Best 2-guard in the League?(Photo. Jonathan Mannion)
Yesterday I ranked the 10 best small forwards in the NBA according to me. Today I’m looking at the shooting guards. This position has always been loaded with talent as long as I’ve been following the game, but this Top 10 wasn’t as hard to put together as the SF list:
1. Kobe
2. T-Mac
3. Dwyane Wade
4. Iverson
5. Manu Ginobili
6. Vince
7. Ray Allen
8. Michael Redd
9. Rip Hamilton
10. Joe Johnson
Brandon Roy, Barbosa, Kevin Martin, Mike Miller and Jamal Crawford were also under consideration.
Not as much diversity with this group as with the small forwards, which made it easier to come up with a ranking. Everyone on here is primarily a scorer, so it really just depends on how you like your buckets and who can throw on some defense and passing as icing. I hated to leave my 206 partners (Roy and Crawford) out of the Top 10, but I can’t argue that either of them is better than Joe Johnson.
Related posts:
December 13th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Bron42 aka Global4Areason says:
at this point i’m tempted to bump 7-10 up one spot and switch kevin martin for vince cuz damn hes been slippin.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Mike C says:
I’d put D-Wade over T-Mac and Redd over VC and Ray Allen. But other than that, looks straight.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
justin says:
T Mac over Wade. Ridiculous. T Mac has never been out of the first round and Wade single handedly won a championship.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
the illest in it says:
d wade number one! nba finals mvp and makes everyone around him better… not to mention the best PER every year.. single handedly beat maveriks in the finals
December 13th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
insanejack says:
Almost good, I’d put Manu at 10 and slide everyone somehow below him up a slot.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Gee aka Young Skippy B. says:
Justin I don’t think they are considering who has been where and won what, I really feel it’s who overall in regard to their playing skills soley is the best.
Anyway I like the list, but Vince needs to do a lot more to hold his spot.
That first 5 is so sick though. Woooo!
December 13th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Juanito says:
Ginobili at 5? Is Austin Burton related to him or something? He shouldn’t be anywhere near the top 10, much less ahead of Redd, Rip and JJ…
December 13th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
YOUNGFED says:
I think Manu should definetly be last and PS Insanejack your own my watchlist for that racist comment you made about S-Jack.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
YOUNGFED says:
Why in the heck isn’t Jason Richardson in there is he playing some unknown position or is Dime just hating.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Myrie says:
Can’t put Wade over Kobe. Wade has 1 chip; Kobe has 3. But I would put DWade over TMac.
Jamal Crawford has the sickest/slickest handle and cross over on this list.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
insanejack says:
YOUNGFED,
Oh no, your watch list…dun dun dun *dark terror serial killer type music in background*
December 13th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
insanejack says:
YOUNGFED,
Dime didn’t put JRich in there because they are racist…
December 13th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Jah says:
1. Kobe Bryant
2. Dwyane Wade
3. Tracy McGrady
4. Allen Iverson*
5. Ray Allen
6. Vince Carter
7. Michael Redd
8. Richard Hamilton
9. Manu Ginnobli
10. Joe Johnson
*might be a PG
December 13th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
YOUNGFED says:
I see why your name is INSANEJACK. I’m just calling a spade a spade. I also see that the Truth kinda hurt you son. It’ll be ok atleast your out the closet now. Get at me chump.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
dre in o town says:
1. KB24
2. DWade
3. A.I.
4. T-Mac
5. Ginobili
6. MRedd
7. Joe Johnson
8. Rip City
9. Ray Ray
10. VC
December 13th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
shourjo says:
Yeah having T-Mac that high is a bit ridiculous. Having lived in Houston much of my life and watching this guy game in and game out the last few seasons, his skillset is fine. But the rest of it isn’t quite there. In terms of being a winner, I’d put Wade, Iverson, AND Ginobili all ahead of him. Scoring titles don’t mean much when you haven’t enjoyed genuine success.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Austin Burton says:
I can’t put Manu lower than Vince or anyone else 6 through 10 right now. He’s playing too well, he wins too often and he’s too clutch. I don’t like the flopping, but I’d rather have Manu on my team than playing against my team.
