# Would you rather have Karl Malone's career or Robert Horry's?



## EGarrett (Aug 12, 2002)

I remember the Sports Guy wrote a column on this. I think it's a great topic. 

As a basketball player, would you rather have an NBA career like a Karl Malone (or Charles Barkley), or Robert Horry? 

As Karl Malone you will have won as many individual trophies as almost anyone who has played basketball. You'd be a perennial All-Star in your time, and be widely considered the greatest player of All-Time at your position, while being #2 All-Time in Points Scored and having legendary longevity and durability. You'd also be a lock for the Hall of Fame and a retired Jersey on your team. 

BUT, you would also have never won an NBA Championship. And you'd have a reputation for not having the nerve to deliver in the clutch. Some might even consider you a loser at heart. 

As Robert Horry, you will never have won any individual trophies, pretty much. You'd also never be an All-Star, and will have played for a number of different teams. You'll never be counted among the Greatest Players of All-Time, at your position or any other position. 

BUT, you'd have 5 (coming up on 6) rings with three different teams, and you will have played a major role in all of them. You'd have a reputation for delivering in the clutch, and teams would always have feared letting you get the ball when everything's on the line. You'd be known and remembered for a long time as a battle-tested winner with the highlights to prove that you had ice-water in your veins. 

So which would it be?


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## Debt Collector (Mar 13, 2003)

oh definitely horry, all the rings and the moments, plus horry is much more liked, he is a folk hero almost. malone was one of the most despised players in league history.


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## Coatesvillain (Jul 17, 2002)

I'd rather be Karl Malone. Winning is one thing, but as an individual player I'd want to be great.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

Robert Horry. When it's said and done, I think he'll be more satisfied with his career than Malone. Not even close comparing them as players, but from a satisfaction stand point, I think Horry will be more satisfied with himself than Malone, and to me, that's what's important. Malone will have those broken title hopes hanging over his head for the rest of his life, while Horry will retire and move on with his life because he accomplished everything he could pretty much.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Karl Malone (though not his personality). 2nd all-time leading scorer and rich beyond his wildest dreams. Championships are great no doubt, but if the choice is Horry or Malone, give me Malone.

Horry has been a great role player, but he's been in some of the best situations a player can be in.

In 94-95 played with the best player in the league (arguably)
In 00-03 played with two of the best 4 players in the league (arguably)
In 05 playing with the best player in the league (arguably)

Horry is living right. I doubt he'd have these rings playing on the Nuggets or the Nets or the Bucks. He goes to a team where he has a chance to win.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Robert Horry. If this was John Salley or some bum, I'd easily say Malone, but Robert Horry has been a contributor to every championship team and just a great role player. To all the fans of this era, Robert Horry will be remembered even though he wasn't ever a 20 PPG scorer or anything like that.


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## kamego (Dec 29, 2003)

I would rather be Malone. When all is said and done, Malone will be in the Hall of Fame. That overrides those rings in my mind. It might not matter now while he is still playing but in 50 years, that bronze statue will mean more.


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## PureStreetzH2O (Feb 19, 2005)

I would rather be Robert Horry, cause at the end of the day you know Karl Malone would rather have what Robert Horry has on his fingers. Its great to be a great player and all but the ring represents what your playing for, the players play the game for that ring and the money, but I know Karl wanted one so badly, same with Reggie and other greats who didnt get it done.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

This is an interesting thread though. The clincher for me is everytime I see Malone talking about his career, he always seems so bitter about how he never won a title. It seems like he is really bothered by that, like in his mind, it outweighs all the great things he did. When I see Horry retiring, I see a big smile on his face. He will be really satisfied with what he did in this league, and the impact he was able to make on title winning teams, with huge game winning shots in some cases.


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## HallOfFamer (May 26, 2003)

If we're not including the amount of $$$ they made, give me Horry's. 

Im sure he's had much more satisfaction making so many clutch plays(see avatar) and contributing a great deal to so many championship teams. He may not have the individual stats or awards that the Mailman has, but isn't the first and ultimate goal in basketball, or any sport is to win? All those trophies and awards may look nice on a shelf, but in the end I bet he'd trade all them in for 1 NBA Trophy.


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## Halo (Mar 19, 2005)

Robert Horry.

There is a certain level of satisfaction when you achieved something that your team collectively won together. Individual achivements are great, but many players, especially towards the end of their career, are more concerned about that one ring they want to win. To some players their individual achivements means nothing when they can't win a championship to top it off. 

Plus Horry's career isn't that bad, many fans will never forget, especially me, that game 4 shot.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Horry's supposedly made $44M in salary, so he's not hurting, there.

Like another poster said, he's well liked. And he has a handful of rings. All the individual accolades are nice, but Horry has enough money, the rings, the respect.

'Would Karl Malone trade his career for Horry's?' is another interesting question.


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## Laker Freak (Jul 1, 2003)

What about Reggie Miller vs. Steve Kerr.


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## Pimped Out (May 4, 2005)

plus even if people dont remember you, as robert horry, people will still get excited when you go out and they think they see will smith.

i would take horry's career just because he has always enjoyed the thrill of winning and while he was never the main reason a team won a championship, he was always a factor for his team. malone will never be a factor in a utah championship.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

This is a good thread...

It is a hard question for me to answer personally.

Karl Malone represents on of the top players ever in the game and is the second leading scorer. Those accolades are really impressive. 

