NBA's Best Part C, the top 10

by clarkpojo on Sep 28, 2008 7:50 PM MDT Comment 6 comments

So here it is, the top 10 best NBA players. I can already see that you guys will veto Deron Williams right into the top 10. But that is what I want, a democratic top 50. Drumroll please.

10. Amare Stoudemire- Stoudemire has the potential to become the dominant, not only a dominant big man in the league. He swears he has made a commitment to the defensive end and if he does, Phoenix and Stoudemire will surprise this next season. I am already marking him as an MVP candidate this next season along with D-Will. I would project that he will average about 26 points and 11 rebounds.

9. Paul Pierce- I have to admit that before the finals last year, I thought Paul Pierce was overrated. He was clearly the MVP of that series with his timely shooting and incredible defense. His game 4 performance when he singlehandedly shut Kobe Bryant down in LA was one of the finest playoff performances on defense I have ever seen. He made a believer out of me. He won't be an MVP candidate this season, but he will be an integral part of another very good Celtics team.

8. Yao Ming- Jazz fans will hate this high ranking, but Yao Ming is one of the two best centers in the league, if not the best. And Houston fans think that Artest is the answer, but if Houston will only be title contenders as soon as they realize that Ming is their best player. He has the tools to be dominant offensively if he is healthy and this next season will be his best season yet.

7. Dwight Howard- Howard won't deserve to be quite this high if he doesn't either develop a midrange game or learns to make free throws, but his ability to control the lane on both sides of the court warrants him a top 10 spot. He is still young and should only improve and one day he will probably win a championship. He will also be an MVP candidate.

6. Kevin Garnett- No one has ever questioned his skill and now no one will ever question his leadership or ability to win the big game. His offensive game is fading and he went for big stretches without asserting himself on the offensive end last season, but he is one of the best at leading by example and he plays great defense. It will be sad to see him go in 3 or 4 seasons.

5. Tim Duncan- This may be the last season that Duncan merits a top 10 ranking, but he is still the anchor of one of the best teams in the NBA. He absolutely controls the paint on defense better than anyone in the league besides Garnett. And with his crazy bankshots, his offensive game is superior to Garnett's. It would be fun to see them go head to head in the finals, except that I never want to see either of those teams in the finals again. I hate the spurs, but as long as Duncan is there, they have a chance at competing for the championship.

4. Chris Paul- Let's just get one thing clear. I don't think Paul is guaranteed to have a better career than Deron Williams and I am glad that the Jazz have D-Will. But last season, Paul had a better season. He statistically had the best season a point guard has ever had and he is the heart and soul of the Hornets. As long as the Hornets keep winning, he will be an MVP candidate again.

3. Dwyane Wade- If there is one thing we learned from the summer olympics, it is that Dwyane Wade is back. He is one of the most dynamic players in the league and he should be back to top form. The Heat won't win enough games to help him get MVP recognition, but his numbers will make him deserving.

2. Kobe Bryant- I am not just putting Bryant as second fiddle to annoy Laker fans or because I dislike the Lakers. But right now Bryant is not doing as much with his supporting cast as James is. Because as crazy as it sounds, Bryant deserves as much of the blame for not winning the championship as anyone on the Lakers and you can't say that about James. And besides...

1. James will be this season's MVP- and he will deserve it. I believe his numbers will be better than Bryant's across the board and he will lead the Cavs to at least an Eastern Conference championship. He is the most unstoppable player in the game right now and he has more room to improve than Bryant does. And taking the players James took to the Finals is much more difficult than taking the team Bryant took.

So there it is. Send your comments and let the debate begin.

All comments are the opinion of the commenter and not necessarily that of SLC Dunk or SB Nation.

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WTF dude.

You have Deron as #12. Now, I know he’s not the BEST player in the NBA, but really #12?? I think he’s better overall then half of the guys you have in the top then. Especially when you have CP3 so high.

by DaniellelovesKK on Sep 29, 2008 1:59 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

CP3 comparison

According to the generation that precedes me, Wilt got the glamor and glitz and notoriety, but he never got the best of Bill Russell. I am totally content giving CP the press, as long as DW keeps on beating him.