I just like T-Mac’s game more than Wade’s. And give T-Mac an ‘06-level Shaq and he’d have won a ‘chip, too.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
YOUNGFED says:
Its some truth to that Austin atleast you got 1-3 right on the money. overall good list.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
AY says:
Yeah, where’s JRich and jason terry? Don’t tell me terry plays PG and devin harris plays SG. If you look at skill, consistency, or just being a winner, Terry’s got be better than most of the guys outside of 10.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
insanejack says:
If you put any of the players 6-10 in the same spot Manu is in right now, I believe they would do as good, if not better in most situations than he is right now. He definitely thrives in his situation, but his skill set just isn’t as good as a lot of the others on that list.
Put Ray Allen or Michael Redd beside Tim Duncan and Tony Parker…they’d be raining so much on other teams they’d have stupid nicknames like “Shanook” or “Thunderstorm”.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
drewstar says:
shourjo says it best. tmacs talented, but does he have the drive, etc? the list isnt bad but tmac isnt in my top 5. guy doesnt have ‘it’. o and wade should be no. 2 behind kobe.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Austin Burton says:
Don’t underestimate Manu’s skill set. In the open floor he’s as tough to stop as anyone in the League. He can get to the basket consistently, his jumper is money, he can hit circus shots and finish while being fouled. His flopping (while annoying) is at least an effective defensive tool that helps him (makes you hesitant to just try and blow by him), and he will take and make clutch shots.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
djKianoosh says:
If Vince and TMac would have just stayed together from the jump, they could be in the top 3. but as it is, after Kobe, I’d have to AI then Wade (DW played with Shaq, AI had to go against him), then Tmac, Manu and Ray. Also, I’d put Barbosa just over Joe Johnson. Barbosa is electric and a lethal fast break option (both passing and receiving). JJ just gets numbers on a bad/average team.
but you know what, it’s not a bad list if you can assume everyone is 100% healthy. What knocks TMac and Vince down for me is that they’re forever getting hurt. AI, Wade and Kobe, for me, can be interchanged depending on how much you value Shaq’s influence on the two and how much you value playing through pain and the guys’ heart. Regardless, the top 3 is insurmountable for the other guys on the list. they are, as they say, on another level.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
djKianoosh says:
instead of the skills competition at the allstar game, wouldn’t you rather see a 2 on 2 of some of these guys?
Let’s say, Kobe and Manu against AI and Wade? shiiiieeeet, I’d pay to see that.
2 on 2 by positions. KG and Dwight Howard versus Yao and Duncan? crazyness. I think I’m on to somethin ya’ll! let’s make it happen!
December 13th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
doc says:
Put AI and Wade over T-MAC, slide Vince to 10th and Mau to 9th and we straight homey.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
doc says:
Manuyall know what i meant
December 13th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
DAG Y’all comon…DWade singlehandedly beat the Mavs 2 SEASONS AGO. NOW he plays on the worst team in the league…TMac over DWade. Unless we’re talking about 06.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Bron42 aka Global4Areason says:
In just sheer basketball talent tmac is over wade. And the heat being the worst team def isn’t wades fault, its not like he suddenly fell off. management just made no moves and left him with some fossels.
jason terry? your kidding right? has he ever been a top 10?
Joe johnson had good stats even when he was on a good team (the suns) so you cant put barbosa over him when barbosa is way too streaky.
I do agree that if you put most of the top 9 guys in manu’s position they would best also for reasons i’ve stated in other posts.
