I have wanted to do a piece on what NBA star I would want on my franchise if I was starting a team. The constraint to this argument is that it’s just for one season, not who to build the franchise around for the long haul (clearly James would be the choice). Here are the players I would want on my team if I was making a championship run this season.1. Kobe Bryant – Simply put, the best player in the game. Has everything in his arsenal; superior ball handling skills, ferocious defense, unlimited range, and the ability to get to the rim at will. I’m not putting Kobe on the same level as MJ quite yet, but he exhibits the same will to win that MJ had, and that is something you can’t teach.
2. LeBron James – James is certainly the future of this league (total dominance for the next decade), in the mean time being 1B to Bryant is nothing to complain about. James has the ability to make everyone on the court better (take a look at the roster). The NBA, or any pro sport for that matter has never seen and athlete with the speed, size, and power of a LeBron James.
3. Chris Paul – You could make the argument that Dwayne Wade should be #3, and I respect that. However Paul’s court vision is what sets him apart in this league. His supporting cast is nothing to get excited about, and any accolades they receive is due solely to Paul’s brilliance. On a side note, Paul doesn’t average 25 plus a night like the others listed, but lets be honest he could get 30 a night without breaking a sweat if he wanted to.
4. Dwayne Wade – What Wade is doing in Miami this season is nothing short of amazing. When your second best player is a broken down, washed up Jermaine O’Neal, and your team is in the playoff hunt, then you are doing something right. Wade has improved his overall game, and every night he is performing like he did in the 2006 NBA finals. If you don’t recall Wade single-handedly carried that team to the NBA championship over Dallas, while overcoming an 0-2 series deficit.
5. Dwight Howard – Howard is a bit of an enigma to me. One night the guy is getting 35 and 20, and the next 15 and 7. His level of consistency isn’t near the others on this list, however he is the most dominant big man in the league and gives the Magic the inside presence they so desperately need.
6. Deron Williams – An under rated player in my opinion, Williams has the overall game to possibly surpass Paul if this list were to come out two years from now. He is playing the John Stockton role in Utah to perfection, while having no Karl Malone sidekick anywhere in sight on that roster. When healthy, Williams is what makes the Jazz tick, and they could sneak up on the Lakers this year in the West playoffs.
7. Brandon Roy – “The Natural”, Roy’s game isn’t flashy, and it often looks like he is playing in slow motion. He has the blazers vying for home court advantage in the first round, and without him this team would be vying for the first pick in the NBA draft. This level headed star will be an All Star for the next decade, but unfortunately may never get the national attention he deserves because of his team first mentality.
I cant say disagree with much that you have said here. If it wasn't for injuries in the season Deron Williams probably would have made the All-Star game over Roy, by coaches selection. It will be interesting to see who makes it next year, both have a disadvantage in the All-Star voting because of the cities they play for. Dwight Howard would be my only complaint about this list. While he certainly deserves to be on a top 10 list of best players, centers are complimentary players, not team leaders.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, D-Will and Roy are both great players, but are at a disadvantage playing in Salt Lake and Portland. I think D-Will is known more nationally(Olympics, playoffs) but Roy should always get voted in by the coaches. Howard has the talent to do big things every night, but the inconsistency may be due to youth, and not having the ball in his hands every play like these other players. The one I forgot to mention was Duncan...he could easily be on this list.
ReplyDeletei like the lakers
ReplyDeleteDJKMA (Kevin)
ReplyDeleteOk Hopefully this try will work. I will follow your format, however I have disagreements with your selections. I will accept your #'s 1 & 2 they could be switched on a given day, but with 1 second left of game 7 in the finals I would want Kobe taking my shot, so he gets #1.
Here are my changes
3. Tim Duncan (How could he be absent from your list?) He has great scoring, rebounding, passing, floor general, been there and back, clutch game winning shots, intangibles, intangibles, intangibles, Yes I listed that 3 times on purpose!
4. Dwight Howard Hasn't Proven in the playoffs, however how do you match up against him. Possibly the Defensive player of the year, and the best center, scoring, rebounding, Can dominate anybody in the league besides my #'s 3 & 5.
5. Shaq Ok I may be a homer here but listen to my argument. The game is not won by stats, but by matchups, and the inability to counter certain players. Shaq is playing as well as when he was young, great defense, underated passing, can dominate and intimidate in the paint, and is a better floor general than is known. His experience is light years ahead of ANY OTHER CENTER IN THE LEAGUE!
6. KG! Ok I hate the celtics but what he does when healthy is amazing. He does everything from shooting from the outside when facing a big man, powering up on smaller players, defense, and just all around skills. He is a big matchup problem.
7. Chris Paul I bounced him back and forth with KG, but since he hasn't earned a ring yet, he loses a spot. This guy is the best point guard in the league which is the second most important position (center # 1). He can do it all and could be as high as #3 but hasn't done it yet.
8. Dwayne Wade This position was a struggle for me. There are a few players who are very close to this position. However probably the best pure offensive player in the league besides the king, terrific defense, the will to win, and has done it before. He has the whole package but can be countered with a good defensive player and a scorer on the other team.
Kevin, Thanks for listing the top 7 players you would have on your team. It was an entertaining read. However....putting Shaq at number 5 is a stretch..your telling me that Houston, and Orlando would be as good if not better if they had Shaq holding down the paint instead of Yao and Dwight? While this season was certainly one of revival for the Diesel, this list was meant to judge the NBA players of 2009, not 2001. If Shaq was really the 5th most valuable player don't you think the Suns would have made the playoffs with a roster consisting of quality players like Amare, Nash, Hill, Barbosa, J-Rich, etc.?
ReplyDeleteI do however like your arguments for KG, and Timmy. Timmy is injured now, but when healthy he has to be in the top 7...my bad for overlooking him. As for the Big Ticket, I think we are now seeing what me means to Boston. I always said Paul Pierce was the best player on that team, but KG was the most valuable...I think we are seeing that now more than ever.
Thanks again for reading, and posting your comments.