A lot of players here might not play this position on their roster, to me they are out of position, so I put them here, because if things were ideal, they would be playing this position (ie Kevin Durant, Rashard Lewis, etc...)
1 LeBron James
I think anyone in contention to be considered "the best player in the world" is automatically top 5. I personally think that Kobe has the more refined game, but the scary thing is, is that LeBron hasn't reached his prime yet, he can still get better. I don't know what that'll look like, but this guy has the size of a running back, the speed to match, the handles of a point guard, and the finishing ability of some athletic freak designed for basketball. Needless to say, he's the best here right now. Touch up his jump shot, his free throw, give his range a little more consistency; scariest player to ever play, I think he could then end up being the next Magic Johnson.
2 Caron Butler
Due to all the injury woes that the Wizards go through, Butler has kind of been on and off, depending on who's getting the DNP because of injury. Usually, if he's not on the DNP list though he's a major contributor. He's a great finisher, pretty good shooter, easily an All-Star caliber talent. He also comes up with major steals and all in all is one of the best all-around players on the court right now.
3 Gerald Wallace
Gerald Wallace gets steals like Josh Smith gets blocks. In actuality I don't think there has been any two-way player I've seen more like Scottie Pippen than Wallace. The major concern is that he gets injured a lot, but that's only if the Bobcats are stupid and play him out of position as a power forward. His shot definitely still needs a lot of work, but he's a defensive monster, and his offensive game is catching up. He doesn't get too much love since he's on the Bobcats, and playing usually 2nd fiddle to Jason Richardson.
4 Shawn Marion
The Matrix kind of disappeared after being traded to the worst ever Miami heat for Shaquille O'Neal. Despite any off-court issues he might have with the looks he's getting and the number of touches he has, Marion still contributes in all facets. He's a tenacious defender that can cover multiple positions, and finishes strong. Despite how ugly it looks, he still makes his shots too. It'll be interesting seeing him with Wade and Beasley, I think with Wade back healthy he'll be a big part of the Heat lineup, unless Pat Riley decides to trade him again.
5 Paul Pierce
You could arguably call Paul Pierce a shooting guard. Like Tracy McGrady he can play both positions, and there are strong arguments making the two positions sort of interchangeable. He makes it to the line, he can finish at the rim, he can shoot, he's an underrated rebounder and passer, and his 3 point shot is fairly reliable. If only he were a little faster, but he's getting old.
6 Rashard Lewis
7 Carmelo Anthony
8 Ron Artest
9 Richard Jefferson
10 Andrei Kirilenko
11 Andre Iguodala
12 Luol Deng
13 Hedo Turkoglu
14 Corey Maggette
15 Kevin Durant
16 Rudy Gay
17 Danny Granger
18 Tayshaun Prince
19 Bruce Bowen
20 Shane Battier
21 Stephen Jackson
22 Al Harrington
23 James Posey
24 Travis Outlaw
25 Al Thornton
26 Jamario Moon
27 Marvin Williams
28 Peja Stojakovic
29 Boris Diaw
30 John Salmons
31 Brandon Wright
32 Michael Beasley*
33 Carlos Delfino
34 Anthony Randolph*
35 Kyle Korver
36 Tim Thomas
37 Andres Nocioni
38 Matt Barnes
39 Thaddeus Young
40 Danilo Gallinari*
41 Joe Alexander*
42 Martell Webster
43 Dorell Wright
44 James Jones
45 Wally Sczerbiak
46 Adam Morrison
47 Linas Kleiza
48 Trevor Ariza
49 Sun Yue*
50 Jared Dudley
Monday, September 8, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Top 50 Shooting Guards
1 Kobe Bryant
This is another one that doesn't really need explaining. I'm still in the boat that this man is currently the best NBA player in the league, no make that the best player in the world. He can shoot, he can slash, he can finish, he can pass, and his defense is pretty good too. What's not to like? Well, on the court that is. I don't really care what people think of him personally, on the court, he's the greatest there is.
2 Tracy McGrady
Personally I think the next closest player to Kobe is T-Mac. Their skill-sets are a pretty similar, and both can take over a game, both are amazing finishers, decent shooters. The main thing that sets Kobe apart is that he isn't as fragile as T-Mac. If McGrady didn't have a chronic back problem, then the race might be a little closer, but as it is, these two positions are undisputed.
3 Dwayne Wade
Why below T-Mac? Simple, D-Wade doesn't have a jump shot. Wade is a pure slasher, but he's shown that he can distribute the ball too, and can play the point position which still makes him valuable. His ability to create in the lane and finish at the rim in the midst of all the traffic is amazing. The Olympics showed us he's back and better than ever. Still, his shot is shaky, which is why I like T-Mac better.
4 Vince Carter
The greatest player to not care about the game. Seriously, it's been seasons since we've actually seen Vince Carter try. That being said, he still gets averages of 21.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 5.1 apg? Scary. Carter has been somewhat jaded by his stint with Toronto not going anywhere, and then landing in New Jersey, he's just kind of floated on his fat contract. He'll always be remembered as the best dunker of all time for his show at the 2000 Slam Dunk contest, but aside from that, he won't be remembered for much else (except maybe jumping over a 7-foot Frenchman). Seriously though, 21.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 5.1 apg without trying? That's crazy. It'd be crazy if he tried. Skillwise, he could've been as good as his cousin T-Mac.
5 Manu Ginobili
If only Manu were a little more durable then he'd be one of the best. Even so, he still is one of the best, I'd have put him at 2 or 3 though. The problem is that his body can't take the beatings he gives it, which is why the Spurs are always so concerned whenever he plays in the offseason for Argentina. That being said, he's still an amazing player, he can make shots, is fairly reliable from long range, can slash, and dish well. Like T-Mac he's injury prone, however, he doesn't recover well between hard series, he needs more rest to rejuvinate himself. If he can get through a season injury free and not reaggravate any old injuries, he'd be even more amazing.
6 Michael Redd
7 Joe Johnson
8 Ray Allen
9 Allen Iverson
10 Jason Richardson
11 Richard Hamilton
12 Brandon Roy
13 Kevin Martin
14 Jamal Crawford
15 Mike Miller
16 Monta Ellis
17 Raja Bell
18 Ben Gordon
19 Michael Dunleavy Jr
20 Anthony Parker
21 O.J. Mayo*
22 Rudy Fernandez*
23 Ricky Davis
24 Larry Hughes
25 Jerry Stackhouse
26 Ronnie Brewer
27 Fransisco Garcia
28 Nate Robinson
29 J.R. Smith
30 Marco Bellinelli
31 Brent Barry
32 Kelenna Azubuike
33 Morris Peterson
34 DeShawn Stevenson
35 Cuttino Mobley
36 Eric Gordon*
37 Sasha Pavlovic
38 Willie Green
39 Mickael Pietrus
40 Tony Allen
41 Bonzi Wells
42 Eddie House
43 Luther Head
44 Marko Jaric
45 Sasha Vuajacic
46 Rashad McCants
47 Matt Harpring
48 Matt Carroll
49 Keith Bogans
50 Ronald Murray
In case you haven't already figured it out, the * means rookie class.
This is another one that doesn't really need explaining. I'm still in the boat that this man is currently the best NBA player in the league, no make that the best player in the world. He can shoot, he can slash, he can finish, he can pass, and his defense is pretty good too. What's not to like? Well, on the court that is. I don't really care what people think of him personally, on the court, he's the greatest there is.
