Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself
Jesus ShuttlesworthAfter interning at Dime HQ back in Fall ’05, I’ve finally made the move to NYC and taken the job full-time writing for the mag. Back in April, the Dime crew was inspired to roll out their individual lists of their five favorite ballplayers – giving readers a chance to get to know us a bit more. I thought I’d follow suit:
Aron Phillips, aka “Go Get ‘Em”
1. Ray Allen – Of all the players in the League, Jesus Shuttlesworth has the nicest stroke and would be the guy I’d give the ball to for the last play (see Celtics vs. Bobcats November 24, 2007). Growing up, UConn was always my favorite team, but after Rick Fox’s recruiting pitch, I just don’t see how he didn’t end up at Tech University.
2. Rudy Gay – Once again, another UConn guy. Putting up 20 a night, Rudy posterized fools all season. Bold prediction: with the addition of O.J. Mayo and the recovery of Mike Conley, the Grizzlies make the playoffs this season.
3. Joe Johnson – Just as Christian said, “Joe Jeezy is mad underrated.” Having been a Celtics fan my whole life, I still view the trade for Rodney Rogers and Tony Buckets as one of the saddest in franchise history.
4. Earl Boykins – At 5-5, how can you not like Earl? After putting up close to 27 ppg in college and then going undrafted, “the Double-Digit Midget” has proven over his 10-year NBA career that he’s a legit PG and viable scorer in the League.
5. Monta Ellis – With a nickname like “Go Get ‘Em,” you gotta understand that I wasn’t the star on my high school squad. Hustle and drive is what got me the limited burn that I saw. So anytime a guy can make it from the 2nd round pick to NBA’s Most Improved Player to shooting 60.2 percent from the field in a single month, you gotta give credit where credit’s due. This dude is going to be a star.
Honorable Mention – Gilbert Arenas, Chris Paul, Leandro Barbosa, Brandon Roy, David Lee, Nick Young & Dominic McGuire’s Vlog, Ime Udoka, Eduardo Najera and Jose Juan Barea.
September 25th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Yoooo says:
Definitely dont value ur basketball opinions
September 25th, 2008 at 10:51 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
….another East Coast Laker Hater @ DIME…lol
Can we get some West Coast Representation??? lol.
JK..
Good to read some new blood
September 25th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Austin Burton says:
@Mox — AP went to college out in the Great Northwest, if I’m not mistaken. He’s not lost on this West Coast thing.
September 25th, 2008 at 10:56 am
MSkittle says:
Grizzlies in the playoffs? No way!
September 25th, 2008 at 10:56 am
control says:
You really set your standards low eh?
Isn’t Earl playing in Europe somewhere?
September 25th, 2008 at 11:04 am
isotope says:
You not the only one crazy about UConn basketball. I was so sure that squad with Donyell was going to win it all. I think they were better than El-Amin and Rip’s squad.
Everybody’s entitled to their favorites. It’s not like its a “top 5 in the league” list.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Blk Caesar says:
As a 99′UCONN alum, I remember Jesus taking effortless jumpshots during practice from the Husky dog in Gampel.. That squad with Doron, Brian fair,KO, Donnie, Ray and co was definitely more talented than the 99 squad.. But the 99 boys “shocked the world” so they get the nod.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:30 am
webbie352 says:
i guess its your opinion
but this was a wackkkk article.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Aron says:
@Yoooo
How you gonna say that? Who’s in your Fav Five?
@Blk Caesar
Yea, guys like Ricky Moore were some of my favorites growing up
September 25th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Top_Gun says:
Pretty bad list…Earl Boykins ? Rudy Gayass ? Memphis Grizzlies playoff bound ? Joe Johnson on your top 5 favourite players just because he’s underated ?
Atleast you didn’t pick the obvious choices (Kobe, LeBron) but these are C-List players
September 25th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Austin Burton says:
@AP — Welcome to the Wonderful World of Negativity.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:41 am
yallallreadyknow says:
aron phillips
welcome to dime…you dumb puss.
grizz in the playoffs?
earl boykins turned down $3mil a year from the bucks and now hes not even getting back into the nba.
..and lastly leandr barbosa, juan jose barera and edjuardo najera get honorable mention?
