Best in the NBA

Here's an unfinished idea i was working on, maybe with some input i can finish it.

NBA

Who’s The Best?

Who’s the best player in the NBA? I think when you ask this question, you have to first define what you’re asking. I believe there’s a difference between “best” “most valuable” “talented” and other terms. I’m gonna try to make some sense of this.

First, lets define the MVP, since this is the actual award every year. Most Valuable Player. Well, what makes something valuable? It’s when the talent is rare, hard to find. So what’s hard to find in the NBA today? Well, I think there are two types of player that teams struggle to find, a very talented center, and a leader-type point guard. This would mean that Yao Ming, Dwight Howard, Shaq, Nash, Cassell, Chris Paul, these are the players that are valuable. These players are the hardest to replace. You have to admit, Shaq has been the Most Valuable player in the league for the last 10 years. Look at the playoff appearances and championships. But he’s getting older and now Yao and Dwight are stepping up.

As for the point guard argument think about this: who runs the show and who just facilitates? Andre Miller vs Sam Cassell. Even though Andre was the PG for Denver, he was never in charge, this was Carmelo’s team, Camby’s team, Andre just brought the ball up and dished it off. Now Sam Cassell, one could argue that the Clips are his team, even Minnesota back in the day, he’s in charge, he’s telling people where to be, what to do, he tells Elton Brand where to go, and Cassell obviously isn’t the best player on his team.

Look at it this way. Tim Duncan has been the NBA MVP twice. Is he really that talented? Sure he’s solid, he’s better than almost every forward in the league, he’s consistent, but how many aspects of the game can he excel in? He’s valuable, but is he the best. You know who the best is? Kobe. And I hate Kobe.

What is the “best”? Players who can do everything, shoot, drive, dribble, pass, rebound, control the game, clutch. A player who doesn’t need to score 30 every night, and recognizes when they’re playing badly and can adapt and get other players involved. So which players fit this description so far? Kobe, LeBron, McGrady, Iverson, Nowitzki, KG, Arenas. There’s a difference between the Best, and Very Very Good. Dwade is very good. Baron Davis is very good. Carmelo is very good.

Think of it this way. If you’re on defense, are you scared if this player brings the ball up and needs 2 points to win? Are you scared of Duncan? No. Are you scared of Garnett? Yes. Who could go for 50 any night? Who could stop shooting and get others involved? Kobe did last week. Iverson has been doin it in Denver.

Kobe can score whenever he wants, no one can stop him. Aaron and I saw him play the Nugz 2 years ago and he went for like 45. No one could stop him. McGrady is the same way; he could dribble up the court, run into a double team, rise up and hit a jump shot 3-pointer. That’s ridiculous. Duncan could never do that. Nash couldn’t do it either, or Billups.

But here’s the thing, Kobe and those guys aren’t rare. Could you replace Kobe with Micheal Redd and the Lakers still be close to as good as they are? Yes. Scorers aren’t that hard to find. Ray Allen can score. Bibby can score. Pierce can score. So maybe that why they aren’t the MVP’s but they are the best players. The most talented.

So with that all said, here’s my lists:

Great Players:

Kobe

McGrady

Iverson

Garnett

Arenas

Lebron

Dirk

Very Very Good Players:

Dwayne Wade

Carmelo

Chris Paul

Nash

Stoudamire

Pierce

Kidd

Most Valuable Players:

Duncan

Yao

Dwight Howard

Players:

Brand

Baron Davis

Marion

Amare

Marbury

Jermaine

Too Early to Tell:

Bosh

Paul

Boozer

Bogut