Steve Nash gets closer to a title, the best dunk contest ever, and who’s running point for Miami?
Dwyane Wade (photo. Chad Griffith)As part of our Miami Heat season preview, we examined the team’s point guard situation: Barring a risky (and unlikely) acquisition of Stephon Marbury or Jamaal Tinsley, Miami’s going into camp with an inexperienced Mario Chalmers, athlete-more-than-ballplayer Marcus Banks, and 15-year-old incumbent Chris Quinn. Somebody has to step up and win the job, and Banks tells the Miami Herald it’s gonna be him. “Playing behind Steve Nash was a learning experience,” Banks said. “I’ve seen a lot and now I’m ready to have my own team.” Even if the Heat are holding an open audition, it’s only natural for the coaching staff to have one guy as the favorite going into camp, one guy who will get every opportunity to lose the job. If you were running the Heat, who is that front-runner? We’d think it would be Chalmers … Speaking of Nash, his load was officially (finally) lightened yesterday with the Suns getting Goran Dragic under contract. Of course we don’t know how good the kid really is, but he’s gone up against some elite NBA talent on the FIBA scene (a la Tony Parker) and held his own, so we’d be surprised if he ends up being Zoran Planicic-level bad. If Dragic can just relieve Nash of some minutes and not lose games in the process, the Suns are in much better shape going into the playoffs than in years past … Meanwhile, the Tau Ceramica (Spain) squad that formerly employed Dragic replaced him by signing Mustafa Shakur. That’s good for us. We’re cool with Mustafa, so we can hit him up once he gets to Spain and ask him if Tiago Splitter — who allegedly plays for Tau Ceramica, too — actually exists or is just some NBADraft.net practical joke … After last week’s season preview of the Nets started an argument over Vince Carter’s place among the best players in the League, one of our writers ranked the 15 best players in the NBA to see if VC cracked the list. He didn’t, but you might be surprised to find out who did … Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced his retirement yesterday at age 31. Numbers-wise, SAR was always solid throughout his 12-year career (18.1 points, 7.5 boards per game) especially in his stints with Vancouver and Atlanta when he was a constant 20-and-10 type. Unfortunately he just never landed on a decent team in his prime, and by the time ‘Reef went to Sacramento, the Kings were at the end of their run of relevancy and his knees were on the way to being shot. Who is the biggest Abdur-Rahim type of “good stats on a bad team” guy in the League today, the one guy who we’re not quite sure if they’re really that good? Ironically, the answer is probably Kevin Martin … Take a minute and think back to, let’s say, the year 2000. Under any circumstances back then would you have thought Matt Barnes would ever hold an NBA starting job over Grant Hill? According to the East Valley Tribune, that may be the direction the Suns’ staff wants to go; more than anything as a way to limit Hill’s minutes before the playoffs … No disrespect to MJ vs. ‘Nique in 1988, or Vince vs. Steve Francis in 2000, but the greatest dunk contest ever may be in our near future, and it’s being held at the Lenox Mall in Atlanta. Check out the preview HERE … Shawn Marion to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Mike Beasley’s $50,000 fine for Transgression X: “Ain’t nobody perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. The thing is, you’ve got to learn from your mistakes. So at the same time, what’s done is done. Now we’ve got to move on and get past that.” Damn, Marion was an “It is what it is” away from hitting the cycle for tired cliches … We’re out like thoughtful answers …
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:19 am
Camp Lo says:
Miami’s lookin solid at the 2, 3, 4 spots & desperate at PG & C. They need to bring back Timmy & Zo.
Speaking of which, has Zo made a decision?
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:20 am
bob says:
will Barbosa or Diaw be moved before the season starts? who for? they have to be the two most likely to get moved if the suns make any real moves….
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:20 am
Camp Lo says:
about retirement
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:25 am
Amar says:
SAR was a very solid player, but that really bad coach in vancouver had no strategy and it was just SAR, Bibby and Dickerson playing 40+ mpg and probably took years off of their playing career that one season.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:43 am
Austin Burton says:
@Camp Lo — Zo wants to come back, but he won’t be recovered from his knee injury until the middle of the season. Riley said he’ll hold a spot for Zo.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:55 am
alf (from melmak) says:
i am also as much curious if that tiago splitter dude really exist.
if he really has game, the nba is the place for him to be balling. i do not know if i am going to bet my meal allowance on that guy.
what is the over and under for miami this season? forget about the 1 and 5 position. one thing for sure is they do not have a bench.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:00 am
yoda says:
respect to SAR. guy knows hes done and he wants to retire. not like some washed up guys who wants to play for years, to make few more dollars, even tough they can’t walk or something. too bad he had to retire this early. he seems like a nice guy and i always tought he will do something more then fill stat sheets. and when you think that antoine walker has a ring….
