The Best Player In The NBA Is…
Carmelo Anthony (photo. Mannion)
For the first time since perhaps 1999, just after the second retirement of Michael Jordan, we will probably enter next season (whenever that is) without a clear cut best player.
Normally, it comes down to two or three guys. Now? There are perhaps 10 players that can make the claim. A few weeks ago, I was convinced LeBron was the best player in the world (I think everybody was) and had been for perhaps the last two years. But he failed so miserably and shrunk so considerably in the NBA Finals that I find it hard to say that now. This year was amazing, in part because there were no absolute favorites…teams or players. Could next year be even better? There are old vets looking to claim another ring and young players looking for redemption.
Who’s now the best player in the league? It’s unanimously indecisive. Here are some potential candidates for next season:
Carmelo Anthony: considered by many to have the most complete offensive arsenal…despite a sweep, put up 26, 10 & 5 in the playoffs…if he’s not scoring, struggles to always have big impact…as long as the Knicks are average, his individual brilliance will be minimized
Kobe Bryant: VERY average playoff run (23, 3 & 3)…regular season overlooked because of that, was still considered one of two or three best in the game…can’t do it on a nightly basis anymore…struggled immensely in close games this year…interesting to see how he responds next year
Kevin Durant: two-time leading scorer…coming off his first deep run in the playoffs…he’s making the transition from sympathetic young player to scrutinized vet…struggled to finish playoff games in the fourth quarter, yet still averaged close to 29 a game…still just 22 years old
Dwight Howard: probably the most dominant regular-season player last year…literally one-man team in the playoffs…23 and 14 during the regular season, boosted those numbers to 27 & 16 in the playoffs…offensive game is finally developing…get the feeling Orlando should be better than they are with this guy
LeBron James: most physically-talented player in the game…dominated the Eastern Conference playoffs…faded mysteriously in the Finals…still lacks the in-between game…stll averaged 27, 7 and 7 with the Big Three…looks like one of the best regular season players ever…growth on the court will be mostly mental from here on out…will suddenly be 27 years old next year
Dirk Nowitzki: Finals MVP…league MVP candidate for first half of this season…been so consistent for so long that no one thinks about him…23 and 7 last year, first signs of slippage…will be talk of the summer because of his monstrous playoff run…next year should tell us whether he’s satisfied or still hungry
Chris Paul: had an average season by his standards last year…exploded in the playoffs (22, 6.7 & 11.5)…will his injuries catch up to him?…as long as New Orleans continues to be average, his best player candidacy will be as well…despite being considered by many the ultimate PG, hasn’t won much
Derrick Rose: league MVP…has physical gifts that you don’t see from a PG…had largest jump from ’10 season to this past year…still isn’t a great perimeter shooter…some contend he shoots way too much…humble leader of one of the best teams in the league…still has a ton of room to grow
Dwyane Wade: didn’t deliver in the Finals, but considered one of the game’s ultimate killers…can get to the rim whenever he wants…has a complete game and may be best off-ball defender in the league…numbers (25.5, 6.4 & 4.6) didn’t tail off at all w/ Big Three…will be 30 years old next January
Who’s the best player in the league now?
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June 14th, 2011 at 11:23 am
M Intellect says:
Damn! D-Wade is 30! That shit makes Kobe seem even more amazing!
June 14th, 2011 at 11:38 am
D says:
who cares? too early to be having this debate we’re facing a lockout and none of those players you’ve mentioned have a complete game other than Kobe. Lebron has showed you guys all the flaws in his game that i’ve previously mentioned and most of them are fundamental. He has no post up game, his footwork is non-existent and his shooting mechanics are terrible and btw neither him or d.wade have ever shot 80% from the free-thrown in a regular season in there entire nba career, these are the things that make you great. Also I need to see Lebron improve his on ball defending skills,I think D.Wade has done that and has also developed a bit of a post game.D.Wade just has to improve his free-throw shooting,post game a little but I think he’s closer than Lebron or Carmello to top players in the L.D.Wade has mentioned it several times regarding Kobe that he has mastered the game, none of these guys besides him have done that so your pointing to his playoff run this year as a reason to demote him regarding top player ranking is just ridiculous. Carmello is probably the most complete offensive player out of this list(he & kobe) but he leaves much to be desired on defense gotta improve there and he can be a better rebounder. Derrick Rose is just the flavor of the week he had a great season and has extraordinary physical ability but has to develop more offensively and defensively and do this year in and year out for him to be on the top of this list which he’s shown me he’s gotten better each year. Dirk is up there, he’s a champ,what else can you say but I think he can be a better defender than what he is.Kevin Durant gain some weight, a post game and improve on ball defensive skills. D.Howard make a free-throw.lol.He has improved so much on the offensive end of the floor. Chris Paul stay healthy and you’ll always be in the top 10 players in the L,he gets it done offensively and he’s a damn good on ball defender(i think that gets overlooked often).My list is:
1.)Kobe
2.)D.Wade
3.)Dirk
4.)Carmello
5.)Lebron
6.)Chris Paul
7.)D.Howard
8.)Derrick Rose
9.)Kevin Durant
June 14th, 2011 at 11:40 am
D says:
@Mintellect I forgot that cat was that old that’s true it does makes Kobe seem even more amazing.
