<div align="center"><font size=""3"">My predictions for the top 10 NBA players for the 2006-2007 NBA season</font> </div> Honerable Mentions: Paul Pierce Vince Carter Dwight Howard Chris Bosh Yao Ming Carmelo Anthony Chris Paul Shawn Marion Elton Brand Jason Kidd Elton Brand Shaquille O'Neal 10. Tracy McGrady- Mcgrady is one of the best players in the league, when he is healthy. T-Mac turned into an injury prone player last season with back problems keeping him sidelined for many games. The Rockets were horrible without thier star player. This season who knows how T-Mac will play with his back still recovering. I see him avaerging the same stats as he did for the 03-04 season. I also see him getting a game where he explodes and score 60+ points in a game, most likely a game when Yao is injured. Mcgrady will have a monster season from his return from one of his worst seasons. With Yao and Shane Battier by T-mac's side the Rockets will go far in the playoffs in a hard Western Confrence. 9. Gilbert Arenas- Many people will think I'm crazy for putting Gilbert Arenas on my top 10 list. But, Arenas has really proved he can play. He has a nice shot, can pass real well, and can score like crazy. He is simmilar to Allen Iverson, but if he can get a ring many people including myself might think he is better then Iverson. Arenas is still a young player and can confuse a defender with all of his scoring. If the Wizards find a player who can play good at the point, they should move Arenas to the 2 guard position where he will have better oppurtunies to score. IMO, Arenas is one of the most underrated and best players in ther NBA today. In a couple of years he can get better in turn himself into a top 5 player. He has the ability to lead a team, and I see him as a future MVP. 8. Allen Iverson- Iverson is always on the top 10 players list. He is such a great scorer and defender. He can find open teammates even though people sometimes call him a ballhog. Like Garnett we really don't know where AI will be playing next year. Iverson always gets atleast 28 points per game. Always get 6 assists per game and always gets 2 steals per game. Iverson is 6 feet, but can still score on the big guys. He is so quick he can get past a defender with his sick handles and score on them. He even crossed Michael Jordan, in his ROOKIE season. Like so many other stars Iverson has yet to get a NBA championship. Iverson will most likely lead the league in scoring or steals. And make another all-star apperence. Who knows Iverson might get another MVP award. 7. Tim Duncan- Tim Duncan had his worst year of his carreer last season. With all of his foot problems and injuries bothering him he played but, he was'nt as dominnte as he ussually is. But, with all the rest the former 2 time MVP is getting look for him to be as great as he was bfore last season. Duncan will avarege atleast 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. The offense might not run through him as much because with Parker getting much better and Ginnobli playing good, the team might focus less on him and more on them. But, Duncan will still find a way to get the ball and be a monster the the paint like he was before last season. Duncan could lead the league in blocks or rebounds too. That is why he is on my top ten list. 6. Kevin Garnett- Who knows where Kevin Garnett will wind up next season. I think he could be traded before the all-star break. KG is one hell of a player. He can get a double-double before halftime. He can also dish out 10 assists and he is 6'11. Garnett is the complete package except for he is not a big threat from behind the 3 point line, but you don't have to be a good 3 point shooter to play power forward. Age is a factor in Garnetts carreer. With him getting older he is also more hungry for a championship. Many people question Garnett's ability to carry a team far into the playoffs. Many people say it's impossible for KG to win a championship. But, "Impossible is nothing". 5. Dirk Nowizki- A seven footer who plays like a 6'6 shooting guard? That's Dirk Nowitzki for you. Look for Dirk to have his carreer year in the 06-07 season. Getting more adjusted to Avery Johnson's system Dirk will become the best big man in the NBA today. Once Nowitzki get his teammates involved and improoves his defense and low post scoring look for Dirk, once again as an MVP candidate. Josh Howard will take the pressure of off Dirk because Howard is also maturing as a player. With Jason Terry staying, Dirk and Terry will have a chemistry and Dirk will play lights out. Expect Dirk Nowitzki to avarege atleast 30 points per game and be a top candidate for MVP. 4. Steve Nash- Nash is a former 2 time NBA MVP, but don't look for him to repeat for another MVP award. He will have better competion with Wade and James getting better and better every year. Steve Nash could do it all but play defense, once he becomes a better defender I'll think of him as the best point guard in the league. Nash makes everyone around him better turning Amare Stoudimire, Shawn Marion, and Boris Diaw all much better players. Leading his team to the NBA playoffs then to the Western Confrence Finals. Before Steve Nash retires I would want to see himplay for the Toronto Raptors. Maybe he could play there in his last year right before he retires it would make him and Raptor fans very happy. Then his nickname could possibly be "Hair Canada." 