Game of Thrones- The Statistical Throne

[ballsohard]

The Chase- A look into #SLOE’s Past, Present and Future and the chase for historical marks.

We are right at the 10 year mark for our successful and dramatics sim league and throughout the history of our league, we’ve seen a multitude of great players. Some players have just been tearing up the league in terms of numbers, without much success, while others’ numbers have been sacrificed for the good of the team. Then, there’s the third tier of guys who get theirs and drag their team’s dead bodies to championships. Through this article I’d like to take a look at major marks in our league and who the current active leaders are, and see who has a chance at capturing those records.

To get this off with a bang, let’s start with points. It’s worth noting that these include totals of guys who started playing in the NBA before our league started. For instance, Karl Malone who is top 5 on our list had already scored roughly 10,000 points before this started. So at this point it’s not exactly oranges to oranges, more like oranges to tangerines.


Rank: 5

Shawn Kemp
Age: 30
Total Points: 23228
Points behind Leader: 7827
Career PPG: 27.3

Yes we all know Kemp is the beast incarnate here, but we really get to see it now in historical fashion. Kemp is the only player under the age of 36 on this list and has a lot of time to catch up. At his current pace of 27 ppg, it would take Shawn Kemp roughly 3 seasons after this one to overtake the all time leader on out list. Unless a massive injury occurs with him (we can only pray collectively), this mark is Kemps and will last.


Rank: 4

Charles Barkley
Age: 37
Total Points: 25742
Points behind Leader: 5313
Career PPG: 28

Barkley was a 1 man show for years in Chicago scoring up to 39 ppg, but time has not been kind to this former superstar. His elite athleticism has declined and he’s failed to show any type of a pulse with another team in the last 3 years. The one advantage he has over the top 2 teams on our list is he’s getting minutes and slowly gaining ground. The truth of the matter for Sir Charles though is time has just run out for him. He’s simply too far behind the overall leaders. With that being said, 25,000 points is nothing to hang your head about. The 0 rings are though.



Rank: 3

Hakeem Olajuwon
Age: 37
Total Points: 26445
Points behind Leader: 4610
Career PPG: 21.9

Hakeem is an odd case in our league. He’s shown a great peak, won championships, and has displayed longevity. Hakeem is the only player in this group the 20 MPG mark this late in his career and is averaging 8 PPG, but being 4500 points away from a still active leader is just an impossible gap to close I think. He is currently 1500 points behind the next guy on our list which at 8 ppg would take 2 seasons past this one to capture. It seems cemented that Hakeem stays in this spot until Kemp comes to take the throne.

Rank: 2

Karl Malone
Age: 36
Total Points: 28153
Points behind Leader: 2902
Career PPG: 23.76

Karl had possible the greatest peak of any of these players including Kemp as a scorer. At the height of his powers Malone scored 40 ppg and carried a very reliant Sacramento Kings team to the Finals. Malone was a terror in our league and a name to be reckoned with when you faced him. Karl was not only a great at putting the ball in the hoop, he did it efficiently. In that remarkable 40 ppg season, he made 57% of his buckets. While he is currently buried on benches to close his career, catching out #1 guy seems unlikely at this point.

Rank: 1

Michael Jordan
Age: 37
Total Points: 31055
Points behind Leader: 0
Career PPG: 26.7

As our career leader in points, Jordan was described by his former GM Cprej, as, ‘not that good’. While the world agrees to disagree, one thing we can’t disagree on is this profile as a scorer. Jordan is the only player to reach the 30,000 point threshold in our league and likely one of 3-5 players that may ever make it. Jordan in his prime was an alpha scorer and an fierce defender. Jordan is clearly still a draw to the league. The Suns paid him $5 Million this year to play in only 17 games and hit the beautiful golf courses in Phoenix sun.


To be Continued....

[ballsohard]

Greatest Threats to the Thorne at current pace

#1

Shawn Kemp
Estimated Age to match current Record: 33.5

No comment needed. This guy will hold the all time record for points.


#2

Chris Webber
Estimated Age to Match Current Record: 34.8

This one i found very interesting. Chris Webber walked into this league as a walking double double. While looking back now, Penny seems to be the obvious choice, Webber actually has more points and rebounds than Penny and is 2 year younger. Although he seems like old hat in this league, it's easy to forget Webber is just 26 and is just entering his prime years with the T Wolves. I think at the end of their careers, who should have gone 1 and 2 will be much closer than many realize.

#3

Shaquille O'Neal
Estimated Age to Match Current Record: 35.4

This is another interesting case. Shaq has widely been forgotten for how dominant he really is, but now that he's traded, it'll be hard to go a day without hearing it. Shaq came into this league at 20 and has averaged over 20 ppg his whole career and that doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon. If the Buck GM can get Shaq back to his most dominant days of 27 ppg, Shaq could easily move to #2 on this list. At this point, im not sure anyone ever will catch Webber.

#4

Kevin Garnett
Estimated Age to Match Current Record: 36.5

KG begins an era of players who have the added advantage and disadvantage of coming directly out of high school. While KG will score plenty of points in his Day, it's highly unlikely he'll challenge the all time scoring record unless he takes a Kemp-Like leap in the next year or two. KG being on this list though speaks of his enormous talent, as scoring isn't his forte.

#5
Kobe Bryant

Estimated Age to Match Current Record: 36.6


While Kobe has taken a rather significant hit in Training Camp (damn you), his scoring has not suffered, in fact it's gotten better. Kobe has finally his all cylinders on the offensive end scoring 27 ppg on his highest % shooting this year. One has to wonder whether his teams reliance on him is a good thing or a bad thing in this race. As of now, Kobe gets to put up as many shots as he wants, but it unfortunately hasn't lead to wins and losses.

[IamQuailman]

AWARDED 5 POINTS! THANKS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!

[JNR]

Great post! Interesting to see Webber so close.