There are numerous debates as to who is the best player in the NBA. How about seeing who is among the best at each position, with several characteristics I have listed as being the key determining factors?
In terms of ball distribution, assists, setting up teammates, finding the open man, running the team as a floor general, making teammates perform better, being a good "locker room" guy, being a "coach" on the floor, team's win percentage, scoring the occasional clutch basket when your team needs it, and playing "good enough" defense (in that order)... the best point guard in the NBA is... 1) Steve Nash 2) Chauncey Billups 3) Tony Parker 4) Chris Paul and 5) Baron Davis
In terms of ability to make any shot, scoring at will, clutch play, getting to the line at anytime, team's win percentage, making teammates perform better, being a good "locker room" guy, leading by example, playing better-than-average defense, creating plays that demoralize opponents, and leading by example (in that order)... the best shooting guard in the NBA is... 1) Kobe Bryant 2) Dwyane Wade 3) Gilbert Arenas 4) Allen Iverson and 5) Richard Hamilton
In terms of controlling the lane, being an inside presence, rebounding, blocking shots, high percentage scoring, clutch play, altering shots, intimidation, team's win percentage, being a team player, leading by example, finding the right man out of a double-team, and overall basketball instincts (in that order)... the best center in the NBA is ... 1) a healthy Shaquille O'Neal 2) Yao Ming 3) Dwight Howard 4) Marcus Camby and 5) Mehmet Okur
In terms of solid post play, rebounding position, being a defensive presence, efficient scoring and clutch play, the "hustle factor", containing the opposing team's best big man, ability to get to the line, sheer toughness, and team's win percentage (in that order)... the best power forward in the NBA is... 1) Tim Duncan 2) Dirk Nowitzki 3) Kevin Garnett 4) Jermaine O'Neal and 5) tie between Carlos Boozer and Rasheed Wallace
In terms of all-around contributions, ability to play multiple positions, the "hustle factor", scoring ability from short, mid, and long range, making other players better, being a finisher on the break, value to the team, ability to get to the line, being a defensive stalwart who can rebound, team's win percentage, and accepting multiple roles on the team (in that order)... the best small forward in the NBA is... 1) Lebron James 2) Carmelo Anthony 3) Lamar Odom 4) Shawn Marion and 5) three-way tie between Josh Howard, Tayshaun Prince, and Tracy McGrady
In terms of ability to generate offensive and defensive chemistry, motivate egos, tactical and strategic planning, x's and o's, making the most of what you have, being a player's coach, and team's win percentage (in that order)... the best head coach in the NBA is... 1) Phil Jackson 2) Greg Poppovich 3) Avery Johnson 4) Jerry Sloan 5) Jeff Van Gundy
Marion is better than Carmelo or Odom. Paul Pierce gets no mention in any top fives, which seems odd. Elton Brand is better than Wallace. Chris Bosh could be in the top five PF, and Zach Randolph should be eventually. I think Jerry Sloan is a better coach than Phil Jackson is right now. And Van Gundy has never produced the results Houston fans have been waiting for.
"In terms of ability to make any shot, scoring at will, clutch play, getting to the line at anytime, team's win percentage, making teammates perform better, being a good "locker room" guy, leading by example, playing better-than-average defense, creating plays that demoralize opponents, and leading by example (in that order)... the best shooting guard in the NBA is... 1) Kobe Bryant 2) Dwyane Wade 3) Gilbert Arenas 4) Allen Iverson and 5) Richard Hamilton"
"making teammates perform better, being a good "locker room" guy, leading by example,".....and then you list kobe bryant #1? yeah, he's doing a better job this year at being a better teammate on the court, but in the past few years, he hasnt, nor has he been a good "locker room" guy, or led by example. in terms of talent, i cant argue with this list, but the part i hilited has me confused when i match it to the 5 players you listed....i realize michael redd isnt a great defender, but i'd bet dollars to donuts he's a better locker room guy and leads by example better than ANY of the 5 you have listed here.
also, you list rebounding and defense as important factors for the power forward, then have dirk rated ahead of KG....i'm not positive, but hasnt KG averaged double digit rebounds for his entire career thus far?
and considering shaq doesnt even bother playing until at least january anymore, he shouldnt be #1...not sure he should be in the top 5, except for the fact that there just arent many true centers anymore.
for the record, i'd take shawn marion over lebron, melo and odom, but thats just me....objectiv
glad someone else sees Tayshaun Prince as a pretty darn good forward in this league. He's got an akward shot, but he sure can defend, AND put up numbers if given the chance.
PG – It seems a bit odd you left Jason Kidd out… As for Tony Parker and Baron Davis, I think they are more shooting guard (but because of their size) playing at PG.
SG – Except Wade, I don’t think the rest are good “locker room” guy…. And Arenas and Iverson plays at the PG more than SG…. Others worth mention would be Michael Redd, Joe Johnson and Ray Allen
C – I still think Howard, Camby and Okur are more PF than Centre – just goes to show the lack of true Centre in this league.
PF – Except the fact that they may not match up well with quick SF, I think KG and Dirk would be better playing at SF…. And how can Amare not get a mention here (or at Centre but I think he is more a PF)
SF – I really like Prince – he was the X factor Piston winning the championship… kind of like Cassel was when the Houston won those 2 championships…Gerald Wallace, AK47 should worth a mention here too
As for coaches, I think it’s almost impossible for us to evaluate them because all most of what they do is ‘behind the scene’ and sadly people only judge them by team results…. And since that’s the case, Riley should be on the list too…
PF- It's hard to argue with Marion being better than Odom and Carmelo. I put The MAtrix behind these two guys because of you take Nash out of the Suns, Marion doesnn't become as much of a threat. Nash makes Marion great just like Magic made Worthy the finisher he was.
Paul Pierce is not on the list because his team is not a playoff contender and above all not winning this year.
Elton Brand is a talented player but is limited against the bigger power forwards. Wallace is more clutch than Brand, has a better outside shot, is probably not as solid a defender, but he's always been a presence wherever he's played. His teams in Portland almost made the Finals, and he's got a ring and goes to the playoffs every year.
Cuzzifer- The ratings are based on this year only, and not what they've done their entire career. i guess I should've mentioned that in the blog.
As far as Kobe is concerned, people still don't want to listen but they will see that when the year is over he will be MVP. There is no doubt in my mind that he now makes his teammates better as Phil Jackson has said this year. He is only getting better by the second.
Didn't Dirk have 15 boards last night. His defense and rebounding have improved markedly, something that has been overlooked since Avery Johnson took over as coach. Garnett has been consistent but once again, Dirk's win percentage is much higher than Garnett leading me to say that Dirk is better at this point in the year.
theFormer88- I'm glad you also saw the same thing. You take Prince out of that lineup and that is a huge void that Detroit won't be able to fill.
And didn't the Pistons pass up on Carmelo in the draft because they already had Prince? That's says a lot about his game.
Plus I played against Tayshaun in high school when he was at Dominguez as a freshman and I've also played against his older brother Tommie so I've followed his career a long time.
Layman- you make some key points. It was hard not to mention Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, and Michael Redd. However, I always lean towards the players who are on teams with winning records. You certainly can't discount the fact that Redd, Allen, and Johnson are all exceptional two-guards but they have not led their teams to contention and that says a lot about their overall impact as a team leader.
Amare would have been on the list as a center but really he is not a true center. And at the power forward position, he still has to improve his defense considerably before I include him. In my opinion, he is still reminiscent of a young Antonio McDyess with the major benefit of having a Nash feed him the ball. Leaving out Amare was the toughest decision for me on this list.
Ricko- Marion is certainly a solid player, but I would rather have Odom leading my team because he can play more positions and make a bigger impact.
Odom can do more without Kobe than Marion can without Nash. I can remember that last year in the playoffs, Phoenix had no answer for Lamar, who constantly scored on Marion in the post.
nice lists, top 5s are always gonna be controversial, there are alot of different directions someone can go. Although whoever mentioned Zach Randolph.. no dude. never. Good Job J-Dizzle.
My list: using your formula...from #1-#5...no tie!
PG: Nash, Arenas, Billups, Baron, and Parker
SG: Kobe, Wade, AI, Redd, and Carter
SF: LeBron, Melo, Marion, Odom, and T-Mac*
PF: Duncan, KG, Dirk, Sheed, and Boozer
C: Yao, Dwight, Amare, Shaq*, and Camby
*when healthy and in shape!
Arenas is really a shoot-first scoring PG. He doesn't set up his teammates as much as the other PGs on my list, but still controls the ball most of the time.
You have to include Redd somewhere on this list. He can flat out score! And when it comes to taking and making the big shot, Carter has few peers.
KG is the better all-around player than Dirk, period!
Finally, stop regarding Shaq as the best center. He doesn't even play, with any intensity, until March. And even when he is healthy, he is no longer that great!
ten years ago, near sighted fans and analysts said the NBA had no future with all these young players and thugs coming in. I knew that meant the league would just have an influx of better players all at once. afterall the price of success is paid in advance
Marion would still be great without Nash. I could see saying "Kenyon Martin wouldn't be good without Jason Kidd", but that's not the same scenario at all.
Michael Redd would be in the top ten SG. Paul Pierce gets snubbed regularly out of the top players, and he's a stud, which I really don't understand.
Amare Stoudemire, before the knee injury, was a top five PF or C, but not now.
