Oscar Combs On KSR Today: Anthony Davis Best UK Player Ever

[Darryl]

I agree. My alltime starting 5 at UK:

Center: Davis
PF: Issel
SF: Mashburn
PG: Wall
SG: Dampier

Darryl

[catmanjack]

My three favorite players in my time of watching
UK are.
1. Kenny Sky Walker
2. Jamal monster mash mashburn
3. Anthony Davis

All three were great.

[kingcat]

I love Davis and he is the greatest athlete to wear our colors.

Issel would still get his fourty and twenty against him however.

[cattails]

Unfair to pick Davis, had he stayed 4 years there most likely would be no debate at all. He is still learning to play the game, his offensive side of the ball needs a lot of work and he would have only been a Jr this year. I agree with Darryl's starting 5, man could Dampier fill it up. I had a conversation with him years ago and he wasn't/isn't that tall, but man what a stroke, he was money from deep.

[Krank]

I love Davis and he is the greatest athlete to wear our colors.

Issel would still get his fourty and twenty against him however.

Wow, king. I am about as big a supporter for "old school" dudes being on these teams as you can find, but 40? Against Davis?

Seems unlikely to me. Heck, I am one to place Issel #1 regardless because of his unreal overall stats, but he doesn't get 40/20 on just anyone IMO.

Add to that the fact that Davis didn't "get to wait" until his second year of college ball to suit up for the varsity. Where would one draw lines for age disparity? Are you talking Senior Issel vs. Freshman Davis? Even in that somewhat unfair scenario...

I say Dan's only shot at getting 40 and 20 on Anthony comes within the first handful of games of AD's college debut season.

[jazyd]

Krank, did you watch Dan play in person? He could scrore on anyone. And I mean anyone. If AD had stayed 4 years and ut on weight it would have been interesting, dont' know if Dan could get 40 but AD would not hav stopped him The interesting battel would have been Dan and Cuz, two big athletic bodies. Bangers. Ad could do things Dan couldn't, but Dan would punish hte body of AD

[suncat05]

Big Dan is probably one of the most physical players to ever put on a Kentucky uniform. Period. And while AD is a defensive stopper, Dan Issel is one he would not do well against. Big Dan might not get 40/20, but it would be in the neighborhood.
I met Dan Issel one time, back in the early 70's when he was playing for the Kentucky Colonels. Just a huge, monstrous, mountain-of-a-man.

[ETWNAPPEL]

I agree with Oscar. Davis had the single greatest season in UK history.

[blueboss]

What would Dan do with a shot clock and the three ball?

[Krank]

Krank, did you watch Dan play in person? He could scrore on anyone. And I mean anyone. If AD had stayed 4 years and ut on weight it would have been interesting, dont' know if Dan could get 40 but AD would not hav stopped him The interesting battel would have been Dan and Cuz, two big athletic bodies. Bangers. Ad could do things Dan couldn't, but Dan would punish hte body of AD

Well, jazy, I didn't see him "in person" at UK or anything like that. Saw him here and there in the ABA and certainly in the NBA. I am familiar enough with Dan to have nothing but respect for his game.

All I am saying is something very simple. We all agree that AD was one of, if not THE, best defensive player we have ever seen at UK. Dan was the best offensive player. I think that is fair. I realize Dan was a big guy and Anthony, as a Freshman, was not "huge" or whatever, which is why I brought up whether or not king was talking about a Freshman AD vs. a Senior Issel.

Either way, something's gotta give, and while some may think I am shirking Issel because I am skeptical that he would put up FORTY and TWENTY against Davis, the truth is that I am giving mad respect to the man that we ALL agreed changed the dynamics of opponent offense in EVERY game he played in. What Davis did to entire teams, including big men, was alter the WHOLE offensive game plan of opponents AND their star bigs, ruling the lane and beyond.

Sure, Dan would have muscled through Davis on plenty of plays, but he ain't shooting over him and he ain't cruisin' to 40 and 20. Issel was great. So was AD. They BOTH would have affected each other to have lesser than normal stats IMO. I believe that is reasonable and feels true to me because they were both great even if VERY different, stylistically and physically.

[Krank]

Big Dan is probably one of the most physical players to ever put on a Kentucky uniform. Period. And while AD is a defensive stopper, Dan Issel is one he would not do well against. Big Dan might not get 40/20, but it would be in the neighborhood.
I met Dan Issel one time, back in the early 70's when he was playing for the Kentucky Colonels. Just a huge, monstrous, mountain-of-a-man.

I love you suncat, but I will not hold my breath waiting for any player to even APPROACH 30 points in ANY game against Anthony Davis. You let me know if anyone in AD's entire career gets in the neighborhood of 40 and 20 against him.

Come on, man, we are not talking about just any "defensive stopper". Folks are talking about him having the greatest season in UK history.

Personally, I doubt that, and would go with Issel or maybe even Groza, but Anthony would give ANY big in UK history enough trouble to, at the very least, keep them from absurd dominance, which is what in the neighborhood of 40 and 20 is. That is why I believe the notion that he would get more like 25 and 12 seems MUCH more realistic.

[cattails]

Good debate there Krank!! I think it is fair to say we have never had a defensive player like Davis. And the kid could make some unreal catches and finish at the rim like no one we have had before. The championship game against KU showed how much he has to improve his offensive game, he was pushed around under the basket, he could not come close to holding his ground, it also showed how he could dominate a game on the defensive end. Davis was not great in all areas of his game, but he was 13 out of 10 rating on controlling the game. Just depends on how you value his all round game.

[LakeCat]

Dan scored over 2100 points in three years and if the 3 pointer had been in effect it would have been 3000. IMO a one year player, regardless of how well he played cannot be consider as the greatest to ever play at UK. Doing it year after year has to be the standard. I will never forget the game in Memorial Gym with Issel and Maravich going head to head.

[suncat05]

I don't know Krank, brother........AD's body of work was just one season, while Big Dan played 3 years. Also, and while I love the kid to death, (meaning AD!)he has not played against the likes of Jabbar, Chamberlain, Russell, and others of that era day in and day out like Big Dan did. Not even close.
But I do agree with you in that for one season, AD did probably have the best season of any UK big man ever. To argue that point, is, in my mind, just foolish. But to compare one year's body of work against three year's body of work as even in the same zip code is out of kilter too. I still believe Big Dan would have not attained 40/20 against AD, but Issel would have gotten close to 30/12 "most' games.
Every player has that one guy that they don't do well against(Superman's kryptonite), and Big Dan would be AD's. JMHO. Certainly open for debate though!