2 Tracy McGrady
Personally I think the next closest player to Kobe is T-Mac. Their skill-sets are a pretty similar, and both can take over a game, both are amazing finishers, decent shooters. The main thing that sets Kobe apart is that he isn't as fragile as T-Mac. If McGrady didn't have a chronic back problem, then the race might be a little closer, but as it is, these two positions are undisputed.
3 Dwayne Wade
Why below T-Mac? Simple, D-Wade doesn't have a jump shot. Wade is a pure slasher, but he's shown that he can distribute the ball too, and can play the point position which still makes him valuable. His ability to create in the lane and finish at the rim in the midst of all the traffic is amazing. The Olympics showed us he's back and better than ever. Still, his shot is shaky, which is why I like T-Mac better.
4 Vince Carter
The greatest player to not care about the game. Seriously, it's been seasons since we've actually seen Vince Carter try. That being said, he still gets averages of 21.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 5.1 apg? Scary. Carter has been somewhat jaded by his stint with Toronto not going anywhere, and then landing in New Jersey, he's just kind of floated on his fat contract. He'll always be remembered as the best dunker of all time for his show at the 2000 Slam Dunk contest, but aside from that, he won't be remembered for much else (except maybe jumping over a 7-foot Frenchman). Seriously though, 21.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 5.1 apg without trying? That's crazy. It'd be crazy if he tried. Skillwise, he could've been as good as his cousin T-Mac.
5 Manu Ginobili
If only Manu were a little more durable then he'd be one of the best. Even so, he still is one of the best, I'd have put him at 2 or 3 though. The problem is that his body can't take the beatings he gives it, which is why the Spurs are always so concerned whenever he plays in the offseason for Argentina. That being said, he's still an amazing player, he can make shots, is fairly reliable from long range, can slash, and dish well. Like T-Mac he's injury prone, however, he doesn't recover well between hard series, he needs more rest to rejuvinate himself. If he can get through a season injury free and not reaggravate any old injuries, he'd be even more amazing.
6 Michael Redd
7 Joe Johnson
8 Ray Allen
9 Allen Iverson
10 Jason Richardson
11 Richard Hamilton
12 Brandon Roy
13 Kevin Martin
14 Jamal Crawford
15 Mike Miller
16 Monta Ellis
17 Raja Bell
18 Ben Gordon
19 Michael Dunleavy Jr
20 Anthony Parker
21 O.J. Mayo*
22 Rudy Fernandez*
23 Ricky Davis
24 Larry Hughes
25 Jerry Stackhouse
26 Ronnie Brewer
27 Fransisco Garcia
28 Nate Robinson
29 J.R. Smith
30 Marco Bellinelli
31 Brent Barry
32 Kelenna Azubuike
33 Morris Peterson
34 DeShawn Stevenson
35 Cuttino Mobley
36 Eric Gordon*
37 Sasha Pavlovic
38 Willie Green
39 Mickael Pietrus
40 Tony Allen
41 Bonzi Wells
42 Eddie House
43 Luther Head
44 Marko Jaric
45 Sasha Vuajacic
46 Rashad McCants
47 Matt Harpring
48 Matt Carroll
49 Keith Bogans
50 Ronald Murray
In case you haven't already figured it out, the * means rookie class.
Top 50 Point Guards
1 Chris Paul
Do I really need an explanation for this one? As much as I love Deron Williams, and all that, Chris Paul's ability to penetrate and his court vision still make him the most effective point guard in the entire NBA. He does the most for his team without all that flash. He averages double digit points and assists and led the league in steals per game last season. He's good at defending, and while a little smaller than some people would like, makes up for it in a big way on both ends of the court. Only caveat, injuries. However, he is and will continue to be the floor leader in New Orleans and he will be what makes the Hornets run.
2 Deron Williams
If Chris Paul is number one, then the number two, I think, is pretty obvious after that. His shot is better than Paul's and he has that size to go with the handles. He's the best comparison to being Jason Kidd with a jumpshot. He's fast, he's big, he has handles, and he can shoot. Add to that an amazing supporting cast of Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, and Andrei Kirilenko and the Jazz are good to go. Really, it's almost like a tie for first, but I think Paul edges Williams out a little, however, I think Williams has to potential to surpass Paul, because quite simply, "you can't teach size".
3 Steve Nash
He's getting a little old, but he can still shoot and dish. Averaging double digits in assists, he also averaged 50+% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc, and 90% from the charity stripe. Those numbers are sick. Only reason he's undisputedly not the best point guard in the league: he can't defend a pick and roll to save his life. He can't really defend to save his life in general. However, that's ok on the Suns. While he does get a lot of assists, he does have the tendency to then to rack up a lot of turnovers. Still fun to watch, but the whole, not playing defense thing really hurts his team.
4 Baron Davis
I think if his head is in the game he's one of the best players in the league. Granted he's more of a volume shooter, and is known to shoot 27% as often as he shoots 62% so it averages out. However, he gets high assist numbers, oodles of steals, and scores. He's got it all, the problem then lies with attitude and injury. That hurt him in New Orleans, we can only surmise if he'll continue with the glory he had in Golden State now that he's on the Clippers.
5 Tony Parker
He's the guy that Chris Paul based a lot of his game on. He's fast, he can get into the lane like it's no one's business, has that nearly unstoppable floater, tack onto that a developing jumpshot, and playing for one of the best franchises in the league, he's top notch. He's still showing us why he was the 2007 Finals MVP.
6 Jason Kidd
7 Gilbert Arenas
8 Jose Calderon
9 Chauncey Billups
10 Andre Miller
11 Mo Williams
12 T.J. Ford
13 Rajon Rondo
14 Mike Bibby
15 Jason Terry
16 Jameer Nelson
17 Kirk Hinrich
18 Mario Chalmers*
19 Russell Westbrook*
20 Michael Conley
21 Antonio Daniels
22 Raymond Felton
23 Leandro Barbosa
24 Derrick Rose*
25 Stephon Marbury
26 Jamaal Tinsley
27 Randy Foye
28 Beno Udrih
29 Devin Harris
30 Derek Fisher
31 Sam Cassell
32 Delonte West
33 Roger Mason
34 Rafer Alston
35 D.J. Augistin*
36 Earl Watson
37 Luke Ridnour
38 Louis Williams
39 Daniel Gibson
40 Jerryd Bayless*
41 Acie Law
42 Marcus Williams
43 Anthony Johnson
44 Ramon Sessions
45 Steve Blake
46 Jason Williams
47 Kyle Lowry
48 Jarret Jack
49 Jordan Farmar
50 Rodney Stuckey
Do I really need an explanation for this one? As much as I love Deron Williams, and all that, Chris Paul's ability to penetrate and his court vision still make him the most effective point guard in the entire NBA. He does the most for his team without all that flash. He averages double digit points and assists and led the league in steals per game last season. He's good at defending, and while a little smaller than some people would like, makes up for it in a big way on both ends of the court. Only caveat, injuries. However, he is and will continue to be the floor leader in New Orleans and he will be what makes the Hornets run.
2 Deron Williams
If Chris Paul is number one, then the number two, I think, is pretty obvious after that. His shot is better than Paul's and he has that size to go with the handles. He's the best comparison to being Jason Kidd with a jumpshot. He's fast, he's big, he has handles, and he can shoot. Add to that an amazing supporting cast of Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, and Andrei Kirilenko and the Jazz are good to go. Really, it's almost like a tie for first, but I think Paul edges Williams out a little, however, I think Williams has to potential to surpass Paul, because quite simply, "you can't teach size".
