I’ve been playing around with an update to Hall Rating and thought I’d try to turn it into a Top 100 list, since I’ve been following the RealGM Top 100 Project debates.
I’m using Win Shares as my basis here (so I can get all of NBA history), with all of the caveats that implies.
Methodology:
I am only counting seasons where the player was above average (0.10 for WS/48). The Hall Rating of that season is then calculated using a triangular series weighting (it’s a continuous function). It’s easier to show than describe:
0.10 => 0.0
0.20 => 0.1
0.30 => 0.3
0.40 => 0.6
This is effectively the logical extension of the previous, stepwise weighting function.
(Nobody’s ever really reached 0.40 WS/48 anyway.)
That translated rating is then multiplied by Minutes played and divided by 48 to get Hall Rating, which is therefore on sort of a WS equivalent scale.
The postseason rating was modified a little further.
- Average was set at 0.07 instead of 0.10, to account for the more difficult competition.
- All Hall Ratings were multiplied by 2 because of the greater importance
- The sum of each player’s stats was multiplied by a factor adjusting for the length of the playoffs, since this is a counting stat–effectively, this was (Length of Path in Modern Playoffs/Shortest Length of Path in Playoffs in Given Year).
Results:
Here are the top 100 careers by this rating system. No, I do not think that Wilt Chamberlain is the GOAT–though I think you could say that Win Shares does.
| Rank | Player | Reg. Season Rank | Playoff Rank | Hall Rating | Reg. Season Rating | Playoff Rating | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilt Chamberlain | 2 | 2 | 281 | 191 | 90 | 1 |
| 2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1 | 4 | 280 | 200 | 80 | 1 |
| 3 | Michael Jordan | 3 | 1 | 274 | 182 | 92 | 1 |
| 4 | LeBron James | 6 | 6 | 208 | 137 | 71 | 2 |
| 5 | Jerry West | 14 | 5 | 171 | 98 | 73 | 3 |
| 6 | Tim Duncan | 10 | 8 | 169 | 110 | 59 | 3 |
| 7 | Karl Malone | 4 | 28 | 168 | 141 | 27 | 3 |
| 8 | David Robinson | 5 | 27 | 167 | 138 | 29 | 3 |
| 9 | Bill Russell | 18 | 3 | 163 | 79 | 83 | 3 |
| 10 | Magic Johnson | 13 | 7 | 161 | 101 | 60 | 3 |
| 11 | Shaquille O'Neal | 9 | 9 | 160 | 110 | 50 | 3 |
| 12 | Dirk Nowitzki | 8 | 13 | 149 | 110 | 38 | 4 |
| 13 | John Stockton | 7 | 29 | 144 | 117 | 27 | 4 |
| 14 | Oscar Robertson | 11 | 20 | 141 | 108 | 33 | 4 |
| 15 | Charles Barkley | 12 | 24 | 138 | 108 | 30 | 4 |
| 16 | Larry Bird | 17 | 12 | 119 | 80 | 38 | 5 |
| 17 | Kobe Bryant | 20 | 16 | 113 | 77 | 36 | 5 |
| 18 | Kevin Garnett | 15 | 45 | 113 | 95 | 18 | 5 |
| 19 | Bob Pettit | 19 | 26 | 107 | 78 | 29 | 6 |
