Mathew
Huff
6/20/16
When it comes to the
Mount Rushmore of NBA greats, many do not hesitate to name 4 or 5 NBA legends
right off the top of their heads. Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell are just a few players that people sometimes
name when it comes to the greatest NBA legends. The one player fans seemingly
forget quite a bit however, is Elgin Baylor. Yes, the former Los Angeles Lakers
small forward who was taken number one overall by the Minneapolis Lakers in the
1958 draft deserves to be put back in the conversation of the pantheon of NBA
legends who transcended the league and revolutionized the way the game of
basketball was played at the time. One thing that made Elgin Baylor so
impressive is the fact that he started suffering from knee problems in the
middle of his career and was able to lead the Lakers to consecutive finals
appearances despite this. Yes, Baylor was 0 for 8 in the Finals throughout his
career, but that should not take away from his greatness. Many people would
list Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, or John Stockton as the
greatest player to never win a championship, but Elgin Baylor should be put in
this conversation as well. Baylor’s accomplishments add to his legacy as well,
if you take into consideration his number 22 was retired by the Lakers, he was an
11 time all-star, former all-star game MVP, former Rookie of the Year, and made
the All-NBA First Team 10 times throughout his illustrious career. Baylor put
up outstanding numbers throughout his career as well as averaging 27.4 points
per game, 13.5 rebounds a game, and 4.6 assists a game. Elgin Baylor also holds
the record for most points in an NBA Finals game with 61 points against the
Boston Celtics in 1962, an impressive record that still stands today.
One does not need to look
only at statistics to understand Baylor’s greatness however, as he was one of
the first NBA pioneers. He was considered undersized for his position, but put
up incredible rebounding numbers and was one of the first players to
revolutionize the game with his athleticism and great scoring ability. Elgin
had an iconic way to score by utilizing his running bank shot which helped him
become even more effective during his playing days. He was one of the first
polarizing figures the league ever saw to alter the game in a unique way. The
former Minneapolis Lakers owner Bob Short in a past interview credited Elgin
Baylor for saving the franchise and preventing the team from going bankrupt.
Yes, that is right, without Baylor the iconic Los Angeles Lakers may not even
exist today. To top it all off, many individuals would rightly credit Elgin
Baylor as the most underrated player in NBA history. Baylor also has received
credit from some notable NBA peers such as Jerry West and Bill Sharman as one
of the greatest players of all time, which goes to show just how dominant Elgin
Baylor was in his playing days and yet another reason why Elgin needs to start
being remembered more by analysts, avid fans, and even some players. In
conclusion, it’s time for everyone to stop forgetting about Elgin Baylor and
start appreciating what he brought to the game of basketball.
No comments:
Post a Comment