New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Things ESPN’s Top-74 Players Got Wrong

#45 Anthony Davis- New Orleans Pelicans/ Los Angeles Lakers

Anthony Davis, former power forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, probably got robbed more than anyone when it came to ESPN’s list.

I get that he is just 27-years-old, hasn’t really won anything and still may have his best years ahead of him, but there was still no reason to put him this low on the list.

Davis is the ideal modern big man, a polished two-way player who can spread the floor and protect the rim.

His career numbers of 24 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game put him among the elite big men on this list, especially amongst guys who actually played against other bigs.

I know ESPN wanted their list to reflect the history of the game and gave special consideration to different eras, guys who were trailblazers (except Pistol Pete apparently) or pioneers at their positiion.

I get all of that.

But there is no way Bob Pettit or George Mikan should be ahead of Davis on this list. These are guys who played parts of their careers before the league was even desegregated, meaning a lot of the best talent was kept out.

Not to mention that Mikan was literally the only 7-footer from his era and played most of his career against guys who were a foot shorter.

Can you imagine what Anthony Davis would do in that era? It’s a joke.

If you were playing a pick up game and saw a young Bob Pettit standing there next to Anthony Davis, only an insane person would choose Pettit.

I get that all eras are different, but if this is really a list of the “Best” players, then Anthony Davis should be much higher than these two guys, who honestly could be left off the list entirely, as there are probably 12 current NBA centers who would have dominated in their era.