3. Kobe Bryant- I dislike Kobe Bryant alot but I also have respect for his game. Bryant is the best scorer in the game today. Dropping 81 and 62 points in a game this guy is unbelivable. Averging about 25, 5, and 5 for almost every season he has been in the NBA. Kobe just entered his prime so expect him to play as good as he is now for a couple of more years. Also expect Kobe to once again go over 60 points, possibly higher, because with Kobe Bryant you don't really know what to expect. Kobe was the best player in the league last year but now it's time for the young guys to shine. With Lamar Odom and Phil Jackson by Kobe's side who knows how far Kobe will be able to carry the Los Angelas Lakers. 2. Lebron James- I rank James as the second best player for the 06-07 season because he is a triple double threat every game. People like to compare him to Michael Jordan, but I see him as more of a Magic Johnson. They have similar heights, weights, stats, and type of play. Lebron is a real challenge for the unlucky player that has to guard him. He could score 50 on you, or dish out 10 assists, or grab ten rebounds, or maybe he'll do all of that in one game, that's that's the kind of player Lebron James is. We will just have to wait to see when Lebron will get his first championship, or the real question might be how many he's gonna get. It won't be long until King James goes back on his throne. 1. Dwayne Wade- Alot of people are going to hate me for putting Wade as number one but I have my reasons for putting Flash here. His team won the NBA finals with a Shaq that is no where as good as he was when he played for the Lakers. He scored 35+ points against the Dallas Mavericks for the four last NBA finals games leading the Miami Heat to thier first ever NBA championship. He plays as good as Lebron but the reason Wade is here and King James isn't is because D-Wade can play defense. Like Lebron he is a triple double threat every night and Wade is the closest to Michael Jordan as any player is ever gonna get. The scariest thing about Dwyane is that he has not even entered his prime yet. That is why I rank Dwyane Wade as the best player for the 2006-2007 NBA season.
For the regular season of 06/07... I'd go: 1) Kobe Bryant 2a) Lebron James 2b) Dwyane Wade 4) Tim Duncan 5) Dirk Nowitzki 6) Kevin Garnett 7) Yao Ming 8) Elton Brand 9) Steve Nash / Gilbert Arenas 10) Tracy McGrady / possibly Carmelo Anthony Something like that, HM: Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Chris Paul
1. Kobe Bryant 2. Lebron James 3. Kevin Garnett 4. Dwyane Wade 5. Dirk Nowitzki 6. Yao Ming 7. Elton Brand 8. Tim Duncan 9. Steve Nash 10. Paul Pierce
Well I don't know who will be better for the upcming season, but right now this is my top 10. 1. Kobe Bryant 2. Dwyane Wade 3. LeBron James 4. Tim Duncan 5. Shaquille O'Neal 6. Allen Iverson 7. Kevin Garnett 8. Dirk Nowitzki 9. Tracy McGrady 10. Paul Pierce
1. Kobe Bryant 2. Lebron James 3. Dwayne Wade 4. Elton Brand 5. Tim Duncan 6. Kevin Garnett 7. Yao Ming 8. Carmelo Anthony 9. Gilbert Arenas 10. Tracy McGrady
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting vcwannabe15:</div><div class="quote_post">What do yall think of my list?</div> I think it's pretty good. Most people would probably put Kobe and LeBron ahead of Wade, but I have a feeling Wade is going to make a big jump next year as Shaq fades. I don't think Nash will be a top 10 player next year, however.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting vcwannabe15:</div><div class="quote_post">What do yall think of my list?</div> The MJ comment about Wade sounds ridiculous, Nash is too high, and for the record, the Heat did have a backup center producing 19 PER in only 20 minutes a night (with nice defense) so that should have been noted. I liked Chutney's/Moo2k4's list more. It respects the big men more appropriately and such.
drop tmac off, and put nash at 9, add someone else at ten like paul or melo. Kg is 7'1"ish and is a pretty good three point shooter, he just doesnt take em much. Nice writeup though, tough to argue with a lot of it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting huevonkiller:</div><div class="quote_post">The MJ comment about Wade sounds ridiculous, Nash is too high, and for the record, the Heat did have a backup center producing 19 PER in only 20 minutes a night (with nice defense) so that should have been noted. I liked Chutney's/Moo2k4's list more. It respects the big men more appropriately and such.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">1. Kobe Bryant 2. Lebron James 3. Dwayne Wade 4. Elton Brand 5. Tim Duncan 6. Kevin Garnett 7. Yao Ming 8. Carmelo Anthony 9. Gilbert Arenas 10. Tracy McGrady</div> ...but Moo has no Dirk, without Dirk you can't be respecting the big's. I don't know if that was a mistake of what, but I don't see Dirk declining, so I don't know how he drops out of the Top 10.