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:55 am
Quest??? says:
I would like to make an announcement:
Fuck David Brandon ( Yea man u just jumped one spot on the fuck u priority list)
And Fuck Jameer Nelson
That is all
thank you
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:04 am
Eazy Yi says:
Don’t forget how well Chalmers can play against that number one pick, Rose?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:24 am
solomon says:
SAR is just 31? wow… am i that old?
well, the dude was legit when his knees were still legit… gotta respect him for hanging it up early…
we’re out like the future…
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:16 am
iain. says:
there is a video on the Nike site with theo papaloukas, some other dudes, featuring a cameo from………………..TIAGO SPLITTER! talking about how playing in the streets made him tough. Dude looks kinda like Troy Murphy. Maybe Tiago Splitter is Troys tough streeball alter-ego? or not.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:37 am
Phileus says:
What ever happened to Michael Dickerson?
Is Mike Bibby the last player of that Grizzlies squad that’s still kicking?
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:49 am
Camp Lo says:
What ever happened to Bryant “Big Country” Reeves?
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:30 am
Flying-Aussie-Dutchman says:
“We’re cool with Mustafa, so we can hit him up once he gets to Spain and ask him if Tiago Splitter — who allegedly plays for Tau Ceramica, too — actually exists or is just some NBADraft.net practical joke”
i LOL’d
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:31 am
sans says:
Big Country is either selling cars or running for office somewhere in Oklahoma. And Austin, get Tony Parker off your top 15 list–it’s undeserved and embarrassing. And no starting that “Finals MVP” ish–without Timmy and Manu he wouldn’t be Baron Davis-good; he’d be like Mo Williams in that year he had no one to pass to.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:33 am
Austin Burton says:
@sans — You’re guessing Parker wouldn’t be as good. But facts are facts and the rings have already been doled out. Like I always say, what elite PG has Parker NOT gone head-to-head with and come out on top? CP, Nash, Deron, Kidd, Billups … all notches on Parker’s belt.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:51 am
YOUNGFED says:
Parker is good but better than Baron and Billups, GTFOH. Damn Dime wonder where yall got the idea for the top 15 list, could it be…”cough”, “cough”, YOUNGFED. Once again no credit for good ideas, figures.
Oh BTW…..”I’mmmmmm Baaack.”
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:59 am
Austin Burton says:
Fed, you know good and hell well Baron’s resume doesn’t touch Parker’s. What has he done better than TP besides dunk on a few people? And Billups is 0-1 in playoff series against TP.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:12 am
miamiVIS3 says:
If I were the Heat my frontrunner at point would be Chalmers but Banks has a chance to start.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:31 am
kobeef says:
Heat will start Banks but by mid-season Chalmers will take over. Chris Quinn’s body of work includes leading miami to a league worst record….so my guess is that he doesn’t see much PT.
Looking at the top 15 makes me wonder what the hell happened to Ray Felton. Pre-draft there was a lot of debate about who – out of felton, paul and Williams – was the best PG of the draft. Now Ray is looking at getting benched for a rookie.
Has anyone seen this kid Jeremy Tyler? Looks like he is the next great prospect after we go through a few weak drafts. Seriously, other than Dermar Derozan nd Rubio is there really a star-potential player in the draft next year?
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:41 am
YOUNGFED says:
@Austin
Baron would kill TP one on one and Billups is Better than TP too. TP is nice but yall given him tooooo much credit. Rings DON’T MEAN SH*T, he only got’em cause he cot Timmy (The Best Big Man In The League) Duncan.
Also whats up wit my Damn D-Wade Ball (lol)
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:51 am
sans says:
What about Psycho T? Just kidding, but BJ Mullens, Blake Griffin, Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson, Patty Mills, Harden…next year really ain’t that weak. It’s not the 2000 Draft…but probably won’t be as good as this past year’s picks. And Hasheem Thabeet is going to fleece someone of millions and a precious Lottery pick. Hasheem looks like the next Yinka Dare.
And Austin: I’m not saying that Parker isn’t a great player, just not top 15. And John Salley has five championship rings–where’s he on your all-time lists?
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:38 am
shake&bake says:
For players like Shareef who have been on bad teams but have good stats, I’d have to say Elton Brand has been that guy but that looks like it has a good chance to change this year.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:42 am
Brown says:
@Fed
“Rings DON’T MEAN SH*T”
Wow, that has to be the dumbest comment I’ve ever read from you. Rings are what it’s all about.
