One Player from Every NBA Team Who Resembles a Former Franchise Great

For every team in the NBA, there are those players that the fans look back on fondly and remember the great days they had in simpler times.

We like to reflect on glory days and try to recapture that feeling as often as we can. It makes us feel safe, it makes us understand the game more easily, and it makes for an interesting conversation.

Sometimes there are obvious comparisons to be had, like Dwight Howard and Shaq, but other times there are subtle things about players that make them similar to a player from the past.

So, I've done my best to do justice to some of the legends and pseudo-legends in NBA history and found a player on their team currently playing that gives us those warm, bubbly feelings inside realizing the similarities between the two guys.

Now, for some of these players you may need to stretch out your definition of an NBA "star" and a former "great" but I think you guys are capable of that.

Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson and Dominique Wilkins

Admittedly, these two guys play completely different games. Joe can't jump like Dominique and Dominique couldn't shoot like Joe. Dominique couldn't pass like Joe and Joe can't rebound like Dominique. However, the two of them as leaders of the Hawks are very comparable. 

When you look at their teams over the span of the time when they were the leader of their respective teams (as Joe Johnson still is), they were always good, but neither led their team past the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Perhaps both are a bit more style than substance.

Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo and Dave Cowens

I don't want to go all-out and compare Rajon Rondo completely to Dave Cowens, because if Rondo had the mentality that Cowens did, he wouldn't leave the gym until he developed a jumper.

Still, when you look at the way the two play the game, it's impossible to deny that nobody on the Celtics today hustles like Rondo, and nobody in the history of the Celtics hustled like Cowens.

Just check out videos of Rondo hustling to get a loose ball and compare it to Cowens doing the same thing. They don't give up.

Charlotte Bobcats: Kemba Walker and Gerald Wallace

Sure, we haven't seen Kemba Walker play a single game in the NBA yet, but watching him in college and watching him tear up when he realized his dream of making it to the NBA we learned a lot about his character.

Gerald Wallace is the best player in Charlotte's short history, and he made his name by working harder than anyone could ask him and just playing the game the right way. Walker seems to be made of the same stuff.

I think Charlotte is going to be happy with him.

Chicago Bulls: Luol Deng and Bob Love

I would assume that outside of Chicago, few people know who Bob Love is, and even fewer know that his jersey is hanging in the rafters in Chicago.

Love was a versatile small forward who could score and play defense, and was one of the first superstars for the Bulls, but nobody remembers him.

Likewise, Deng is a versatile small forward who can put the ball in the hoop and hound his man on defense, but he continues to be one of the most underrated players in the league.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao and Larry Nance

Anderson Varejao doesn't get up and dunk like Larry Nance used to, and Larry Nance didn't hustle up and down the court like Varejao does, but they still have something in common.

When they're on the floor, both electrified the fans, Nance with his rim-rattling, yet smooth dunking style and Varejao with his endless amounts of energy and dedication to giving his heart and soul to playing the game.

Dallas Mavericks: Jason Kidd and Brad Davis

Okay, maybe it would be better to say that Brad Davis would aspire to be Jason Kidd, but Kidd and Davis are quite similar in their roles with the Mavericks.

Davis was relegated to a lesser role off the bench in his later years with the Mavericks, but perhaps that's when he made the biggest impact. He was a leader of the team even though he was coming off the bench and he effected the game every time he came in.

Jason Kidd may not have been relegated to coming off the bench, but he wasn't in the capacity that he's been used to throughout his career. Still, even as a lesser player this past season, he was one of the biggest leaders for the Mavs and a huge reason they ended up winning the title.

Denver Nuggets: Nene and Dan Issel

Both similarly undersized and under-appreciated, yet surprisingly efficient and effective on either side of the floor, the only big difference between Nene and Issel is that Nene is a bit more defensive-leaning and Issel is a bit more offensive.

Still, through advanced metrics we can see that they are both efficient players, as Nene has been in the top 10 in true shooting percentage four of the past five years and Issel is one of the top 75 players in NBA history in terms of true shooting percentage. They get the most out of the touches they are given.

Detroit Pistons: Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman

This one is pretty obvious isn't it?

Both Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman rebound like nobody else in the league during their peaks, and although Rodman did it as a forward, they were both roughly the same height.

The two big men display great physical defense, and while they weren't the focal point of teams when they won championships, their teams wouldn't have been nearly as successful without them.