People say basketball is a team sport and that championships matter. However it does take a good team to win a championship. So in effect a championship is not just a reflection on you but on ALL the other guys also. If your a great player but werent given the proper tools to win then you cant be that upset.

The difference with Karl Malone is that he had good teams...

Robert Horry will be forgotten easily. Not many people can name to many members of the 60's Celtics teams that won so many championships.

I think I would rather be remembered as one of the greatest ever to play the game and just happened to play during the same time as THE greatest player to ever play the game.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Laker Freak said:


> What about Reggie Miller vs. Steve Kerr.




See, with this I'd rather go for Reggie. Kerr did win rings and did "play" with Jordan, Duncan, D-Rob, and Pippen, and was coached by Phil The Thrill and Pop, but he didn't play much. I'm all for winning over individual glory, but aside from an occasional game or two, Kerr wasn't too much of a contributor. 



That's really tempting to have a career playing with all time greats and playing for two all time great coaches and winning rings, but Kerr hasn't done enough individually to make me want to chose his career.


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## RP McMurphy (Jul 17, 2003)

I think anyone with any competitive spirit would have to say Karl Malone. The championship is what you play for, but personally, accomplishments don't mean as much to me if I don't feel like I earned them. Horry winning championships is 5 percent his own doing and 95 percent the luck of being in the right place at the right time. I'd rather be an All-Time great with no rings than a fluke like Horry.



Sir Patchwork said:


> This is an interesting thread though. The clincher for me is everytime I see Malone talking about his career, he always seems so bitter about how he never won a title. It seems like he is really bothered by that, like in his mind, it outweighs all the great things he did.


I wouldn't use that as a reason, because even if Karl Malone had won twelve championships he'd still be bitter about something. Plain and simple, he's a jerk. At Reggie Miller's last press conference he said something like "I never won the biggest prize, but I tried," and all the reporters in the room stood up and cheered. He didn't win any rings either but he's not a bitter old man and neither are a lot of the other stars who never won a ring. Reggie wouldn't trade his career for Steve Kerr, that's for sure.


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## tone wone (Jan 30, 2003)

this is a fat, ugly ***** of a thread....cause, everyone wants to be great at whatever they do...so sports is no exception, but.....winning a championship is the ultimate goal...

i lean towards Horry because I couldnt imagine being of the the greatest of all-time, to have kids and grown men wearing my jersey, asking for autographs, basically known by virtually everyone...but not to accomplish the highest accomplishment in my profession...hell, im a big Gary Payton fan...its killin me that he probably wont win a title...while Steve Kerr is walking around 4 of em......so would be bitter as hell if it was actually me...

so, I guess i'll rather have Horry's career


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## Carbo04 (Apr 15, 2005)

Big Shot Bob.

5, and soon 6 rings.
Known as super clutch.
Liked by most everyone.
Plenty of money.


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## Spriggan (Mar 23, 2004)

Karl Malone. He's one of the top 10 players of all-time, after all. That trumps winning 5 championships as a roleplayer quite easily for me.


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## sliver (Nov 21, 2004)

Honestly? Neither. I'd want reggie's career over both of theirs. 

Neither Malone nor Horry really have a "home" or "identity" so to speak.. When players stick to their original teams at will, it just makes them so much more likable. Both malone and horry have ridden their share of coattails (in horry's case, he was luckier) and have therefore lost a little respect in my eyes. Did you watch Reggie's farewell game? Thats the way to go out. Not like Malone, who just kind of... retired i guess. Neither reggie nor karl won a single ring between them, yet reggie's career ended on a much better note; his final game was a loss, yet he left to a whole stadium applauding him with tears in their eyes and paying him respect. Malone's last game was also a loss, but nobody really seemed to care that it might have been his last game ever. Granted, his last game wasn't at "home," but LA really isn't his home at all. I doubt the laker fans would've given malone that kind of ovation.

In horry's case, i wouldn't want his career either simply because he won rings with so many different teams. If i was a player, i'd want a team i could call home. When you think of the spurs today, you think of tim, tony, and manu... not horry. For me, the only ring that would mean anything to me is one i won with a team in which i was a MAJOR contributor.


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## mr_tibo (May 15, 2003)

Karl Malone

Being 2 times MVP, 11 All Nba First Team, 2 All Nba Second Team, 1 All Nba Third Team, 14 times all star, 2 times All star MVP, 2nd best scorer all time..... Do you want more?


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## Adol (Nov 25, 2004)

I would rather be the man, the leader of my team and lose, then be a small piece of the puzzle and winning cause of someone else.


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

Malone, even if money isn't a consideration. Sure, he never won a ring, and sure, his memory will be despised by many, but he reached the pinnacle of his field. He was the best in the world at what he did, and is arguably the best ever. I think that part of the reason why so many people are answering "Robert Horry" is that they hate Malone (don't worry, I do, too). I'll bet at least a few of you guys would answer differently if it was Barkley or Ewing instead of Malone.


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## Cammo (May 24, 2005)

> Karl Malone
> 
> Being 2 times MVP, 11 All Nba First Team, 2 All Nba Second Team, 1 All Nba Third Team, 14 times all star, 2 times All star MVP, 2nd best scorer all time..... Do you want more?


You missed the other important statistic....zero championships :biggrin: 




> I would rather be the man, the leader of my team and lose, then be a small piece of the puzzle and winning cause of someone else.


So how many more clutch plays does Horry have to hit in order to become a bigger peace? I dont think its any coincidence that Horry has won so many championships. IMO, luck doesnt bring you the best teams in the league, skill does. You have to be RECOGNIZED in most cases to be on a good team. He is the ultimate role player IMO, he is still pretty athletic for a man his age, he plays solid defence (see game winning block shots for details), is a great rebounder and is arguably one of the most "clutch" players in the league . What more would you want? This is a team game, not an individual game. I bet you KG would glady give up his MVP for a ring, and i dont blame him as winning a NBA championship (let alone 5 of them) is indeed the ultimate achievement for any basketballer.


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

I would rather have Malone's career. Easily.

My grandsons would be asked at school "hey, aren't you Karl Malone's grandson? Do you think you could get me an autograph?"

If i was Horry, the scenario would probably be my grandsons talking about my rings and their friends going like "Who are you talking about, dude? Yeah, there was Hakeem, Shaq and Duncan... But Will who?"

And that's my bottom line: Karl will forever be considered one of the greatest basketball players ever. Horry, as a role player who won multiple championships. A great role player, yes. But still a role player.

Everyone remembers Bill Russell and Bob Cousy. They may even remember Heinsohn and Sam Jones. But what about multiple chapinship winners like Ramsey, KC Jones, Loscutoff?


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## Pacers Fan (Aug 25, 2002)

Robert Horry, but only because he made so many clutch shots.


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## white360 (Apr 24, 2004)

Karl Malone no doubt


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

Malone, because he was so much better. In terms of having pride as a player, I would much rather be known as a HOF'er than a career coattail rider (no disrespect to Horry intended, but he does coattail and does it quite well).


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

i can't even believe this is a question. lets see, would i rather be one of the greatest players in the history of the game, or a guy who contributed to titles, but was nowhere near the overall player? one who will make the hall of fame, and be remembered 50 years from now, or a guy who will be a trivia question. horry's great in that he knows his role - he said he knew when he came into the league he wasn't going to be a star (although after '95 other people thought he might become one), and he contributes in many ways, but malone is an all-timer. kevin mchale vs malone may be a better question, but robert horry? his satisfaction comes from knowing he helped out, and he had has his high points from big shots to winning titles, but he also knows he was along for the ride from whoever was driving the bus. i'll take the stockton's, malone's, baylor's, ewing's, miller's, etc over the kerr's, horry's, harper's, ainge's any day. as rp mentioned, competitive spirit makes you strive to be the best, not to help the best be remembered more. if you can't be the best, being a robert horry is the next best thing, but he's just not in a class of a karl malone.


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## Hoopla (Jun 1, 2004)

I'd rather have Malone's career and be arguably the greatest PF of all time instead of being a clutch, but still only role player on championship teams.


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## DwyaneWade4MVP (Apr 1, 2004)

That's really a good and tough question!!! 

I couldn't tell you....Robert Horry? YES!


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## The lone wolf (Jul 23, 2003)

This is only a question because Malone is an *******. 

How about Horry's career or that of Barkley? Looks much easier now?


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## Sith (Oct 20, 2003)

wtf is going on ? whats with all the stupid polls lately? karl maleon vs horry? wtf has horry done? maleon is a top3pf of all time, 2nd career leading scorer. yes, he has no rings, but horry has been a joruneyman who just happens to be at the right place at the right time. history will remember malone, but who gives a damn about horry? 

p.s not to mention malone made crap loads of more money than horry....


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## BenDengGo (Feb 1, 2004)

i'd take horry for reasons already mentioned, plus i got to live in sunny places like houston, san antonio and los angeles.

malone had to live in utah..........
ask any player in the league which city is the lamest....its either milwaukee or utah


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## ralaw (Feb 24, 2005)

I think it's more of a question of who has a better legacy? Malone being one of if not the greatest PF of alltime (at least until Duncan retires) or being a clutch role player on 6 (after the 05 playoffs) championships. The question of which is more fullfilling is a matter of preference. Would you rather be known as a great individual player who won some games or a average player on excellent teams who won? I'd take Malone's career from a historical perspective but from an individual perspective give me Horry.


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

ralaw said:


> I think it's more of a question of who has a better legacy? Malone being one of if not the greatest PF of alltime (at least until Duncan retires) or being a clutch role player on 6 (after the 05 playoffs) championships. The question of which is more fullfilling is a matter of preference. Would you rather be known as a great individual player who won some games or a average player on excellent teams who won? I'd take Malone's career from a historical perspective but *from an individual perspective give me Horry*.


Aren't you forgetting something like the MVP award? It's the greatest *individual *award there is. And Malone has 2.


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

i just can't see being more satisfied at the end of the day as a robert horry than as a karl malone. it's just not close.


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## ralaw (Feb 24, 2005)

PauloCatarino said:


> Aren't you forgetting something like the MVP award? It's the greatest *individual *award there is. And Malone has 2.


My fault. From an individual standpoint I meant on the inside of a person. Which would be more gratifying (make you feel all warm inside) when you look down at your 6 rings at the end of your career. Your right though, maybe I should replace individual with _team_.


