# Best Ball Handler in history of NBA?



## JUMP SHOT CLINIC (Jan 16, 2007)

Who do u guys think is the best pure ball handler ever? Forget about Turnovers...Most of them are from the past 8 yrs or so...My vote goes to 
J Will.


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## LowOnMyPaper (May 9, 2006)

Hmm... possibly Pete Maravich.


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## jordan0386 (Jul 4, 2006)

one of the hardest things to argue, because so many players have such effective off-hands

Unless we shooting jumpers with them, how can you say, who goes left better than who...when so many players do it so well...and over like 60 years of NBA ball

this thread should be universal-ton


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## kbird (Dec 7, 2006)

J. Williams cannot handle crap, he carries and travels just like AI.

Isiah or Tim Hardway were good, KJ, Stockton ( although he carried later in his carrer too, I guess if you let them they'll do it ).
Anyway, nobody from 1995 on qualifies, because they all caryy all the time. That's not ball handling. It is still against the rules, they just don't call it, because they don't care, as long as you pay to watch, who cares about the game.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

Maravich, Cousy, Alston, or Shammgod. No joke on Shammgod. Technically he got in the league, and he has one of the best handles ever :whoknows:

Can you guys please use the History forum? If your thread title or main question contains "in the history" chances are it's going to end up there regardless.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Mugsy Bogues


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## Dee-Zy (Jan 12, 2006)

no skip??????


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

Tim Hardaway.


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

Rawse said:


> Tim Hardaway.


First name that came to my head when i read the title.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

Pistol Pete was the first guy that came to mind


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## lessthanjake (Jul 4, 2005)

Shawn Bradley without a doubt


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## WildByNature (Jul 13, 2005)

OneBadLT123 said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> Rawse said:
> ...


I agree...


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## bootstrenf (May 24, 2006)

*uneccessary*


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## Fray (Dec 19, 2005)

Rafer "Skip To My Lou" Alston.


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## bootstrenf (May 24, 2006)

john stockton


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

Tim Hardaway, Bob Cousy, Michael Jordan.

Hate to insert His name into yet another "best of" thread, but if I needed someone to handle the ball through traffic and absolutely couldn't survive a turnover, Jordan would definitely be one of the guys I'd look to.


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## jericho (Jul 12, 2002)

Cousy as the revolutionary. Maravich as the ultimate showman. Tim Hardaway as the waterbug. And nice call by Minstrel on Jordan as the clutch performer. I think that's my list.


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## neoxsupreme (Oct 31, 2005)

Zeke


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## Jordan23Forever (May 14, 2005)

Minstrel said:


> Tim Hardaway, Bob Cousy, Michael Jordan.
> 
> Hate to insert His name into yet another "best of" thread, but if I needed someone to handle the ball through traffic and absolutely couldn't survive a turnover, Jordan would definitely be one of the guys I'd look to.


An astute observation.  I've called Jordan the best handling 2 from '85-'93 (and probably one of the top 3-4 handlers overall during that same period along w/Tim Hardaway, Isiah, Magic and possibly Stockton if you include creativity with the ball and not just technical proficiency) ever since I saw him singlehandedly dismantle NY's multiple backcourt traps and triple-teams in the '89 postseason. He just put on a clinic on how to break the press with ballhandling; it was amazing to see. He made them look like stooges. :biggrin: 


Overall, my vote goes to guys like Hardaway, Isiah, KJ, Stock, and Iverson. Nash gets an honorable mention -- he has the ball on a string.


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## wilwn (Dec 10, 2005)

magic?


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## Nikos (Jun 5, 2002)

How about Rod Strickland?


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

the pearl...............washington!

i'd go with isiah, although it's an impossible debate. too many, with too many variables. chris jackson (abdul rauf) was something too.


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

Lots of good names here. I'd also like to second the person who said Nash. Maybe not a popular pick around here these days, but like J23F said, he simply has the ball on a string. He's just never out of control with it.


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## RSP83 (Nov 24, 2002)

jericho said:


> Cousy as the revolutionary. Maravich as the ultimate showman. Tim Hardaway as the waterbug.


 and there's Reggie Evans as the foul ball handler.


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## arhie (Jul 4, 2006)

Jason Kidd.


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

Players that have been mentioned:

Pistol Pete;
Earl the Pearl;
Zeke;
Timmy.

I also agree that none of the "modern age" perimeter players belong in the discussion, for the constant violation of basketball rules (even if the refs swallow their whistles, for entertainment's sake). And that includes MJ.


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