It's been a little over six years since a panel of experts selected the 50 greatest players in NBA history in conjunction with the league's 50th anniversary, and the list remains largely quibble-proof.
Largely, but not entirely. In particular, five players currently on rosters or who have played in the past 20 years may not be on the league's 75 greatest list at its 75th anniversary. That's not because they aren't good, but rather because their records suggest there are or will be better choices.
Here are those five, as well as possible replacements.
Scottie Pippen: It's easy to understand how Pippen was originally named among the 50 greatest. He was the second-best player on a Chicago Bulls team that had won four titles at the time of his naming, with two more coming, and he was named to the first-team All-Defensive team eight straight years. But Pippen has averaged 20 points or better only four times in his 16-year career, and since being named in 1996 to the 50 greatest list, he has averaged just under 13 a game.
A better choice going forward might be Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who is every bit the defender Pippen is and a much better scorer.
David Robinson: "The Admiral" has had an admirable career, with a title and a Most Valuable Player trophy, and two Olympic gold medals mixed in for good measure. In fact, when Robinson won the first gold in Barcelona in 1992, there was reason to think that he possibly could join Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell on the Mount Olympus for centers. But, just after Robinson won the second gold in Atlanta, his numbers started an appreciable slide.
In fairness, Tim Duncan is now dominant in San Antonio. Robinson has had back problems, but his nice-guy personality also seems to be a factor in his slide. Duncan should replace him on the 50 greatest list, though he, too, should develop a more aggressive side.
James Worthy: This choice is the most difficult, given this writer's belief that the Lakers teams on which he played small forward were the best the NBA has seen. But a cold look at Worthy's record indicates that while he was good, he wasn't good enough to be one of the hallowed 50. Worthy, a seven-time All-Star, never was named to the NBA's first- or second-team All-League squads and made the third team only twice in a 12-year career. He was named NBA Finals MVP only once and was, at best, the third option on those Lakers teams, behind Jabbar and Magic Johnson.
A better choice was a contemporary of Worthy's, Atlanta's Dominique Wilkins, a brilliant scorer whose career was overshadowed because the Hawks never got to the Finals.
Clyde Drexler: "The Glide" certainly put up nice numbers during his 15-year run with Portland and Houston, making the All-Star team 10 times and retiring as one of only three players with 20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists. But Drexler, unfortunately, was stuck with the moniker of being his era's second-best shooting guard, behind Michael Jordan, and never emerged as a dominant player on his own.
A better choice is Seattle's Gary Payton. By the time he's done, he will match Drexler's feat and have more than 2,500 steals to boot. Payton, who has gotten better as he has aged, has been named to the league's All-Defensive team nine times and could be the best defensive guard ever to play the game.
Bill Walton: The big red-headed center's supporters likely would invoke the Sandy Koufax rule, that he was a dominant player in a short period of time, to justify his selection, and that's fair. He was a key cog on two title teams, won MVP and Sixth Man awards and was one of the most gifted passers in NBA history. But injuries curtailed his career and he played in only 468 games, the equivalent of less than six seasons. That's not long enough.
Down the road, this slot probably will be taken by Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, who has all of Walton's height, speed and litheness to go along with a burgeoning perimeter game.
Quiz
It should come as no surprise that Jordan and Karl Malone are two of the oldest five players to average 20 points in a season. And two of the others, Abdul-Jabbar and Elgin Baylor, are pretty easy to guess.
But the fifth name may be trickier. Can you name him? Here's a hint: He, like the other four, is a member of the 50 greatest list, but with an extra distinction.
Out of the Hornets' nest
Even with last Monday's inexplicable loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Hornets have taken well to their new home, winning their first 11 games at the New Orleans Arena.
It appears opposition players are taking full advantage of the city's reputation for throwing a party, even if the residents aren't flocking to see them. The Hornets are drawing more fans on the road than in the Big Easy.
"New Orleans is a party town," said point guard Baron Davis, who signed a big contract extension in the offseason to stay with the Hornets. "It's definitely going to have its advantages. With us making a run to the playoffs this year, it's going to be pretty rowdy. I think as the season goes on and our record improves and the fans get more familiar with us and we get more familiar with the city and do more things in the community, then we'll draw bigger crowds.
"So far, they've pushed us over the edge in a lot of big games that we had, and a lot of the games, we've been able to pull out because of our crowd."
Davis, seventh in the league in assists, has been a key part of the Hornets' success despite playing with a herniated disc. He is on a plan to take cortisone and stretch to try to combat the pain, recognizing that if it gets worse, he'll have to have potentially season-ending surgery.
The Hornets, picked by many to get to the NBA Finals out of the East, opened a seven-game road trip with a big win at Utah on Thursday, perhaps the harbinger of a turnaround.
"It's extremely important to win on the road, because it gives you that confidence," Davis said. "To establish yourself as one of the better teams in this league, you have to go into hostile environments and pull out victories."
Quiz answer
The fifth of the eldest players to average 20 points in a season is Lenny Wilkens, one of only two men to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.
Quote
"It's like the Buddhist stuff: 'You have to let go in order to get.' Hell, I'm not a philosopher. I don't know if I'm even saying it right." - Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich, on getting point guard Steve Francis to play with more ease.
Compiled from interviews, wire services and reports from other newspapers.