When will people realize that Tony Parker is overrated.
Tony Parker isn't a top five PG. He's a shoot first point guard, who isn't nearly as a good a shooter as the other shoot first point guards in the league (Arenas, Billups). The other PG make their teams better. The same couldn't be said about Tony Parker. Without Duncan and Manu, their not a contending team, but that is probably a difference of opinion. I'm not gonna argue with an obviously biased Spurs fan. As I am a biased Blazers fan.
Zach Randolph averages 20 and 10. That's why he may be on a list one day. He plays for a bad team, and his defense needs work, so he gets overlooked.
BBing- I agree that Arenas probably is better classified as a PG, so if I bump off Baron and switch Arenas to #3 on the PG list, I would replace Gilbert with Redd on the SG list.
Shaq, even at 70% would still be a major presence in the lane, albeit not as dominating. He is not the same but I bet if he were on Golden State their record would be among the top in the West.
What I like about Tony Parker and why it was hard to choose who's better is that TP can get into the lane at will and his FG% is among the tops in the league.
What I like about Billups is that he can shoot long range and he posts up all kinds of guards.
The reason Billups is ahead of TP is because Billups is more clutch
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on January 4th at 9:04 PM.
Definitely. This creates scoring opportunities for him and others he dishes off to. I always loved playing this style of ball and enjoy watching him do it.
The problem with these lists of the NBA players is that the flow of the game and evolution of the players has created "tweeners". Guys don't have a set position anymore, and they have all-around skills that their predecessors never possessed.
For instance Dirk is a 7 footer with 3 point range. Lebron James is 245 pounds, yet can dribble shoot and drive to the lane with speed. Amare can leap like a swingman. Chauncey Billups can post up and be the focal point of the offense, yet can just play the point and set guys up. Gilbert Arenas is the best point guard AND shooting guard on the Wizards. The players of today are square pegs that we are trying to fit in round holes.
But the lists do create fun debates.
Last edited by KKfromBK on January 12th at 1:00 PM.
shaq is not better anymore than a healthy Yao or even Dwight Howard. shaq is OVER. Lebron may have gaudier stats but The Matrix is the better player.
Parker is a joke and the primary reason for Manu's fall off. Anyone who knew baskeball to any great truth beyond being a homer fan would understand that Parker living in the lane has hurt both manu and TD's game. Parker may be a top 4 PG in terms of scoring in the Lane, he may even be the best at scoring in the lane but as a TRUE PG overall he's not even top 10. Maybe not even top 15.
Last edited by AnotherNBAOutlaw on January 12th at 3:56 PM.
KK and 14Falcons- I agree with you that today's players can play far more positions that yesterday's group and that is what make today's game that much more interesting. Good points fellas!!
Dusty- The Matrix better than Shaq? I can't believe you actually said that!? A 100% Shaq is still the most intimidating force in the league. Period. Even though I have said countless times that Shaq is done, the Heat would not have gotten past Detroit last year if it wasn't for Shaq's presence in the paint.
It's not O'Neal's basketball skills that make him dominant. It's his presence. I could easily replace Marion with Josh Howard and the Suns would still be as good.
Parker has not taken anything away from the Spurs. In fact, his play has allowed them to remain competitive. The reason Manu's play has seemingly declined is not because of TP but because Ginobili can't stay healthy and he plays with reckless abandon. Manu is a wild stallion that needs to be tamed.
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on January 12th at 4:25 PM.
First of all Dizzle LOL hahaha, I didn't say matrix was better than Shaq. Go back and read. I said I would take Matrix over lebron because Matrid eosn't need plays called for him in order to get his stats. He's not the number one option, he's not two option or any option at all other than he's ready to score for you in the Phoenix system if the situation presents it's self. He's a better rebounder than lebron and whle Lebron gets more assists (mostly he's the primary ball handler while Matrix doesn't handle the ball at all with Nash around) Matrix is a far superior defender than Lebron and he's a better shot blocker. 4 out of 5 says to me that the Matrix is a better player than lebron.
Last edited by AnotherNBAOutlaw on January 12th at 4:56 PM.
Dusty- My bad... Matrix is a better defender than Lebron and a better move-without-the-ball type player as well. But if I were a GM and had the top pick, i would build my team around James.
Matrix needs a solid PG to flourish but then again I may be wrong because if Marion was a Laker he would be just as effective.
14Falcons- Parker, with his quickness and ability to get to the lane, reminds me of a Tim Hardaway with no three-point shot.
UC IRVINE graduate and proud to be an ANTEATER. My claim to fame is having played against the likes of Tayshaun and Tommie Prince, Jacque Vaughn, and Charles O'Bannon, plus getting dunked on by Schea Cotton in a CIF second round match in the nineties.
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