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## DuMa (Dec 25, 2004)

i would be horry so that i could be mistaken for will smith every once in a while


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## Debt Collector (Mar 13, 2003)

kflo said:


> i just can't see being more satisfied at the end of the day as a robert horry than as a karl malone. it's just not close.


well maybe you value different things than i would, but when horry looks back on his career, he has many, many great unforgettable moments. at the end of the day horry exceeded his career expectations, malone in alot of ways did not fulfill his potential. 

malone has a legacy of choking under pressure, and the only real team accomplishment he has is the gold medal in 92. horry on the other hand doesnt have to look back on his career with regrets, because in the situations where he needed to come up big, he did. in the situations where malone needed to come up big, he did not.


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## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

it's not like Malone was a complete failure, racking up meaningless stats that never manifested themselves in playoff success. the guy lead teams to the NBA finals, and was the best player on what was probably the third best team of the 1990's. if Jordan had decided to play baseball a few years later he'd have a ring right now. plus he's got a daughter who's following in his basketball legacy. 

you compare that to Robert Horry? who, for all his big shots, averaged only 43% fg, 35% from three, and 7.5 points IN THE PLAYOFFS? 

Robert Horry's greatest talent was to not play any worse than his normal mediocre self in big moments. this is no small thing, when you think about how much pressure there is on a guy in the playoffs. 

but you stack that up against what Karl Malone did over his career and it ain't even close.


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

good point there wanker, on big-game rob's playoff production. this will likely be the 5th time in 6 finals appearances (possibly all wins) that horry has failed to exceed 10.4 ppg. he's a nice role player who's found himself next to the 3 greatest big men of his generation.

it's funny that malone was slammed for trying to ride some coattails himself to a title, and now people are saying that they'd rather have a career of robert horry, a career coattailer, than a guy who will go down as one of the greats ever. 

the mvp's, finals appearances, all-star games, and hof induction will be enough for malone. as will the 50 greatest ever, and his retired number in utah.


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

on horry's exceeding expectations - he was an up and coming star after the '95 season (and finals). he never approached what was hoped of him at that point. there were many pippen comparisons at the time.


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## bkbballer16 (Apr 28, 2005)

I ma gonna take robert Horry on this one


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## Amplifier (Feb 7, 2005)

Don't know if this has been brought up. But both Barkley and Malone were both part of the best team in history, the '92 Dream Team.


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## tone wone (Jan 30, 2003)

kflo said:


> on horry's exceeding expectations - he was an up and coming star after the '95 season (and finals). he never approached what was hoped of him at that point. there were many pippen comparisons at the time.


 thats another thing that people dont talk about..

Horry was more than just some average role player in Houston, he was thought to be a really good player...but once the rox stop winning titles..he was shipped to Pheonix; were he was a complete failure....then went to L.A. were no one gave a damn about him until Phil arrived and the lakers started to win titles...

its like he doesn't function until a team is competing for a title.....

this is really a case of low expectations.....horry was never thought to be great....so he didnt have anything to live down...even that horrible '03 playoff run....no one ever talks that


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## 33 (Nov 18, 2002)

I'd rather have Malone's career hands down. Horry has been known for being a clutch playoff player, but that's it. Malone is a 2-time MVP, at tleast a 9 time all-star, won 2 gold medals, and is 2nd all-time in scoring. His career poops on Horry's.


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## adarsh1 (May 28, 2003)

gimme Malone. The guy is filthy rich and can do whatever the **** he wants to. He is one of the top 10 players of all time and top 5 power forwards. At the end of the day, a championship is just a damn ring that you wear on your hand.


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## PHXSPORTS4LIFE (May 8, 2003)

i'd take either. but living in utah would suck.


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## PoorPoorSonics (Mar 20, 2004)

Hall of Fame outweighs titles by far.
Give me Malone.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Robert Horry's :yes:

He's not a star that would be recognized and bothered EVERYWHERE he goes, he has hit some of the biggest shots in the game and he's won 5 (possibly 6) championships.

Karl Malone was a great player, but people won't remember that he was the second-leading scorer all-time. They'll remember that he never won a championship.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

PoorPoorSonics said:


> Hall of Fame outweighs titles by far.
> Give me Malone.


Ask Karl Malone if he'd rather be in the Hall of Fame or win an NBA title.


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## DK (May 8, 2005)

Malone. In 30 years the name Robert Horry will be swept away in the sands of time... But Karl Malone's plaque will hang in the Hall forever.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

I don't think Horry's name will be forgotten that easily, at least until this generation of fans is dead. 



Horry has just made so many huge plays in huge games that he'll always be remembered. It hasn't been just 2-3 moments or 2-3 playoffs games where he's played great, so I think by this generation of fans he'll always be remembered.


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

does that mean we'd rather be byron scott than john stockton? john paxson over george gervin? luc longley over patrick ewing? if you take horry, obviously you take horace grant, dennis rodman, mchale, rambis, as well, right? 

malone can be quite proud in his accomplishments. he was a much, much, much better player than horry. his legacy will be remembered far longer. his # will be retired. he will make the hof. he's among the 50 greatest. he's an original dream teamer. whoever would rather be horry is taking the easy route. maybe malone should have played his whole career under his capabilities, piggybacking off of other stars (while still providing some value), to have the greater career than he ultimately had.


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## DK (May 8, 2005)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> I don't think Horry's name will be forgotten that easily, at least until this generation of fans is dead.
> 
> 
> 
> Horry has just made so many huge plays in huge games that he'll always be remembered. It hasn't been just 2-3 moments or 2-3 playoffs games where he's played great, so I think by this generation of fans he'll always be remembered.


