Monday, January 30, 2006

Federer inches up; Mauresmo makes women's top 32

Roger Federer's wipeout of Marcos Baghdatis in the Australian Open pulled him nearly even with Stephan Edberg for ninth place on my all-time list of greatest tennis players of the open era.

I've also slightly reconfigured the rankings, adding bonus points for doubles titles. This didn't affect the men, but it did change the women's rankings slightly.

Anyway, heading into the French (the one major tournament Federer has yet to win), here's the men's all-time top 32.


Player, Country, Years, Total
1. Pete Sampras, United States, 1990-2002, 656.50
2. Bjorn Borg, Sweden, 1974-1981, 648.50
3. Ivan Lendl, Czechoslovakia, 1981-1991, 619.50
4. Jimmy Connors, United States, 1974-1984, 597.00
5. John McEnroe, United States, 1979-1985, 558.00
6. Mats Wilander, Sweden, 1982-1988, 472.50
7. Andre Agassi, United States, 1990-2005, 470.00
8. Boris Becker, Germany, 1985-1996, 423.50
9. Stephan Edberg, Sweden, 1985-1993, 409.00
10. Roger Federer, Switzerland, 2003-2006, 408.50
11. Rod Laver, Australia, 1968-1971, 355.50
12. Jim Courier, United States, 1991-1993, 334.50
13. Guillermo Vilas, Argentina, 1975-1982, 323.00
14. John Newcombe, Australia, 1968-1976, 323.00
15. Ken Rosewall, Australia, 1968-1974, 295.50
16. Jan Kodes, Czechoslovakia, 1970-1973, 228.00
17. Arthur Ashe, United States, 1968-1975, 214.50
18. Illie Nastase, Romania, 1971-1976, 197.00
19. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, 2001-2005, 192.50
20. Marat Safin, Russia, 2000-2005, 191.00
21. Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil, 1997-2001, 166.00
22. Stan Smith, United States, 1968-1980, 156.50
23. Pat Rafter, Australia, 1997-2001, 155.50
24. Yevgeny Kafelinikov, Russia, 1996-2000, 145.00
25. Pat Cash, Australia, 1987-1988, 141.00
26. Michael Chang, United States, 1989-1996, 134.00
27. Sergei Bruguera, Spain, 1993-1997, 133.00
28. Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia, 1992-2001, 131.00
29. Michael Stich, Germany, 1991-1996, 121.50
30. Johan Kriek, South Africa, 1981-1982
31. Andy Roddick, United States, 2003-2005, 111.50
32. Manuel Orantes, Argentina, 1974-1975, 109.00

Amelie Mauresmo moved into the women's top 32 with her abbreviated title over Justin Henin-Hardenne. Henin-Hardenne's disappointing effort still gained her some points.

Also, Martina Hingis actually earned some points. Her mixed doubles title earned her .5 bonus points and Mauresmo's title earned Swiss Miss some bonus points for her 1999 Aussie Open win over Mauresmo. If she can just reach another final, that would be enough to send her past Serena Williams. I'm sure deep down in Martina's soul, she'd like to be remembered as better than Venus and Serena.

The updated top 32 women.


