[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Smooth Operator

Gotta figure out a way to get the Magic man on that first team, KG.


Saw enough of him in the '80s to realize that he was a very, very special ball player.

No question that Magic was a very special player. There wasn't anything he couldn't do and the thing I like most about him is how he constantly improved his game over the year. He became a decent shooter, worked himself into an excellent free throw shooter, and became a decent defender. I guess the thing that always has been somewhat of a negative for me when it comes to him is the same thing that bothers me about Wilt. A lot of his advantage came because of his size and not only because of his skills. I remember watching him play all the time and often he'd go down into the post and his defender would be a 6'1 or 6'2 point guard. Maurice Cheeks had no chance in the world of guarding him. I almost feel stupid trying to point out anything negative about him because there really isn't anything negative about his game. I just feel that Stockton was the best I ever saw at controlling the pace and tempo of a game. He didn't have nearly the same amount of talent to work with that Magic had and he didn't pick up the same number of assists in the fast break that Magic did. In the situation where we have several other great players on the floor and only need a true point guard, Stockton is the one I'd take.