December 13th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
justin says:
Austin, Shaq in the 2006 finals did nothing. He averaged 13.7 a game. Antoine Walker was the 2nd leading scorer so stop with the nonsense that Wade did not do it alone and T Mac would have won a chip with 2006 Shaq. 2006, 2007, & 2008 Yao is a lot better than 2006 Shaq and T Mac still can’t win a playoff series, let alone the title.
December 13th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
skurv says:
anyone that thinks manu doesnt have a good skill set is a straight ignoramus. you people just havent watched him other than the playoffs when tim and tony are at their best and he doesnt have to do the crazy things that he does. its not that he doesnt have a skill set, its that his skill set is absurdly different from any other player in the league. it just seems so typically american to confuse difference as ineptitude. sad.
December 13th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Gee aka Young Skippy B. says:
Ok Concept time:
Instead of the regular All-Star game, have a tournament of 6 teams: Voted by the fans. The fans choose 30 players per ballot 6 for each position in ranks of who they feel should be on the 1st team (top) to the 6th (last)
Games are not as long as regular considering they have no subs and each team has a top coach.
1 vs. 6,
2 vs. 5,
3 vs. 4,
Top team gets the most money and on down. This way it’s no east vs. west mess and people get to see some fantasy stuff happen real life.
I would love it
Team1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4 Team 5 Team 6
Nash Tony P Kidd Deron CP3 Baron Davis
Kobe A.I Tracy D.Wade Manu G. Joe J.
LeBron P. Dub Carmelo Josh H Caron Andre I.
K. G. T. D. Dirk Carlos Shawn M. K. Durant
Dwight Yao Shaq Amare LaMarcus T. Chan/ Okafor
What yall think?
December 13th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Gee aka Young Skippy B. says:
I hate when something looks one way as you type it and then comes out another way hope you all can read through those teams I will reprint later but hopefully yall get the concept.
December 13th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Couttsy says:
Gee aka Young Skippy B
Just one thing - I reckon I’d take Marcus Camby ahead of Shaq, LaMarcus, Tyson Chandler and Emeka Okafor!!
December 13th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
K-Dizzle says:
I really don’t care who’s 2-15 as long as it’s a beautiful thing to see that nobody’s messin with Mamba.
Go Lakers!
December 13th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Bron42 aka Global4Areason says:
even at 13 points shaq still dominates a game more than yao. yao can score but hes never EVER been one to control a game. the simple fact that even at 13 points a game, people still have to double/triple/ and foul shaq shows enough. If shaq wasn’t there with his 13 points, there would be another defender to shadow wade. ask jason kapono about the effect of shaq.
December 13th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
girlybballluver says:
Everyone hates the spurs the same way everyone hates the patriots. People hate manu cuz he flops a lot…big deal. When it comes down to it, manu BALLS!!! Which of the guards below him is stopping him when the ball’s in his hands? Redd? Ray Allen? We all know how great their defense is. Rip is prolly the only one with a chance at slowing him down…but Manu has more in his offensive repertoire than him.
Ya’ll really need to stop hatin’.
And Vince is entirely too high on that list. Maybe back in the day, but he’s fallin’ off a great deal, and is hardly consistent.
And everyone knows AI has the best handle in the game!!
December 13th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Bron42 aka Global4Areason says:
i agree with most of what she said, but outside of floppin, manu isnt stoppin any of them either lol Plus mike redd and ray allen were never defensive allstars so thats not sayin much
December 13th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Mike C says:
I guess pretty much everyone here agrees that Kobe is the best 2-guard in the NBA today.
So I was thinkin, is he right now the 2nd best SG ever behind Mike?
I think he’s already surpassed the likes of Drexler, Dumars, and Richmond on that list..
Come to think of it, the 2-guard position isn’t as loaded historically as some of the other positions..
December 13th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Ashlov says:
T-Mac is to Houston what Stephon Marbury is to any team he’s played with: a playoff curse. McGrady is more talented than Marbury by far, but he hasn’t done jack shit for any team he’s played on.
