What Better Way to Start the New Season than w/Sports Illustrated's List of the Best Players in the League???... 1. LeBron James 2. Kevin Durant 3. Chris Paul 4. Tony Parker 5. Russell Westbrook 6. Tim Duncan 7. Dwight Howard 8. Dwyane Wade 9. Kobe Bryant 10. Carmelo Anthony REED:aye:
I am going to follow NBA closely this year but I don't know enough to participate in this poll yet. Isn't Rajon Rondo seen as among the best in the league? Also, is Nowitzki playing again?
11. James Harden 12. Derrick Rose 13. Kevin Love 14. Marc Gasol 15. Stephen Curry 16. Dirk Nowitzki 17. Chris Bosh 18. LaMarcus Aldrige 19. Blake Griffin 20. Kyrie Irving REED
FYI, this ISN'T a Poll...These are the Opinions of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Going into the Upcoming Season... REED
By Now, Most of ya'll have Heard about the Back & Forth btwn Durant & DWade... Durant was Asked Who He'd ADD/LEAVE OFF S.I.'s Top 10 List...He IMMEDIATELY Responded "ADD James Harden, TAKE OFF Dwyane Wade"...Wade, of Course, Didn't Like Hearing that & Tweeted a Handwritten Note to the Effect of "....Looks Like I Have to Prove my GREATNESS....AGAIN!"... Durant Shot Back, "Don't Tweet Me, SHOW Me"... Good Stuff...Most NBA'ers Keep Up a FRIENDLY Facade...Good to See Competition Leading to Some FEISTY Opinions... REED
Pretty SHOCKING to REED, that Paul George ISN'T in the Top 20...This Time Next Year, he'll Be a Top 10'er for CERTAIN... REED
Oh, right. I was surprised to see Bryant that low, I guess he has declined clearly in the past two years or so? According to what we get to read over here, Lebron is head and shoulders above everybody right now and among the most dominant athletes at this moment. Is Manu Ginobili relevant anymore?
Kobe's 35 Years Old, Entering his 18th Season in the League...It Says ALOT that he's Still a Consensus Top 10 Player in Today's NBA...Dude was Drafted Straight Out of High School in 1996 & is STILL Good for 27 Points Per Game...He RUPTURED his Achilles Tendon Though, Which Could FOREVER Compromise his Career...Time will Tell... Yeah, Bron is Head & Shoulders Above the Rest...Now that he's Won Back to Back Championships, he's ENTERING that Michael Jordan Realm... Manu Ginobili is Even OLDER than Kobe is & he's Coming Off a VERY POOR Playoffs...Still, he's 1 of the Top 100 Players in the League & was Ranked # 56.... REED
Yeah, REED's just Glad Durant WASN'T Afraid to Call BULLSHIT... Wade's Still Good Enough to Be Top 10, but All the B.S. w/Him MILKING Injuries, then "Miraculously" Looking like Vintage Wade in CRUCIAL Games, Should've LOWERED his Ranking... It's Also CLEARLY Rubbed Some Players the WRONG Way... REED
21. Joakim Noah 22. Al Horford 23. Roy Hibbert 24. Deron Williams 25. Paul George 26. Rajon Rondo 27. Tyson Chandler 28. Kevin Garnett 29. Serge Ibaka 30. Brook Lopez 31. David West 32. Paul Pierce 33. Andre Iguodala 34. Josh Smith 35. Zach Randolph 36. Pau Gasol 37. Kawhi Leonard 38. Paul Milsap 39. Mike Conley 40. John Wall REED
:: right, you still think the guy plays poorly on purpose. he just dont have it in him anymore to hoop like the vintage version consistently that is why he is not among the top 10. if dwight howard is healthy he should be number 3 on the list.