I'm not trying to hate or anything but if you look at the regular season, Wade had a horrible record when Shaq wasn't playing. I think he went something like 4-18 without Shaq on the team. Also to say Kobe has just entered his prime but putting Wade and LeBron ahead of him is a joke. Amare Stoudamire is missing from everyone's lists. I understand he's just coming back from an injury but he put up amazing numbers against Tim Duncan in the WCF series between the Suns and Spurs. I expect something like 27/11/2 from Amare this season. He's going to be a monster. For me, the list is something like: 1). Kobe Bryant 2). LeBron James 3). Dirk Nowitski 4). Amare Stoudamire 5). Dwyane Wade 6). Paul Pierce 7). Steve Nash 8). Gilbert Arenas 9). Carmelo Anthony 10). Tracy McGrady HM's: Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Elton Brand, Yao Ming, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard. The reason I'm putting Wade lower on the list is because I see Shaq declining throughout the season with less minutes, more injuries and less games. I don't fully believe that Wade can consistantly lead the Heat to victory without the big fella yet, despite the fact he still has solid players around him.
1. Dwayne Wade 2. LeBron James 3. Dirk Nowitzki 4. Kobe Bryant 5. Steve Nash 6. Tracy McGrady 7. Gilbert Arenas 8. Carmelo Anthony 9. Ben Wallace 10. Elton Brand
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Laker_fan:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm not trying to hate or anything but if you look at the regular season, Wade had a horrible record when Shaq wasn't playing. I think he went something like 4-18 without Shaq on the team. Also to say Kobe has just entered his prime but putting Wade and LeBron ahead of him is a joke. </div> That's wrong. In the games without Shaq that Wade played, the Heat were 9-9. Further, looking at on court data from 82games, per 48 minutes: <div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><br/><font color=""Navy"">MinHeatOpp+/-</font><br/>Wade+Shaq1425106.996.6+10.3<br/>only Wade1462100.894.8+6.0<br/>only Shaq37894.598.0-3.5<br/></div> Granted, Shaq's backup (Mourning) is much better than Wade's backup. Still, this is a pretty good indication of who the more valuable player on the team is. The Heat without Shaq, but with a relatively healthy Alonzo Mourning, could still make the playoffs in the East. The Heat without Wade would struggle big time.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting og15:</div><div class="quote_post">...but Moo has no Dirk, without Dirk you can't be respecting the big's. I don't know if that was a mistake of what, but I don't see Dirk declining, so I don't know how he drops out of the Top 10.</div> Ah yes, I didn't see Dirk missing from the list, my mistake then. Of course he is a top 5 player. I love Dirk.
1. Kobe Bryant 2. Lebron James 3. Dwyane Wade 4. Kevin Garnett 5. Dirk Nowitzki 6. Elton Brand 7. Tracy McGrady 8. Allen Iverson 9. Tim Duncan 10. Gilbert Arenas
1. Kobe 2. LeBron 3. Wade 4. Nowitzki 5. Elton Brand 6. Kevin Garnett 7. Allen Iverson 8. Tracy McGrady 9. Gilbert Arenas 10. Tim Duncan But they'll give the MVP to LBJ anyway
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Laker_fan:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm not trying to hate or anything but if you look at the regular season, Wade had a horrible record when Shaq wasn't playing. I think he went something like 4-18 without Shaq on the team. Also to say Kobe has just entered his prime but putting Wade and LeBron ahead of him is a joke. Amare Stoudamire is missing from everyone's lists. I understand he's just coming back from an injury but he put up amazing numbers against Tim Duncan in the WCF series between the Suns and Spurs. I expect something like 27/11/2 from Amare this season. He's going to be a monster. For me, the list is something like: 1). Kobe Bryant 2). LeBron James 3). Dirk Nowitski 4). Amare Stoudamire 5). Dwyane Wade 6). Paul Pierce 7). Steve Nash 8). Gilbert Arenas 9). Carmelo Anthony 10). Tracy McGrady HM's: Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Elton Brand, Yao Ming, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard. The reason I'm putting Wade lower on the list is because I see Shaq declining throughout the season with less minutes, more injuries and less games. I don't fully believe that Wade can consistantly lead the Heat to victory without the big fella yet, despite the fact he still has solid players around him.</div> man, almost all of your honorable mention list should be there instead of your 6-10 and amare. KG, TD, AI, and Brand should be there over Amare, Melo, Tmac, and peirce. Maybe leave TD off, but i'd still have him in it.
1. Kobe 2. Dirk 3. LeBron 4. Garnett 5. Wade 6. Nash 7. Arenas 8. Iverson 9. McGrady 10. Kirilenko Why is everyone so anti-Russian and not picking AK-47?
Nice list vcwannabe, just watch the spelling next time. My List; 1. Kobe Bryant 2. Lebron James 3. Dirk Nowitzki 4. Dwyane Wade 5. Kevin Garnett 6. Elton Brand 7. Yao Ming 8. Tracy Mcgrady 9. Gilbert Arenas 10. Amare Stoudamire HM: Iverson, Nash, Duncan, Pierce, Howard, Paul and Bosh
