Top 5 NBA Players

[Matthew]

I was thinking about this before... there is such a logjam at the top. Who are the top 5 in todays game? Does Kobe, KG, Lebron etc deserve to be there despite not making the playoffs? Is Tmac more deserving despite watching his team blow a 2-0 lead against the mavs? Is shaq still a top 5 player? What about Duncan after playing terribly in critical minutes of the finals? Is Steve Nash on the list?

Heres mine:
1. Kobe Bryant: The guy is an absolute beast. He has won before and despite a bad season last year, tell me who has more skill and more of a competitive drive?
2. Amare: What can you say? The guy is around 21 (i dont know his exact age), and despite averaging 27 ppg, he has so much room for improvement. He rendered duncan helpless in the WCF on athleticism alone. It's scary when you put that into perspective.
3. Dwayne Wade: The best player on his team and the most important. Like amare he is a great athlete bu the skills are comming alone nicely. Is there anyone else you want driving the lane?
4. Kevin Garnett: Mr versatility. I have questioned him over the years but there isnt much he cant do on the court. Rebound, Score, defend every position, pass, play off the ball well... he is a great great player. Amare and Wade get points for potential, but Garnett has lived up to his potential and is the best defender in the nba. He needs a bit more of a killer instinct down the strecth of games though.
5. Allen Iverson: The toughness cannot be questioned. Neither can be his will to suceed. Alot of people say he has a bad shot selection... but how many saw him play last season? 30 and 8 baby, on a team that had talent but no real players ready (that includes webber due to his injury).

Honarbale mentions:
Tmac, Shaq, Duncan, Lebron, Dirk, Vince Carter, Kidd, Jermaine (wouldve been in my list but the injuries and suspension hurts his case), Ray Allen, Nash.

[Rip32]

1. Kobe Bryant- Kobe is....Kobe i guess. He's a feirce competitor and he has the kanny ability to want the ball to make the big shot down the stretch and with his offensive repitiore he has a lot of ways to do it.

2. Kevin Garnett- Like Matthew said he does everything. He can take control of a game from any aspect offensive or defensive and he has the ability to make the players around him better.

3. Tim Duncan- Even though Duncan did play bad in the last minutes of a few of the finals games, in game 7 he showed he is Awesome by taking control and wanting the ball every possesion. He is a great leader too, example, if Ginobili is driving the lane crazily and getting knocked on his ass then duncan is going to come over there and try to help get his confidence back.

4. Allen Iverson- AI is the best plyer under 6-4 in the L, he can play 2 positions easier than anything and he can just sacrifice his body everytime down the court and go annd score points. He started his career as a guy whose assist count wasnt important because those assits werent helping the team they were just Iverson passing the ball because he was in a bad situation, now he goes out looking to help his teammates just as much as score his points.

5. Lebron James- King James is teh face of the league all the little basket ball kids at like 8-9 years old love the man, and why shouldn't they? He is a player who can do what you want on the court when you want you want a playmaker who tries to get his teammates involved? Lebron. You want a guy who can score points? Lebron. The only weakness for LBJ is he doesnt have that killer instinct yet, youve never seen lebron shooting the game winner, he doesnt play onball defense either.

honorable mention- Tracy McGrady, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudamire

[#12]

1 shaq-shaq is shaq
2 duncan-duncan is the best on the best team
3 nash-hes mvp
4 kg-hes good, but he's low rank since he didnt even make the playoffs
5 kobe-he has lot of skill but he doesnt have leader ship skills developed yet

5(in case nash doesnt count)- AI- he has lot of heart and knows how to use his skill

[[L3]1101]

1. T-Mac- It could've been kobe at this spot but because TMac can play multiple positions, i think he's more versitle than Kobe. They both are clutch players, who can score any time they want.
2. Kobe-....
3. KG- He's one of the most athletic players in NBA. He can do everything from scoring, to assist, block, rebound.... you name it. But because he's team hasn't done too well lately, i'm gonna put him at 3.
4. TD-THE FUNDAMENTAL!! enough said
5. Wade- give me a year or some, he could be on my top 3 list.

[Kemp]

1. Duncan - Finals MVP, winning championships from last season, no need to say more.
2. T-Mac - Even though, he still could not get pass the first round in the playoffs. He still is too good to be forgotten. He is better than Kobe. Check out the stats, offensively, they both are the same but on defence, T-Mac does it all, especially on the blocks.
3. Wade - A player that can win games by himself even without Shaq. Though, he needs to improve his 3s and make some attempts.
4. Amare - Very effective near the basket. He show no fear at all even against Duncan in the playoffs. Look for his numbers to increase this season.
5. KG - Very consistent player with double double in every game. Too bad, his supporting casts did not help him to reach the playoffs last season. But KG is still willing to show why he is still the best player today.