Leave the ball, will you George?

by MTN on Sep 29, 2008 10:54 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Well said.

The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.

by clarkpojo on Sep 29, 2008 11:30 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh wow...

Yao Ming is the 8th best player in the NBA?!? Really!

and Paul Pierce is better than Deron?!?!?

That’s a crazy list, and I still contend that KG is better than the Big Fundamental. He showed that last year when he finally was given a worthwhile supporting cast. He’s a better ball-handeler than Duncan and possesses a a better jump shot. Defensively, I’d call them even.

Cuba Si! Yanqi No!

by Patrick517 on Sep 30, 2008 11:17 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Great list

..but what did you base it off of? Individual stats, one-on-one ability, or contributions towards team victories? Some of your picks are perplexing…

For instance, I gotta agree with Patrick517 above – Paul Pierce is definitely not better than Deron given the criteria above. Granted, he was a champion, but he had KG and Ray Allen helping to contribute to victories.

I really disagree about Mike Redd. I would put him around much higher, even with his defensive deficiencies. He upped his RPG and APG last season.

Where’s Jason Kidd? I would still put him in the top 50, and I was surprised you also left out Joe Johnson (remember when he killed the Jazz in Atlanta last season with the buzzer beater?), Ray Allen (he’s still deadly as ever), and Monta Ellis (simply unstoppable).

Agent Zero is pretty low on the list. Most people would put him ahead of Deron and perhaps even in the top 8 players or so….last year before his injuries. Point taken.

I would put David West ahead of Tyson Chandler…(you have West listed twice at #34 and at #29). I think Tyson is still a one-dimensional player who just benefits off of CP3’s penetration.

Finally, as a Jazz homer I have to point this out. You would rank Biedrins ahead of Memo? And it breaks my heart to see no AK47 on the list, although I can’t argue with the fact that he doesn’t make it on account of any criteria…

by moneyman memo on Sep 30, 2008 2:08 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Good Questions.

Making top lists are difficult, but here is my criteria: “My values are stats, measured with ability to perform in tight situations (end of game or playoffs), and the ability to play both offense and defense…. Also this list is measuring the players as of right now and how good they will be this upcoming season.” So Kidd and Shaq didn’t make my list because I think they are living off past accomplishments. There is a lot of subjectivity to making the list, but sometimes after all the stats and head to head comparisons, you have to use your gut and what you have seen. I also implemented the “who would I rather have on my team next year” approach. For instance, I would rather have Rajon Rondo running my team than Jason Kidd next year, because I know that he can defend pretty much any point guard in the league.

As far as Pierce goes, I am surprised people had beef with that pick. I admitted I used to not think PP was all that good, but he singlehandly won a game or two in the finals and playoff series. Case in point: Put up 41 on the Cavs in game 7 on 13-23 shooting. Lead the team with 28 points on 8-12 shooting in game 7 of the Pistons series. Then he shut down Kobe Bryant in Game 4 (6-19 fg, 17 points) with what was basically man to man coverage all night. Then he put up 38 the next game in LA to almost close out the series. So not only did he produce very efficient numbers, he had his best games in the most important games of the series. Reminds me of Deron Williams actually, but Pierce puts up a little better numbers and while I think Deron is a very underrated and solid defender, I think Pierce is a better and top-flight defender.

Many people have made comments about Redd, so maybe he does need to move up the list. I just don’t see him improving that team.

Thank you for the David West foresight. I didn’t catch that, but he deserves the higher spot, for sure. I wlll fix it. I thought I had only 50 players, but it wasn’t lining up right.

And I think Arenas has something to prove this next season. I just don’t think right now, he is his explosive self.

And finally, your point about Okur is funny. I love Okur. I hope the Jazz figure out a way to keep him. I think he fits the Jazz system really well and I think on most teams in the NBA, his skills wouldn’t be as valuable. He is not your typical center, although his low post defense is underrated in my opinion. I would rather have Okur than Biedrins, but as far as skill sets, Biedrins is a great defensive presence and rebounder. Your comments were great.

The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.

by clarkpojo on Sep 30, 2008 2:34 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs