NBA's 10 Best Players:

Discussion in 'Men’s Basketball' started by Aces_Full, May 17, 2010.

  1. Aces_Full

    Aces_Full 500+ Posts

    There's a good discussion on the Herd today on who is the 10 best players in the NBA right now. How would your list look? This is how I would rank them:

    1. Lebron James
    2. Kobe Bryant
    3. Kevin Durant
    4. Dwayne Wade
    5. Dwight Howard
    6. Dirk Nirwitzki
    7. Steve Nash
    8. Chris Bosh
    9. Derron Williams
    10. Carmelo Anthony
     
  2. rickysrun

    rickysrun 2,500+ Posts

    lebron is an amazing talent but imo, he's almost all show. when it comes crunch time he doesnt have It. kobe is the best, period. last thing i would say is that the nba ******* sucks and has been getting progressively worse. i think the 90's bulls were the last great team but were in a time of transition in the league when there was a power vaccuum. lakers and celtics in the 80's saved the nba and played great team ball. i wouldnt trade one person on that top 10 list for any one of the starting 5 of those celtics/lakers teams. theres more to my rant but my 1st beer just hit the table.
     
  3. wadster

    wadster 5,000+ Posts

    If I were picking to start my team, I'm thinking Rondo has to be in there somewhere.
     
  4. LonghornsWin

    LonghornsWin 500+ Posts

    Kobe showed he does not have IT either when he was a total no show against the Celtics in their final game 2 years ago.

    Can anyone imagine Jordon's team (with a lot less talent than Kobe's) being shellacked like Kobe's was?

    I didn't think so.
     
  5. Nuclear Bear

    Nuclear Bear 1,000+ Posts


     
  6. majorwhiteapples

    majorwhiteapples 5,000+ Posts

    I also remember Jordan just throttling those Piston teams and the Lakers with Magic.
     
  7. rickysrun

    rickysrun 2,500+ Posts

    Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Parrish, McHale, Bird...Give me those 6 and you can keep the current "top 10"
     
  8. hornpharmd

    hornpharmd 5,000+ Posts

    Durant is a rising star. I am not sure he is #3 just yet though. He is still working on getting that closer mentality of taking the final shot and closing out games down the stretch. James, Bryant, Wade can all do that.

    No Celtics on your top 10. That is very interesting. And I don't disagree. However that shows you how deep that team is in talent to be one of the best teams when they are in despite not having a top player in the league. I can't think of team in the last 20-30 years that was as good as they are and didn't have that.

    People can say all they want about the NBA now and the NBA in the early 90s. Sure the bulls were a powerhouse. But the Lakers are looking every bit of that right now. And the Celtics looked amazingly dominant 2 years ago and they seem to be playing nearly to that level again now. And they have Rondo playing lights out which he wasn't 2 years ago. They are not quite the same defensive team but they are still very good. It is looking to be an epic showdown this year.

    Who is Dirk Nirwitzki and why is he on this list?
     
  9. Aces_Full

    Aces_Full 500+ Posts

    I had a tough time leaving Chris Paul out, but he had an injury marred season. I expect him to return to form next year.
     
  10. rickysrun

    rickysrun 2,500+ Posts


     
  11. Nuclear Bear

    Nuclear Bear 1,000+ Posts


     
  12. OUsucksATMblows

    OUsucksATMblows 250+ Posts

    LOL...some people have revisionist history...

    Are we talking about the greatest TODAY??? If so, why talk about Jordan? Jordan was, is, and will be for the forseeable future THE GREATEST EVER. PERIOD!

    Kobe is great but it's unfair to compare him or Lebron to Jordan. Neither is better than Jordan. Jordan was a freak and unhuman on so many levels with regard to the intangibles of the game. The intangibles (killer instinct, competitiveness, knowing your opponent's strengths/weaknesses, etc) are what separate the top echelon players from the truly GREAT players. Jordan was so far ahead in that category when it comes to comparing him to Kobe or Lebron.

    If I were starting a team TODAY, I would honestly choose Durant. I have a few contacts in the League who feel say that a lot of GM's feel the same way.

    Durant is in the top 3 right now with Lebron and Kobe and you could argue any of those 3 as the best but in my honest opinion Durant will surpass both those guys in the next 5 years as the best player in the league and most likely one of the best of all time.
     
  13. Nuclear Bear

    Nuclear Bear 1,000+ Posts


     
  14. YoLaDu

    YoLaDu Guest


     
  15. Aces_Full

    Aces_Full 500+ Posts

    Dirk and Steve Nash are also defensive liabilities. Durant is still trying to reach his potential, but he has been as important to his team as anybody. How many guys would have gotten Oklahoma City into the playoffs in the West? IMO, he is already top 3 or 4 (you can argue Wade, he's great) and only going to rise.
     
  16. Nuclear Bear

    Nuclear Bear 1,000+ Posts


     
  17. hornpharmd

    hornpharmd 5,000+ Posts


     
  18. OUsucksATMblows

    OUsucksATMblows 250+ Posts

    Durant compared to Carmelo???? LOLOLOLOLOL....you must be kidding right?

    Your citicisms of Durant are dead on if you were talking about Carmelo. He's never done anything but be a scorer. He doesn't make his teammates better and has never done anything in the playoffs. He's never even elevated his game when the stakes were high.

    You said "Durant isn't a great rebounder" yet he averaged 8 boards a game this year. Which, by the way, is more than Carmelo.

    To say Durant doesn't make his teammates better is an extremely dumb comment. Have you seen him pass the ball?

    I don't like KD becuase he was a Longhorn. I coach basketball and have loved the game since I first picked up a ball. I think KD is a top 3 player becuase he's got all around skills that are better than Lebron's right now. The only area where Lebron is better is I'd say Lebron is a better passer and he's obviously physically stronger. KD is a smarter player (gets to the foul line way more than LJ) and KD is a way better shooter. Both are great defensive players. LJ is prob a little better at this point but he doesn't always play hard on the defensive end which bothers me. I'm sure you watched KD give Kobe all sorts of problems when KD guarded him during that series. As KD gets stronger he'll be able to guard 4 different positions (pg, guard, small forward, power forward). He can already guard the first 3 positions.

    To compare KD to scorers like Iverson and Mcgrady is just pure basketball ignorance. He's way better than those guys already. And he's better than Carmelo already. If you can't see that, then i'm wasting my time
     
  19. OUsucksATMblows

    OUsucksATMblows 250+ Posts

    The other point that rarely gets talked about in regards to KD, which factors into my love for him as much as anything else, is the fact that KD has a work ethic that is second to none. His work ethic is on par with Jordan's and Kobe's. I'm not sure that Lebron has that type of committment to improving his game. I sure haven't seen it when it comes to his development of a jumpshot. I really thought he would be a better shooter at this point in his career.

    The improvement that KD has shown in 3 years is one of the reasons that so many GM's would take him right now over everyone in the league with the exception of Kobe or Lebron. His game continues to improve and really still has a lot more room to grow. I don't see that in Lebron's game at this point. Kobe has evolved as a player and I give him credit for that. Again, that is due to his work ethic during the summer.

    Nucbear, you are certainly welcome to your opinions but I just find it hard to believe that you have watched enough of KD's game and broken it down enough to make the comparisons you make. Or maybe you just don't see the game the way I see it.
     
  20. Nuclear Bear

    Nuclear Bear 1,000+ Posts


     
  21. TexasGolf

    TexasGolf 2,500+ Posts

    Kobe is tops
     
  22. Statalyzer

    Statalyzer 10,000+ Posts


     
  23. Aces_Full

    Aces_Full 500+ Posts

    And we are seeing how good Dwight Howard's offensive game is now that he is being guarded in the post. His moves are extremely limited, and he does not command a double team. I have watched basketball my entire life, and Durant is a top 4 NBA player right now. What he did with the Thunder is remarkable.
     
  24. OUsucksATMblows

    OUsucksATMblows 250+ Posts


     
  25. OUsucksATMblows

    OUsucksATMblows 250+ Posts

    Look at it this way....

    The lakers are far and away the best team in the league. And they have only lost 2 playoff games so far...both to a team led by KD. What he did this year with the youngest team in the league is beyond remarkable. Do you think that the other players on the Thunder team are just lucky or that KD makes them better? Do you think that there are driving lanes for Westbrook because every team in the league is going to guard/double/know where KD is on every posession? I guess that's not "effecting" the game or "making his teammates better"????
     
  26. Third Coast

    Third Coast 10,000+ Posts

    I know that if I were an NBA GM and had my pick of any players in the league, KD would be one of my top three picks. Maybe even one of my top two.
     
  27. rickysrun

    rickysrun 2,500+ Posts

    Dwight Howard is the best center in the NBA and the guy ******* sucks. He just like many other players in the league, Dirk comes to mind, have no guts. When the going is good, those guys are great, when the competition gets tough, they don't rise to the occasion nor do their teams.
     
  28. hornpharmd

    hornpharmd 5,000+ Posts

    I am thinking Rondo may need to be on the list. Perhaps in place of that Nirwitzki fellow.
     
  29. TexasGolf

    TexasGolf 2,500+ Posts

    Hakeem would have destroyed Howard every single game...like clubbing baby seals.
     
  30. VYFan

    VYFan 2,500+ Posts

    effect=noun
    affect=verb
     

Share This Page