Just cuz TP has good players around him does not diminish his contributions to the team. You could argue that if one Parker or Ginobili wasn’t on that team, they wouldn’t have won as many rings as they did. Duncan is their superstar, but you can’t dismiss TP or Manu’s contributions, which have been huge.
Take a look at your beloved Pistons. Would they have won a ring without one of their starting 5? Hell no. No player can single-handedly win a ring without a supporting cast (i.e. Lebron). Every player has to contribute, some more than others.
Basketball is a team game. One-on-one skills DON’T MEAN SH*T. If you’re gonna argue that, then you might as well say Stephon Marbury is the best PG in the league.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:55 am
justice says:
Davis is the better talent the parker it’s obvious, but parker has accomplished alot more, but if u take Davis and put him on the spurs they might have 6 rings right now…But the fact that parker has done so much and stepped up in big games gets him in the convo even though his game has some glaring holes…
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:03 am
MSkittle says:
Marcus Banks should be the starter for Miami. Mad quick and do you remember how good he was at UNLV?
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:12 am
Kobeef says:
@Sans
Apparently Hasheem got outplayed by a high-school kid in summer league.
Is it just me or does GHasheem look like someone took Mutumbo’s legs and put them on TJ ford’s body?
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 am
YOUNGFED says:
@Brown
One on one means a lot when your discussing indivual traits and skillz. Also Steph is one of the best pg’s in the league. BTW the only reason my statement seemed dumb to you might be because of your IQ level. Comprehension is a MUTHA. LOL
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 am
schoops says:
@Fed.. I think there’s a legit argument about billups over parker (in my opinion it could go either was) But saying BD who puts up good numbers when he’s nto injured and hasn’t gone that far in the playoffs is bettr than parker, no. And how can you says chmpionships don’t matter? What’s the point of playing then? The entire point is to win, and parker does. parker’s good.
*side note.. i hate parker.
@dime.. best joke in awhile about nbadraft.net
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:24 am
smity far away says:
too bad about shareef (but good for him at the same time…) one of my favorite players that never got that ultimate shine outside of a hubie brown complimentary remark…
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 am
YOUNGFED says:
Ok since you guys are missing my point. DON’T MEAN SH*T in terms of a player being better than another. There are so many other facets to the game that makes a champion. It seems only Justice understands that.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:54 am
aj says:
You got your upper crust top NBA point guards: Parker, Billups, Nash, Kidd, Paul, D-Will
Then you got the next level of guys that includes Baron Davis.
We’re talking about the best NBA PG’s. BD is not even close to one of the best in the NBA. Yeah, put him out on a blacktop court in some big city and he probably beats all these guys by 20. But again, we’re talking about the top 15 NBA players and the top NBA PG’s.
Truth is you take any one of those top guys and put them on any one of the other teams with a top PG and the team probably turns out the same. Billups would win with the Spurs. Parker could win one on the Pistons but not much more because of the rest of the dysfunctional team. No one of those PG’s could get the Suns over the hump or get the Nets back in the day a championship.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:37 am
Ian says:
can we stop the bs about pgs on bad teams that put up good numbers being better than parker pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. a decent player on a bad team will get all the shots and someone said that the spurs with davis would have 6 rings gtfoh maybe they would have 1. and youngfed how did billups do vs parker did he win??? how did c. paul do(werent the hornets the favs)???? how did deron do in the conf finals did he beat parker????
everyone stuck on the regular season numbers because parker is the number 2 guy but come playoff time hes the best pg in the league. u guys are always talking about if the others played for the spurs guess what fools none of them would be the number one guy it would still be duncan. the only two players in the argument with parker are paul and williams but a loser like davis and the overrated billups arent.
someone mentioned that salley has 5 rings was he an allstar or a finals mvp no u cant compare the bench players to stars just cuz they were there for the ride
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:38 am
Ian says:
justice
u said it might have 6 rings or might have 0 rings who knows but the FACT is tony has 3
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:39 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
@Mskittle-Banks has all the tools to be a legit PG in the league. Rediculous speed, Sick D (2-time MWC Def POY) and a streaky J. He just has to play within himself and be a better decision maker. Especially on the break. If he can do that the East better look out.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:43 am
Ian says:
dime
heres a couple of players that i dont think they are the big shit people make them out to be
this doesnt mean they suck cuz they dont but i dont rank as high as most
overrated
baron davis
tmac
kg
carmelo
sheed
allen
bynum
underrated
bosh
brand
manu
johnson
carter (yup hes not what he used to be but people think that hes crap now he isnt)
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:05 am
YOUNGFED says:
ian
GTFOH
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
that's whats up says:
Chalmers to START at point?