You'd be surprised how quickly players are forgotten. I mean, the names Chamberlain and Russell are still uttered regularly today, but none of their role players are remembered (at least as much). I mean, if someone mentions them, they will be known, but they will barely be brought up.

Malone on the other hand has had a career that will never be forgotten- and his name will still be mentioned in 30, 50, and 100 years.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Chamberlain and Russell are notches above Karl Malone though. Which players are going to be mentioned more during Malone's era, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, or Karl Malone? 



I don't deny that Karl Malone's legacy will always be long lasting, but the question is who's career would you rather have, Malone's or Horry's. I said Horry. So what if people don't remember him down the line, he has 5 championships and has played with some of the best players to ever play the game. Yeah, Malone is one of the best players in the game himself, but I personally would rather have 5 championship rings in my possession and memory along with being a pretty damn good player than Malone's career.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

kflo said:


> does that mean we'd rather be byron scott than john stockton? john paxson over george gervin? luc longley over patrick ewing? if you take horry, obviously you take horace grant, dennis rodman, mchale, rambis, as well, right?
> 
> malone can be quite proud in his accomplishments. he was a much, much, much better player than horry. his legacy will be remembered far longer. his # will be retired. he will make the hof. he's among the 50 greatest. he's an original dream teamer. whoever would rather be horry is taking the easy route. maybe malone should have played his whole career under his capabilities, piggybacking off of other stars (while still providing some value), to have the greater career than he ultimately had.




Again, this about who's career would you rather have, not who's career has been better. Of course Malone is a much, much better player than Horry, but Horry has had much, much more playoff success, and has been a contributor all the while. I personally wouldn't mind having a career being a role over being a Superstar as long as I was part of all of the success.


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> Again, this about who's career would you rather have, not who's career has been better. Of course Malone is a much, much better player than Horry, but Horry has had much, much more playoff success, and has been a contributor all the while. I personally wouldn't mind having a career being a role over being a Superstar as long as I was part of all of the success.


the thing is, malone easily could have been that player. he could have decided he just wanted the titles, and did what he did last year his whole career, and ride the wave of the leagues best player(s). that's the more rewarding career? 

malone played hard, and to the best of his abilities. he was an ironman, never missing a game. he played the role his talents dictated. he came up short. there's no shame in that, certainly not in comparison to a guy like horry, whose talent dictated he play a supporting role. hell, malone last year was arguably a more valuable and better player than horry was at any part of his career. hell, he could have signed this year with the spurs and taken the minutes horry's getting now. he could have walked horry's entire path (supporting player to other greats) his whole career, but he was just way above that. why would horry's career be the one to choose?


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

kflo said:


> the thing is, malone easily could have been that player. he could have decided he just wanted the titles, and did what he did last year his whole career, and ride the wave of the leagues best player(s). that's the more rewarding career?
> 
> malone played hard, and to the best of his abilities. he was an ironman, never missing a game. he played the role his talents dictated. he came up short. there's no shame in that, certainly not in comparison to a guy like horry, whose talent dictated he play a supporting role. hell, malone last year was arguably a more valuable and better player than horry was at any part of his career. hell, he could have signed this year with the spurs and taken the minutes horry's getting now. he could have walked horry's entire path (supporting player to other greats) his whole career, but he was just way above that. why would horry's career be the one to choose?





I just personally would enjoy the success. It doesn't matter if Malone "could have" been through Horry's career, he wasn't. I just think that Horry's career has been decent enough to warrant me chosing his path rather than Malones. Malone's career is all about individual achievements and glory, Horry's is all about team success and clutch moments.


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

so, if you were giving advice, you would have told malone to take the easy route to glory? that's the one that's more rewarding?


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

This question is a whole lot like saying would you rather be happy and poor or miserable and rich. Horry representing the poor (not as blessed in terms of talent and ability) person who is happy because he made the most of his career. Malone representing the rich (much better player with more accomplishments) who is miserable because he could never accomplish all that he wanted to. 

I'd rather be happy and poor.


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

better yet, would you rather be ceo for the #2 company, or a line worker for the #1 company?


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

kflo said:


> so, if you were giving advice, you would have told malone to take the easy route to glory? that's the one that's more rewarding?





It's more rewarding to me, yes. That's my opinion, and I've stated why several times. 


Easy route to glory? Just because he wasn't the best player on the team doesn't mean it was "easy" for him. Give me 5 rings, you can have the padded stats and individual glory.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

kflo said:


> better yet, would you rather be ceo for the #2 company, or a line worker for the #1 company?


better yet, would you rather be the head man in charge for a top 5 company, or one of the 5 people in charge of the #1 company?


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

kflo said:


> better yet, would you rather be ceo for the #2 company, or a line worker for the #1 company?





So you'd prefer your own individual glory and accomplishments instead of the experience of winning a NBA title with your teammates (5 times)?



Imagine what Karl Malone felt every year when his team lost. Do you think he wiped away the disppointment by saying "Oh well. I'm a Hall of Famer, so that's all that matters."


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

how many players in the league could have been a robert horry? how many a karl malone? it's much, much easier to be a robert horry. right places, right times. he made some of his good fortune, but he was extremely dependent on others. it may not have been easy for him, as his game isn't that special, but it would have been pretty easy for malone.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> Imagine what Karl Malone felt every year when his team lost. Do you think he wiped away the disppointment by saying "Oh well. I'm a Hall of Famer, so that's all that matters."


