For
the last few years, ESPN has ranked NBA players before the beginning of the
season. This year is no different and
ESPN recently revealed its ranking.
Although they ranked hundreds of players, I will only discuss the elite
players. In my opinion, the top two
players in the NBA are clearly defined. After those two players, I think people have
different opinions with respect to rankings. Since ESPN released its rankings, I have heard
very interesting dialogue on the subject. For instance, Steven A. Smith argued that Dirk
Nowitzki should be in the top five, while Skip Bayliss argued that Carmelo Anthony
should be in the top five. Ranking
players is a subjective process. Some people believe a player’s individual
statistics should determine his ranking. Others examine the team success a player has
experienced. While others look at the overall impact a player has had on his
team. In other words, if a player joined a team that won 30 games the year before they arrived, then won 45 the year they joined the team. When making my rankings, I look at a combination of all
three factors.
Honorable
Mention:
Dwayne
Wade is a great player and arguably the best shooting guard in the league. People forget or ignore that Wade experienced a dip in his production last
year because of injury and because he believed the team would be better with
Lebron James being the clear number one option. He was not healthy during much of the 2011-12
season, but he still managed to put together a good year. This year, he is recovering from knee surgery. He did not participate in the Olympics,
so he should be healthy and his legs should be fresh. That said, I am anticipating a big year from
Wade.
Derrick
Rose is one of my favorite players. He
is currently recovering from knee surgery, and I hope he regains his pre-injury
form. He is the kind of humble star that
does not exist in the NBA world of millionaires and billionaires. When healthy, he is explosive and capable of
carrying his team. He is easily a top ten talent, and he is still very young, so he has a
chance to move up the list. The reason
he is not in my top five is because he is unable to shoot a high
percentage from the field and he is turnover prone. He is an elite player now, but if he develops
his jump shot, he may be able to supplant the number one point guard in the
league. Maybe.
Top
Five:
Dwight
Howard is the fifth best player in the NBA.
He is the most dominant defensive player and he has already received three
Defensive Player of the Year Awards. His
offensive game is not as refined as Pau Gasol, or Andrew Bynum, but, despite
his lack of post moves, he still managed to average over 20 points per game
during the 2011-12 season. He also
averaged nearly 15 rebounds per game last season. People often say that he does not have any
post moves. That is true, but does it
matter when he still is an efficient scorer? The biggest knock on his game is his inability
to make free throws. Because of free
throw struggles, he is probably not quite ready to be the go-to player. His defensive abilities simply cannot be
ignored, so he still belongs in the top five.
Chris
Paul is the fourth best basketball player in the NBA. He is the best point guard in the world. Some people make the argument that Deron
Williams is better. If you watched the
Olympics this summer, it is clear who Coach K believes is the better
player. Chris shoots nearly 50% from the
field, and averaged 20 points and nearly 10 assists last year. He also shoots well over 80% from the free
throw line,and consistently leads the league in steals. He also has one of the best assists to
turnover ratios in the league, which is particularly impressive considering how
much he handles the ball. Again, he is
the best pure point guard in the league.
There may be others that score at a higher clip, but there is not anyone
who runs a team like CP3.
Kobe
Bryant is the third best player in the league.
At his age, and length of time in the league, his ranking is a testament
to his uncanny work ethic. He is not
Michael Jordan, but he is the second best shooting guard to ever play the
game. Last year, he finished second in the
league in scoring. I think his defensive
abilities regressed and his shooting percentage was not as good as it
had been in the past. However, I think his
shooting percentage will increase this year because he finally has an elite
point guard to get him the ball where he likes it. I think this will be his last year in the top
five, but he has earned it and he is still capable of scoring 50 points on any given
night.
Kevin
Durant turned 24 today, which means that he is not even in his prime yet. Despite his young age, he is the second best
player in the NBA. He is the best scorer
in the league. He has won two or three
scoring titles in a row. He is a unique
blend of talent, humility, and height. If
he continues making progress, puts on a few pounds and works on his defense,
the NBA will be all his once Lebron begins to decline in his mid-30’s.
Lebron
James has finally earned his nickname “King James.” He is the best player in the NBA, which he
has been for a number of years. People denigrated
him because although he had experienced great individual success, he had failed
to win the title. He is a three time
regular season MVP, which means that he owns two more than Kobe. This past year, however, he became the first
player since Michael Jordan to win a regular season MVP award, NBA
Championship, NBA Finals MVP and Olympic gold medal in the same calendar
year. At this point, he does not have
any glaring weaknesses, and he can become a better player by working on his
post up game.
Who
is in your top 5?
Follow the Gentleman's Report
Peace
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