The only time a rookie point guard came in, meshed and handled the pressure was Magic.
I think they’re fu**ed at the PG position for a while. D-Wade will take most of the HEAT at pg while Marcus Banks realizes he is not ready. It’s that, or wait for Chrissy Quinn to grow some peach fuzz on his nuts
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:08 am
Ian says:
lol why youngfed
cuz rings arent important and parker got the best of billups
lol one ring and your boy thinks he can turn it on whenever he wants
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:11 am
Ian says:
hey its just an opinion lol
sure he did win once vs a lakers team that was falling apart and sure he did make 5 straight conf finals
but then again it was in the east were everyone sucked
thats why i think hes overrated. when u let one player woop your team (lebron) and a team that played together for the first seaon (celts) beat your team, u arent that good a leader.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Austin Burton says:
Fed, if “Rings don’t mean shit” when it comes to individual talent, don’t you find it odd that everyone who’s typically in the “Best Players of All-Time” argument has MULTIPLE rings? Mike has six, Magic has five, Larry has three, Russell has 11, Shaq has four, Duncan has four, Kobe has three, Kareem has six, Wilt has two … you think that’s a coincidence?
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
that's whats up says:
the only coincidence here is that Fed and Winning are worlds apart.
…but we love our fed
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
MJAX says:
Shareef was my guy, quietly getting it done. I once had a knock down drag out argument with my boy that SAR was just as good stat wise as KG. He almost threw me out the house!!!! The dude was a 20-10er/ 18-8er… And the new version of him is Al Jefferson….
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Amar says:
bynum is totally over-rated. lakers fans thinking that he’s going to come back and be some sort of voltron of kareem, shaq, mikan and wilt.
does he even have more post up moves than dwight howard?
and what’s that thing that they say about really young guys who have had numerous injuries? (wasn’t he injured in HS too?)
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
YOUNGFED says:
ok good point Austin, however many greats never even got 1 ring (Nique, Ewing, Barkley, etc).
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Three Stacks says:
@ Ian, from what I remember, CP torched the Spurs and the Spurs came out on top in a close series. Yeah, NO had the higher seed, but I don’t think you could really describe them as the “favorites” in that matchup. And Utah didn’t play SA, but if they did, the Jazz would’ve beat them.
If it’s all about whose team beat whose in the playoffs, I guess Fisher is the 2nd best PG in the L.
@ Amar, no Laker fan thinks Bynum is the Messiah, at least most of us don’t. We just expect him to be a decent/good center, putting up the numbers he did last yr (15, 10, 2 blks). But fact is, we went to the Finals last yr and are adding a pretty good player, who’s gonna complain? Don’t hate on Laker fans for being optimistic.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Three Stacks says:
@ Austin, I think there’s a very subtle difference in the argument about who’s the “better player” and who’s had a “better career.” At the end of day, no one’s gonna argue that Tony Parker had a better career than someone like Baron, cause Parker’s got the rings and the Finals MVP. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Parker is the “better player.”
Yeah, rings count when arguing over who’s the greatest, but I think that’s because of all the best players in history, the difference in their abilities is so hard to calculate, so you gotta bring in something like rings to help with the order.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:21 pm
BMW says:
That’s why they aren’t up there with the best group. They will always be known as the Greats that never won it or that always came short. So just for that the Jordans, the Magics, the Birds will always have more recognition than the Malones, Millers, Barkleys…….Remember that basketball remains a team sport and the best prize is no MVP award for one player(we know it’s good) but the LO’ trophy for the whole team. Think about it.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Ian says:
three stacks
western conference finals 07 spurs 4-1 over jazz so yeah they have met in the playoffs. thanks for the good joke on how u can see in your crystal ball and see the jazz beating the spurs. i know for a fact the spurs wooped the jazz in 07.
dont bring fisher up cuz sounds stupid im talking about allstars here and why not tiebreak them with who wins.
u didnt sound like a smart person sayin the fisher shit is he an allstar? does he have numbers like tp cp or deron??
we are talking about important players here why good teams but hey i guess YOU can make a case for longley over ewing
btw the hornets were the favs to win in 6 that series
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Ian says:
and three stacks your last post is what austin and i have been sayinnn
no u cant say parker is necesariamente the better player
but u cant say baron is!! thats the whole point of this
why can some people say deron is better and its ok when some of us say parker is better we are crazy. by the end of their careers what happens if deron doesnt win is everone going to keep sayin hes better didnt parker make the allstar game at a younger age (if deron makes it this season), why does parker get the wins vs all the other pgs in the playoffs and many people here say we are crazyyy to say parker is better thats just stupid.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Three Stacks says:
@ ian, seriously bro, you need to change your tampon before arguing the Spurs, cause all that backed up menstrual fluid is making you batty.