Wade has proven himself, and thrown his cock on the table. Let’s see McGrady carry the Rockets through an NBA Finals when they’re down 0-2, and score 42, 36, and 43 points in the next three games, to THEN win the title. Uh…yah…more like McGrady will keep looking like an iguana waiting for the bus, and choke.
Thanks.
December 13th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Bron42 aka Global4Areason says:
that might be the dumbest assement on this site and that says alot. marbury KILLS everyteam hes been on so they don’t make the playoffs. tmac has carried bad teams to the playoffs and ask jordan, you can’t win shit by yourself. And on top of that, tmacs averages actually go up in the playoffs, so the loses aren’t his fault and its not like the other SG/SF hes guarding is putting up 50. So kno your stats. Tmac can put up 30+ points a game and his team would still lose of the other guys don’t do shit.
I’m a big wade fan (obviously not as big of a fan as you are of his cock though) but you forget, wade would of lost that series even as great as he played if other things didnt fall into place. a) dirks inevitble choke b) gary payton saving the day c) walker stepping up d) some questionable calls that only MJ himself might have gotten.
December 13th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
girllybballluver says:
By the way…Howard was ROBBED in the ‘07 dunk contest!!!
December 13th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Ashlov says:
Speaking of dumb, lern tu spel.
Stellar assessment of your own there; of course no one wins anything by themselves, it’s a team game. But to do what Wade did, T-Mac would have to GET to where Wade did, and carry his team like Wade did. When T-Mac was given his chances against the Mavericks, his team got blown out by 40 in the final game of the first round.
December 13th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Bron42 aka Global4Areason says:
ya, thats tru, but check tmacs stats from that game. same as when they lost to the jazz..check the stats. and until dime invests in a spell check on here, i could really care less how my spelling is as long as you get my point because its not really that serious.
December 13th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Anon02 says:
Co-sign with everyone that says T-MAC should NOT be above A.I or D-WADE. I like T-MAC, but he should be 4th on the list.
1.) KOBE
2.) IVERSON
3.) D-WADE
4.) T-MAC
Then whoever else you want to put on the list. You folks at DIME are starting to sound like some undercover HATERS when it comes to IVERSON. I just read a story you did on him yesturday that was borderline disrespectful. I found it funny considering that you have build your magazine on his back and IMAGE the same way the 76ers did. Be careful… you know ever sense he’s came into the L he’s been a MAJOR part your BREAD and BUTTER. Let me go back over to SLAM ONLINE…where they have commen sense.
December 13th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Austin Burton says:
You’re buggin. We’ve had Iverson on the cover 4 times. Being a Georgetown fan, personally I love the guy. Pat (from Pat’s Sixers Blog fame) is a Philly guy: Iverson is his favorite player. And those are two of the people who write a lot of the content on this site. Just because A.I. is one of my faves doesn’t mean I think he’s better than Wade and McGrady right now.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
bron42 aka Global4Areason says:
austin their homers….they’ll argue for their fav player no matter if theirs no logic behind it or not. let it go lol
December 13th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Ian says:
dj i like the 2 on 2 thing but nobody would be kobe and manu those are the two best shooting guards for me
and btw to the guy that said if you but ray ray in manus situation they be raining or some crap like that please stop imagining things and go what has happened austin got it right the list is real good i might swith jj for rip.
and manu for iverson and tmac.
kobe
wade
manu
iverson
tmac
and then the dropoff
bron again being retarded
so if i put drexler in jordans situation hed be better????
who knows and who cares
manu is unstopable like austin said
its not manu struggling without duncan is PARKER whos having problems
manu can play any other 2 guard in the league to a draw
and hes def better than allen and rip pleaseee
December 13th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
Ian says:
bron make up your damn mind when you talk all that crap
tmac loses and you go yeah check the stats
then someone shows u yao stats and u go talking crap like he didnt carry his team
why is it different for tmac
is not is the same shittt
and btw shaq doesnt need to be defended at all
girlyballer everything u said was right
December 13th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Ian says:
manu has a better chance of stopping allen and redd who i think are not that big a deal just good shooter (my opinion) than they can contain him and his ALL AROUND game
December 13th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Ian says:
barkley on manu
he can get 37 everynight bu he wont do that cuz hes a great player he wants to get everyone involved
December 13th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Willis says:
Vince deserves the 6 spot if we were talking 2 or 3 years ago, but right now, Kmart2 needs to be on that list.