Player, Country, Years, Points
1. Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovakia, 1974-2003, 1308.00
2. Steffi Graf, Germany, 1987-1999, 1215.50
3. Chris Evert-Lloyd, United States, 1973-1988, 953.50
4. Monica Seles, Yugoslavia, 1990-1998, 684.00
5. Margaret Smith-Court, Australia, 1968-1975, 675.00
6. Billie Jean King, United States, 1968-1979, 650.50
7. Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Australia, 1971-1980, 579.50
8. Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario, Spain, 1989-1998, 468.50
9. Serena Williams, United States, 1999-2005, 457.50
10. Martina Hingis, Switzerland, 1996-2006, 444.50
11. Venus Williams, United States, 1997-2005, 406.00
12. Hana Mandlikova, Czechoslovakia, 1980-1987, 334.00
13. Lindsay Davenport, United States, 1998-2005, 312.00
14. Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium, 2001-2006, 245.00
15. Virginia Wade, England, 1968-1977, 197.00
16. Mary Pierce, France, 1994-2005, 194.00
17. Tracy Austin, United States, 1979-1981, 186.50
18. Jennifer Capriati, United States, 2001-2002, 184.00
19. Gabriela Sabatini, Argentina, 1988-1991, 165.00
20. Kim Clijsters, Belgium, 2001-2005, 151.00
21. Jana Novotna, Czechoslovakia, 1991-1998, 150.00
22. Ann Haydon-Jones, England, 1968-1969, 141.00
23. Conchita Martinez, Spain, 1994-2000, 140.00
24. Virginia Ruzici, Romania, 1978-1980, 107.50
25. Kerry Melville-Reid, Australia, 1970-1977, 103.00
26. Mimi Jausovec, Yugoslavia, 1977-1983, 97.00
27. Helena Sukova, Czechoslovakia, 1984-1993, 94.50
28. Amelie Mauresmo, France, 1999-2006, 90.00
29. Christine O'Neill, Australia, 1978, 85.00
30. Wendy Turnbill, United States, 1977-1980, 80.00
31. Maria Sharapova, Russia, 2004, 77.50
32. Mary Joe Fernandez, United States, 1990-1993, 75.00

Sunday, January 29, 2006

The final list - top 59 players in pro basketball history

First, why 59? There have been 59 pro basketball seasons. Each year, I'll update the list and add a player. So this summer, I'll put out a top 60.

Now if you went through and looked at my top 10s by each position, you'd think that would create the list. It wouldn't. For my top 59, I adjusted the overall totals by position.

Certain positions, center and power forward, just scored better under my system. They had tremendous advantages in rebounding, shot blocking and field goal percentage. Guards really only had an advantage on assists, and slightly in steals.

To keep the final list from being dominated by power players, I added up the point totals of the top 10 players at each position and divided by 10. Centers finished with the highest average. I then subtracted each position from the center position for the adjustment. Power forwards received 439 points, point guards 516, small forwards 519 and shooting guards 771.

As players move up the rankings, their position adjustments will fall. Today, there are two active power forwards in the top 10 moving up and one just outside the top 10. Power forwards are going to receive fewer position adjustment points. This will create situations where players will pass each other in my rankings even though both are retired.

Strange but fair, I believe. Here is my final top 59. I'll do it in reverse order.

Player, year, raw total, adjustment, final total
No. 59, Walter Davis, 1977-1992, 13313.6, 771.4, 14085.0
No. 58, Kevin Johnson, 1987-2000, 13644.6, 516.8, 14161.4
No. 57, Gus Williams, 1975-1987, 13723.5, 516.8, 14240.3
No. 56, Robert Parish, 1976-1997, 14315.6, 0.0, 14315.6
No. 55, Chris Webber, 1993-2005, 13908.0, 439.5, 14347.5
No. 54, Mo Cheeks, 1978-1993, 13882.3, 516.8, 14399.1
No. 53, Willis Reed, 1964-1974, 14448.4, 0.0, 14448.4
No. 52, Dennis Johnson, 1976-1990, 13706.2, 771.4, 14477.6
No. 51, Mel Daniels, 1967-1977, 14480.3, 0.0, 14480.3

No. 50, Tim Hardaway, 1989-2003, 13990.9, 516.8, 14507.7
No. 49, Hal Greer, 1958-1973, 13769.2, 771.4, 14540.6
No. 48, Bill Sharman, 1950-1961, 13783.2, 771.4, 14554.6
No. 47, Bob Lanier, 1970-1984, 14649.0, 0.0, 14649.0
No. 46, Dan Issel, 1970-1985, 14264.9, 439.5, 14704.4
No. 45, Alex English, 1976-1991, 14486.0, 519.7, 15005.7
No. 44, Dominique Wilkins, 1982-1999, 14542.8, 519.7, 15062.5
No. 43, Dave Cowens, 1970-1983, 15258.6, 0.0, 15258.6
No. 42, Billy Cunningham, 1965-1976, 14869.1, 519.7, 15388.8
No. 41, Paul Arizin, 1950-1962, 14906.3, 519.7, 15426.0

