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An attempt to provide a little historical context on how the narrative on Moses Malone got so skewed...
Once upon a time (1960s) basketball was played at a furious pace, teams played fast, shot and missed much more than now, and were always trying to get into transition. Halfcourt sets were relatively crude, and restrictive dribbling rules and the lack of a 3pt line made spacing
difficult at best.
When basketball is played this way offensive rebounding becomes one of the very most important things, first because it gives you a second chance at a bucket (just like today) but even moreso, it prevents your opponent from initiating transition. But, as the
When basketball is played this way offensive rebounding becomes one of the very most important things, first because it gives you a second chance at a bucket (just like today) but even moreso, it prevents your opponent from initiating transition. But, as the
game changed and slowed down, the value of offensive rebounding changed as well (which isn't to say it's without value, but it's less important than it was). Unfortunately it took time for observers of the game to realize the difference (my local newspaper still listed offensive
rebounding leaders into the 1990s). So, into this relative Upside Down (wherein a single offensive stat is being dramatically overvalued relative to its actual schematic significance) strides Moses Malone, the Nolan Ryan of offensive rebounding. Combine that with the fact that
Moses' prime intersected with one of the weakest eras for center play in league history (Robert Parish was probably the third best center of the time period) and you have a player whose career is difficult to place in context. Moses was not bad, he was the most prolific offensive
rebounder of all-time, and a reasonable volume scorer, and he was a very tough matchup for Kareem (who always had a harder time with stronger centers), but he is the worst three time MVP in league history, full stop. He is a deserved HOFer, but I'm not sure he's top 12 at his
position, much less Top 15 overall. You cannot tell the story of the ABA, the merger, and the late 70s and 80s without talking about Moses, but don't let his narrative significance tilt the scales on his on court quality
