I see this all the time when people debate "greatness" of a player
I see many ESPN-era folk buying into the massive NBA/Nike/ESPN propaganda that Michael Jordan was a mythical figure who would descend from the heavens and hit every single clutch basketball shot in the purest of form every single time.... while the truth is that he missed more than he made, and while he as indeed "clutch" at times, he was a liability in other times for the Bulls. He also didn't win jack until Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen arrived, and the Bulls were a 50 win team and near Finals-contenders without him.
I see many NFL folk try to sell Tom Brady as the greatest of all time for his titles, despite acknowledging his coaching and defense over the years, being that Brady only plays on offense, and would be outplayed on offense by other QB's but win games.
What do you guys think of this? Is this just a brain-nullified equation to decide who is the greatest?
If Bill Russell has 11 NBA Championships, he's the greatest, right? No MJ support can say otherwise?
Its one of the things that makes sports interesting and that the older I get, the more I find myself going back to sports analysis after a 15-20 year hiatus. Would Babe Ruth had been such a prolific home run hitter had he faced top shelf relief pitching every night. Or would the extra games per season have added more round numbers to his astounding offensive numbers. His career slugging percentage is head and shoulders above anyone else. Ted Williams (#2 on the Slugging % list) is closer to the 13th place player--Joe D than he is to Babe Ruth.
As for the question at hand...I think to answer the question depends on the observer. If titles mean more to you and your analysis of a player's effectiveness, you won't really concern yourself with how many pro-bowls or All NBA teams. Vice versa.
Where I come out is this...greatness is one of those things that fall under the category of "you know it when you see it". Titles sort of lead to a false read though. Russell (never saw him play outside of some highlight clips) was probably a great player and the titles reflect that in his case. Robert Horry has 7 rings...Jordan has 6. Does that make Horry "greater" than Jordan? Greater than Bird or Magic? According to one source, Horry was never an All Star!!!!