1. Mamba
2. Flash
3. Tmac
4. Ray
5. Flopinobili
6. AI
7. Rip
8. Joe Johnson
9. K$
10. Michael Redd
I based my list off how good these guys are. The only reason I put Kevin in front of Michael Redd is that he gets to the line more, other than that their stats are similar. They can both create off screens and Kevin is quicker.
Runners up:
Vinsanity
Iggy (dunno how you forgot him)
Brandon Roy
Barbosa
Monta Ellis (he can’t create his own shot though, all his success goes to Baron)
Larry Hughes
Mike Miller
December 14th, 2007 at 12:04 am
bron42 aka Global4Areason says:
Ian i’m not really getting into this to you since your a homer and its a waste to even argue. You constantly come at me meanwhile like 6 other people said the same thing lol. I mean its funny how if austin disagrees with you on anything else hes a idiot but the one time he backs up manu you completely ride him. jordan was on a whole nother level than drexler. manu is not on a whole different level than any of the other 9. So would you stop calling everyone idiots like some fag 10 year old…you love manu, we get it. not everyone is gonna agree. you don’t ever listen to logic or stats (unless their in your favor) so why bother? you can say “oh manu would star on another team if he had minutes” but we cant say “oh ray allen would star if he was with duncan” now who needs to make up their mind? you can play the “what if” game but no one else can? gimme a break kid. Almost every guy in the league could put up numbers if they were given the chance. Jordan was better than drexler overall. Manu is not better than tmac or iverson overall. the other maybe, but those 2, not a chance. you say manu would star on a team without duncan? while i doubt it, chances are he’d also have a losing record like the other guys in that situation who you compare him to. manu has no one guarding him because otehr guys are the key focus. plain and simple logic says if he was the lone man, with guys doubling and tripling him, his stats wouldnt be the same. same as if ray or tmac or iverson had other guys to draw defenses away (that played as a team), they would have even higher stats. I mean your whole logic is flawed simply by sayin you don’t need to defend shaq. even at a older level now he is still gettin other guys open cuz hes a proven threat. same with duncan. same with parker. but of course, this is gonna go right past you and your gonna shine manus shoes and hype him up more cuz hes the best player alive to you…
December 14th, 2007 at 1:03 am
bron42 aka Global4Areason says:
hey austin, both parker and duncan are hurt tonight..please be sure to point out manu’s stats when the game ends in your recap tomorrow.
December 14th, 2007 at 3:25 am
Anon02 says:
“December 13th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
bron42 aka Global4Areason says:
austin their homers….they’ll argue for their fav player no matter if theirs no logic behind it or not. let it go lol”
^^ Actually, TIM DUNCAN is my favorite player, so please know what you’re talking about before adding in your two cents. I have plenty of LOGIC for why IVERSON should be above T-MAC and D-WADE…how about IVERSON carried an entire team on his back for 10 yrs in PHILLY and is now helping carry one in DENVER. He has been out the first round (unlike T-MAC) and hasn’t had SHAQ to fall back on… Plus his teams record is better then both D-WADES and T-MAC’s right now, or the fact that he is 6 ft tall doing all this…There, is that LOGIC enough for you? I gave my list just like everyone on here gave theirs…isn’t that the point of this comment section…for the DEBATE? Duh.