Obviously Parker is better than Fisher, but even more obviously, Fish is not the 2nd best PG in the L. Was just trying to make a point. And if you’re gonna talk about playoff series, don’t jump from ‘08 to ‘07 without saying so, it’s confusing.
And it’s not “Parker who gets the wins,” it’s the Spurs that have had success in the playoffs. TP is, by most people’s estimation, the 3rd best player in SA. If Baron was ever asked to be his team’s 3rd best player, with a big like Duncan, that team would probably have a chance at a couple chips, too.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Heaven Is A Playground says:
Manu is good player, Tim Duncan is the best power forward of all time, and Tony Parker is one of the best PGs in the game today. I know that may sound a bit too much for TP, but he gave all the other elite PGs in the league the business, and what does he get for his troubles? 3 rings and 1 NBA Finals MVP. I say he’s worth the top 15 mention he’s getting from Dime.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Ian says:
sayin parker played deron in the playoffs and i didnt mention it was 07 is confusing lol only to u man.
your knock on parker is that hes not the best player on the spurs guess what fool neither would baron nor paul nor williams
and parker would be the man in utah and new orleans
so yeah i think they are even (not davis of course) and i give the nod to the one with the chips
u want an example of what that means take robinson and olajuwon considered by many far better than ewing. now take ewings resume add 2 chips and guess what magically hes on par with the other 2 in peoples minds. so yeah i think chips count for a lot
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Ian says:
heaven thank you the problem is the spurs are the team people love to hate
have u seen lists without duncan in the top 15 thats just stupid one guy placed ray allen 15th and left duncan out. thats just hate
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Three Stacks says:
Olajuwon and Ewing were, without question, the leaders of their respective teams. Parker is not, so you can’t use their situations as examples. If Ewing’s Knicks won a chip, it would’ve been mainly cause of him.
Like I said, Parker is only the 3rd best player on the Spurs. What I said had nothing to do w/ whether someone else would be the 2nd best or whatever if he was in Parker’s shoes. All I meant was, they’d still win titles if you put someone else in Parker’s place. I think Parker’s success has had a lot more to do with his team than vice versa.
So you wouldn’t swap CP for Parker straight up? You wouldn’t do Deron for Parker straight up? Cause I think R.C. Buford would.
I never knocked Parker, I think he’s one of the best young PGs in the game. If I had to pick one for the rest of their careers, considering injury and age, I’d pick Parker over Baron. But Baron’s prime was better than anything TP has shown so far, that’s just my opinion.
I didn’t mean to offend you, it’s just you constantly get uppity like a high school girl whenever you argue the Spurs. It’s okay if I don’t think TP is better than Deron, right? Cause it doesn’t mean I think Parker sucks.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
W says:
Tony out of the spurs is just Devon Harris.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
YOUNGFED says:
To prove my point all I gotta say is WHO GETTING THEM MAX DOLLA’S, not TP, Baron is. So I’m not the only one who thinks he’s better. I quess NBA personel doesn’t know as much as you guys. NUFF SAID x2
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:09 pm
YOUNGFED says:
everybodyt makes mistakes and Rashard is a beast. TP will never see max money. Van Horn was the NBA’s great white hope so they had to cash him out.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:22 pm
YOUNGFED says:
If he’s really better why is it that Baron got more allstar games. Baron is damn near 50 in nba dog years and would still give TP the Bizness.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Ian says:
really how many allstar games has baron seen out west youngfed?????
max money is your argument u sir are talking trash the day parker leaves the spurs he gets max money. do u think the spurs would offer max money to davis nooo bad teams have to over pay to get stars keep fooling yourself.
three stacks
you want to talk bs read Ws post about parker
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Ian says:
fed
lol davis has seen 2 allstar games and you talk about him like hes duncan or garnett
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Ian says:
look at number 16 and number 24
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/hof_prob_active.html
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Austin Burton says:
Look at number 23!
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:11 pm
YOUNGFED says:
LMAO X2 at post#69
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Heaven Is A Playground says:
how the hell is Unemployed Number 8 listed at number 23? wow, These guys must really liked how Toine jacked up threes in transition all the time.
September 24th, 2008 at 2:47 am
Ian says:
wowwww
i didnt notice number 23
youngfed and austin i apologize for the list
September 24th, 2008 at 2:53 am
Ian says:
austin yo check out number 3 and 7 all timeee
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/per_career.html