Golden State Warriors: Monta Ellis and Rick Barry

For both Monta Ellis and Rick Barry throughout their careers, they were the focal point of controversy, Barry because of his attitude and Ellis because of the way he plays.

For the most part, both have used their offense to outshine any shortcomings they may have had on defense, even though Rick Barry was substantially better than Ellis on the defensive end.

Their styles are quite different, as Barry was very technical and did everything as it was supposed to be done, while Ellis is improvisational and slightly wild, but the results are the same.

Houston Rockets: Kevin Martin and Clyde Drexler

Kevin Martin and Clyde Drexler are two offensive juggernauts with obvious defensive shortcomings (Drexler could steal the ball, but he wasn't the best one-on-one), but their offense makes them what they are.

Martin and Drexler alike have fluid, yet herky-jerky moves that they can whip out on offense, and while Drexler was a touch more athletic, they still both have offensive games that are quite comparable.

Indiana Pacers: Danny Granger and George McGinnis

Danny Granger and George McGinnis are forwards that can do everything on the basketball court for themselves.

McGinnis was a great scorer and leader, good at rebounding, dribbling and passing and a good enough defender, just like Danny Granger, who has done a lot to improve his defense since coming into the league a few years back.

Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin and Nobody

I've decided that comparing Blake Griffin to anyone throughout Clippers history would be too depressing for the Clippers, who have no jerseys hanging from their rafters, despite existing in some form since 1970.

Griffin is legitimately looking like the savior of the Clippers and could become one of the top players in basketball this year.

Now that I've thoroughly jinxed him, look out for news that he's had his legs amputated in the next few days.

Los Angeles Lakers: Pau Gasol and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Please, stretch your imagination a bit for this one, you'll be a bit less outraged.

First the obvious. Pau Gasol is a great low-post offensive player, perhaps the best big man in the post in the NBA. For the longest time, that title was held by Kareem Abdul-Jabar and his amazing ability to score from 10 feet and in.

On defense, it's obvious that Kareem outshines Gasol by about 23 miles, but there were always complaints about Kareem that he wasn't physical enough at points, which sounds quite a bit like Pau Gasol.

Memphis Grizzlies: Rudy Gay and Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Hopefully for Rudy Gay and Memphis fans, Rudy Gay doesn't completely become Shareef Abdur-Rahim, but for the first five years of his career (which were all in Memphis) Abdur-Rahim looked like a future superstar.

After five years in the league, Gay looks like he could end up being a superstar himself.

Abdur-Rahim was a better rebounder and Gay is a better passer, but the two are equally good scorers and at the five-year mark both had questions and hope surrounding their future.

Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade and Tim Hardaway

In the NBA, the crossover and the beauty of such a simple offensive move started with Tim Hardaway, was perfected by Allen Iverson, and early on Dwyane Wade looked like he was the student of the crossover.

Wade has lost a bit of bite on his crossover since some injury troubles, but he still has a pretty killer crossover, sometimes looking as good as the old Miami legend's.

Milwaukee Bucks: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Sidney Moncrief

Sidney Moncrief is the type of player who is appreciated by the fans of his team three or four times as much as the rest of the people in the league appreciate him. He could play defense like no other winger in the league, which is why he ended up winning the first two Defensive Player of the Year Awards.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute may not be on the verge of a DPOY Award, but he is on the verge of being included in an All-Defensive Team. He does it with stellar defense of the man, not the ball, while Moncrief was able to simultaneously defend the ball and his man.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Michael Beasley and Tom Gugliotta

How could these two possibly have anything in common? Well, Tom Gugliotta was a guy the size of a power forward who played like a small forward, just like Michael Beasley.

Sure, Beasley actually has some athleticism, but he and Gugliotta put up similar numbers. They were able to grab some rebounds while throwing in some pretty substantial scoring numbers as well. 

New Jersey Nets: Deron Williams and Drazen Petrovic

This is on the assumption that Deron Williams isn't going to be sticking around after he becomes a free agent next Summer.

Like Williams, the Nets traded for Drazen Petrovic while the team was in a terrible spot, and he ended up exciting the fans in the city. The next two seasons they made the playoffs after missing out for the previous five seasons before Petrovic tragically died in a car crash in 1993.

Williams could bring the excitement back to New Jersey only to bail on the team this coming Summer.

New Orleans Hornets: Emeka Okafor and Vlade Divac

Despite the fact that Vlade Divac is forever known as the guy that got traded for Kobe Bryant, he had a great NBA career.