| 20 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 23 | 11 | 107 | 68 | 39 | 6 |
| 21 | Chris Paul | 16 | 57 | 104 | 89 | 15 | 6 |
| 22 | Dolph Schayes | 25 | 10 | 104 | 64 | 39 | 6 |
| 23 | Reggie Miller | 22 | 25 | 99 | 70 | 29 | 7 |
| 24 | Moses Malone | 21 | 38 | 93 | 70 | 22 | 7 |
| 25 | Chauncey Billups | 28 | 22 | 90 | 59 | 32 | 7 |
| 26 | Dwyane Wade | 29 | 30 | 82 | 56 | 27 | 8 |
| 27 | Walt Frazier | 34 | 21 | 82 | 50 | 32 | 8 |
| 28 | Kevin Durant | 27 | 44 | 81 | 62 | 18 | 8 |
| 29 | Kevin McHale | 35 | 23 | 81 | 50 | 31 | 8 |
| 30 | Manu Ginobili | 31 | 34 | 78 | 53 | 25 | 8 |
| 31 | Sam Jones | 53 | 14 | 77 | 40 | 37 | 8 |
| 32 | Adrian Dantley | 26 | 73 | 75 | 63 | 13 | 8 |
| 33 | Neil Johnston | 24 | 130 | 74 | 67 | 7 | 8 |
| 34 | Julius Erving | 40 | 36 | 71 | 47 | 24 | 9 |
| 35 | Clyde Drexler | 30 | 54 | 71 | 55 | 16 | 9 |
| 36 | George Mikan | 67 | 15 | 71 | 34 | 36 | 9 |
| 37 | Elgin Baylor | 64 | 18 | 69 | 34 | 35 | 9 |
| 38 | Paul Arizin | 45 | 37 | 68 | 45 | 23 | 9 |
| 39 | Scottie Pippen | 50 | 32 | 67 | 41 | 26 | 9 |
| 40 | Pau Gasol | 44 | 42 | 64 | 45 | 19 | 10 |
| 41 | Chet Walker | 37 | 56 | 64 | 48 | 16 | 10 |
| 42 | Paul Pierce | 38 | 55 | 64 | 48 | 16 | 10 |
| 43 | Bob Lanier | 39 | 53 | 64 | 48 | 16 | 10 |
| 44 | Cliff Hagan | 78 | 19 | 63 | 30 | 33 | 10 |
| 45 | Bailey Howell | 32 | 79 | 62 | 51 | 12 | 10 |
| 46 | Dwight Howard | 42 | 50 | 62 | 46 | 17 | 10 |
| 47 | Robert Parish | 36 | 71 | 61 | 48 | 13 | 10 |
| 48 | Ray Allen | 49 | 41 | 61 | 41 | 19 | 10 |
| 49 | Steve Nash | 33 | 86 | 60 | 50 | 11 | 10 |
| 50 | Horace Grant | 66 | 35 | 58 | 34 | 24 | 10 |
| 51 | Bill Sharman | 69 | 33 | 58 | 33 | 25 | 10 |
| 52 | Patrick Ewing | 48 | 66 | 55 | 42 | 13 | 11 |
| 53 | Gary Payton | 41 | 107 | 55 | 46 | 8 | 11 |
| 54 | John Havlicek | 91 | 31 | 54 | 28 | 26 | 11 |
| 55 | Walt Bellamy | 43 | 131 | 53 | 46 | 7 | 11 |
| 56 | Jeff Hornacek | 61 | 52 | 52 | 35 | 16 | 11 |
| 57 | Sidney Moncrief | 47 | 118 | 51 | 43 | 8 | 11 |
| 58 | Frank Ramsey | 166 | 17 | 51 | 16 | 35 | 11 |
| 59 | Kevin Johnson | 55 | 78 | 51 | 39 | 12 | 11 |
| 60 | Larry Nance | 51 | 110 | 49 | 41 | 8 | 12 |
| 61 | Amar'e Stoudemire | 56 | 82 | 49 | 38 | 11 | 12 |
| 62 | Terry Porter | 65 | 65 | 48 | 34 | 14 | 12 |
| 63 | Don Nelson | 88 | 40 | 48 | 28 | 20 | 12 |
| 64 | Ed Macauley | 52 | 129 | 48 | 40 | 7 | 12 |
| 65 | Artis Gilmore | 46 | 270 | 48 | 44 | 3 | 12 |
| 66 | Dikembe Mutombo | 63 | 75 | 47 | 35 | 13 | 12 |
| 67 | Shawn Marion | 54 | 140 | 46 | 39 | 7 | 12 |
| 68 | Bobby Jones | 80 | 60 | 45 | 30 | 15 | 13 |
| 69 | Shawn Kemp | 73 | 69 | 45 | 31 | 13 | 13 |
| 70 | Marques Johnson | 72 | 77 | 44 | 32 | 12 | 13 |