No. 40, Connie Hawkins, 1961-1976, 14956.0, 519.7, 15475.7
No. 39, Bob McAdoo, 1972-1986, 15561.9, 0.0, 15561.9
No. 38, Walt Frazier, 1967-1980, 15201.6, 516.8, 15718.4
No. 37, Allen Iverson, 1996-2005, 15246.7, 516.8, 15763.5
No. 36, Kobe Bryant, 1996-2005, 15120.8, 771.4, 15892.2
No. 35, George McGinnis, 1971-1982, 15607.3, 439.5, 16046.8
No. 34, Clyde Drexler, 1983-1998, 15550.6, 771.4, 16322.0
No. 33, Jason Kidd, 1994-2005, 15816.8, 516.8, 16333.6
No. 32, Isiah Thomas, 1981-1993, 15838.4, 516.8, 16355.2
No. 31, Pat Ewing, 1985-2002, 16588.4, 0.0, 16588.4

No. 30, John Havlicek, 1962-1978, 16248.4, 519.7, 16768.1
No. 29, Scottie Pippen, 1987-2004, 16536.3, 519.7, 17056.0
No. 28, George Gervin, 1972-1986, 16304.3, 771.4, 17075.7
No. 27, Rick Barry, 1965-1980, 16677.6, 519.7, 17197.3
No. 26, Artis Gilmore, 1971-1988, 17319.1, 0.0, 17319.1
No. 25, Gary Payton, 1990-2005, 16848.3, 516.8, 17365.1
No. 24, John Stockton, 1984-2003, 17021.6, 516.8, 17538.4
No. 23, Charles Barkley, 1984-2000, 17100.3, 439.5, 17539.8
No. 22, Elvin Hayes, 1968-1984, 17280.1, 439.5, 17719.6
No. 21, Elgin Baylor, 1958-1972, 17430.3, 519.7, 17950.0

No. 20, George Mikan, 1948-1956, 18123.1, 0.0, 18123.1
No. 19, Dolph Schayes, 1949-1964, 17694.8, 439.5, 18134.3
No. 18, Moses Malone, 1974-1995, 18288.7, 0.0, 18288.7
No. 17, David Robinson, 1989-2003, 18490.3, 0.0, 18490.3
No. 16, Kevin Garnett, 1996-2005, 18108.3, 439.5, 18547.8
No. 15, Jerry West, 1960-1974, 17819.0, 771.4, 18590.4
No. 14, Tim Duncan, 1997-2005, 18217.9, 439.5, 18657.4
No. 13, Bob Pettit, 1954-1965, 18231.9, 439.5, 18671.4
No. 12, Shaquille O'Neal, 1992-2005, 18846.9, 0.0, 18846.9
No. 11, Bob Cousy, 1950-1970, 18546.4, 516.8, 19063.2

No. 10, Magic Johnson, 1979-1996, 18628.3, 516.8, 19145.1
No. 9, Oscar Robertson, 1960-1974, 18749.4, 516.8, 19266.2
No. 8, Bill Russell, 1956-1969, 19765.2, 0.0, 19765.2
No. 7, Karl Malone, 1985-2004, 19339.0, 439.5, 19778.5
No. 6, Larry Bird, 1979-1992, 19359.2, 519.7, 19878.9
No. 5, Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-2002, 19927.9, 0.0, 19927.9
No. 4, Julius Erving, 1971-1987, 20213.4, 519.7, 20733.1
No. 3, Michael Jordan, 1984-2003, 20809.7, 771.4, 21581.1
No. 2, Wilt Chamberlain, 1959-1973, 21838.9, 0.0, 21838.9
No. 1, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1969-1989, 22679.8, 0.0, 22679.8

Michael Jordan gave up a chance to be the greatest player by retiring prematurely not once but twice. Had he played the 4 1/2 seasons he chose to sit out, he would have finished as the sport's all-time leading scorer and most likely racked up enough points to edge Kareem and Wilt for the top spot.