Like Emeka Okafor, Divac was a smart center who knew how to play defense, even though he never got enough love for it, plus he could rebound and score efficiently when he got the ball.

New York Knicks: Carmelo Anthony and Earl Monroe

While Carmelo Anthony and Earl Monroe have very different styles of play, the main thing about the two is that they are amazing offensive players.

Monroe was a fluid, stylish guard who could make the impossible look effortless, which is why they called him Black Jesus. Meanwhile, Carmelo is a guy who can take on any player in the league one-on-one and break him apart, either getting around him or getting space for a shot.

They did it differently, but they are both relentlessly impressive players who can help a team's offense stay afloat on his own.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Serge Ibaka and Shawn Kemp

Serge Ibaka is still a raw, young player, but when you look at him and compare him to Shawn Kemp, there are some obvious similarities.

Kemp was a monster of a man and an amazing athlete with the ability to soar through the air even though he was nearly seven feet tall. Ibaka, meanwhile is a hulking, muscular being who can leap like a forward.

Just watch Ibaka in the dunk contest last season and compare him to Kemp when he was in dunk contests, they're impressive monsters.

Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard and Shaq

This one's way too easy right?

The most two important big men since Hakeem Olajuwon both started on the same team, both made it to the finals one year, the conference finals the next and lost in the first round of the playoffs the next year.

Even further, the one place that Dwight Howard desires to end up is Los Angeles.

Philadelphia 76ers: Andre Igoudala and Hal Greer

Having played over 30 years apart, there are obvious differences in the way they play the game and the makeup of their skill sets, but both Hal Greer and Andre Iguodala were extremely versatile players.

Greer and Iguodala are both athletic players (Iguodala mores so because of the era) and are able to score, pass, rebound and defend quite well.

Phoenix Suns: Vince Carter and Connie Hawkins

They are completely different players in terms of build, but they are very similar in terms of how they play and how their careers went.

Both extremely athletic players who made a name for themselves by dunking on anything that moved, they took a drastic nosedive at the end of their careers, although Hawkins' decline happened much sooner than Carter's.

Portland Trail Blazers: Gerald Wallace and Bill Walton

Gerald Wallace and Bill Walton are quite different in the way they play on the court, but I think they approach the game with the same mentality.

Both are down-to-earth players who understand the finer points of the game, have high basketball IQs and realize that there are things beyond actually playing the game, understanding how relationships play a part in basketball.

Beyond that, they have a hard-working mentality and don't mind going the extra mile on the basketball court.

Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans and Mitch Richmond

Like Mitch Richmond, Tyreke Evans started his career with a lot of high hopes and a lot of talk about becoming a superstar.

However, like Richmond, it seems like Evans is relying on playing on a team where he is able to get a lot of touches so he can keep his numbers up.

He'll go on to have a fine career, but I don't see him being the superstar that people tend to see him becoming.

San Antonio Spurs: Manu Ginobili and George Gervin

Two words. Finger. Roll.

George Gervin made the finger-roll famous, perfected it and turned it into an art-form. He was the Monet of the finger roll. Manu Ginobili is more like the Jackson Pollock of the finger roll. His methods of getting to where he needs to be are unorthodox, and the finished product may look strange, but for some reason it's just beautiful.

Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan and Tracy McGrady

Tracy McGrady wasn't a superstar until after he left the Toronto Raptors, and in many ways DeMar DeRozan has followed and even surpassed McGrady's footsteps over his first two seasons in Toronto.

They both made a name for themselves as dunkers in the early stages of their careers and have gotten the attention from that so people ended up realizing how good they are. I can see DeRozan becoming a very good player, but I don't know if I see him getting to the peaks that McGrady got to.

Utah Jazz: Enes Kanter and Mark Eaton

It's hard to compare players when one guy hasn't even played in the NBA yet, but when you look at Enes Kanter and Mark Eaton physically, they are quite similar.

Kanter and Eaton are both huge specimens with hands like oven mitts. They know how to handle themselves in the post and can clog up the lane like a couple handfuls of mud can clog a drain.

Only time will tell who is the better player, and for Kanter the sky's the limit. 

Washington Wizards: John Wall and Earl Monroe

Two silky smooth guards who know how to control and contort their bodies to fit any situation, John Wall and Earl Monroe are quite similar.

Sure, Black Jesus was all about style and fluidity while Wall is about deceptiveness and athleticism, but both have the ability to fool their opponents to get what they want, when they want.

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