Top 5 Lakers Small Forwards

Written by Daniel Buerge on 09/17/2009 in Editorials - 24 Comments

Laker great Elgin Baylor before the game one of a Western Conference final playoff basketball game between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center on Tuesday May 19, 2009 in Los Angeles Photo via Newscom

3. Elgin Baylor

An impressive 11 time NBA All-Star, Elgin Baylor is one of the all time great players in NBA history. In 1958 the Minneapolis Lakers drafted Baylor with the #1 overall pick, coming off one of their worst seasons in history (19-53). Baylor had an immediate impact, winning Rookie of the Year in 1959 while averaging 24.9 PPG, 15 RPG and 4.1 APG. During a time when the Minneapolis Lakers were strapped for cash and success, former owner Bob Short gave credit to Baylor for effectively saving the franchise the year he signed, telling the LA Times; ” “If he had turned me down then, I would have been out of business. The club would have gone bankrupt.” The 71 points Baylor scored during the 1960 season was a record at the time, and no doubt will go down as one of the highest single game point totals ever. Elgin Baylor was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977, while also being named to the NBA’s 35th and 50th anniversary All-Time Teams.

Next: Jim Pollard

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About the Author

Daniel is the editor-in-chief for Lakers Nation. He's always doing his best to keep you informed and entertained. Follow Daniel on Twitter - @DanielBuerge_LA.

Comments

comments

Daniel

I guess I will get the ball rolling here, but who were the honorable mentions that might be able to overtake Fox on this list?
Does Fox deserve to be above someone like Horry? Or is Horry considered a PF?
Daniel

I guess I will get the ball rolling here, but who were the honorable mentions that might be able to overtake Fox on this list?
Does Fox deserve to be above someone like Horry? Or is Horry considered a PF?
http://www.lakersnation.com Ryan

I think Horry is a PF, so maybe we will see him on that list .

I do agree LO could end up surpassing Fox before too long though!
http://www.lakersnation.com Ryan

I think Horry is a PF, so maybe we will see him on that list .

I do agree LO could end up surpassing Fox before too long though!
KindSir

I think Elgin should be ahead of Pollard.
KindSir

I think Elgin should be ahead of Pollard.
Jay Dholakia

Hey guys,
Im Jay. Anyway, I think this season is gonna be a lot of fun. U know why? Because we have KLARD on our team. Kobe, Lamar, Andrew, Ron, and Derek. What more can u ask for? I think this might be the best team yet. We cant forget about PASS either. Pau, Adam, Shannon and Sasha. THE LAKER MIGHT WANNA MAKE ROOM FOR ANOTHER TROPHY. PHIL MIGHT WANNA GET ANOTHER FINGER, too. HOW IS HE GONNA FIT THE 11th RING ON JUST 10 FINGERS. Good luck for a great season and hope to be a part of the fun. LA might want to raise money for another parade!!
Thanks,
Jay Dholakia
Jay Dholakia

Hey guys,
Im Jay. Anyway, I think this season is gonna be a lot of fun. U know why? Because we have KLARD on our team. Kobe, Lamar, Andrew, Ron, and Derek. What more can u ask for? I think this might be the best team yet. We cant forget about PASS either. Pau, Adam, Shannon and Sasha. THE LAKER MIGHT WANNA MAKE ROOM FOR ANOTHER TROPHY. PHIL MIGHT WANNA GET ANOTHER FINGER, too. HOW IS HE GONNA FIT THE 11th RING ON JUST 10 FINGERS. Good luck for a great season and hope to be a part of the fun. LA might want to raise money for another parade!!
Thanks,
Jay Dholakia
pslakerfan

Pollard ahead of Elgin Baylor??? Are you kidding me.

Random rare trivia…..Name the 4 highest scoring players in NBA history per 48 minutes in their careers.

Answer.

1 Jordan
2 Kobe
3 West
4 Baylor (and he played most of his career with #3)

Jim Pollard? Come on, he must be your uncle.
pslakerfan

Pollard ahead of Elgin Baylor??? Are you kidding me.

Random rare trivia…..Name the 4 highest scoring players in NBA history per 48 minutes in their careers.

Answer.

1 Jordan
2 Kobe
3 West
4 Baylor (and he played most of his career with #3)

Jim Pollard? Come on, he must be your uncle.
pslakerfan

And just to add to my comment above.

Baylor was selected one of the 50 greatest players of all time.
Pollard, not on the list.

Bleacher report has Baylor as #3 all time Small Forward in NBA history behind Bird and Havlicek. Way ahead of Worthy by the way.

How can he be #3 all time Small Forward, but be #3 Laker on your list?

(His shortcomings as a GM, don’t count against him here, do they?)

Here are the career stats of Baylor, Worthy, and Pollard, in no particular order.

(seasons as a Laker, points, rebounds, assists)

12/17/5/3
7/14/8/3
14/27/13/4

Which player looks like the best Laker? Hint, it’s not #1 or #2.
pslakerfan

And just to add to my comment above.

Baylor was selected one of the 50 greatest players of all time.
Pollard, not on the list.

Bleacher report has Baylor as #3 all time Small Forward in NBA history behind Bird and Havlicek. Way ahead of Worthy by the way.

How can he be #3 all time Small Forward, but be #3 Laker on your list?

(His shortcomings as a GM, don’t count against him here, do they?)

Here are the career stats of Baylor, Worthy, and Pollard, in no particular order.

(seasons as a Laker, points, rebounds, assists)

12/17/5/3
7/14/8/3
14/27/13/4

Which player looks like the best Laker? Hint, it’s not #1 or #2.
http://www.lakersnation.com Ryan

We tried to give Pollard some respect as many do not know what a great NBA player/ All time great Laker he was. This guy has the rings to prove it, and along with Mikan made up one of the first great dynasties. It was a throw back to the old school and Elgin is also an amazing SF, but we had to give Pollard the nod.

As written at the top, we gave alot of weight to championship rings while a Laker.
http://www.lakersnation.com Ryan

We tried to give Pollard some respect as many do not know what a great NBA player/ All time great Laker he was. This guy has the rings to prove it, and along with Mikan made up one of the first great dynasties. It was a throw back to the old school and Elgin is also an amazing SF, but we had to give Pollard the nod.

As written at the top, we gave alot of weight to championship rings while a Laker.
tanritwofour

Elgin Baylor should be number one
tanritwofour

Elgin Baylor should be number one
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http://yahoo.com anchila

hi…im a fan of lakers
http://yahoo.com anchila

hi…im a fan of lakers
http://yahoo.com anchila

..the nba finals was so greate.. i love kobe.. and gasol
http://yahoo.com anchila

..the nba finals was so greate.. i love kobe.. and gasol
http://twitter.com/MarkyBeeee Mark Barbadillo

Rick Fox was truly a solid role player..
j lakeman

rick fox what a joke u must be dreaming or was he related 2 u