The way he broke down defenders is something that doesn't happen much more, nowadays. His killer crossover is, probably, one of the greatest moves any NBA player ever had in their repertoire. We don't see anything like that anymore, at least not as how often we saw Tim do it.
He was a good shooter, who found ways to score, when you didn't think he could.
And, he was great at getting his teammates involved. He didn't play on the greatest of teams, but he had a knack for keeping his team in games, whether he had to do it by scoring, or distributing.
He didn't get all the accolades, but he didn't need them.
He did enough to earn his way onto my list.
11. ALONZO MOURNING
One of the most intense players of all time.
He might be in that category of players that people forget about how good they actually were.
As an undersized center, he dominated games early in his career.
And, unlike Dikembe Mutombo, he dominated games on the offensive end, along with the defensive end.
He was a ferocious shot blocker. One of those unexpectedly good shot blockers, who could come off of his man to swat a shot. Yes, that's how most shot blockers make their living, but he was one of the better ones.
Zo led the league in blocked shots once, and that was the same year he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year ('99).
He wasn't a dazzling player.
He just owned the paint.
He was a 20 and 10 guy, to go along with his 3 blocked shots each game.
That's a difference maker, if I've ever known one.
10. GRANT HILL
Oh, what could have been?
Damn those injuries.
Grant Hill, if not injured, would have gone down as one of the greatest NBA players ever to play, but instead, he is only getting the number 10 spot on my list.
And, that's only because his injuries didn't start piling on until the 2000-01 season.
Grant Hill was a constant threat for a triple double.
The kind of threat Magic Johnson was.
He was a mixture of smart and quick. A rare breed for a player.
He was a 20+ point scorer, mixed with a 7+ rebound guy, and a 6+ assist man.
But, he had the ability to dominate in any one of those categories, on any given night.
In his last season before the injuries started, he averaged 25.8 points per game. He was starting to come into his own as a scorer, which was scary.
He was the first rookie to ever lead the NBA in All-Star voting. He, even once received more votes than Michael Jordan did.
That's saying something.
An All NBA First Team performer in '97, an All NBA Second Team performer in '96, '98, '99, and for the '99-00 season, much more was expected from him.
But, considering what he did in the '90s, I feel comfortable having him in my top 10.
9. DAVID ROBINSON
The Admiral.
He was about as dominant as any center who has every played the game.
That's not saying he was the greatest, but just one of them.
Isn't that how everyone feels about David Robinson?
He was great, had great stats, but he was just kind of....there!
But, you do have to admit that his stats speak for themselves.
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