3 Steve Nash
He's getting a little old, but he can still shoot and dish. Averaging double digits in assists, he also averaged 50+% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc, and 90% from the charity stripe. Those numbers are sick. Only reason he's undisputedly not the best point guard in the league: he can't defend a pick and roll to save his life. He can't really defend to save his life in general. However, that's ok on the Suns. While he does get a lot of assists, he does have the tendency to then to rack up a lot of turnovers. Still fun to watch, but the whole, not playing defense thing really hurts his team.
4 Baron Davis
I think if his head is in the game he's one of the best players in the league. Granted he's more of a volume shooter, and is known to shoot 27% as often as he shoots 62% so it averages out. However, he gets high assist numbers, oodles of steals, and scores. He's got it all, the problem then lies with attitude and injury. That hurt him in New Orleans, we can only surmise if he'll continue with the glory he had in Golden State now that he's on the Clippers.
5 Tony Parker
He's the guy that Chris Paul based a lot of his game on. He's fast, he can get into the lane like it's no one's business, has that nearly unstoppable floater, tack onto that a developing jumpshot, and playing for one of the best franchises in the league, he's top notch. He's still showing us why he was the 2007 Finals MVP.
6 Jason Kidd
7 Gilbert Arenas
8 Jose Calderon
9 Chauncey Billups
10 Andre Miller
11 Mo Williams
12 T.J. Ford
13 Rajon Rondo
14 Mike Bibby
15 Jason Terry
16 Jameer Nelson
17 Kirk Hinrich
18 Mario Chalmers*
19 Russell Westbrook*
20 Michael Conley
21 Antonio Daniels
22 Raymond Felton
23 Leandro Barbosa
24 Derrick Rose*
25 Stephon Marbury
26 Jamaal Tinsley
27 Randy Foye
28 Beno Udrih
29 Devin Harris
30 Derek Fisher
31 Sam Cassell
32 Delonte West
33 Roger Mason
34 Rafer Alston
35 D.J. Augistin*
36 Earl Watson
37 Luke Ridnour
38 Louis Williams
39 Daniel Gibson
40 Jerryd Bayless*
41 Acie Law
42 Marcus Williams
43 Anthony Johnson
44 Ramon Sessions
45 Steve Blake
46 Jason Williams
47 Kyle Lowry
48 Jarret Jack
49 Jordan Farmar
50 Rodney Stuckey
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
My Modern Dream Team
Ok, so I didn't grow up with the 1992 Dream Team of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, and (how could we forget) Christian Laettner. I do remember the 1996 squad of Stockton, Malone, Jordan, Pippen, Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal, Mitch Richmond, Grant Hill, Reggie Miller, and Gary Payton. I thought, it'd be interesting to make my own 12 man squad of who would be up there on my dream squad, and how they would fit together to compete, who I'd have a specializers and who I'd have taking the shots. This would be fun to see in reality, or perhaps as close as I can get, which would be like NBA 2k8 or something. If I were to make my dream NBA team with the players today, here and now, here's what it'd look like:
Starting 5:
PG - LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
I know, half of you are thinking "WHAT?!" I'm sure everyone was half expecting Chris Paul, the other half expecting Deron Williams, and a small fraction perhaps expecting Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, or Baron Davis. LeBron is a ball handler, that's what you get when you have a point guard like Daniel ("Boobie") Gibson on your team. LeBron is a born passer, which, if you recall, merited him some criticism in the 2007 playoffs. However, despite LeBron's tendency now to finish, I still like it when he moves to pass. He's got the speed, the athleticism, the court vision, the touch, in addition to that, he's 6-8 and 240 lbs, name me a point guard that can guard that. I like size on a court, it creates a lot of mismatches, I think if he had the right pieces, and were able to focus more on distributing and defense, he'd be one of the best point forwards ever, hey, Scottie Pippen got his fair share of scoring done too.
SG - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Despite his struggles to adjust to the international game, opening his first two games in the Olympics with with a respectable 41% FG percentage but shooting only 6% from beyond the arc. He managed to pick it up a little later in the games including an impressive 25 point showing on 10-16 shooting and 4-7 from three point range against Australia, which he promptly followed by shooting 5-14 from the field and 2-9 from beyond the arc against Argentina. However, despite all these struggles, I still think he's the best player in the league, at least on the offensive end. He's a potent creator for his shots, and while he draws comparisons I don't think his game is like Michael Jordan's really. MJ liked the 12-15 ft turn around fader from the post, whereas Kobe I think prefers the quick jab to a pull up jumper from about 18 ft out. Both are amazing, both can pass, both can finish, but I think their strengths are different. That being said, I'm making a roster of today's players, and Kobe would be my goto guy if I can't get my offense to work. Additionally, as much as you might think his defense is overhyped, the Lakers did win 2001, and got things done, especially after putting him on Allen Iverson since Tyronne Lue kept getting burned. Kobe may not have contained Iverson, but he did a heck of a job slowing him down.
SF - Rashard Lewis (Orlando Magic)
Another "What?!" from all the readers out there, I know, even with LeBron James as the starting point guard I'm sure you expected maybe Paul Pierce or Caron Butler or maybe even Tracy McGrady, I bet you probably thought a defensive specialist like Bruce Bowen or Tayshaun Prince might even get a better crack at the rotation. As you might have noticed, I'm a big Rashard Lewis fan. Every rotation I think needs a three point specialist, and as you might have noticed Rashard Lewis is something of a 3 pt specialist. I believe that his current stint with the Orlando Magic has been somewhat overshadowed by the emergence of Hedo Turkoglu, but I believe he's a better and more refined player than Hedo, they're just so similar he's relegated to shooting 3s more because he's better at it. If you actually look closely, Lewis also has a penchant for coming up with steals, he's big, and he's hard to guard, creating a lot of matchup problems. Additionally, I don't think you get a much better 3pt specialist than Lewis. We're talking about a guy who was making franchise 3 pt records, with Ray Allen as a teammate. Not just shot percentage, but number of attempts and number of makes.
PF - Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics)
So if we take out all the international USA basketball politics, and made all eligible players that were available, available to play on the team, I'd take KG. He's the most high energy, versatile, forwards I've seen play the game. His only problem is that he doesn't really have a go to move (his 12 foot fader, kind of a combo Michael Jordan/Karl Malone move, doesn't work enough for me to call it go-to), but I want him for his defense. Hard nosed man, his ability to roam on the weakside, his rebounding ability, etc... If he can get buckets, good for him. He's fast enough that I would love to see him and LeBron racing up in transition. Sick. His ability to roam out further than 7 feet from the basket make him readily able to guard larger forwards that like the midrange game and his size allows him to take the post well. All in all, one of the more solid defenders I've seen, sure I don't want him to guard a 2 guard, but I still like his game. His versatility, while a weakness, is also a strength in that it gives the team that much more leeway and that many more options on offense. I think his passing is also underrated, I like a team that can pass.
C - Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
Tim Duncan's not a center! He guards all the centers when they play the Spurs. Tim Duncan's not a center! He takes all the tips at Spurs games. Tim Duncan's not a center! All the centers guard him when they play the Spurs. Tim Duncan's not a center! He's got better post moves than most centers in the league. Tim Duncan's not a center! Ok, ok, we get the picture. Personally I think the only reason Tim Duncan is not a center is because he can't win an All-Star ballot against Yao Ming and he was drafted when David Robinson was still playing. That being said, I think he's probably the best big man in the league (some would argue of all time). Sure he's getting older, but he can still score, still rebound, still block, still post, still shoot a decent midrange jumper, still defend, still do everything except shoot a decent free throw percentage. Seriously though, what legitimate US big man (so not Yao and not Pau Gasol) can? Maybe Chris Kaman (73% career), but seriously, would you pick him for your dream team? Don't tell me Troy Murphy is legit. Seriously though, Tim Duncan is one of the last true big men, and he's a little more finesse then I like for a guy that will guard some bangers like Marc Gasol, but he does a good job of it, he's strong, he's big, and he knows the game. He can score, he can pass, he can play defense. Ok, maybe I put him here because he's also my favorite player, but objectively, if I were to remake a dream team, I'd still put him here anyway. He's so easy to work around, that's part of what makes the Spurs go. I love Mr. Fundamental, even if he is like a robot sometimes.
Bench:
Guards:
Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)
The more the unofficial battle between Deron Williams and Chris Paul continues, the more I like Deron Williams. Granted, I think Paul is amazing as a slasher, he can get into the lane like there's no tomorrow, and he has amazing court vision, I think Williams isn't too shabby at driving and dishing as well. That being said, you can't teach size, and Williams can shoot. I like that a little more. Again, I like them both. I like them both a lot.
Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
Ok, ok, now CP3 gets some love. What's there to say? This guy is simply amazing. He's got the Steve Nash speed and passing ability, plus he has that Tony Parker floater. It's so hard to stay in front of him, and it's so hard to keep him from cutting into the lane. Maybe he doesn't shoot as well as Nash, but hey, he gets steals like crazy too (2.6 per game last season). If we wanted, we can go small and run that Chris Paul, Deron Williams backcourt that Coach K seemed to love so much in the Olympics.
Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets):
I changed this because I realized that I had 13 players active, meaning that I couldn't count. The more I think about it, the more I like versatile guys. Granted it'd be rather strange to see T-Mac and Kobe coexist on the floor, but T-Mac can play the SF slot as well if the team were to move small ball. He's known to be a tough defender, not the best, but good enough, and I like his jump shot. Sure he finishes at the rim a lot, but I think T-Mac can produce a lot of problems for the defense, and creates another starting point for the offense.
Forwards:
Shawn Marion (Miami Heat)
I like players that can defend multiple positions, and The Matrix fits the bill perfectly. Fantasy players love this guy because he fills so many categories (positive categories). He can rebound, he can score, he can finish, he can shoot the 3 (albeit an ugly shot). I mean, he probably wants more shots than is good for him, but I applaud his defensive tenacity and his can contribute consistently and regularly on the offensive end as well. He's the perfect power forward if you do decide to go with a small ball rotation. Sure no one talks about him ever since he went to be on the Heat, partially because the Heat sucked so much last year, but hey, he can still contribute.
Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)
A lot of people (including Shaq) call him the best big man in the league. Might be true. He's got a solid game, and he's improved a lot. He's a little soft on defense, but some would say it's because he was playing out of position for so long. He's a tremendous offensive threat though and he's hard to stop inside. He also from all reports has a nice jumpshot as well. I don't know I'd call him the best, but he's one of the best. In a league that's running low on quality big men, he's a diamond in the rough.
Centers:
Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
Right now, he's an oversized Shawn Kemp. A little spin move and he dunks on you. He has a little running hook here and there, but it's kind of ugly. That being said, he's something of an unstoppable monster under and around the rim. He's the best rebounder in the league right now and is only 22. As he continues to develop his game (courtesy of assistant coach Patrick Ewing) I think he'll be an amazing player. He's still a little rough around the edges, but hey, he's probably the second best true center (in my opinion after Yao) there is.
Reserve:
Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)
Potentially the last glimmer of hope for the centers of old. He's rock solid under the basket, and despite his surgery, I think he'll be huge in the league in his premier this season. I would love to see a Portland v Orlando game and see Oden go head to head against Dwight Howard. Oden, having worked out a lot during the last season is supposed to be bigger than Howard now. That being said, he'll be amazing down low. I see a lot of Shaq comparisons, that is the Shaq of old (MVP Shaq), not the 36 year old Shaq that can't keep up with Steve Nash and the rest of the Suns.
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City)
I see a lot of potential in this kid. Of course, I also see a lot of potential for PJ Carlesimo to ruin this kid by pulling a Mike Brown and LeBron and shoving the ball down his throat every other possession. He's another one of those guys that I can see being able to defend multiple positions. I think the last season with Durant playing at the shooting guard position was a good experience, and he can really turn into one of those lanky small forwards that causes a lot of defensive problems. That being said, he's got an amazing sense of offensive awareness, and while right now he's taking tons of bad shots, I think that as he matures, he can learn to create and distribute more, again given the caveat that PJ Carlesimo doesn't ruin him fist. Hopefully Sam Presti eventually puts the right pieces around him, but I see him potentially being an All-Star version of Tayshaun Prince, tenacious on defense and even more deadly of a scorer.
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach:
Don Nelson (Golden State Warriors)
Nellie-ball has always been fun to watch. One of the big things is simply this, I think Nelson just trusts his players to do what they're supposed to do. He's more of a results guy than a process guy, he'll leave it to his players to make the right plays, whatever they may be. With a team of All-Stars, a little free-reign might be the right thing to do. Of course, he can always turn it to his assistant coaches to help out with the job if necessary. However, I believe that given a little freedom, the players in the lineup will thrive if you put the right pieces together. A hands off coach might be a good idea in this case.
Assistant Coaches:
Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers)
Through all the confusing playlists and highly technical playsets, Phil Jackson is first and foremost a motivator. A lot of people say that he doesn't really deserve his rings and isn't that great of a coach because he always arrives at a pre-constructed team of great players, however, I believe that there's something that makes people want to play for him, and something that makes players that do play for him want to win that much more. One other thing that I think that also works out is his emphasis on team passing. If you can get this team to start passing well, they'd be unstoppable.
Greg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)
The Spurs by popular consensus are the most boring team in the league to watch. Why? They play defense. It's all about defense, defense, defense. Not of that stupid ball-hawking that happened in the Olympics, none of that defensive breakdown that allows uncontensted layups, big men out of position for easy lay-ins or dunks, none of that failure to rotate to the outside shooter. Spurs have probably one of the most efficient defenses in the league, and for good reason, Popovich is hard-nosed about it. You want good defense to change into fast transition buckets, go for it. Just because Popovich runs the Spurs slow doesn't mean they can't crash-board well. How many times have you seen Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili finish on the break? You don't have to get steals to play good defense, Popovich knows that. Pressure them, make them take bad shots, and trust your rebounders, I mean, on this team it's Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, and Greg Oden, I think you're pretty well covered there.
There you have it, if I could draft any players into a team to make one, these are the ones that I would take. I'm sure you have your own different opinions and lineups and rosters and all that good stuff. Feel free to share or leave feedback. Here's my take, what's yours?
I realized I had 13 players, oops.
Starting 5:
PG - LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
I know, half of you are thinking "WHAT?!" I'm sure everyone was half expecting Chris Paul, the other half expecting Deron Williams, and a small fraction perhaps expecting Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, or Baron Davis. LeBron is a ball handler, that's what you get when you have a point guard like Daniel ("Boobie") Gibson on your team. LeBron is a born passer, which, if you recall, merited him some criticism in the 2007 playoffs. However, despite LeBron's tendency now to finish, I still like it when he moves to pass. He's got the speed, the athleticism, the court vision, the touch, in addition to that, he's 6-8 and 240 lbs, name me a point guard that can guard that. I like size on a court, it creates a lot of mismatches, I think if he had the right pieces, and were able to focus more on distributing and defense, he'd be one of the best point forwards ever, hey, Scottie Pippen got his fair share of scoring done too.