| 71 | Vern Mikkelsen | 82 | 61 | 44 | 29 | 15 | 13 |
| 72 | Willis Reed | 81 | 62 | 44 | 29 | 15 | 13 |
| 73 | Rick Barry | 77 | 76 | 43 | 31 | 12 | 13 |
| 74 | Wes Unseld | 84 | 63 | 43 | 28 | 15 | 13 |
| 75 | Elton Brand | 57 | 170 | 43 | 37 | 6 | 13 |
| 76 | Cedric Maxwell | 96 | 51 | 42 | 26 | 16 | 13 |
| 77 | Larry Foust | 76 | 81 | 42 | 31 | 11 | 13 |
| 78 | George Yardley | 107 | 43 | 42 | 23 | 19 | 13 |
| 79 | Ben Wallace | 106 | 47 | 42 | 24 | 18 | 13 |
| 80 | Alonzo Mourning | 71 | 95 | 42 | 33 | 9 | 13 |
| 81 | George Gervin | 75 | 87 | 42 | 31 | 10 | 13 |
| 82 | Bob McAdoo | 58 | 188 | 41 | 36 | 5 | 13 |
| 83 | Jason Kidd | 79 | 80 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 13 |
| 84 | Detlef Schrempf | 59 | 180 | 41 | 36 | 5 | 13 |
| 85 | Clyde Lovellette | 86 | 74 | 41 | 28 | 13 | 13 |
| 86 | Chris Bosh | 74 | 99 | 40 | 31 | 9 | 13 |
| 87 | Tracy McGrady | 60 | 229 | 40 | 36 | 4 | 13 |
| 88 | Bob Cousy | 142 | 39 | 39 | 18 | 21 | 13 |
| 89 | Bill Laimbeer | 87 | 84 | 39 | 28 | 11 | 13 |
| 90 | Dan Issel | 70 | 167 | 38 | 33 | 6 | 14 |
| 91 | Jack Sikma | 83 | 100 | 38 | 29 | 9 | 14 |
| 92 | Maurice Cheeks | 103 | 68 | 38 | 24 | 13 | 14 |
| 93 | Yao Ming | 68 | 242 | 37 | 33 | 4 | 14 |
| 94 | Rasheed Wallace | 105 | 70 | 37 | 24 | 13 | 14 |
| 95 | James Worthy | 131 | 49 | 37 | 20 | 17 | 14 |
| 96 | Dominique Wilkins | 62 | 446 | 36 | 35 | 1 | 14 |
| 97 | Vince Carter | 85 | 127 | 36 | 28 | 7 | 14 |
| 98 | Tyson Chandler | 89 | 121 | 35 | 28 | 8 | 14 |
| 99 | Tony Parker | 90 | 147 | 34 | 28 | 7 | 14 |
| 100 | Tom Heinsohn | 168 | 46 | 34 | 16 | 18 | 14 |
My initial thoughts:
- Looks like a pretty solid list
- Note the clear top 3 and LeBron the clear #4 behind them. A clear tier 3 from 5 to 11, then tier 4 from 12-15. And then in tier 5 are Bird, Kobe, and KG…
- It would be good to go through and weight each playoff run based on some more comprehensive analysis (weight by round of playoffs, for instance).
- Win Shares likes Jerry West, David Robinson, John Stockton, and many of the very old and current players
- This methodology doesn’t care much for ringzz, apparently
Yes, very solid list. Will you be updating to include this season thru the Finals? My personal GOAT List: 1) KAJ 2) Magic 3) MJ 4) Wilt 5) LeBron (Before this current season began, assuming no serious injuries, I predicted that LeBron would move up one spot per year. I think he’s still on track to do that.) Why KAJ #1: 15-16 Great Years to MJ’s 10-11 (that’s a huge gap; 10 Finals to MJ’s 6, another huge gap). Why Magic #2: Better Teammate (best ever, imo) AND I count 8 Finals with 5 Chips over “only” 6 Finals with 6 Chips.