I wish people would stop hanging this on LeBron. Let him catch Kobe and Magic before comparisons to Jordan start.
if james played with a young o'neal for 6 or 7 years, or worthy, abdul jabbar, etc he'd already have as many rings as bryant and magic
The Times DWade DIALS his Game UP are CONVENIENTLY when the Heat NEED Him Most...That's UNDENIABLE, Neil... Wade's Been CALLED OUT in this Regard in Articles...NOW, he's Being Called Out by a Normally MILD MANNERED Guy in Durant...If DWade was REALLY "Fighting Through" Injuries to the Extent he Portrays, NOBODY In the League would Begrudge his Inclusion on the Top 10 List... The Mere FACT a Guy like Durant PUBLICLY Calls Out Wade, Tells You ALL You Need to Know about the Player's Thoughts on his "Injuries", Neil... agREED on DHoward...As GREAT as CP3 is, he's NOT as Dominant as a HEALTHY Dwight Howard Is... REED
It's NOT just about Championships, to REED...Never has Been... Wilt Chamberlain's Top 5 REGARDLESS, w/What, "Only" 2 Championships???...Being a Great Player ISN'T All about Rings...Bron's ALREADY Better/Greater than Prime Kobe or Prime Magic, DESPITE Only Having 2 Rings, in REED's Opinion... Jordan's THE ONLY Guy Blocking Bron's Path to Being THE Best Basketball Player Ever, All Things Considered...Break Down EVERY Skillset a Player Can Have; Jordan & Bron Have It...AND they've Won Championships...Bron's BIGGER than Kobe & More ATHLETIC than Magic...Jordan's Bron's ONLY Obstacle... @ the Same Time, Bron is Probably THE BIGGEST Threat to Jordan's Reign, we've Seen... REED
the reason durant called wade out is because he doesnt consider him to be that caliber of player anymore DUE to injuries. his game has clearly deteriorated due to health and diminished athleticism.
LeBron is the biggest threat....no doubt. No squabble on that point. but let's pick up the conversation when he's at ring #5. As far as the Kobe comparison, Kobe's the #4 all-time scorer...prior to his injury he probably would have passed Jordan either this coming season but most likely next season. LeBron has the opportunity to play as long as Kobe and eventually pass both of those guys; HOWEVER, he still has a ton of basketball to play. All I'm saying is let's hold off the comparison's until he's closer. Regarding Wilt, check out some of Wilt's career best averages in terms of points and rebounds. Shit is crazy. Oscar Robertson averages triple doubles for entire seasons and came close in several others. Unless LeBron wins six or seven straight titles (which Jordan did in his full seasons) it's difficult for me to place him or anyone else above him. Even within those title reigns, Jordan was 6 for 6, MVP of the Finals 6 times. I can excuse him for the finals loss in Cleveland. He carried those dudes. "HOWEVER" two titles or not, you have to consider how small he came up in the Dallas series. It's similar to how Magic had to carry the stain of the Boston series he played like crap. Remember "Tragic" Johnson? It's not hating on LeBron, I'm just saying the conversation is better suited five to seven years from now. I think it's better to just let the dude have his career and see what happens when he's close to being done. In terms of what he means to the NBA and as a world icon, heI think it's tough for him to eclipse Jordan. Just like Mayweather can make more money in one fight than Ali made in his career he'll never be on the level of Ali. Even if he retires undefeated. The difference being, we can say that about Floyd because he's closer to the end. LeBron can play at this level for EASILY another 7 or 8 years. I won't crown him yet.
I just figured DWade had injections into his knees that dulled the pain...thus his ability to play better in specific games. The difference is obvious. Hell, in some games Wade got up and down the court like Bill Cartwright.
Nah, there was INTENT to Denigrate DWade, in Durant's Words... Durant's Typically a NON Confrontational, CLASSY Dude...He Could've VERY EASILY Not Answered the Question of WHO to Remove from the Top 10 List...He Could've Said, "James Harden Should Be On there, but I'm Not Sure WHO to Take Off.", & the Matter Would've Been Left Alone... Instead, Durant SINGLED OUT DWade & it Took Him NO Time @ All to Throw Wade Under the Bus...Durant Did This w/NO Fear of Backlash, Almost as if he'd SHARED that Opinion w/Other NBA'ers Already... Again, if Guys BELIEVED Wade was Giving his All, Game in-Game Out, Fighting Through Injuries, he'd Be LAUDED By His Peers...Wade's Act has Been Pretty OBVIOUS to REED for Quite Some Time & it Appears to Be Likewise for Other NBA'ers... REED
i dont get it. if wade played all out and took pain killing injections regularly throughout the season to be able to play at a higher level then he wouldnt be around at the end when it counts. he isnt the same player physically so he tries to manage his body to be around for the playoff games in crunch time. you are reading into things that arent there in durants statements. he doesnt consider wade among the top 10 players in the league and i doubt there are many guys in the league who do consider him to be at that level now, based on his play.