June 14th, 2011 at 11:45 am
D says:
Correction one season D.Wade(2006-2007)shot exactly 80% from the free-throw line but thats the only season…it was almost unheard of for a gaurd in the 70′s,80′s or 90′s to not shoot atleast 80% from free-throw line.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
nizzio says:
Did you say Dwyane Wade didn’t deliver in the Finals? Are you insane? He’s one of the best Finals perfomer of all time! Dwyane Wade is clearly the best player in the NBA
June 14th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
D says:
what you must have copy and pasted a comment you made from another forum @nizzio. where in my post do you see me saying D.Wade didn’t deliver in the finals. Hell I didn’t even say that about Lebron and he actually didn’t deliver. Get off the crack @nizzio and read what I said I never said that. D.Wade is won of the best finals performers of all-time based on 2 finals appearances man and there all stats of average, talk to me when he’s played in 7 finals like Kobe than will see what his averages look like. Not close D.Wade said Kobe is the best player in the world when he could’ve said Lebron,k.durant, carmello, chris paul, no he said Kobe. Dirk said Kobe is the best player in the world, nothing else needs to be said. D.Wade had subpar playoff series leading up to the nba finals but I agree he was the best player in the NBA finals this year but not the best player in the League,2nd to Kobe.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
ctkennedy says:
He just beat LaMarcus Aldridge,Gerald Wallace,Brandon Roy,Kobe Bryant,Pau Gasol,Lamar Odom,Kevin Durant,Russell Westbrook,Dwayne Wade,Chris Bosh,n Lebron James…Thats almost half of the top 25 players in the LEAGUE …he went 16-5 durin the toughest part of the season the PLAYOFFS…what else does he need to do? he has to HANDS DOWN be number one goin into next season….DIRK NOWITZKI
June 14th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
D says:
See the finals are great for entertainment but it makes people say the most ridiculous things I’m hearing Mark Jackson calling JJ Barea the puerto rican Allen Iverson,comparing dirks game 5 to Michaels Flu game…this shit is just getting ridiculous..look dirk had a damn good playoff run and had a horrible game 6 but that doesn’t make him the best player in the L,cats catapulting to top 10 players of all time with just one ship this shit is ridiculous, he ran through all those players you listed?serious.So kobe was gaurding Dirk,man Jason Terry is the reason they even won a ship he has been the unquestioned emotional leader of the team and he by far is the most mentally tough on the team.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
NC says:
You forgot Brain Cardinal.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:34 pm
NC says:
Make that Brian …
June 14th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
D says:
LOL.I’d actually put Brian Cardinal ahead of Dirk in the physical toughness category. His jumper was just stupid wet the whole playoffs except for Game 5 and Game 6 but it’s one ship a much deserve one but still one ship all you dirk honks can’t take this as an opportunity to make an irrational arguement to catapult him to the top 10 players of all time, it’s way too early for that.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
ctkennedy says:
nobody said he top 10 all time …we talkin bout right now
June 14th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
D says:
top 5 right now yes but best player in the L…resounding hell no, he was matched up with the other teams best forward he was never matched up against Kobe, D.Wade they’re different position.He won a ship that doesn’t make him the best player in the L that means he had the best team in the L…Look @ctkennedy this cat has never been in the discussion for best player in the L to put him as the top player in the L just because he has one ship is just ridiculous.He’s never been an all league defender and he wasn’t a great defender in the playoff D.
Wade and Kobe both play better on the other end of the floor than Dirk and Kobe is a better post player than Dirk,the only thing dirk has over Kobe or D.Wade is his jumper it’s just wet.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
D says:
when i said top 10 player of all time Rick Carlisle and other sports analyst were trying to put him in the top 10 of all time already.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
ctkennedy says:
lls…Dirk won the mvp in 06 he hasnt been out the top 10 for a decade….His D isnt as bad as people make it out to be….EVERYBODY in the convo for best player got its pros n cons ..so wouldnt the tiebreaker be my team vs yours? Dallas beat them all lead by Dirk …im not a Dirk fan once so ever but how can u deny him
June 14th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Promoman says:
I wouldn’t say that Derrick Rose shoots too much. When he was leading the league in scoring early in the season and talk emerged that he was shooting too much, he cut down on shooting without being told to by anyone. Who’d do that? Iverson? Westbrook? Derrick could’ve been in the top 4 in scoing this year if he wanted to, especically after the Bulls had injury problems this season. Boozer was supposed to take some of the load but he was slowed by injury. Kobe wound up catching the injury bug too late in the season and through the playoffs. He’s still very tough but it looks like he probably can’t put up his type of numbers anymore when injured.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
LakeShow84 says:
If he cant perform upto par next year ill give it to Dwight or Lebron..