SG - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Despite his struggles to adjust to the international game, opening his first two games in the Olympics with with a respectable 41% FG percentage but shooting only 6% from beyond the arc. He managed to pick it up a little later in the games including an impressive 25 point showing on 10-16 shooting and 4-7 from three point range against Australia, which he promptly followed by shooting 5-14 from the field and 2-9 from beyond the arc against Argentina. However, despite all these struggles, I still think he's the best player in the league, at least on the offensive end. He's a potent creator for his shots, and while he draws comparisons I don't think his game is like Michael Jordan's really. MJ liked the 12-15 ft turn around fader from the post, whereas Kobe I think prefers the quick jab to a pull up jumper from about 18 ft out. Both are amazing, both can pass, both can finish, but I think their strengths are different. That being said, I'm making a roster of today's players, and Kobe would be my goto guy if I can't get my offense to work. Additionally, as much as you might think his defense is overhyped, the Lakers did win 2001, and got things done, especially after putting him on Allen Iverson since Tyronne Lue kept getting burned. Kobe may not have contained Iverson, but he did a heck of a job slowing him down.
SF - Rashard Lewis (Orlando Magic)
Another "What?!" from all the readers out there, I know, even with LeBron James as the starting point guard I'm sure you expected maybe Paul Pierce or Caron Butler or maybe even Tracy McGrady, I bet you probably thought a defensive specialist like Bruce Bowen or Tayshaun Prince might even get a better crack at the rotation. As you might have noticed, I'm a big Rashard Lewis fan. Every rotation I think needs a three point specialist, and as you might have noticed Rashard Lewis is something of a 3 pt specialist. I believe that his current stint with the Orlando Magic has been somewhat overshadowed by the emergence of Hedo Turkoglu, but I believe he's a better and more refined player than Hedo, they're just so similar he's relegated to shooting 3s more because he's better at it. If you actually look closely, Lewis also has a penchant for coming up with steals, he's big, and he's hard to guard, creating a lot of matchup problems. Additionally, I don't think you get a much better 3pt specialist than Lewis. We're talking about a guy who was making franchise 3 pt records, with Ray Allen as a teammate. Not just shot percentage, but number of attempts and number of makes.
PF - Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics)
So if we take out all the international USA basketball politics, and made all eligible players that were available, available to play on the team, I'd take KG. He's the most high energy, versatile, forwards I've seen play the game. His only problem is that he doesn't really have a go to move (his 12 foot fader, kind of a combo Michael Jordan/Karl Malone move, doesn't work enough for me to call it go-to), but I want him for his defense. Hard nosed man, his ability to roam on the weakside, his rebounding ability, etc... If he can get buckets, good for him. He's fast enough that I would love to see him and LeBron racing up in transition. Sick. His ability to roam out further than 7 feet from the basket make him readily able to guard larger forwards that like the midrange game and his size allows him to take the post well. All in all, one of the more solid defenders I've seen, sure I don't want him to guard a 2 guard, but I still like his game. His versatility, while a weakness, is also a strength in that it gives the team that much more leeway and that many more options on offense. I think his passing is also underrated, I like a team that can pass.
C - Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
Tim Duncan's not a center! He guards all the centers when they play the Spurs. Tim Duncan's not a center! He takes all the tips at Spurs games. Tim Duncan's not a center! All the centers guard him when they play the Spurs. Tim Duncan's not a center! He's got better post moves than most centers in the league. Tim Duncan's not a center! Ok, ok, we get the picture. Personally I think the only reason Tim Duncan is not a center is because he can't win an All-Star ballot against Yao Ming and he was drafted when David Robinson was still playing. That being said, I think he's probably the best big man in the league (some would argue of all time). Sure he's getting older, but he can still score, still rebound, still block, still post, still shoot a decent midrange jumper, still defend, still do everything except shoot a decent free throw percentage. Seriously though, what legitimate US big man (so not Yao and not Pau Gasol) can? Maybe Chris Kaman (73% career), but seriously, would you pick him for your dream team? Don't tell me Troy Murphy is legit. Seriously though, Tim Duncan is one of the last true big men, and he's a little more finesse then I like for a guy that will guard some bangers like Marc Gasol, but he does a good job of it, he's strong, he's big, and he knows the game. He can score, he can pass, he can play defense. Ok, maybe I put him here because he's also my favorite player, but objectively, if I were to remake a dream team, I'd still put him here anyway. He's so easy to work around, that's part of what makes the Spurs go. I love Mr. Fundamental, even if he is like a robot sometimes.
Bench:
Guards:
Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)
The more the unofficial battle between Deron Williams and Chris Paul continues, the more I like Deron Williams. Granted, I think Paul is amazing as a slasher, he can get into the lane like there's no tomorrow, and he has amazing court vision, I think Williams isn't too shabby at driving and dishing as well. That being said, you can't teach size, and Williams can shoot. I like that a little more. Again, I like them both. I like them both a lot.
Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
Ok, ok, now CP3 gets some love. What's there to say? This guy is simply amazing. He's got the Steve Nash speed and passing ability, plus he has that Tony Parker floater. It's so hard to stay in front of him, and it's so hard to keep him from cutting into the lane. Maybe he doesn't shoot as well as Nash, but hey, he gets steals like crazy too (2.6 per game last season). If we wanted, we can go small and run that Chris Paul, Deron Williams backcourt that Coach K seemed to love so much in the Olympics.
Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets):
I changed this because I realized that I had 13 players active, meaning that I couldn't count. The more I think about it, the more I like versatile guys. Granted it'd be rather strange to see T-Mac and Kobe coexist on the floor, but T-Mac can play the SF slot as well if the team were to move small ball. He's known to be a tough defender, not the best, but good enough, and I like his jump shot. Sure he finishes at the rim a lot, but I think T-Mac can produce a lot of problems for the defense, and creates another starting point for the offense.
Forwards:
Shawn Marion (Miami Heat)
I like players that can defend multiple positions, and The Matrix fits the bill perfectly. Fantasy players love this guy because he fills so many categories (positive categories). He can rebound, he can score, he can finish, he can shoot the 3 (albeit an ugly shot). I mean, he probably wants more shots than is good for him, but I applaud his defensive tenacity and his can contribute consistently and regularly on the offensive end as well. He's the perfect power forward if you do decide to go with a small ball rotation. Sure no one talks about him ever since he went to be on the Heat, partially because the Heat sucked so much last year, but hey, he can still contribute.
Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)
A lot of people (including Shaq) call him the best big man in the league. Might be true. He's got a solid game, and he's improved a lot. He's a little soft on defense, but some would say it's because he was playing out of position for so long. He's a tremendous offensive threat though and he's hard to stop inside. He also from all reports has a nice jumpshot as well. I don't know I'd call him the best, but he's one of the best. In a league that's running low on quality big men, he's a diamond in the rough.
Centers:
Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
Right now, he's an oversized Shawn Kemp. A little spin move and he dunks on you. He has a little running hook here and there, but it's kind of ugly. That being said, he's something of an unstoppable monster under and around the rim. He's the best rebounder in the league right now and is only 22. As he continues to develop his game (courtesy of assistant coach Patrick Ewing) I think he'll be an amazing player. He's still a little rough around the edges, but hey, he's probably the second best true center (in my opinion after Yao) there is.