[BOSS]

1. Garnett - He can do just about anything.
2. Duncan - MVP of Finals and lead the Spurs to 3 titles so far.
3. O'Neal - What's more to say ?
4. Bryant - Has alot of skills and could be a really good season for him this year.
5. James - He gave it all he got all night trying to push his team into a playoff contender but came up short. He has the Oscar Robertson numbers ( 27,7,7) and is known as the next MJ.

[beau_boy04]

Without any order of preference:

Lebron James: The King is going to govern in the NBA pretty soon.
D Wade: Flash is going to be great! I can see it
Amare: so much upside left on him... so scary for the rest of the teams.
Kobe: he is a winner and his competitive drive is amazing.
KG: mr. everything can do it all
Duncan: has all the accolades so far.
Shaq: still up but couldn't delievered in last season Finals.

[Its_asdf]

1. Garnett. a 20-13-5 player. What kind of power foward is capable of such a thing? Actually, Garnett isn't a power foward, because he can play every freaking position.

2. Tim Duncan. There's never been a season where he has averaged less than 20 points and 10 rebounds. That speaks for itself.

3. Kobe Bryant. He can score in every way possible and he's also a very tough defensive player. Easily one of the most talented players in the league.

4. LeBron James. A freak of nature that can play three of the five positions. The fact that he's not even 25 yet scares the hell outta me.

5. Shaquille O'Neal. He has regressed a bit last season, but even those numbers are considered top notch in the league.

[kinokong]

present:
1. shaq (you saw how he led the heat to one game of the finals w/ his injured self)
2. td ( 3rings 1 finals mvp, solid fundamentals)
3. garnett ( down on this list because he didn't make the playoffs last year)
4. ai (fiercest pound for pound competitor on htis planet period.)
5. tmac ( ahead of kobe because he made the playoffs)

future:
1. stoudemire ( this kid is a beast, 1st team defensive player duncan couldn't stop him scary)
2. lbj ( this kid is scary too, only 21 but having great numbers now if he could just lead his team to the playoffs)
3.flash ( if it wasn't for his injury, heat would have been in the finals detroit caught a lucky break)
4. d-howard ( revolutionize how the center position is played, also a man-child)
5. kobe ( this guy is gonna win it all at least once more in his career, too competitive, too much skills for it not to happen)

[Fresh8]

Just missing the Top 5. Allen Iverson - He's a fighter. After switching to the point, Iverson handled it well. AI is the same scorer as he used to be but now it seems that he's also looking to direct the Sixers' offence. At 6'0", AI is amazing and like many players.... he deserves to be a top 5 player but... waht can you do? Too many quality guys out there!

5. Kevin Garnett - Versatile and in his prime, KG had some problems last season because of his teammates and not him... but this season will be different. He's a walking triple double threat and he does everything so well for his size

4. LeBron James - His stats justify how good he is overall... across the board he can do everything and it will be interesting what happens next season. Bron just needs to lead his team into the playoffs to make himself look even better!

3. Kobe Bryant - As Stephon Marbury said, 'the best 1 on 1 player in the Legaue today.' Kobe has all the skills and can take over games especially in the clutch. Kobe's good, but one individual can only carry a team to a certain extent...

2. Tim Duncan - He's got all of the fundamentals and performs them to near eprfection. He's dominant and has all the hardware to show it. Duncan is just freakishly consistently good... no doubt he is the second best player in the NBA... maybe even the best.

1. Shaq O'Neal - Shaq is just a beast. He domiantes the post with his sheer power and size. At his old age, it's amazing how well he still does on the hardwood. And it seems like he's matured too! He's taken a pay cut and slimmed down prior to last season... keeping him in this list for a while! He was injured last postseason and nearly helped Miami to the Finals... Shaq is definitely still number one.

[Andrew]

Weighing up all the criteria, here's the top five as I see them as of last season:

1. Tim Duncan

I know it seems like a cliched/ignorant choice, but it's hard to go past someone so well-schooled in the fundamentals who's capable of putting up great statistics and leading his team to victory. Had Duncan not missed a couple of weeks during the regular season, he might have very well been the MVP over Nash.

2. Kevin Garnett

Yes, the Timberwolves were disappointing last season by the standards and expectations that they set in 2004, but there were problems in Minnesota that KG's superb play just couldn't overcome though for a while there it looked as though he might bail them out and snare the 8th seed. KG's the prototype of the "new millenium" power forward, with his great versatility, guard-like skills and athleticism combined with the more traditional big man traits.

3. LeBron James

Another difficult choice given the Cavaliers' collapse late last season, but like KG's situation in Minnesota it was due to circumstances beyond LeBron's control; it certainly wasn't due to a lack of effort on his part. Not only does he have the all-around game, he's got the explosive scoring with the maturity to defer when he needs to.