Until then..
Still Kobe lol
June 14th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Brown says:
Derrick Rose. All he needs is for Boozer to get healthy and a backcourt mate that can take some of the scoring/creating responsibility off his shoulders.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
DarkHorse says:
I was very impressed by D-Wade’s Finals run, even tho they came up short. Unlike LeBron, he didnt shrink from the moment (except those two unforced turnovers at the end of game 6). The man played his ASS off on both ends. The man played some really inspired ball, taking the ball to the rack hard every time he could, going up for blocked shots, getting in his teammate’s ear. The fact that Wade could play both sides of the ball equally spectacularly seperates him from the others. I think it’s clear LeBron is the Robin to D-Wade’s Batman now (even tho D-Wade’s nickname is Flash!)
June 14th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
beiber newz says:
is it cool to ask a question of who’s better anymore? we’ve watched sports long enough to know that this is an opinionated question which we are seeking a supposedly factual answer to. also, this question is so wide open that it changes from year to year. the one thing we can do is appreciate an athlete’s game and express our thoughts. but let’s not try to come out and say for instance that dwight is better than “X” or durant is better than “Y”. this question is only applicable when the answer is so clearly obvious, like all-star VS. non all-star or bibby vs. westbrook. this is a question similar to, and i’m not trying to demean eithe ror, relating to “which religion is the right religion” or “who’s sexier, beyonce or shakira”. the only thing we can do is accept OUR decision and, even if we may disagree, RESPECT someone else’s decision (unless it’s when an asshole tries to compares players in a different class i.e. derek fisher/cp3). on another note, people’s answer will be distorted by their own biases. such as favorite team or sadly, race. i know guys who don’t give white athletes the credit they deserve. will anyone fully appreciate ginobli? who arguably has a better career than monta ellis?
let’s just enjoy the game. it’s not wrong to express who we think is better. my overall point is to just understand that there will never be an ‘answer’ per-say.
June 14th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
beiber newz says:
breaking NEWZ!!!!
in other beiber newz:
LeBron James said Tuesday that his post-game “back to reality” quote was misunderstood. On Tuesday, he said he’s not “superior” to anyone on the planet. “It was interpreted different than what I wanted. … Everyone has to move on with their lives and I do too,” James said.
June 14th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
beiber newz says:
THE NEW NBA LOGO :
http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/editorial_image/85/85ddf3ff488c723bc95f5fcb124ecaa3/dirk_nowitzki_tattoo_means_mavs_fan_will_never_again_walk_alone.jpg
June 14th, 2011 at 11:52 pm
Mandirigma says:
Kobe didn’t play like Kobe in the playoffs. He’s been struggling really the past two years, the numbers and swag are there, his game’s not. Blame it on age/injuries, it happens.
And no, Wade DELIVERED in the Finals. From the 2nd half of game 1 all the way up to Game 5. Game 6 was a wash.
DWade should’ve been in the NBA First Team. Not Kobe.
June 15th, 2011 at 4:10 am
superfreak says:
@D
The fact is we’re talking about right now, at this moment in time, and what players have done over a span of a career. Of course you can put Dirk at the top of the list going onto next year. He was the best player on the best team that took it home this year. His defense is average, but that doesn’t automatically discount him from being the best player in the league going into next season.
Like beiber newz said, its an opinionated debate and if you think that Dirk doesn’t deserve to be in the discussion, there’s many people on here that will debate otherwise. On the same note, I can say you’re crazy for putting Kobe on the list of “best player going into next year,” as he averaged a poor (for Kob standards) 23,3,3 in the playoffs. That does not scream best player in the L to me. And yea, he played some good D for stretches here and there, but he would only be on the list of best player in the L if we were looking at his career stats, which we’re not.
June 15th, 2011 at 4:32 am
The Real Tyrone says:
no love for d-will? but d-wade the best for me
June 15th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Duncanrules says:
What’s this shit about no best player in 1999? TIM MOTHERFUCKING DUNCAN ya’ll. Dude was arguably numero uno his rookie season, watch his first two playoff games again. Unstoppable.
Anyways, best scorers are probably Durant and Melo. DWade, despite the loss is still my choice for most well rounded player. Kobe is a shell of himself, funny how AI get shit for taking like 25 shots a game, but kobe goes like 9-30 these days, and still considered a god. I guess if Shaq led The Answer to at least 3 rings , we’d be saying he’s infallable too.