Amongst all team sports, I personally feel as if the “who’s the best player?” debate works best in basketball because players must play both sides of the ball, covering the entire playing surface. You can’t necessarily say that about other team sports. Therefore, when ESPN decided to rank the 500 best players in the NBA this summer, you knew it would cause much debate. They’ve been releasing their rankings throughout the summer in small chunks and finally revealed players 5 through 1 yesterday. I can’t say that I agree with their rankings, but that’s the beauty of sports.
Here are just the top 20:
20 – Zach Randolph
19 – Tim Duncan
18 – Manu Ginobili
17 – Rajon Rondo
16 – Kevin Love
15 – Russell Westbrook
14 – Steve Nash
13 – Amar’e Stoudemire
12 – Carmelo Anthony
11 – Pau Gasol
10 – Blake Griffin
9 – Deron Williams
8 – Derrick Rose
7 – Kobe Bryant
6 – Kevin Durant
5 – Dirk Nowitzki
4 – Chris Paul
3 – Dwyane Wade
2 – Dwight Howard
1 – LeBron James
My biggest gripes with the top 10:
Blake Griffin
Blake is a phenomenal young player, but how in the world can he be regarded as a top 10 player after one season? Stop it. I would replace him with Carmelo Anthony. Or even Pau Gasol for that matter.
Kobe Bryant
To say that Kobe is the 7th best player in the NBA has to be the silliest thing I have heard in a very long time. Kobe’s demise is grossly exaggerated. He averaged 25.3ppg last year. And oh yeah, his career average is 25.3. So, what am I missing? I like Wade alot, but Kobe is still a better 2-guard on both sides of the ball.
Chris Paul
I don’t necessarily have a problem with Chris Paul being in the top 10, but to have him at #4 is a bit extreme considering some don’t even consider him the best PG in the game.
My top 5 would be:
1 – Kobe Bryant – He’s battle tested, has ice water in his veins and can motivate teammates.
2 – LeBron James – I can’t express enough how disappointed I am in his performance in the Finals. He is the reason the Mavericks are the champs. Even considering his forgettable performance in June, you can’t deny his physical tools.
3 – Dwyane Wade – If you can play alongside LeBron James and still hold your own, that’s impressive.
4 – Kevin Durant – The guy is 23 and is a two-time defending scoring champ. Enough said.
5 – Dwight Howard – There isn’t a single guy in the league that can slow him down, let alone guard him.
When ESPN released the top 10 over the past few days, it nearly caused Twitter to explode because of the debates that ensued. That was the beauty behind it all. What it did was provide positive NBA chatter for the first time since July 1. I can’t be upset with that.
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