Michael didn't though and Kareem finished on top. He played forever and at the highest level until his final season. He played as well and sometimes better in the playoffs than the regular season.

Karl Malone is in an interesting spot. He's No. 7 ahead of Bill Russell, the Big O and Magic. For consistency, no one, not even Kareem beats Karl. He carved out season after season among the top five players in the league. He never won an NBA title and several times his teams bowed out early. But his playoff stats are solid. He just worked himself into the mix as one of the best players of all time.

That being said, Garnett and Duncan are rewriting how power forward will be remembered. It's likely his position adjustment points will fall enough to put Russell in front of him. Still, he seems safe from Robertson and Magic.

Final side note: Basketball is the sport most disected by race. Black players just naturally seem to jump higher, a decided advantage in basketball. Using this list, this would be the all-time white vs. black game.

Position, black team, white team
Center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. George Mikan
PF, Karl Malone vs. Bob Pettit
SF, Julius Erving vs. Larry Bird
SG, Michael Jordan vs. Jerry West
PG, Oscar Robertson vs. Bob Cousy

Backups
Black team, white team
Wilt Chamberlain -- Dolph Schayes
Hakeem Olajuwon -- John Stockton
Bill Russell (C-PF) -- Rick Barry
Magic Johnson -- John Havlicek
Tim Duncan -- Paul Arizin
Elgin Baylor -- Billy Cunningham
Gary Payton -- Dave Cowens

* This bypasses players such as Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett and Charles Barkley because those positions were full. Bill Walton's abbreviated career would cost the white team. He had perhaps the best skills of any white center.

The men in the middle

Great centers appear to be a dying breed. With Shaquille O'Neal on the downside of his career, there doesn't appear to be a successor coming along -- although Tim Duncan truthfully is a center listed at power forward.

Still, this is a strange development since centers have ruled the professional landscape since George Mikan.

Side note: I like Yao Ming. I've drafted him for fantasy teams each year he has been in the league. But I don't think he'll ever be a 20 and 10 guy.

Here are the top 10 centers

Player, year, points
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1969-1989, 22679.8
2. Wilt Chamberlain, 1959-1973, 21697.2
3. Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-2002, 19927.9
4. Bill Russell, 1956-1969, 19765.2
5. Shaquille O'Neal, 1992-2005, 18846.9
6. David Robinson, 1989-2003, 18490.3
7. Moses Malone, 1974-1995, 18288.7
8. George Mikan, 1948-1956, 18123.1
9. Artis Gilmore, 1971-1988, 17319.1
10. Pat Ewing, 1985-2002, 16588.4

Kareem over Wilt. This was another thing that surprised me when I ran the numbers. It came down to Kareem's longevity and Wilt's playoff shortcomings. I've always defended Chamberlain in the Wilt vs. Russell arguments. Russell's fans say he was the ultimate winner. Well, Wilt still finished higher on my list than Bill, but they have a point about Wilt's playoff numbers. They aren't nearly as good as his regular season stats. And in my system, I don't rate playoff numbers against other players, I rate playoff numbers against a player's regular season stats.

Why? Well if Michael Jordan averaged 30 points a game in the regular season, his teammates were going to need those 30 in the playoffs to win the title. If he only averaged 25 in the playoffs, that still may have been better than everyone else, but that means the defense held him down, forcing other Bulls to step up or the Bulls went home.

This happened way too much with Wilt.