Exactly. And those years when Horry was on title winning teams, did he say "Oh I just helped my team win a title, but it doesn't matter because I'm not a hall of famer"? I doubt it.


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## JT (Mar 1, 2004)

Sir Patchwork said:


> This question is a whole lot like saying would you rather be happy and poor or miserable and rich. Horry representing the poor (not as blessed in terms of talent and ability) person who is happy because he made the most of his career. Malone representing the rich (much better player with more accomplishments) who is miserable because he could never accomplish all that he wanted to.
> 
> I'd rather be happy and poor.



no its not. the question is innately slanted because people don't like karl malone as it is, i think if you replaced him with barkley that an overwhelming amount of people would pick barkley. the premise was already broken down by mcmurphy, karl malone is miserable because hes a jerk while a guy like reggie miller put it very adequately; "i tried" and he came to terms with that. 

mulling about this topic constantly, it was hard to make a decision, in the nba its ALL about the bling bling, but in the end a mans pride is bigger than that. if you have the chance, you be the main reason why you are there. rockets/spurs/lakers most likely win those titles without horry. malone got to the big dance *twice* as the main cog. yeah he didn't get it done, but he was in attendance as the man at least. its not in me to be a sidebar, another bench player riding on the back of a great player. why not be the great player instead? next we will have people saying they'd rather be kenny smith over charles barkley, i mean he has 2 rings doesn't he?


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

i think at the end of the day you sit back and assess what you accomplished, and how you went about your business. i think being BETTER counts for something. karl malone was substantially better than robert horry. it's not even close. at the end of the day, i think that what he was able to accomplish, as an individual and as a team, is more enviable than what horry accomplished. would he be jealous of some of the things horry experienced? certainly. enough to compensate for the enormous difference in individual accomplishments and historical importance? we're not talking james worthy vs dominique wilkens here, or karl malone vs kevin mchale. we're talking about a top 15 player of all-time vs a guy who was arguably never top 40 in the league in any season. oh yeah, i'm picking john stockton over john paxson too.


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## mauzer (Jun 7, 2005)

Malone-biggest loser in basketball history with most talent. Horry-biggest winner with least talent.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

In the Spurs forum, ezealen found an article that talks about Horry's accomplishments. Among them, he's made the playoffs every single year of his career, and has made it at least to the 2nd round in every season. He just passed Michael Jordan for having the most 3 pointers made in NBA Finals history, and he is in the top 5 in career playoff games played. If he gets a 6th title, that will tie him with Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul Jabar, and Scottie Pippen. 




The guy has an amazing list of accomplishments as well.


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## LuckyAC (Aug 12, 2004)

I'll take individual greatness any day over location.


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## jalen5 (Nov 19, 2004)

This is a very, very tough question to answer. If you asked Karl Malone, I think he would say he would rather Robert Horry's career. BUT the only reason he would say that is b/c he is one of the greatest players of all time so he has already experienced individual greatness. The ONLY thing he hasn't accomplished is winning a championship. What Malone has accomplished individually is incredible. He will be remembered as one of the greatest players ever and people will remember him for a long, long time. He'll make the Hall of Fame eventually so the awards and recognition never actually stop. However, Horry has one many titles. There is nothing greater than winning the championship. And he has been a very key contributor to all of them, making clutch shot after clutch shot. 

I think I would go with Malone's career for one reason and one reason only. I'm a very loyal person, and I like the idea of staying with one team for my career (even it is damn Utah). Horry has one his championships with 3 different teams and 3 different sets of superstars, so that lessens the thrill of them all in my opinion (just a little tho). Plus, if you are a competitor, not only do you want to win championships but you want to be the best player as well. Karl was the best player (even tho MJ and others were greater, he is in the group when people are referring to the best ever). His legacy will last much much longer than Horry's.


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## Sith (Oct 20, 2003)

would u rather have Steve Kerr's, ron harper's career vs Charless barkley's careers? i cant believe you guys are still debating this. if i were a mod, i would lock this threat the moment i saw it due to the extreme stupidibity of the content. and some of u brought up the location, LMFAO, "living in Utah your entire career owuld suck" ? i mean read the sentence again yourself, does it "LMFAO" sounds about right for that statement? so u think being mentioned among the league's elites, all-star annually, gives interviews regularly, a coupleof MVPs here and there, all -nba team, 2nd all-time highest carrer scorer....etc....i could go on and on is not better than someone who puts up 8/5 in 25mins of action who hapepned just to be at the right place a the right time collecting rings?? 

ok back to the location thingy, it's not like malone will be living in Utah forever, he can move freely with the money he made, definitely alot more than horry, and malone really does enjoy living in utah he likes the big trucks, fishing, camping type of fun.

ok back to the pure basketball point of view, all u need to know is this, 20years from now, u will still see maleon in highlight videos, being talked about when they are mentioning great players, all-time great forwards, and guess what's in store for horry in 20 years? about "Horry who"?