Dime….where did you find this ap bum?
i hope your editor didn’t see this article. shame on him/her for co-signing this nonesense and letting you post this.
hell….i should be able to get a job in the dime office then
September 25th, 2008 at 11:46 am
IGP says:
haha everyone is always like “I can do better than this bum” when in reality if they could, they would. And they aren’t. Like isotope said, it’s favorite five, so let ap do his thing.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Ian says:
hey comon peeps this is his fav players yes they arent great but comon its not a list of the best players.
wow u can put all those player on the same team and still u wont win shit
September 25th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Brandon Hoffman says:
This has to be the most unconventional ‘five favorite ballplayers’ ever.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
David Brandon says:
damn, y’all came for BLOOD today….wooooo!
like a few of the guys said, this is his list. let him rock that way. i didnt see anybody puttin their 5 up so we got something to discuss….
September 25th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
MoxWestCoastRep says:
@Austin-Its all good (even when its negative) when you get to write about basketball for a living.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
loganlight says:
WOW… HATERs are present and accounted for.
AP, welcome to the fold, fam. I appreciate that you put in work at the intern level so glad to see that you’re getting to fruits of your labor.
Now about this list:
I love it. When “Yooooo” claimed that your basketball opinion wasn’t worth anything to him I immediately knew how to categorize him (see top). I love that your top 5 players list includes “The Double Digit Midget!” Half of the dudes reading this would be superficial and name the top 5 players in the league as their picks. I respect ya for it.
BTW, my top 5:
Dwayne Wade
Kevin Martin (ugly jumper… but its WET)
Brandon Roy (D Wade part 2)
Chris Bosh (After Redeem Team, I love him)
Baron Davis
LL
September 25th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Kobeef says:
@Yoo, Yall, etc
Read the article before you criticize the writing. This is his fav 5 – not the best 5 in the league. Very different. Obviously the guy is a “root for the underdog” type which is refreshing in a culture of bandwagon jumpers.
My Fav. Five
PG – Derrick Rose – Wade x CP3 hybrid if he reaches his potential. Scary to say but he is probably more athletic than Wade
SG – JCrawford – sure he is inconsistent but when Crawford is on he is a highlight reel of ankle breakers and heart breaking shots.
SF – Rudy Gay – BEST ATHLETE IN THE NBA. the tape doesn’t lie. Higher vert than Gerald Green, Bigger than JSmoove, Wingspan of Greg Oden. It is all True.
PF – Al Horford – Someone please donate a real 5 to Atlanta so Horford can rip-apart opposing 4’s.
C – Bynum. Maybe this is bandwagon jumping – but aren’t you curious to know how good this kid can become? He averaged a double double with no plays called for him and he is still just 22.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Sam I Am says:
I love Dime..
I, for one, look forward to hearing Mr. Philips’ opinions and such.
I will be the FIRST to create and join his fan club.
Now in return, I hope to win the Summer GiveAway, Fall Give Away, Winter GiveAway…or anything else you can help me win
September 25th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Diego says:
His fav. 5, not best 5, you front-running Jordan, Magic, Bird, Lebron, Kobe lovers!
September 25th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
MoxWestCoastRep says:
My fav 5
Kobe
D-fish
LO
Pau
Bynum
….Lol
Lakers-09 chip!
September 25th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
BALLZ says:
The Grizzlies in the plaoffs? In my best Jim Mora voice, “Playoffs?!” dafuck you thinking dude.
Nice mention on the Rick Fox recruiting though.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
BALLZ says:
Kobe
Nash
Boom Dizzle
Gil
Mayo- givin the rook some love.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
nick says:
as maino says “hi haters”
the list is his fav, not most talented. c’mon a i know a lot of yall cheer for the 12th man on the bench when he gets run. so chill out.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
isotope says:
My fave 5 (current NBA players)
Allen Iverson
Yao Ming
Kobe
Gerald Wallace (helped my fantasy squad couple years ago)
Manu
September 25th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Arrogant says:
Damn ppl out for blood. i respect his five, they are some exciting to watch players.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
The Jed says:
Aron, shut your trap and go get us snacks. Oh sh*t, you’re not an intern anymore.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
jimmy says:
respect. you defn have an eye for the details of the game.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
rootsradical says:
Dime needs to get a new picture of Ray Allen.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
IGP says:
My five are:
Lamar Odom
Andrew Bynum
Josh Smith
Kobe Bryan
Rudy Gay
Honorable Mention: Darius Miles, OJ Mayo, Shaun Livingston, Joakim Noah
September 25th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
dapro says:
Welcome to the big leagues young blood…this is what AB, Andy, and CGF deal with on a daily
My fave five
Jkidd
Walter Ray
Tmac
Sheed
Agent 0 (off the court)
September 25th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Sam I Am says:
LOL
September 25th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Ian says:
fav 5
manu
td
iverson
barry
parker
hated 5
kg
melo
kobe
bron
amare
September 25th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
dat dood says:
nice list.
i gotta say my fav five are
1. Monta Ellis: Kid is an absolute monster. he just needs to stay away from mopeds. Warriors will be NBA champs in five years (i’m a fan, don’t hate the hope).