Reserve:
Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)
Potentially the last glimmer of hope for the centers of old. He's rock solid under the basket, and despite his surgery, I think he'll be huge in the league in his premier this season. I would love to see a Portland v Orlando game and see Oden go head to head against Dwight Howard. Oden, having worked out a lot during the last season is supposed to be bigger than Howard now. That being said, he'll be amazing down low. I see a lot of Shaq comparisons, that is the Shaq of old (MVP Shaq), not the 36 year old Shaq that can't keep up with Steve Nash and the rest of the Suns.
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City)
I see a lot of potential in this kid. Of course, I also see a lot of potential for PJ Carlesimo to ruin this kid by pulling a Mike Brown and LeBron and shoving the ball down his throat every other possession. He's another one of those guys that I can see being able to defend multiple positions. I think the last season with Durant playing at the shooting guard position was a good experience, and he can really turn into one of those lanky small forwards that causes a lot of defensive problems. That being said, he's got an amazing sense of offensive awareness, and while right now he's taking tons of bad shots, I think that as he matures, he can learn to create and distribute more, again given the caveat that PJ Carlesimo doesn't ruin him fist. Hopefully Sam Presti eventually puts the right pieces around him, but I see him potentially being an All-Star version of Tayshaun Prince, tenacious on defense and even more deadly of a scorer.
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach:
Don Nelson (Golden State Warriors)
Nellie-ball has always been fun to watch. One of the big things is simply this, I think Nelson just trusts his players to do what they're supposed to do. He's more of a results guy than a process guy, he'll leave it to his players to make the right plays, whatever they may be. With a team of All-Stars, a little free-reign might be the right thing to do. Of course, he can always turn it to his assistant coaches to help out with the job if necessary. However, I believe that given a little freedom, the players in the lineup will thrive if you put the right pieces together. A hands off coach might be a good idea in this case.
Assistant Coaches:
Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers)
Through all the confusing playlists and highly technical playsets, Phil Jackson is first and foremost a motivator. A lot of people say that he doesn't really deserve his rings and isn't that great of a coach because he always arrives at a pre-constructed team of great players, however, I believe that there's something that makes people want to play for him, and something that makes players that do play for him want to win that much more. One other thing that I think that also works out is his emphasis on team passing. If you can get this team to start passing well, they'd be unstoppable.
Greg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)
The Spurs by popular consensus are the most boring team in the league to watch. Why? They play defense. It's all about defense, defense, defense. Not of that stupid ball-hawking that happened in the Olympics, none of that defensive breakdown that allows uncontensted layups, big men out of position for easy lay-ins or dunks, none of that failure to rotate to the outside shooter. Spurs have probably one of the most efficient defenses in the league, and for good reason, Popovich is hard-nosed about it. You want good defense to change into fast transition buckets, go for it. Just because Popovich runs the Spurs slow doesn't mean they can't crash-board well. How many times have you seen Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili finish on the break? You don't have to get steals to play good defense, Popovich knows that. Pressure them, make them take bad shots, and trust your rebounders, I mean, on this team it's Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, and Greg Oden, I think you're pretty well covered there.
There you have it, if I could draft any players into a team to make one, these are the ones that I would take. I'm sure you have your own different opinions and lineups and rosters and all that good stuff. Feel free to share or leave feedback. Here's my take, what's yours?
I realized I had 13 players, oops.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Top 5
So I had a list of players I felt got more credit than they actually contributed to, and simply, that means that there are players here that don't get enough credit for their actual contributions. Maybe I just like players more than others, so maybe I'm a little biased, but I feel like there are a lot of players that contribute a lot and ought to get noticed. Sure, some of them are based on their paychecks, but from my perspective, I could really care less about the salary, I just think they deserve a little credit here.
Five underrated players:
1.) Rashard Lewis (SF/PF, Orlando Magic)
I know he made bank with that ridiculous free agent signing with Orlando last year, and with the emergence of Hedo Turkoglu you have to wonder if he's really necessary. However, if you've even seen him play, you'll know that this guy is crazy. He lights it up from beyond the arc, he can slash, and he can finish. I believe that he's a more refined version of Turkoglu, why give Hedo the ball then? Because from beyond the arc I'd rather have Rashard Lewis shooting it. Make note that he was breaking all sorts of franchise 3pt records on the Sonics, and that was with Ray Allen on the team.
2.) Jason Richardson (SG, Charlotte Bobcats)
I think because he's on the Bobcats no one ever talks about him. He's a great shooter, great scorer, he carries the team that has no business really being the NBA, well maybe a little more business than the Memphis Grizzlies. This is an expansion team that never took off, and I think that if you look at J-Rich's numbers and his production you can say that he's playing spectacularly despite the problems with his team (perhaps you can blame the injuries of Sean May and Adam Morrison?). This man definitely deserves more credit.
3.) Gerald Wallace (SF, Charlotte Bobcats)
The first comparison I heard of this guy was that he's the next Scottie Pippen. He's not a prolific shooter, but he's up there when it comes to defense, the biggest knock on him being how prone to injury he is, the second being that he's on the Bobcats. However, his offense is quickly catching up to his defense, and his defense is crazy. This guy comes up with steals like Josh Smith comes up with blocks.
4.) Nick Collison (PF, Oklahoma City)
So, he doesn't get fancy numbers, and a lot of it comes from playing out of position because of the incompetency and frail bodies of Robert Swift, Johan Petro, and Mohammed Sene. He's a bruiser, he gets boards, he works hard, if David Lee gets love, so should Nick Collison.
5.) Chris Wilcox (PF, Oklahoma City)
He's kind of the anchor of the young team in Oklahoma. As much as the franchise is about Kevin Durant, you need that Udonis Haslem hard worker type like Wilcox. His rebounding may not be as great as Collison's, but he can get to the rim.
Five underrated players:
1.) Rashard Lewis (SF/PF, Orlando Magic)
I know he made bank with that ridiculous free agent signing with Orlando last year, and with the emergence of Hedo Turkoglu you have to wonder if he's really necessary. However, if you've even seen him play, you'll know that this guy is crazy. He lights it up from beyond the arc, he can slash, and he can finish. I believe that he's a more refined version of Turkoglu, why give Hedo the ball then? Because from beyond the arc I'd rather have Rashard Lewis shooting it. Make note that he was breaking all sorts of franchise 3pt records on the Sonics, and that was with Ray Allen on the team.
2.) Jason Richardson (SG, Charlotte Bobcats)
I think because he's on the Bobcats no one ever talks about him. He's a great shooter, great scorer, he carries the team that has no business really being the NBA, well maybe a little more business than the Memphis Grizzlies. This is an expansion team that never took off, and I think that if you look at J-Rich's numbers and his production you can say that he's playing spectacularly despite the problems with his team (perhaps you can blame the injuries of Sean May and Adam Morrison?). This man definitely deserves more credit.
3.) Gerald Wallace (SF, Charlotte Bobcats)
The first comparison I heard of this guy was that he's the next Scottie Pippen. He's not a prolific shooter, but he's up there when it comes to defense, the biggest knock on him being how prone to injury he is, the second being that he's on the Bobcats. However, his offense is quickly catching up to his defense, and his defense is crazy. This guy comes up with steals like Josh Smith comes up with blocks.
4.) Nick Collison (PF, Oklahoma City)
So, he doesn't get fancy numbers, and a lot of it comes from playing out of position because of the incompetency and frail bodies of Robert Swift, Johan Petro, and Mohammed Sene. He's a bruiser, he gets boards, he works hard, if David Lee gets love, so should Nick Collison.