December 14th, 2007 at 3:30 am
Anon02 says:
^^ One more point of “logic”….Iversons all time STATS are better….did I mention he is 6′ft tall doing this (I know I did, i’ll mention it again just for sh*ts and giggles though)? LOL! Okay i’m finished…like I said, back to SLAM ONLINE.
December 14th, 2007 at 3:48 am
gdon says:
Iverson
Kobe
Wade
Kobe
Iverson
Wade
Top 3’s one of those two. Probably the latter. But 4-5 years ago, it’ll be AI over Kobe for sure and of course, Wade’s just playing college ball.
On a side note, I never understood the hate for Vince. He would be HOFer even if you only looked at his dunks and nothing else. There should be no dispute over the greatest dunker of all time. Don’t understand that either.
Dominique? Powerful dunks yeah…but he’s got the tomahawk, windmill…and? Nah, that’s it folks.
the G.O.A.T.? Now he could fly with style. Just lacked the power Vince has.
Yeah..so 4-10 would be:
Tmac
Vince
Ray Allen
Ginoblli
…ah screw it, the rest are insignificant.
December 14th, 2007 at 3:51 am
gdon says:
lol anon, slam runs a way tighter operation than this. I only stop by to check the HOF watch.
December 14th, 2007 at 6:08 am
williams says:
if you cant put manu lower than whoever on that list on the basis of how hes playing NOW vince shouldnt even get a look. I’m sad to say it but i think hes done.
December 14th, 2007 at 6:16 am
kowtz says:
4-5 years ago, TMAC would be killing Dwade… 6-7 years ago, vinsanity would be on top 3… 8-10 years ago, Jordan would be top 1 no question…
AI at number 2… TMAC over wade… better range, better upper body strenght thus finisher, better defender…
Put TMAC in Miami 2 years ago and they would still heave beaten the mavs…
And I agree, Dallas defeated themselves, plus dwade did not do it singlehandedly… maybe he was the missing piece, but not single handedly…
BTW @ bron … Manu sucked versus LA… only because he was up against KB24…
December 14th, 2007 at 8:19 am
RICK says:
I don’t have a problem with the list as far as the top 10. But considering Mike Miller over Ben Gordon, I mean I know hes having an off year this year but sheesh
December 14th, 2007 at 9:48 am
Ian says:
bron what is all this shit u always talk about
u want facts
lest no imagine people in different situations
manus numbers playing the limited minutes he plays are better than allens rips redds and all the guy below him
FACT
he has the second highest per this season
FACT
mcgrady is a loser
FACT
so please u r the only one i call an idiot here
yao sucks because he cant carry a team and puts up great stats jummm that sounds a lot like tmac to me
December 14th, 2007 at 10:25 am
mattsterdebater says:
no love for gilbert?
December 14th, 2007 at 10:30 am
mavid says:
Manu at 5 is too high.
Think of it this way. Picture how good guys like Joe Johnson, Ray Allen and Redd would be as the 6th MAN on the Spurs.
Now, picture Manu having to be THE GUY on a struggling team (the way those guys have been in their careers).
Who do you think comes out better in both circumstances?
Exactly.
Manu really benefits from being on the Spurs.
December 14th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Doc says:
Manu being the guy looks like 14 vs LA and 13 the night before, and 37 before that. Looks like your average inconsistent player to me.
December 14th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Jim says:
Manu benefits from being on the Spurs? You think?
One thing you ignore is that Manu is able to put his ego in check and bring the heat off the bench. You think those guys would do that? We know Joe Johnson wouldn’t, and who the hell is he? Manu was the man in Europe and on an Olympic gold-medal team, and an all-star with 3 rings. Pretty good resume, but no bitching about coming off the bench.
Who cares about theoretical situations, he’s getting it done from where he plays better than those guys are.
December 14th, 2007 at 11:15 am
MSkittle says:
Wade and maybe even Iverson over T-Mac.
