I don’t know that there has ever been a time where the NBA has had the benefit of having so many of its marquee players be so young. That’s the case with the league today. Unless you pick Kobe Bryant or Dirk Nowitzki, your answer to the question, “Who’s the best player in the NBA today?” is someone in their 20s.
It’s not like it was 15 years ago or so when Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Karl Malone, and Hakeem Olajuwon were the best players in the league, but also in their 30s. The league is in a very fortunate place and we are entering a golden age like we’ve never seen before.
This is also the most popular the league has been in recent memory and I think it’s safe to say that the NBA has leapfrogged MLB for the second most popular sports league in the U.S., behind the NFL of course. When MLB’s Opening Day was approaching a few weeks ago, the NFL work stoppage and the NBA playoff race were mentioned ahead of the upcoming baseball season on national sports programs.
With so many great young players in the league today, it makes these playoffs very intriguing. It also makes for an interesting debate as to who you would you pick to start an NBA franchise with today.
Most people would probably go with LeBron James, Kevin Durant or Derrick Rose (Probably not Kobe because he’s 32. Plenty good, but 32 is 32). LeBron because he’s the most unique talent in the league today, and there isn’t much he can’t do. Durant because he’s the 2-time defending scoring champ and along with ‘Melo, he’s the best pure scorer in the business. And Rose because he’s a 6’2″ LeBron.
But if you were to ask me, I’d start my franchise today with Dwight Howard. Since Centers have somehow become extinct over the past decade or so, he’s the only one worth mentioning that is capable of getting it done on both ends of the court. He’s the first player ever to win 3-consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards and there isn’t a guy in the league that can come close to defending him. Sure, there are other guys in the league that are tough to cover but championship teams are built from the inside out. You need a presence downlow and he is the epitome of that. He changes a game on the defensive end like no one else can, and defense wins chips. He isn’t the best offensive Center we’ve ever seen, but he has shown improvement over his career and due to the paucity of legit big men, he’s unguardable.
At only 25 years old, Dwight is in the conversation with some of the best Centers ever. Yeah, I said it. No, he doesn’t have a ring yet but neither do plenty of Hall of Famers. Most of the bright young stars of the league roam the perimeter, so it’s easy to overlook someone who makes his living in the paint. Because of this, I also feel as if Dwight is one of the most underrated players in the NBA, if that’s even possible. He also gets a bad rap because he “smiles too much” and that’s supposedly a valid reason why he’s not a good leader. Please.
So, if I were starting an NBA franchise today, my first overall pick would definitely be Dwight Howard. Which player would you choose to start an NBA franchise with today and why?
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
