2024 BGOL Centers Mt Rushmore

[Costanza]

This thread is the third in a 2024/25 series revisiting Mt Rushmore selections, following the 2024 Shooting Guard Mt Rushmore and 2024 Point Guard Mt Rushmore. A position Mt Rushmore has been assessed every five years on BGOL beginning in 2014.

In 2019, the 2014 BGOL Shooting Guard Mt Rushmore was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (91.4%), Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Shaquille O'Neal, in that order. Shaq beat Olajuwon for the final spot with 62.4% of the vote to Hakeem's 54.8%

Five years before that, the 2014 BGOL Centers Mt Rushmore was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (89.9%), Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Hakeem Olajuwon. 148 people voted and Olajuwon beat out Shaq for the final spot by two votes.

For 2024, Wes Unseld and Bill Laimbeer, who received no votes in 2019, will be dropped from consideration. Tied for second to last with one vote each were David Robinson, Willis Reed, Bill Walton and George Mikan. We are adding four new entries so the oldest two (in terms of draft class)-- Mikan and Reed-- will be dropped. In their places we will add Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid, Karl Anthony Towns and Victor Wembanyama.

Disagree with those options? That's why other is a choice. (Can't include every conceivable choice. Anyone left off wasn't finishing top 4 in the poll regardless.) Post who your other is if you vote that way.

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[Costanza]

Jokić was an unknown five years ago and he's on a lot of people's Mt Rushmore now. I also added Joel Embiid, Karl Anthony Towns and Victor Wembanyama.

None of these guys belong in a discussion of Mt Rushmore centers... NONE!!!!

One title in the entire lot.. and we dont even know what fucking position Wemby plays. I sure as hell dont. KAT has never been a top 3 center in his career.. No way in fuck he sniffs a Mt Rushmore discussion. Jokic plays half the court and Embiid plays half the time.

Calm down... There are 15 slots in the poll and I filled them, replacing older figures who received zero votes last time like George Mikan. You can argue that Mikan belongs in the discussion more than KAT but this is the third iteration of this and we know nobody is voting for Mikan.

Classifying by position is always the hard part. We've had that discussion about Duncan in the past. Draymond is gonna be on the PF ballot even though he plays a lot of center because he's 6'6 and it seems more his natural position.

You know I value defense and I agree with your conclusion about Jokic but he definitely belongs in the 15 slots that start the conversation. I think Embiid does too. KAT is more of a stretch but he has a better chance of actually getting votes in 2025 than George Mikan or Bill Laimbeer.

 

[Costanza]

Russell Westbrook: 201 triple-doubles
Oscar Robertson: 181 triple-doubles
Nikola Jokić: 144 triple-doubles
Magic Johnson: 138 triple-doubles
LeBron James: 120 triple-doubles
Jason Kidd: 107 triple-doubles​

 

[Costanza]

He's on pace to pass Kareem in another year or so...

 

[Tdot_firestarta]

Chose Kareem, Wilt, Shaq and Hakeem

 

[Coldchi]

Chose Kareem, Wilt, Shaq and Hakeem

i got the same.....except chose Russell over Hakeem.
However, i do think those two could be interchangeable.
Very hard to decide on either of those two for that final spot.

 

[Costanza]

 

[Tdot_firestarta]

i got the same.....except chose Russell over Hakeem.
However, i do think those two could be interchangeable.
Very hard to decide on either of those two for that final spot.

co-sign...I was vacillating between D-Rob and Malone..but yeah its hard to narrow down that 4th spot in all of these thought exercises..

same thing for the SG thread with me...I settled on Reggie but Klay, D-Wade, Dumars etc could inhabit that spot

 

[Costanza]

NINE) Two in the Same Game… Again

I thought it was so crazy the first time Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook had triple-doubles in the same game, but to do it twice? That’s just… well, Michael Malone said it best:

“Watching history. This is the History Channel.”

They’re the first pair of teammates in NBA history to both record a triple-double in the same game MULTIPLE TIMES in a single season. Like, what is this?

Nikola Jokic

35 PTS
12 REB
15 AST
+33

Russell Westbrook

25 PTS
11 REB
10 AST
+21

Jokic now has 145 triple-doubles, and Westbrook has 202. Jamal Murray left the game at halftime with knee soreness. Julian Strawther (12 points, 31 minutes) started the second half.

"He's the gameplan.” - Jordi Fernandez on Nikola Jokic

The Nuggets beat the Nets 124-105.

"Jokic now has 145 triple-doubles, and Westbrook has 202."

Jokic is 29 and had 25 triple-doubles last year.

Westbrook is 36.

He's going to be the NBA's all-time triple double leader if he plays 5 more years and is healthy.

He's the greatest offensive center of the modern era easily... right?

 

[Jumbodicc]

Wilt, Kareem, Shaq, Jokic

 

[Costanza]

MSN

"I believe that I can summon the argument and not get too much argument for either one of you that Jokic is the best basketball player that has ever been. I'm putting him ahead of Jordan, ahead of LeBron," the renowned sports writer claimed in his appearance on the OGs podcast. "Just because the numerical efficiencies he is doing are unseen in the history of the game. I Understand he moves like a giant loaf of bread, I understand that we underestimate the things that he might do, because athletically he doesn't seem like he is that gifted…"





@Amajorjokichater

 

[Amajorfucup]

MSN

"I believe that I can summon the argument and not get too much argument for either one of you that Jokic is the best basketball player that has ever been. I'm putting him ahead of Jordan, ahead of LeBron," the renowned sports writer claimed in his appearance on the OGs podcast. "Just because the numerical efficiencies he is doing are unseen in the history of the game. I Understand he moves like a giant loaf of bread, I understand that we underestimate the things that he might do, because athletically he doesn't seem like he is that gifted…"





@Amajorjokichater

And plays zero defense. NONE!!!!

 

[Costanza]

A triple double every 5 games.

 

[Costanza]

And plays zero defense. NONE!!!!

 

[Amajorfucup]

Rewriting of the rules in order to justify their opinion ... de-emphasis at minimum. Actual defense has always been a factor when evaluating play at the center spot. On and off ball. Seeing it outright discounted in order to highlight his accolades is sad to see. Ive watched all the greats have their games nitpicked, dissected and critiqued. With this pasty doughboy slug its all complimentary analysis all the time. He also greatly benefits from the lack of true bigs and back to basket tradition centers of this era. Drop him in the 90s and hes getting worked.

 

[Costanza]

 

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[cnc]

Mose Malone is criminally underrated (not by this group per se).

 

[APOPHIS]

The results reflect my voting exactly.
Good job to all!