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> In the Spurs forum, ezealen found an article that talks about Horry's accomplishments. Among them, he's made the playoffs every single year of his career, and has made it at least to the 2nd round in every season. He just passed Michael Jordan for having the most 3 pointers made in NBA Finals history, and he is in the top 5 in career playoff games played. If he gets a 6th title, that will tie him with Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul Jabar, and Scottie Pippen.
> 
> The guy has an amazing list of accomplishments as well.


he scores 9 ppg in the playoffs. he went from hakeem's rockets to phx, where they were floundering and horry was in the doghouse before he was shipped out to the lakers and shaq. he's made it to the 2nd round precisely because he's been in the right place. not because he's stepped up his game consistently in the playoffs. he's a role player, and he's dependent on others, or his teams won't win. his accomplishments are great for a player of his type - compared to other role players of similar caliber robert horry's career is the one you want. 

this isn't a case of a great player who's sacrificing for the good of the team. who's trading individual glory for team success. this is robert horry's niche. he doesn't have other options. he can't be more, because his ability doesn't warrant more. what people found so distasteful about malone and his hitching on the the laker wagon is horry's only option. 

horry's had a solid career, and an extraordinarily rewarding career for a player of his caliber.


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## Laz-E-Boy (Nov 19, 2004)

I don't know about everyone else, but if I looked back at all the title's I won, take my name out, and find out that the teams would most likely still win the title, I would feel pretty damn crappy.

I don't know if this would help me explain, but when I joined the track team 2 years ago and we won the championship, I only contributed to one event, and it didn't fare too well. I was glad the team won, but I hated myself for not being able to do more. A year later I became one of the top dogs and the team was better than last year...but we lost. I was upset, but at the same time somewhat satisfied that I was able to give all I had and that the better team won.

I know I'm comparing 2 different sports, but I feel that it wold be much more worthwhile to be someone who was one of the best and had some success, rather than someone who achieved the ultimate success multiple times, but rode the coattails of better players and could have been easily replaced by other players during that time.


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## Krstic All-Star (Mar 9, 2005)

Robert Horry. Malone sold out years ago in order to keep his stats up, and prolong his career. For all the talk of his fadeaway, his game was much stronger when he bulled his way to the basket, and then used the jumper as a change of pace. His rebounding suffered tremendously when he became a (mediocre) jump shooter, on the offensive end at least. No matter what else, I'd rather not be a sell-out.


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## Spriggan (Mar 23, 2004)

Krstic All Star said:


> Robert Horry. Malone sold out years ago in order to keep his stats up, and prolong his career. For all the talk of his fadeaway, his game was much stronger when he bulled his way to the basket, and then used the jumper as a change of pace. His rebounding suffered tremendously when he became a (mediocre) jump shooter, on the offensive end at least. No matter what else, I'd rather not be a sell-out.


Kind of like how he sold out to keep his stats up as a 4th option on a team on an MLE salary?


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

This is why this topic is so great. Everyone has their own opinion, and and both sides have great points.


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

Krstic All Star said:


> Robert Horry. Malone sold out years ago in order to keep his stats up, and prolong his career. For all the talk of his fadeaway, his game was much stronger when he bulled his way to the basket, and then used the jumper as a change of pace. His rebounding suffered tremendously when he became a (mediocre) jump shooter, on the offensive end at least. No matter what else, *I'd rather not be a sell-out*.



Exactly what are you talking about?


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## Krstic All-Star (Mar 9, 2005)

Spriggan said:


> Kind of like how he sold out to keep his stats up as a 4th option on a team on an MLE salary?



Nope, by that point he decided that a ring was all he wanted. He'd sold out his game long before that.


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## Krstic All-Star (Mar 9, 2005)

PauloCatarino said:


> Exactly what are you talking about?



When Malone came into the league he was a monster inside. He'd crash the boards every time and muscle his way around for everything. He added a jump shot, which by itself isn't a negative. By the early or mid 90's though, he started to rely on his fadeaway jumper, and began to stop pushing it inside. It got worse as he aged. While he may have hit a number of the jumpers, it meant that he was in no position for offensive rebounds, and the offense shifted to accomodate him in the high post, rather than down on the blocks. It worked as well as it did mainly due to the makeup of the team, which included shooters like Hornacek and Stockton who could spot up and catch his passes out of the high post. However, the offense became less efficient, despite all evidence to the contrary. Malone's shooting percentage fell, and the Jazz became a jump-shooting team exclusively. It cost them.

So I say he sold out - himself and his team


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

Krstic All Star said:


> When Malone came into the league he was a monster inside. He'd crash the boards every time and muscle his way around for everything. He added a jump shot, which by itself isn't a negative. By the early or mid 90's though, he started to rely on his fadeaway jumper, and began to stop pushing it inside. It got worse as he aged. While he may have hit a number of the jumpers, it meant that he was in no position for offensive rebounds, and the offense shifted to accomodate him in the high post, rather than down on the blocks. It worked as well as it did mainly due to the makeup of the team, which included shooters like Hornacek and Stockton who could spot up and catch his passes out of the high post. However, the offense became less efficient, despite all evidence to the contrary. Malone's shooting percentage fell, and the Jazz became a jump-shooting team exclusively. It cost them.
> 
> So I say he sold out - himself and his team


Oh, i see...

Malone should carry his astounding power play till he was 35 years of age and beyond, is it?

I get your point, but Malone was a smart fellow... When he realized he couldn't overplay guys in the post that often, he started relying on the jumper... Nothing wrong with that... and you are making it seem that Malone was using it in his prime... That's not true.


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## Nate505 (Aug 22, 2003)

BenDengGo said:


> i'd take horry for reasons already mentioned, plus i got to live in sunny places like houston, san antonio and los angeles.
> 
> malone had to live in utah..........
> ask any player in the league which city is the lamest....its either milwaukee or utah


Houston? Quite possibly the worst city in the US.......