Another result that surprised me, Moses Malone finished below David Robinson. I saw both play at their peak and I thought Moses was better. His 1982-1983 season was magic. But Moses faded quickly as a top player -- although he remained a serviceable center for 20 years -- while Robinson played at the highest level longer. Robinson was also helped by his defensive statistics. He may have been the greatest athlete to play center ever. Moses wasn't much of a shot blocker.

Of the next 10 centers, only Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo are playing, but both as backups. This list won't change for a long time.

The greatest shooting guards

No one player dominated his position more than Michael Jordan. Jerry West may be on the NBA's logo (and a better team executive by far), but Jordan stands alone as the choice at shooting guard.

Player, years, points
1. Michael Jordan, 1984-2003, 20809.7
2. Jerry West, 1960-1974, 17819.0
3. George Gervin, 1972-1986, 16304.3
4. Clyde Drexler, 1983-1998, 15550.6
5. Kobe Bryant, 1996-2005, 15120.8
6. Bill Sharman, 1950-1961, 13783.2
7. Hal Greer, 1958-1973, 13769.2
8. Dennis Johnson, 1976-1990, 13706.2
9. Walter Davis, 1977-1992, 13313.6
10. Sydney Moncrief, 1979-1991, 12982.5

Interestingly, there have been few really top notch shooting guards. Reggie Miller was beloved but he finished 12th, behind cocaine-hampered David Thompson, because he did little except score. Pete Maravich didn't really get a chance in the NBA because of the lousy teams he played on and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe was a surprisingly low 17th.

Kobe Bryant is No. 5 with a bullet. He's on his way to his first scoring title and he excels on defense as well. He may challenge West for No. 2 on this list.

Interesting point about Dennis Johnson at No. 8. Celtic fans always talk about that great front line of Bird, McHale and Robert Parish. It turns out Bird's best teammate was Dennis Johnson.

All-time top small forwards -- a surprise.

In the NBA today, No. 4s rule rule with players Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace and Elton Brand dominating the landscape. It almost makes you forget that small forwards dominated basketball for much of the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

Here are the 10 greatest small forwards and there is a surprise at the top, at least in my system.

Player, years, points
1. Julius Erving, 1971-1987, 20213.4
2. Larry Bird, 1979-1992, 19359.2
3. Elgin Baylor, 1958-1972, 17430.3
4. Rick Barry, 1965-1980, 16677.6
5. Scottie Pippen, 1987-2004, 16536.3
6. John Havlicek, 1962-1978, 16248.4
7. Connie Hawkins, 1967-1976, 14956.0
8. Paul Arizin, 1950-1962, 14906.3
9. Billy Cunningham, 1965-1976, 14869.1
10. Dominique Wilkins, 1982-1999, 14542.8

OK, I can hear Bird fans saying "Whaaaaat?"

Going in, I assumed Bird would finish ahead of Dr. J even though I was an Erving fan. But what fans of Bird forget is that Doctor J dominated the ABA as thoroughly as any player dominated a league ever. If you just take NBA seasons into account, Bird would finish way ahead. But by the time Bird came into the NBA, Erving's best days were behind him.

Another factor in Erving's favor was defense. Bird had very few steals or blocks. Somehow he was second team all-defense three times, but there was little justification for that. He was said to be a great help defender, but Charles Barkley had a great line about Bird's defense, saying he'd never be the league's worst defender as long as Bird was still playing.

Erving was all-league defense in the ABA but never in the NBA. But he was a first-rate shot blocker and better at stealing the ball.

Defense was a key reason Scottie Pippen finished so high as well. I watched Pippen play and always considered him to be overrated. But he filled a box score as well as anyone.

Another surprise in this system is that Elgin Baylor finished so far behind in third. Elgin had some great seasons but those were in the highest-scoring times in the NBA. Elgin also lost a lot of time because of his knees.

This list isn't likely to change soon. Only one of the next 10 players -- Grant Hill -- is active. Hill is 13th but he's got little time left to move past Dominique Wilkins for 10th.