2. Jason Maxiell: Love the hustle, love the beastlyness this guy brings to the pistons.
3. Dwight Howard: I’m still waiting for him to get some post moves, but for now he doesn’t even need them. He’ll just dunk on your face.
4. Paul Millsap: Same thing as Maxiell.
5. Tayshaun Prince: This guy did win gold this summer, but i still feel he is underrated. All my boys give me shit when i root for him, or put up 50+ with him in NBA 2k, but i feel that without him the pistons would be nowhere.
honorable mention: Nash, Baron, Kamen, Leon Powe, Gerald Wallace, Josh Smith, Kenyon Martin, CP3, Deron Williams, Marion, manu, iguadala.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
it aint easy being green says:
dont hate on ap cuz he gets payed to do what yall do on your down time at your dead end jobs….. ….but that was kind of a lame list homie.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
dat dood says:
most hated:
Antoine Walker
Jake Voshkul
Smush Parker
Sasha Vuichic (however you spell it)
Erick Dampier
September 25th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
T Dubbs says:
Not a big Boykins or Gay fan, but the other 3 are worthy. This is going to be JJ’s year. My five would be:
Kobe – regardless of what he does on the streets, the guy is just incredible to watch.
Ray Allen – his jump shot is so textbook, I almost shed a damn tear every time I see him raise up.
Chris Paul – dude is like the little energizer bunny, running all over the place.
Josh Smith – sometimes he gets into his lazy streaks (a la Rasheed), but his potential is limitless. He averages some crazy numbers also.
Baron – Davis is a competitor, he has a killer cross-over, but when it’s all said and done, he’s a good guy.
5 guys that I truly can’t stand:
Duncan
KG
Manu
Okur
Yao
September 25th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
justice says:
So what we can’t like kobe and lebron?
fav 5
Kobe
chris paul
Lebron james
Stephon marbury (that’s right!)
Amare
honarable mention: Ray Allen,OJ Mayo,Rafer “Skip” Alston,
September 25th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Ian says:
dat dood
shit man i forgot walker god i hate that mother fucker
but i think the one i hate the most is the machine who gives himself a nick?
an 2 coaches i hate
jackson always has an excuse for everything and the winner dantoni that whiny faceeeeeeeee makes me feel like punching the tv
September 25th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Quest??? says:
thats right honorable mention jj barea, hes gonna be a star if he gets consistent minutes, bold prediction: when kidd retires jjbarea will be the mavs starting pg
September 25th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Three Stacks says:
Aron, don’t listen to the haters. They’re just mad cause you got the job that they wanted. Congrats on joining the crew, look forward to your stuff. Peace.
September 25th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
bballinca says:
Are the Grizzlies moving to a differenct conference this year or did they get demoted to the D-League???
Lay off the crack!
September 25th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
sans says:
Welcome to the Hate Club…
I like gay Rudy too, but the Grizz won’t make the playoffs. Then again, if it happens, you’ll be the only one on planet erf to have called that.
You go to the UO?
Top 5, current:
Bron–saved Cleveland basketball.
Skip–he gets hated on too much, despite the gifts he’s given the game.
Earl–saw him play Ruben Patterson in HS–and Earl killed Ruben’s squad with no one hitting for his squad except himself.
Gerald Wallace–Hustle hustle hustle
Nash–uncanny court-vision
I feel you on Najera, especially from a hustle guy. I only got burn in HS for the same reason. Peace.
September 25th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
M says:
Welcome AP, good luck in here, congratulations on obtaining one of the most awesome jobs in the world. (btw where can someone apply for internship :O)
My 5:
Tay allen, smooth as butter
Chris Bosh, big man body but can play like a small
Yao Ming, Being that tall and still that mobile? Unheard of.
Chris Paul / Jason kidd, so unselfish and important for their teams
Howard, as charismatic as he’s powerful.
