<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Diesel @ May 29 2006, 11:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I remember a few years ago the obvious picks were Kobe, KG, Tim Duncan, and Shaq with usually T-Mac as the other man. Recently though it's a lot more debatable.1. Kobe Bryant2. LeBron James3. Dwyane Wade4. Tim Duncan5. Shaquille O'Neal</div>To say Dwade is even top 3 is crazy. No way Wade is better than players like Duncan, KG, Dirk, AI, or Shaq.1. Kobe Bryant2. LeBron James3. Duncan4. Dirk5. Billups(yes i believe billups should be in the top 5)
I think Billups is an invaluable piece to any team, but putting him top 5 is a little much. A top 5 guy is someone with the ability to take over a game, and Billups doesn't have that.
^ On the contrary I think that Chauncey can take over a game when he wants to. He has an ability to hit jumpers, attack the basket, hit the three, and if you put him on the line you can mark down two points. He also is a great unselfish passer and can find a teammate for an open shot.Now on that note Chauncey is not on my top 5 either lol.1. Kobe Bryant2. LeBron James3. Kevin Garnett4. Dirk Nowitski5. Tim DuncanWade is close, and so is Shaq.Chauncey is top ten.
Yeah, I'd probably put him in a top 10. He's a more durable, versatile version of Steve Nash. Plus he can defend.I saw one of those Steve Nash MVP Fundamentals DVDs for sale on TV the other day, and they showed him teaching defense at the end and I almost fell out of my chair.
1- Tim Duncan2- Kobe3- Dirk4- Lebron5- Tmac.Dirk this post season has proven to be his a top 3 player. Tim Duncan will decline soon enough and the battle for the best in the league will be between Kobe/Lebron and if tmac's healthy.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Lefty @ May 29 2006, 09:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>True. I'm just waiting on that jumpshot. Once he gets it... WATCH OUT NBA</div>It's already automatic in the playoffs, hopefully it carries over to next season.T-Mac top 5?If he would at least play 60 games then I guess you can put him.1.LeBron-Finally had his breakout season, shown he can be a good leader and can affect his team without scoring.2.Kobe-The best scorer in the league right now, can drop 50 on you on any given night.Overrated as a defender but still possibly the best offensive player in the game.3.Tim Duncan-Great overall player, does it all for his team.Even with the injuries this season he still put up great numbers.Great leader and the most fundamental player right now.4.Dirk-What he has done this post-season has been incredible.Hes still working on his defense but his offensive arsenal is unstoppable.5.KG-Very vesatile player, arguably the best player in the last few seasons.Has been on the decline because of his leadership skills, doesn't seem to want to win at times and doesn't seem interested in leaving Minnesota.
1. LeBron James2. Kobe Bryant3. Dirk Nowitzki4. Tim Duncan5. Dwyane WadeJames is better than Kobe IMO, he passes more and can score just as much as Kobe does in any game. He is a better leader and tries to get along with his teammates. He also almost beat the Pistons and got farther than Kobe in the playoffs even though neither star(LeBron and Kobe) have a good team.Kobe is Kobe so thats an obvious choice. He could be nu,ber one with his championship wins, but making the Lakers trade Shaq made him fall to number 2Dirk is an amazing inside/outside player that can score from just about anywhere and can easily take over any game if he wanted to. Duncan would be higher but I dont really like him . He plays great fundamental basketball and has three rings. He can put up great numbers every day and makes his teammates better. He also seems like a great person to have on your team.Wade is one of the best if not the best player at driving to the basket. He can take anyone off the dribble and when he gets inside there is no stopping him. He has a good mid-range shot which he can make consisntantly and he is expanding his game to shoot from farther. Right now I got to put him at 5 even though he is my favorite player but once he gets that three point shot down, he could be contending for 1st with LeBron and Kobe.Honorable Mentions:Shaquille O'Neal- Even though he is on the decline, Shaq has the ability to turn the game around at any time. He is the most dominant player in the game and one of the most dominant players EVER. Back in his prime there was no doubt he was number one.Chauncey Billups- He shouldve won MVP IMO, leading the Pistons to being the best team in the league but he hasnt been consistant enough in the playoffs for me to put him in the top five. Tracy McGrady- He is a great player who could be just as good as Kobe but he just doesnt seem to try as hard every day. He also gave up too quickly on the Magic and gets injured a lot. If it wasnt for that he would be in my top five.