4. Kobe Bryant

His talent is undeniable, but his game still lacks discipline and patience. It doesn't help that his brilliance seems to come at the expense of his teammates either. Unlike the other top players in the league, Kobe seemingly can't do what he does best and make his teammates better, though perhaps that will change with Phil Jackson back on the sidelines.

5. Shaquille O'Neal

Still the most imposing force, but I can't rank him higher because his numbers are down. However, the impact he made on the Heat and the fact that on any night he's capable of being the most dominant player on the court assure him a place on the top five list.

Just missing out

Allen Iverson - Really hard to leave AI out of the top five; if I could nominate six players with a couple tied, I'd put him at 5 with Shaq. As it is, I'll say he's a very close sixth.

Dwyane Wade - Just barely. It wouldn't surprise me if he makes it into my top five this season.

Amare Stoudemire - Like Wade, just barely misses out on being top five. He can score in bunches in the Suns' offense but defensively he's not on par with Duncan and KG, nor does he have the talent of a LeBron or Kobe...or for that matter, the same kind of expectations on his shoulders.

Tracy McGrady - One of the most talented players in the league, some might even say the best. But he still wasn't able to get past the first round with the best team he's ever had around him.

Still up there

Dirk Nowitzki - His defense is better, he's a fine offensive player and he's one of the best forwards in the league. But there was the meltdown against the Suns and while his D has improved, it's still significantly inferior to his offensive game. Mind you, his offensive game is pretty good to say the least.

Steve Nash - I still say he was the MVP by default and probably for the wrong reasons. If Nash was the MVP for what he did this year, John Stockton should have at least 10 MVP trophies to his name. That said, he's perhaps the best "true" point guard in the league at the moment, but I just can't rank him as one of the best players in the league even if he is the MVP.

Jason Kidd - Kidd remains one of the best all-rounders and point guards in the NBA but he's been slowed by injuries and his 2004/2005 campaign wasn't exactly his finest overall. That said, he's being written off too soon.

Vince Carter - Was as spectacular as he was mediocre last season. He was fantastic once he got to New Jersey but the great players compete as hard they can night in and night out. Like Nowitzki, his scoring still outshines the rest of his game a little too brightly.

Jermaine O'Neal - He's down in this group because of the suspension and injuries, which serve to even out what really was a great season for him while he was on the court. Next year I'd expect him to be in the "just missing out group", maybe even in the top five.

[Nel]

1. Duncan - doesn't say much just letting his game do the talking.
2. Shaq - still dominant but going to lose it starting this season.
3. Kobe - the best individual player in d world.
4. KG - does it all though he lacks the initiative to take over games.
5. TMAC - hes time will come. Had he pass the first round he may have been rated higher...

[zmac]

1. LeBron, he isnt even in his prime and hes doing things no one else in the league can do, Score 25, Dish around 8 assists and grab around 8 boards as well as almost leading in steals, plus a block per.

2. Kevin Garnett, in his prime, just a tad better than TD because he is more versatile.

3. Tim Duncan, he is also in his prime. He can do everthing except Free Throws.

4. Amare, like more built KG but not as good on the boards and defense.

5. Tough one, Wade/Kobe/Iverson.

[zmac]

3.flash ( if it wasn't for his injury, heat would have been in the finals detroit caught a lucky break)

I disagree. If him and the big fella werent injured, then yeh they would, but wade couldnt have done it himself. Shaq was playing injured.

[Blue Nugget]

Do you have these rankings up based on individual skills or do you factor in how well their respective team does?

If it's about the first,I'd say:

1. Kobe Bryant

2. Shaquille O'Neal

3. Tracy McGrady

4. LeBron James

5. Dwyane Wade

[Indy]

5.) Tracy McGrady- His versitality makes him such a huge threat. He can take over a game in so many different ways. Throw in his defense, his tenacity, and the guy is a top 5 player in the league.
4.) LeBron James- Having just Zydrunas Illgauskas to work with, this guy almost got the Cavs in to the playoffs this year, and they were the division leader for a good portion of the first half of the season. I guarentee he will be number 1 on everybodies list in a couple of years.
3.) Allen Iverson- He finally has a teammate in Andre Iguadala. He's been missing those for quite awhile now. The 2001 Sixers team that went to the finals was probably one of the worst finals teams of all time. It's impressive that LeBron almost took his team to the playoffs by himself, but AI took his team to the FINALS practically by himself. Add on top of that the fact he just had his best season of his career, he gets a top 3 spot.
2.) Kevin Garnett- He may have been number 1, but there's no way a guy who has only gotten past the 1st round one time can be the best player in the NBA. Untill he wins a title or at least makes a few title appearences, he will be stuck at number 2. Not that there's any shame in that of course. KG is a beast. Best talent in the NBA, just doesn't quite have that winning thing down yet. He has that MJ attitude where he's very volatile to his teammates, but its all in his competitive spirit. He is the most versatile player in the league.
1.) Tim Duncan- Right now, Tim Duncan owns the NBA. I don't see how you could put anyone higher then him. The ultimate goal of the NBA is to win titles. Well, he's won 2 in the last 3 years, and 3 in the last 7 years. He will also be a top candidate for MVP every season. Steve Nash will not be a candidate next season, Tim Duncan will. TD has winning down, he has scoring, rebounding, defense, all he needs now is free throw shooting . Untill someone else proves otherwise, TD is the best player in the leage.