5.) Chris Wilcox (PF, Oklahoma City)
He's kind of the anchor of the young team in Oklahoma. As much as the franchise is about Kevin Durant, you need that Udonis Haslem hard worker type like Wilcox. His rebounding may not be as great as Collison's, but he can get to the rim.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Bottom 5
5 Overrated Players
So there are probably a lot of players that get undeserved hype, and honestly, these lists don't mean much other than the opinion of the writer, but since I want to share my opinions with you, which of course you so desperately don't care about, here they are. Honestly, I think that the list of players below probably get more hype than their game merits, and you'll see my reasons why too. Maybe I'm being unfairly biased, but hey, I'm supposed write what I think here right?
1.) Dirk Nowitzki (PF, Dallas Mavericks)
People have called him a choker, and he is, he's not really adept at handling pressure well, as seen by his recently horrendous streak of performances in the Olympics preliminary games. Germany beat Angola, who beat... no one. Honestly, as much as they say he's improved his inside game, all that means is that he can actually utilize his height advantage against Tracy McGrady in the paint, meaning that they actually have to put a real power forward to guard him now, which feasibly can create some match-up problems, but for all the points and rebounds he gets, to me he still seems something of a glorified 7-ft shooting guard. He's bigger, but he's slower, and honestly, his defense is kind of hurting (ok, so he gets defensive boards, but come on, so does Jeff Foster), and honestly despite his "improvement" in the post, Erick Dampier is still their "go-to" post man, seriously, what's that say? I never have, and still never do understand why his name is always mentioned as among the best PF in the league. Don't get me wrong he's good, but he's not that good.
2.) Carmelo Anthony (SF, Denver Nuggets)
He scores a lot, I'll give you that, I think J.R. Smith scores a lot too, oh yeah, so does Eddy Curry. I don't think anyone considers Smith or Curry among the elites of the NBA. I don't mean to knock on Melo, he's a monster offensively, but his horrid defense and poor decision making really make him something other than among the best SF in the league. I think people put his name up there because they can't think of anyone else to put up there. Even in Team USA, he ball-hawks, isn't overly efficient in rebounding, and honestly, doesn't have much of a feel for the defensive end, often his man being the one to have the open trey. Sure points wins you games, but it doesn't help if you don't stop the other team from making them too. I'm a defense-first kind of guy, and honestly, scoring ability and scoring ability alone doesn't count for too much, and Melo has nothing but scoring ability. At least Allen Iverson can dish and clog lanes for steals.
3.) Dwight Howard (C, Orlando Magic)
Don't get me wrong, I love Dwight Howard, he's one of my favorite players, and he's an amazing center with probably the most natural ability and the most athleticism out of any center in the league. That hardly makes him the best. He's a good rebounder, good shot blocker, but he lacks a go to move to make him elite. Right now, I have to say that it's more a lack of true quality centers (especially in the Eastern Conference) that makes him up there on the scales. He's sort of got a running hook, but until he develops a goto move, or rather, just any move that is not turning and dunking, he's more of just highlight jams than anything else. Body him up and he kind of loses his game. Don't get me wrong, he's hard to keep up with, but in my books, he's still shy of being among the elite.
4.) Lamar Odom (SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers)
People like his versatility, they like his length, they like how he can finish at the basket, they like his ball handling and passing abilities. That's great, but firstly he's still a choker. His mindset doesn't match his skill set. He can't handle pressure, but his skills are something that warrant him being the goto guy. He's like an oversized slasher who can't shoot the ball. He's not really an SF, but then again he's so soft on defense in the low post, actually, I think he's just soft on defense (period), tacked on to the fact that he doesn't really have a low post offense game, I can't really call him a PF either. He's a talented awkward player, but an awkward player nonetheless.
5.) Kevin Love (PF, Minnesota Timberwolves), OJ Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies)
I'm gonna go out and call it here, draft-busts. Mayo and Love both have not done anything to inspire excitement in me and I honestly don't think they'll live up to their draft hype. While Mayo looks to have the skill sets to make a good NBA player, there's not a significant amount of upside to him, and looks to be kind of like a J.R. Smith, someone who "could have been great" Love on the other hand seems to be something of a hard worker, but just kind of outclassed.
Soon to come: players that are underrated.
So there are probably a lot of players that get undeserved hype, and honestly, these lists don't mean much other than the opinion of the writer, but since I want to share my opinions with you, which of course you so desperately don't care about, here they are. Honestly, I think that the list of players below probably get more hype than their game merits, and you'll see my reasons why too. Maybe I'm being unfairly biased, but hey, I'm supposed write what I think here right?
1.) Dirk Nowitzki (PF, Dallas Mavericks)
People have called him a choker, and he is, he's not really adept at handling pressure well, as seen by his recently horrendous streak of performances in the Olympics preliminary games. Germany beat Angola, who beat... no one. Honestly, as much as they say he's improved his inside game, all that means is that he can actually utilize his height advantage against Tracy McGrady in the paint, meaning that they actually have to put a real power forward to guard him now, which feasibly can create some match-up problems, but for all the points and rebounds he gets, to me he still seems something of a glorified 7-ft shooting guard. He's bigger, but he's slower, and honestly, his defense is kind of hurting (ok, so he gets defensive boards, but come on, so does Jeff Foster), and honestly despite his "improvement" in the post, Erick Dampier is still their "go-to" post man, seriously, what's that say? I never have, and still never do understand why his name is always mentioned as among the best PF in the league. Don't get me wrong he's good, but he's not that good.
2.) Carmelo Anthony (SF, Denver Nuggets)
He scores a lot, I'll give you that, I think J.R. Smith scores a lot too, oh yeah, so does Eddy Curry. I don't think anyone considers Smith or Curry among the elites of the NBA. I don't mean to knock on Melo, he's a monster offensively, but his horrid defense and poor decision making really make him something other than among the best SF in the league. I think people put his name up there because they can't think of anyone else to put up there. Even in Team USA, he ball-hawks, isn't overly efficient in rebounding, and honestly, doesn't have much of a feel for the defensive end, often his man being the one to have the open trey. Sure points wins you games, but it doesn't help if you don't stop the other team from making them too. I'm a defense-first kind of guy, and honestly, scoring ability and scoring ability alone doesn't count for too much, and Melo has nothing but scoring ability. At least Allen Iverson can dish and clog lanes for steals.
3.) Dwight Howard (C, Orlando Magic)
Don't get me wrong, I love Dwight Howard, he's one of my favorite players, and he's an amazing center with probably the most natural ability and the most athleticism out of any center in the league. That hardly makes him the best. He's a good rebounder, good shot blocker, but he lacks a go to move to make him elite. Right now, I have to say that it's more a lack of true quality centers (especially in the Eastern Conference) that makes him up there on the scales. He's sort of got a running hook, but until he develops a goto move, or rather, just any move that is not turning and dunking, he's more of just highlight jams than anything else. Body him up and he kind of loses his game. Don't get me wrong, he's hard to keep up with, but in my books, he's still shy of being among the elite.
4.) Lamar Odom (SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers)
People like his versatility, they like his length, they like how he can finish at the basket, they like his ball handling and passing abilities. That's great, but firstly he's still a choker. His mindset doesn't match his skill set. He can't handle pressure, but his skills are something that warrant him being the goto guy. He's like an oversized slasher who can't shoot the ball. He's not really an SF, but then again he's so soft on defense in the low post, actually, I think he's just soft on defense (period), tacked on to the fact that he doesn't really have a low post offense game, I can't really call him a PF either. He's a talented awkward player, but an awkward player nonetheless.
