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#NBArank gets it all wrong
First off, as this is my first post as a blogger for Windy City Sports talk, I would like to thank Skip Bauer for asking me to become a contributor. I’m extremely pumped to get rollin’ as a regular blogger, and I hope you all enjoy our insights and opinions on all things Chicago sports.
I figured for my first post, I would write about my favorite (American) sport to watch: NBA basketball. As we all know, the NBA is in a lockout and sadly, it looks more and more like we may not even have a season this year at all. As we prepare to face a long, sad, and lonely winter without pro basketball, ESPN produced a system to rank all 500 current players in the NBA. They asked 91 different NBA “experts” to rank each player 1-10. After all the scores were averaged out and the list was announced, here’s my question: Who were these so called NBA “experts”?
Here’s the list of the top ten NBA players according to #NBArank:
- Lebron James – 9.91
GM PPG RPG BPG FG% FT% 78 22.9 14.1 2.4 .593 .596 - Dwight Howard – 9,82
GM PPG RPG BPG FG% FT% 78 22.9 14.1 2.4 .593 .596 - Dwayne Wade – 9.72
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 76 25.5 6.4 4.6 .500 .758 - Chris Paul – 9.68
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 80 15.9 4.1 9.8 .463 .878 - Dirk Nowitzki – 9.67
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 73 23.0 7.0 2.6 .517 .892 - Kevin Durant – 9.62
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 78 27.7 6.8 2.7 .462 .880 - Kobe Bryant – 9.40
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 82 25.3 5.1 4.7 .451 .828 - Derrick Rose-9.27
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 81 25.0 4.1 7.7 .445 .858 - Derron Williams – 8.98
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 65 20.1 4.0 10.3 .439 .845 - Blake Griffin – 8.78
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 82 22.5 12.1 3.8 .506 .642
When I first saw this list, I was shocked. To me, there are some glaring problems here. Now I don’t really mind Lebron at number 1. I know a lot of people will probably be upset about this, and I don’t really blame them. I don’t think there is any question that he is the most physically talented player in the league, if not of all time. The problem with Lebron is that he doesn’t have something that the best player in any sport should have: Championships. He has a huge reputation for choking in the playoffs. Two years ago, he completely gave up against Boston in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Last y ear, he could not match Dirk Nowitzki in the finals, and once again failed to win a championship. Having said all this, I still am okay with him being number 1, since he is always the in the MVP mix and his teams are consistently one of the favorites to win it all every season.
One of the biggest problems I have with this list is Chris Paul at number 4 and Derrick Rose at number 8. To me, Derrick Rose is the best point guard in the league. Now I know this comes off as extremely biased, and maybe it is, but I’m not the only person who believes this. Derrick Rose was last seasons MVP. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER. This was not a fluke! Now I’m not saying Derrick should be ranked at number 1, but how can the MVP not even be the best player at his position? He got his Bulls team, with no other stars and very little offensive help, to the Conference Finals. Chris Paul failed to make it out of the first round. His performance in the series is probably why he was rated so high. He had a lot of success against the Lakers, and he probably would have beat them if he had a better team. But as the Lakers moved on, they showed they were nowhere near the team they have been in the past. His regular season statistics were not very impressive either. He only averaged 15 points a game. Paul has always been a pass first point guard, and he did average 9.8 assists per game, but that was only the fourth best mark in the league. His other stats are sub-par when compared to other point guards. He brings a lot of intangibles to the floor, but so do all the other players on this list. I see no reason for him to even be in the top ten, let alone fourth.
Another problem I have with the list is Kevin Durant’s position. How is he not even in the top 5? This guy was the leading scorer last season, and got his team to the Conference Finals where they ran into a red hot Mavericks team. He is the most offensively talented player in the league, and is virtually unstoppable when he is on. Think about it this way: If you were a GM of a team, and the NBA demolished all the rosters and had a draft with all the players, who would be your first round pick? Durant is the best scorer in the league, and he just turned 23 years old. I don’t think too many of you would pass this guy up in the first few picks.
Finally, the most mind-boggling player on this list is one Blake Griffin. What? Blake Griffin is the 10th best player in this league? I don’t think so. Griffin is not even in the top 5 at his position. Sure, he is a freak on the court, an excellent rebounder, and one of the most fun players to watch with his rediculous dunks, but that’s as far as the complements are going to go from this fan. Defensively he is average at best, and he has virtually no game anywhere other than right above the rim. His post moves are non-existent. If this guy is the best player on your team, at this point in his career, then your team is probably in a lot of trouble. The Clippers were atrocious last year. Now, just think about the other big men who are ranked behind Griffin: Pau Gasol, Zach Randolf, Marc Gasol, Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Love, Al Horford, Lamarcus Aldridge, just to name a few. And here’s the real kicker: Griffin is ranked ahead of CARMELO ANTHONY.
So, after much thought, I’ve came up with my own top ten. Feel free to comment, or even give your own list in the comments.
- Lebron James
- Kevin Durant
- Dirk Nowitzki (out of respect, I mean the guy DOMINATED the playoffs, out-balling James and Wade in the finals. Probably won’t be nearly this high after next season)
- Dwayne Wade
- Dwight Howard
- Derrick Rose
- Kobe Bryant
- Chris Paul
- Deron Williams
- Carmelo Anthony
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