Just missing out:
Dwyane Wade- I originally had him in here, but there just isn't any room, he will surely be top 3 within a few years.

Shaq- Deteriorating skills. Still extremely dominating, but this season his numbers will drop very low. I'm thinking somewhere around 15 and 7. He is no longer the Shaq of old, but as of right now, only barely misses out.

Kobe Bryant- This is kind of a bias not having him in the top 5, considering I hate the guy, but I truely believe TMAC is a better player.

Amare- Will be top 5 within a few years.

After next season will compete for a spot in top 5- Dwight Howard, Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Carmello Anthony

[Jackal]

I know I should write a lot, but I won't.

1) Kevin Garnett: Most versatile of the lot. He's got all positions in him.

2) Kobe Bryant: If he was around 6'11 like Garnett, he'd be Garnett with a killer instinct, a few more years and we'll see Bryant shine like never before. He's got the game down, now he just needs to play with others. When he does, it'll be something to watch.

3) Tim Duncan. Says enough I'd suspect.

4) Shaquille O'Neal, most dominant center in the league. Go ahead, dare you to say it isn't so.

5) Amare Stoudemire. Behind Shaq, this guy is my favorite player. Curry's just behind him on my most liked players.

Amare is just amazing.

[J@3]

1: Kevin Garnett
2: Tim Duncan (I hate him but I'm trying to be objective)
3: Kobe Bryant
4: Dwyane Wade
5: LeBron James (he was on my fantasy league team, watch him closely for a season he's ridiculous)

I wouldn't have Amare in the top 5 because of his rebounding... I know Marion's there, and if he plays next season like he did in the play offs I'll happily let him take Tim Duncan's place in the top 5.

[Keo]

1. Tim Duncan
2. Kevin Garnett
3. LeBron James
4. Shaquille O'Neal
5. Kobe Bryant

[cyanide]

1. Tim Duncan: He didn't exactly have the best playoffs, but not only he can put up good numbers, the guy makes a lot of intangibles that makes a difference when the momentum swings to the Spurs' favor.

2. LeBron James: The guy puts up amazing numbers, better than Kobe's, and pretty much carried the Cavs, but unfortunately, his team disappeared in the second half of the season. Nonetheless, this is a complete player, and heaps of potential given his age.

3. Kevin Garnett: Tough player with the desire to win games, he does it all, puts up great numbers, one of the best players in the league, no question.

4. Amare Stoudemire:
Unstoppable, a sheer dominant force, not quite like Shaq yet, but Amare's more athletic. Needs more work on defense, rebounding, and taking care of the ball, but at his age, it's amazing how much of an offensive powerhouse he is.

5a. Kobe Bryant: Puts up numbers that rival LeBron's, a good defender, and really, a very complete player, but still needs work on getting his teammates more involved.

5b. Allen Iverson: Leading scorer of the league and still manages to put up 8 assists per game. Like Kobe, still dribbles too much, and has the ball 80% of the time.

[Indy]

Wow, Cy, Garnett all the way at 5? I'm surprised.

[cyanide]

Hmm, you're right, Kobe doesn't really fit at #3. I'll switch up Garnett with Kobe.

[Metsis]

I won't even try to put these guys in order... Shaq has said and Popovich said it after the Western Conference Finals...

Shaq has said Amare Stoudemire is the future of the NBA...

And Popovich said something like that sky is the limit for Amare, 60ppg ain't even impossible....

Look for Amare to bust out all the record books next season and average about 35-40 points per game...

Amare will never be like Shaq... Shaq is a freak of nature and the most dominant big guy the league has seen, well since Wilt Chamberlain... Shaq is huge and he is pure power player and moves people around with his mass. Amare is strong and powerful, but he works with his athleticism rather than with his mass.

Have no doubt people... These are some very exciting times in the NBA... Young guns like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Amare Stoudemire are in the league and they are all extremely exciting to watch and follow as they pave their way into the annals of the NBA. Make no mistake, there are so many exciting and young players in the league today that how it all plays out is just getting me all worked up...

Can't wait for the season to start...

[Jackal]

Couldn't have described Amare better myself, since Shaq said this guy was the future, I was pretty much set in my mind that he is indeed the future.

[Jona]

Hmm, you're right, Kobe doesn't really fit at #3. I'll switch up Garnett with Kobe.

How come you don't have Shaq up there man?