5.) Kevin Love (PF, Minnesota Timberwolves), OJ Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies)
I'm gonna go out and call it here, draft-busts. Mayo and Love both have not done anything to inspire excitement in me and I honestly don't think they'll live up to their draft hype. While Mayo looks to have the skill sets to make a good NBA player, there's not a significant amount of upside to him, and looks to be kind of like a J.R. Smith, someone who "could have been great" Love on the other hand seems to be something of a hard worker, but just kind of outclassed.
Soon to come: players that are underrated.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Team USA Still Needs Work, A Lot of Work
After watching some of the highlights from the recent exhibition games (against Turkey, Lithiuania, Canada, Russia, and Australia) there are some things that really have me worried about how Team USA has been playing. On paper, it's scary roster, something I'd love to play around with in my little NBA 2k8 game at home on my PS2. Unfortunately, here in the Olympics (or rather reality), I don't really have the luxury of being able to mash "lead pass" or "turbo" to alter how the player would normally play. I can't rack up 182 points (which they just call "a ton of points" because the number is too big) in a 40 minute game, 100+ in the paint, 70+ from fast breaks, winning by a margin of almost 100 points. I can't get Deron Williams averaging 25 points, 15 assists, and 7 steals a game, I can't have Kobe Bryant running up a 30 ppg average on 75% shooting, all the while tacking on 4 rpg,8 apg, and 5 spg. The closest thing I can get from this Team USA squad is potentially going 18-32 from beyond the arc in the course of a single game. I'm just arbitrarily making up some of these numbers, but you get the point. The game just doesn't run as fast as I can make it in a video game.
Here are the two major problems that I see happening right now on Team USA:
1.) They don't have an offensive set
If it's not in the fast break, then this team doesn't really look like it knows what it's doing. Everyone is looking to take the ball for themselves, and honestly it's not working. The passing previously had been better, and they need to look to do that more, a lot more. What see is too much of the "in your face" pull up or face up jumpers, in this case 3 pointers. Yes, I understand that the international 3 point line is a standard 20 ft NBA jumper, great. When there's 5 seconds left on the shot clock, then give Kobe the ball and let him do his thing. Team USA needs to do what it does best, which right now, is slashing, and kicking, and the mid range game. Chris Paul drives in, kicks it out to Kobe on the wing, to Michael Redd on the wing, hands it off to Dwight Howard after drawing the double team. A lot of teams will zone on Team USA, and the midrange game will destroy that. There are open shots to be had, Team USA just has to look for them. They are a good enough team that they can make up an easy but effective half-court set on the fly. I don't care if the goal is to get as many points as they can in transition, they still need to figure out how to run an offense, the whole "playing as a team" thing still isn't really there. At least play like they play in pickups, set screens for one another, cut to the basket, MOVE WITHOUT THE BALL.
2.) They don't have a defensive set
This is how scary this team is, that they can get away with just playing around and still win. I still think this team can be even more dominant. Sure Kobe Bryant can be the "Doberman" of the squad, hounding the best player on the other team, but teams like Argentina are going to have more than just Manu Ginobili. Someone has to go out there and stop the other offensive options out there, someone has to contest Carlos Delfino's shot, someone has to keep Pau Gasol and Luis Scola from getting open looks or getting too deep in the paint. Honestly, there's just way too much ball-hawking on this team, I haven't seen the whole "double-team the guy with the ball" tactic since like middle school. Just because the half court trap doesn't work and you don't get the steal, doesn't mean you don't have to play defense. There's no rotation out, and honestly, drive and kick is really the epitome of international play. Too many shooters are being left open, too many layups uncontested. It's like if they don't get the steal the team just has to watch because the only defensive option they have. All they have to do is man up, it's really not that hard, I see people do in the playgrounds all the time.
Now for a suggestion, that everyone will think I'm crazy for suggesting. Play less Chris Paul and more Jason Kidd. Before you start yelling at me about how Paul is a better guard, how he dismantled Kidd in the playoffs, how Kidd is old and past his prime, hear me out. Jason Kidd doesn't need his shots. In fact I would rather that he didn't take any. The fact is, is that Paul isn't really that effective in a half-court set, at least internationally, and when you're running a full court break, it really doesn't matter who's taking the ball up. I'm not saying to bench Paul completely, put him in when you have to play against the faster guards (like Ricky Rubio). However, I'd rather have a guy who can see the floor, distribute, and not have to take shots. Sure, he may not be as fast or as deadly as he used to be, but he knows the game, and I trust him to be sensible in developing some kind of half-court set on the fly.
Here are the two major problems that I see happening right now on Team USA:
1.) They don't have an offensive set
If it's not in the fast break, then this team doesn't really look like it knows what it's doing. Everyone is looking to take the ball for themselves, and honestly it's not working. The passing previously had been better, and they need to look to do that more, a lot more. What see is too much of the "in your face" pull up or face up jumpers, in this case 3 pointers. Yes, I understand that the international 3 point line is a standard 20 ft NBA jumper, great. When there's 5 seconds left on the shot clock, then give Kobe the ball and let him do his thing. Team USA needs to do what it does best, which right now, is slashing, and kicking, and the mid range game. Chris Paul drives in, kicks it out to Kobe on the wing, to Michael Redd on the wing, hands it off to Dwight Howard after drawing the double team. A lot of teams will zone on Team USA, and the midrange game will destroy that. There are open shots to be had, Team USA just has to look for them. They are a good enough team that they can make up an easy but effective half-court set on the fly. I don't care if the goal is to get as many points as they can in transition, they still need to figure out how to run an offense, the whole "playing as a team" thing still isn't really there. At least play like they play in pickups, set screens for one another, cut to the basket, MOVE WITHOUT THE BALL.
2.) They don't have a defensive set
This is how scary this team is, that they can get away with just playing around and still win. I still think this team can be even more dominant. Sure Kobe Bryant can be the "Doberman" of the squad, hounding the best player on the other team, but teams like Argentina are going to have more than just Manu Ginobili. Someone has to go out there and stop the other offensive options out there, someone has to contest Carlos Delfino's shot, someone has to keep Pau Gasol and Luis Scola from getting open looks or getting too deep in the paint. Honestly, there's just way too much ball-hawking on this team, I haven't seen the whole "double-team the guy with the ball" tactic since like middle school. Just because the half court trap doesn't work and you don't get the steal, doesn't mean you don't have to play defense. There's no rotation out, and honestly, drive and kick is really the epitome of international play. Too many shooters are being left open, too many layups uncontested. It's like if they don't get the steal the team just has to watch because the only defensive option they have. All they have to do is man up, it's really not that hard, I see people do in the playgrounds all the time.
Now for a suggestion, that everyone will think I'm crazy for suggesting. Play less Chris Paul and more Jason Kidd. Before you start yelling at me about how Paul is a better guard, how he dismantled Kidd in the playoffs, how Kidd is old and past his prime, hear me out. Jason Kidd doesn't need his shots. In fact I would rather that he didn't take any. The fact is, is that Paul isn't really that effective in a half-court set, at least internationally, and when you're running a full court break, it really doesn't matter who's taking the ball up. I'm not saying to bench Paul completely, put him in when you have to play against the faster guards (like Ricky Rubio). However, I'd rather have a guy who can see the floor, distribute, and not have to take shots. Sure, he may not be as fast or as deadly as he used to be, but he knows the game, and I trust him to be sensible in developing some kind of half-court set on the fly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