Billups not in my top 5 or top 10. And putting him there is a stretch.I think some of you guys are basing this off of team success..
<span style="color:#CC33CC">Kobe Bryant -</span> He may not be as good as a passer as a LeBron James or Steve Nash, and he may not be the best rebounder. However, basketball is a game that demands you to outscore your opponent, and if you need any player in the NBA to score, you pick Kobe Bryant. Statistically, LeBron James is a better scorer than Kobe, averaging only 4 PPG less, on 5% higher shooting and 3 less shots a game. However, if you pay attention to Kobe Bryant when he plays, he can score in ways that only Michael Jordan could. He has the fade away, he has the pull-up jumper from anywhere on the floor, he can shoot the three-pointer, he can post you up, he can get to the rim. At this point in NBA history, no-one has Kobe Bryant's skill in terms of the way he plays basketball. Basketball is a game where you need to score, and Kobe does it more than anyone. In terms of helping his teammates score, Kobe showed this year that when he wants, he is as good a passer as anyone. Also, also he is vastly overrated in this aspect; Kobe Bryant can shut down opposing players within the final 3 minutes of a basketball game. Besides that, he's a liability, but in the final 3 minutes of a game, Kobe might be the best defender in the NBA. Add that to Kobe's clutch accomplishments down the stretch of games, his 81 point performance and twelve three point record, and you have the best player in the NBA<span style="color:#FF0000">LeBron James - </span> LeBron James is quickly becoming the best player in the NBA. He is only a smudge behind Kobe Bryant. LeBron is clutch, he can score, he is a great passer, and he is a great rebounder. The things limiting LeBron for me, is that he is still not the scorer Kobe Bryant is, he has never played a knack of defense in his life, and he turns the ball over much too much. During this years playoffs, he must have averaged 5 TOPG. With experience, LeBron will take care of the ball better, develop a post-up game, and eventually play enough defense to give him the undisputed title of "Best NBA Player." However, as of now, those gaps are too big to overlook.<span style="color:#666666">Tim Duncan - </span> This guy played with planter-fasitus (Can't spell ), and an injured ankle this year, yet still found a way to average 18 and 11. During these playoffs, which he still wasn't 100% healthy, he upped his numbers back to the 30 PPG and 11 RPG range. He is madly efficient, as he averages 50% shooting throughout his career. He can hit the jumper. He can take you inside and out. Basically, you can't name anything Tim Duncan can't do, and as these playoffs support, he plays his best when it matters most. The man almost got a quadruple double in the NBA Finals for god's sake! What holds him back for me is that his team would be absolutely fine with out him. He is not as valuable as some of these other players, and not as valuable as he once was, but he still impacts a game as much as anyone.<span style="color:#009900">Kevin Garnett -</span> Three years ago, KG was the undisputed best player in the NBA. His game hasn't changed a bit, how great a player he is has only increased, but his team has gone down the drain. NBA players are judged by how much they win, and this guy is in a horrid situation. If he can even get on a lowly playoff team, his averages of 23 and 10 will get him into the Hall of Fame, and he'll be a Top 2 player once more.<span style="color:#3333FF">Dirk Nowitzki - </span> The thing people must realize about this guy is that even if he was a 6'6 SG, he would average 25 PPG. He doesn't rely on his height to score much, as he plays exactly like a Shooting Guard. His post up game has worsened, but his defense and rebounding has gotten great. Thing that limits him for me, is that he still relies way too much on jump shots. Maybe it's his game, maybe it's just how he'll always be, but until he demonstrates he has a better offensive repertoire than TD or KG, I can't put him ahead of them.
Ok, k-mart calm down, kobe's not a liabilty. That's going too far.edit: Wade2shaq, kobe didn't get shaq traded. Once it became clear the lakers weren't going to give the extension shaq wanted and they were going to resign kobe, shaq demanded a trade. The lakers actually gave shaq an extension and refused because in that scheme, he'd only be the most payed player on the lakers by a little.
Dwyane Wade has been killing it all year. For this series against the mighty Pistons he's only been the third player in NBA History to get 30+ PPG and shoot 60%+ from the field. BeastI did have a hard time leaving Dirk off though. He's been the best player of these playoffs so far. If the Mavs win the title this year he's top 5 for sure.