December 14th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Gabe says:
Ray ray a tad too high
December 14th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
msdiva says:
Sorry the list is flawed, here it goes. No way T-Mac over D-Wade, only in a dream (T-Mac’s dream) and Manu should be last. He’s not even a starter, flops way too much and looks like he’s gonna have a heart attack any minute, or maybe he just looks old. Really Manu just doesn’t have the strength - I like ‘em though.
December 14th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
TheFallen says:
I don’t know what everyones problem is but Manu is right where he belongs (if we are looking strictly at this season). He’s doing more for his team than the guys below him, you could argue that Wade should be lower because he’s missed so much time this season. As for Tmac, I don’t likt the guy and think he’s about as useful as Vince (not a compliment) and faks injury when his team is losing to diffuse any responsibility he has for it. But when he’s actually playing hard he’s where he belongs on the list.
Just a sidenote: I’m a Maverick fan and I know Manu belongs in the top 5 this season, he’s right up there for sixth man (along with Jet whom some of you severely underrate, but I think Manu’s got it so far). And just because he isn’t starting doesn’t mean he isn’t starter caliber, if you were smart you’d understand bringing guys like him off the bench gives you so many advantages against other teams secondary unit (Spurs and Mavs understand this).
December 14th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Juanito says:
Look, Vinnie Johnson used to come off the bench and tear it up for the Pistons way back when, but no one would have ever argued that he was a top 5 SG. When Manu is being manned up one on one, he is an effective scorer, but he is not nearly skilled enough to be the 1st or even 2nd option on most teams. Complementary player at best. He scored 37 twice…so what? Tony Delk scored 50 once…everyone gets hot occasionally. Last night is proof. When keyed on, Manu has difficulty creating his own offense and becomes a liability. Defensively he is also weak, relying on a lot of illegal clutching, grabbing and cupping other players’ balls to try and stop them.
December 14th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
The Big Lebeauski says:
As much as I hate the Spurs, I gotta say that Ginobili should be second to Kobe, with Wade on his heels. Manu is way more efficient than T-Mac, who should be closer to the bottom of this list, and putting VC up there at all is just being nostalgic at this point. What puts Ginobili over Wade is his perimeter shooting. Otherwise they’re both great at getting to the rim and finishing. Manu plays good D and is nails in the clutch. Bottom line, he is the most unstoppable player at his position other than Kobe.
Get VC off, put Kevin Martin on this list. AI does not apply to this category. And just to make everyone go bonkers… Raja Bell should be #10!
December 14th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Ian says:
so bron as u can see im not the only one that takes manu over the others except kobe
December 18th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Smooth says:
D-Wade is no.2 how is T-Mac above Wade
1. kobe
2. D-Wade
December 19th, 2007 at 10:56 am
DSDSquared says:
How is T-Mac over Iverson? Iverson beats him in every aspect of the game. What has T-Mac ever done?
December 20th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Jaleel says:
1. Kobe
2. Wade
3. T-Mac
4. Iverson
5. Manu Ginobili
6. Joe Johnson
7. Rip Hamilton
8. Michael Redd
9. Ray Allen
10. Vince Carter
Agree with my man below about the assessment of Ginobili.
Austin Burton says:
Don’t underestimate Manu’s skill set. In the open floor he’s as tough to stop as anyone in the League. He can get to the basket consistently, his jumper is money, he can hit circus shots and finish while being fouled. His flopping (while annoying) is at least an effective defensive tool that helps him (makes you hesitant to just try and blow by him), and he will take and make clutch shots.
I have Joe Johnson listed sixth because he does a little bit of everything better than the guys listed below him, whether it is with the Hawks or even when he was with the Suns, dude has a solid overall game. Also, Vince Carter has really has fallen off his game over the last two years and might be just the third best player on his own team behind Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson. He is a shell of his former self at this point and you could almost even argue that Brandon Roy & Kevin Martin are better than he is right now. i think he still has time to turn it around (i think he’s 30 if I’m not mistaken) but that might be a bit far-fetched