Herding GOATs

The first two episodes of "The Last Dance" dropped on ESPN last night, and here we go again with the Great Debate. Michael or LeBron? Who's the GOAT?

It's firing up all over the interwhatsis this morning, now that we're getting a look at '90s Jordan and those '90s Bulls with fresh eyes. And as you might imagine, imperfect memory has tended to haze a few things.

The Jordan of our memory never missed a shot, defied gravity to an alien degree, could not be beaten by anyone at anytime anywhere. Or so we remember.

But also ... damn he was good.

So was he the very, very best of all time?

Well. That's another question.

The Blob's position on this has always been that Jordan is the greatest scorer of all time, and quite possibly the greatest competitor. The latter guaranteed that he would also not be particularly likeable. In fact, the guy was a platinum-grade asshat, which of course was a big piece of his greatness. You couldn't beat him precisely because he knew you couldn't beat him, and he wasn't shy about telling you so.

But if you're asking me if he was the greatest player of all time -- both ends of the floor, in every phase -- I'd have to say no. LeBron, simply because of his size and because he's called on to do more of it, is a better rebounder. He's also the best passer for his size since Larry Bird, who is merely the most inventive passer ever.

(And, yes, I know, 6-3 Jordan in titles won. To which I'll only say LeBron has never played in a lineup with two other Hall of Famers in it the way Jordan did.)

On the other hand, LeBron isn't my GOAT, either.

No, sir. That honor goes to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

I say this not only because the sheer weight of his numbers crush all argument. In 20 seasons as a pro he averaged a career double-double (24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds.)  He's the NBA's all-time leader in points scored (38,387), field goals made (15,837) and minutes played (57,446). His 17,440 rebounds rank him third all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, and he even found time to dish out 1,160 assists while matching MJ in NBA titles with six.

But, again, it's not just the numbers. The esthetics count, too: Kareem also refined the hook shot into the unstoppable skyhook, arguably the most recognizable signature shot in NBA history.

And my top five of all time, since we're on the subject?

In no particular order: Kareem, MJ, LeBron, Wilt and Larry.

The floor is now open for debate and/or ridicule.