I remember reading an article in Sports Illustrated in 2001 that was all about the new generation of players that was changing the face of the playoffs. The group of Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Tracy Mcgrady, Baron Davis, Kevin Garnett and the rest were entering the peak of their career and promising to give us compelling matchups for the rest of the decade. This was the dynamic group of players who would fill the void left by the Jordan generation, who were all either retired or soon to retire (Barkley, Stockton, Malone, Hardaway, Reggie, Pippen). Fast forward to now. We're on the other side of most of these players' prime years, and between injuries, dissappointing performances, and managerial incompetence, that generation has left us mostly dissappointed. The decade has been dominated by Shaq, the Pistons' team-oriented style, and the one star of this generation who has lived up to his billing, Tim Duncan. As the torch seems to be passing to the next wave of stars (Lebron, Wade, Melo, Parker, Bosh), its time to take a look at where there players stand in the grand scheme of things. What is the historical legacy of this group, which popularized jumping to the pros after 1 year or just straight out of high school.
In 1996, the NBA came out with a list of the 50 greatest players in its history. That was when most of these guys were just starting their careers. Of those 50, only Shaq is still an active player. So, the question is, who from this generation of players deserves a spot on that list? Keep in mind, we're not just talking about who's going to be in the Hall of Fame. We're talking about the best of the best, the guys who you're going to look back on in 20 years and be proud to tell your kids/grandkids, "yeah, I saw him play". The guys we choose have to be good enough to knock one of the guys on that list off. How will this generation be remembered? Who deserves to be called "the greatest"?
There should be absolutely no doubt about this one. He'll go down in history as the best power forward ever, and he's one of the two most dominant players of the decade. He's unarguably one of the top 50, and you can certainly make a case for him being top 10.
Along with Duncan, I think he's the only unarguable inclusion on this list. When taking into account the era that Wilt played in, Kobe might be the greatest pure scorer of all time. Whether you love him or hate him (there seems to be no middle ground), you have to be in awe of his brilliance. The most talented player in the league, bar none.
He will always be remembered for breaking open the HS to pro floodgates and for his landmark contract with the Wolves. The verdict is still out as to whether he will always be remembered as the guy who couldn't quite get it done. Regardless of whether or not Garnett ever does get his ring, he's still proven to be a remarkable basketball player. I'm willing to overlook his playoff struggles in light of his being the most versatile player ever to play the game. He's been stuck on a bad team for the past few years, but it wasn't long ago that we were debating whether he or Duncan was the better player.
I went back and forth on this one because I find it very hard to look at AI's career objectively. He's one of the most prolific scorers of all time, but he's certainly not the most efficient scorer ever to play. He's been criticized for his attitude towards practice and he's been criticized for the amount of shots he takes. However, he's one of the most competitive players in the game and plays completely without fear. To watch Iverson is to watch heart triumph over stature. At the end of the day, his amazing ability to score at a mere 6 feet tall and his playoff run where he nearly single-handedly carried the Sixers to the finals are enough for him to make the list.
On the Brink (likely Hall of Famers, but not top 50)
Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Steve Nash
Dirk Nowitzki
Nowitzki deserves a special note because I think that more than anyone, he has the potential to jump up this list. He's really just entered his prime as a player and has hit a turning point in his career after the first round loss to the Warriors this year. His place in history will be determined by how he responds to the accusations that he's a weak player.
It be tough to take anyone off that list to make room for any of these players (except Scottie Pippen). Since it's been 10 plus years maybe the thing to do is call it the best 55 players and add five every ten years or so. With that being said (for obvious reasons) I sure would like to see Iverson on the list. Of course that infamous "practice" tirade and no championship hurts him but Billy King...Kobe, Kidd, Duncan, and Nash would make great additions. I'm open for change, though, except if you start talking Vince Carter.
Wilkins would've been up for consideration the first time the list went around, and he didn't make it. I'm not dealing with every past player, I'm just dealing with the generation of players I talked about, kind of the post-Shaq, pre-Lebron generation.
Kidd I wasn't sure about including with this group, sine in my mind I always group him with an older generation of players. That's probably wrong though, I should probably have put him on the list. To me, he's borderline top 50 though, I could see it going either way on him.
For Dirk, remember that he's played about 100 games less than most of these guys, and he's coming off the best season of his career. The last 3 years of his career have been brilliant, and we probably wouldn't be having this discussion if he'd taken down Wade last year to get his ring. He's at a turning point in his career, but if he can continue to put up these kinds of numbers, it'll be hard to argue that he doesn't belong on that list.
Nash has had a few brilliant seasons in a row, but his career overall isn't top 50 worthy. If he keeps up this pace for another 2-3 years, then you've got a case. Right now though, he's too far behind history's other great point guards.
As far as players who would be taken off the team, I'm probably not qualified to make that call. Most of these guys were before my time, and all I know about them is statistics and the little bit I see on ESPN Classic from time to time. If I were going to take a stab though, it would probably be these 4.
James Worthy
Lenny Wilkins
Jerry Lucas
Robert Parish
hey i like ur list its interesting though that u put AI on the top players. i dont no if he'll be one of the fifty leads his team to a championship.he is a good sscorer and all but needs to emerge as a leader. I think that in the next few years more will emerge onto that list especially D-wade and Lebron James
Texas u have got to be kidding me kid is definitely not one of the top fifty players and neither is nash. i dont even think Dirk is