Honorable mention; Matt Bonner, he’s funny as hell. (on the court and off)
September 25th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Dagomar says:
This is like a guy picking underground rap instead of Jay Z or Kanye. Respect. But I’ll go with Bron, KG, Paul, Nash and Dirk. Hon mentions: Kobe, Calderon, Bosh.
September 25th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Mr. Rogers says:
Most loved:
Eddy Curry
Jerome James
Brian Scalabrine
Darko Milicic
Royal Ivey
Adam Morrison
JJ Redick
September 25th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
it ain't easy being green says:
P pearce
Mike bibby
Ron ron
Jesus
Cp3
Honerable mention- brian scalabrine!!!!!!
September 25th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Mr. Rogers says:
I forgot Mark Madsen
Robert Swift
Sanear Sene
Trevor Ariza
Antoine Wright
Devean George
Chris Quinn
Raef LaFrenz
Michael Olowakandi
Ryan Bowen
Chris Birdman Anderson
September 25th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Yoooo says:
For starters I aint know I was obligated to enjoy every writer at Dime. I mean normally I do but this cat reminds me of the dude in the club with the extra tight jean, extra bright pradas and mega loud shirt on just to let everybody else know he’s different. Granted I could be wrong about him, don’t know the bol personally so he might be a cool guy outside of his basketball opinions. BUT I call it like I see it, and im NOT feeling his opinions. Anybody who says the Grizz might make the playoffs is a dusthead, period. Just cuz some of you are sitting around kissing ass, checking ur emails daily hoping Dime will somehow “draft” you into their office and it hasn’t happened yet, don’t get mad at me. Now we got blogging bodyguards, my Lord the world has gone mad. And for the record my favorite 6 players are:
Kobe
CP
Baron Davis
Tony Parker
Melo
Randy Foye (Newark whatup?!)
Couple more hon mentions BRoy, Derek Fisher, Durant.. Happy cockbuffers?
September 25th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Yoooo says:
O yea and my man 50 grand Royal Ivey. That’s like fam.
September 25th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
SteveNash says:
it’s ok… everyone here wishes they could be in your shoes right now… except me… cz that is a horrible fav five, lolz!!!!
September 25th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
BallGurl says:
@ Yoooo
blogging bodygaurds?! Priceless…LoL
Agree or disagree, he likes who he likes…
My fave 5
Deron Williams
Jamal Crawford
Dwight Howard
Luol Deng
Corey Maggette
September 25th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Three Stacks says:
The thing about making crazy predictions is, if you’re right, you look like a fucking genius and can gloat to every hater out there. If you’re wrong, no one cares cause they expected you to be wrong all along.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Simon says:
In my fave 5 I got my girlfriend, my sister, my mom, my friend Blake and my dad. I’m pretty sure Charles Barkley has Dwayne Wade in his fave five. We’re talking about cell phones right?
September 26th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Milk Lady says:
I love him!!!
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September 26th, 2008 at 8:53 am
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September 26th, 2008 at 10:12 am
iain. says:
@Yoooo
You killed it dude, I get the impression that certain people here go with whatever the Dime guys say with a dream of an internship in the back of their heads.
Now some of the articles are on point, and superbly written (Not this one), but really, get your own opinions.. And mine is:
If Austin’s writing is equivalent to MJ cruising in the back seat of a Maybach, then this dude is Monta Ellis on a Scooter!!
September 27th, 2008 at 2:25 am
Quest??? says:
this list is wack, jump of his dick ppl yall are just saying how good he is cuz u wanna work at dime.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Whitnes says:
@ Aron Phillips
AP what up it’s your boy Stew! I’ve been catchin’ up on all you articles and write ups, nice work man! As you would say “gotta give credit when credit’s due”.
@ “YOOOO” aka “clown”
first off learn how to count! your top 5 consists of 6 players???? get an education and put one of them in your honorable mentions. (I also see that you had to abbrieviate the word honorable… trouble spelling?) 2nd you are one of them who seem to be a fan of the best of the best… 4 of your top ‘6′ favs are top 20 players in the L. Why not just jump on the band wagon. Let me ask you this, how long have you been following each of them for? since NBA stardome days???
Anyways, enough about you… you don’t deserve all this attention you are getting for hating on a new ‘up and coming’ writer.
My top 5:
1. Derrick Rose
2. Deron Williams
3. Tayshaun Prince (one of the most under rated and under valued players in the L)
4. Allan Houston (hoping he makes the Knicks roster this year)
5. Marvin Williams
ONE