BTW, Utah isn't a city.


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## charlz (Jun 9, 2003)

EGarrett said:


> I remember the Sports Guy wrote a column on this. I think it's a great topic.
> 
> As a basketball player, would you rather have an NBA career like a Karl Malone (or Charles Barkley), or Robert Horry?


Charles Barkley

Robert Horry is a nice player no doubt but he is the classic right place at the right time guy - never won against Jordan.

Malone and Charles both wrong place at wrong time lost to Jordan in finals.


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## IwishIwasAlilbittalla (Aug 14, 2004)

I would take Barkley and Malone over horry. 
I agree that the ultimate goal in the NBA is to win a championship, but I would say that Malone and barkley have acheived greater goals in life than horry has. Both Barkley and Malone being such good individual players have had a much stronger impact on fans than Horry ever will. Granted they were not always the best role models (barkley even claimed he should not be a role model), they both have done great things for society and many children have looked up to them and enjoyed watching them play over the years. 
They have inspired numerous people to enjoy and participate in basketball, and by doing so have helped the game, and their communities.
They both got to participate in the Olympics with the greatest team ever assembled, got to perform for an international audience, they both played in the finals, and numerous allstar games.
Championships are a major goal, but in terms of being overall satisfied with life/career I would be more satisfied with the fact that I reached/inspired more people in this world then won a few rings.


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## IwishIwasAlilbittalla (Aug 14, 2004)

dang .. i got too deep and killed the thread.


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

I'd rather have Horry's career. I couldn't live with myself as a dirty player.


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## Dodigago (Jan 13, 2005)

I think the Horry argument got stronger today (game 5)


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## Adol (Nov 25, 2004)

lol I knew this thread would suddenly get more attention after tonight.


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## Krstic All-Star (Mar 9, 2005)

Go Horry!!!


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## Thuloid (May 12, 2004)

Horry says he'll be a guy about whom people say, "I remember that guy." Well I sure will. He used to kill my Spurs back in Houston, then killed my Spurs with the Lakers (but also did the job on Sacramento, whom I've never liked), and now kills just for me (well, it feels like it).

Malone's career will always have a touch of the tragic to it, memories of big failures (despite the great performances). Horry's is all grins and shots to win big games. So what if he doesn't have any MVPs? He seems to love the game more than any six ordinary players combined, and the game sure seems to love him back.


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## SignGuyDino (Apr 30, 2003)

Can't help but thing of a great Deion Sanders quote:

"If you ain't won a ring, you ain't done a damn thing."


Amen, brother!! :biggrin:


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## junh (May 23, 2003)

Interesting topic. Lets turn the question around and ask Horry and Malone if they would trade each other's place to get what each weren't able to accomplish and I bet this would be the kind of answer you'll be hearing:

Malone: "<....after much thought and silence> It would've been nice to at least win 1 ring."

Horry: "Nah. I'm just happy with what I have and having fun."

Give me Horry's career ANY day!


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Hehehe. I would have bumped this myself, but someone beat me to it. 




I've already said it multiple times, but give me Horry. The guy is a beast.


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## coachhomer (Sep 23, 2004)

This should have been titled the ... "Are you selfish or Unselfish Thread" or "Are you a self promoter or not thread"

C


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## celtsb34 (Apr 22, 2005)

Horry


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

coachhomer said:


> This should have been titled the ... "Are you selfish or Unselfish Thread" or "Are you a self promoter or not thread"
> 
> C


why is that?


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

Dodigago said:


> I think the Horry argument got stronger today (game 5)


Not really.


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## Long John Silver (Jun 14, 2005)

Give me Horry :banana:


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## KingofNewark (Feb 18, 2005)

Give me Mailman... a ton $$$.


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## coachhomer (Sep 23, 2004)

kflo said:


> why is that?


Because... one motivation is complete selfishness (Individual career accomplishments)

And the other is team accomplishments. Isn't the game about winning? And isn't it a team sport?

The unselfish could care less about their individual accomplishments and are just happy to contribute to a cause greater than themselves.

C


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

would you prefer to play 1 season, score 1 point in the finals for the team that wins the title, or be karl malone? i mean, there has to be a limit, right? 

would you rather be a scrub who wins, or an all-time great who never won a title? would it be selfish to prefer to be the all-time great? should we rather be the scrub?

there's a dramatic difference in the level of play between karl malone and robert horry. i'd guess you'd have a cutoff between the tradeoff of individual success and team success. is your cutoff right at the selfish / unselfish intersection?


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## Pinball (Aug 3, 2002)

Give me the money, name recognition, and individual accolades baby. Rings are nice but Karl Malone's name will live have a great longevity in NBA circles than Horry's. Remember how clutch Paxson was for the Bulls in the early 90's? How many people remember him now? Patrick Ewing, for all of his failures, is still a HOFer at the end of the day. I'm a pretty narcissistic person so I'll take Malone's career.


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## tone wone (Jan 30, 2003)

Karl Malone has had great success in the NBA...its not like were comparing Horry to "Pistol" Pete or Nique...those guys were terrific players.....but never came close to winning a title...

Malone has made it to 3 finals....and was "the guy" on 2 those teams....he's the greatest power foward ever....thats good enough for me...

it doesn't mean i dont value titles...I do. but there's a middle ground that people are missing....I want greatness...winning a title as a role player...isn't greatness...to carry a team to 2 finals appear. is greatness


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