite being 10 years older, so there’s that, too.

Hakeem did everything well (block shots, rebound, pass, score) that Wilt did, but he had a bit more depth to his jump shot, and he could actually shoot free throws. He was winning rebound titles by a full two rebounds per game, in an era where shooting was better and no one man could possibly dominate the boards the way Chamberlain did.

Where Russell had a bunch of legends helping him win championships, Hakeem’s first championship was aided by the likes of Otis Thorpe, Vernon Maxwell, and Kenny Smith. That 1994 Rockets team was the closest thing we’ve had to a one-man championship since…hell, possibly since George Mikan.

If that’s not enough, why not let Michael Jordan tell you a little something about Hakeem?

“If I had to pick a center [for an all-time best team], I would take Olajuwon. That leaves out Shaq, Patrick Ewing. It leaves out Wilt Chamberlain. It leaves out a lot of people. And the reason I would take Olajuwon is very simple: he is so versatile because of what he can give you from that position. It's not just his scoring, not just his rebounding or not just his blocked shots. People don't realize he was in the top seven in steals. He always made great decisions on the court. For all facets of the game, I have to give it to him.”

Tell it, Mike.

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Career Averages: 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, .559 FG%, .721 FT%, 6 NBA titles

Yes, Kareem had a lot of help winning his titles. Guys like Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Mychal Thompson, and Byron Scott were big factors in five of his titles. Until the last two, though, Kareem was the biggest dog in the yard, a claim that couldn’t always be made about Russell.

Even on that first title, though, the one with the Milwaukee Bucks, the 24-year-old Lew Alcindor had the legendary Oscar Robertson and career 18-ppg man Bobby Dandridge deferring to him. It could never truly be said that Kareem “carried” his teams to a title, at least not the way Hakeem did, but he was the focus of his teams in a way Russell never was.

The statistical averages favor Wilt and Russell, but that disregards the fact that shooting percentages were hideous when they played. In fact, Wilt was the first player to finish a season over .500 from the floor. Russell’s best was .467. In an era where scoring was up because shooting was decent, Kareem didn’t have the chance to crunch 20-rebound games all the time, but he did rip almost 17 per game in his first year with the Lakers.

In the season where he turned 39, Kareem was still averaging 23.4 points per game. Wilt essentially stopped shooting at 34, and Russell retired at 35. No other player has been as dominant a force in the NBA for as many years.

Again, it goes back to what kind of game you prefer. I’d rather watch a skill and finesse game than see a pass into the low post and the center bulldozing his man with little more than a large ass. Hakeem and Kareem played a much more skillful game than guys like Wilt and Shaq, who could simply overwhelm everyone physically.

Shaq was essentially everything I don’t like in a player. Reliant on his size and strength more than any particular skill set. An unrepentant attention whore. A terrible rapper. But still, he made the court his domain for a lot of years, and deserves great respect for the way he performed.

Best of all time, though? Not hardly.

4 Quarters Radio: April 22 4th Quarter

Click to Play

The fourth-quarter curriculum for April 22:
--Scott and Mack move into the NBA Playoffs, and Mack starts by getting plenty torqued over the Bulls' lackluster showings against the Pacers. Both guys ponder how the Bulls have been able to escape.
--Mack sounds like he's cooling off on his pick of Oklahoma City for the NBA Finals, while Scott is beginning to warm up to the idea.
--Mack is prepared to go out on one other limb in the Western Conference, while Scott appears worried that the team's star is more capable of shooting his team out of the playoffs.
--A national radio host's "surprise pick" gets debunked by that team's one-man-band appearance.
--In the Epic Fails, Mack piles on a pitcher committing the Balk From Hell, while Scott shakes his head at a popular cliche taken way too literally.

Featured music: "Prayin'" by Plan B.