ISH vote - NBA's best player in 2007

[Deuce Bigalow]

Gifted Mind's thread got me thinking who does the majority think was the best player in 2007?

I'm asking for the best player in the league. Not who had the best season or who should have been MVP. Best individual player in the league in 2007.

I have already counted Gifted Mind's vote for Tim Duncan.

Go.

[IncarceratedBob]

LeBron James. Took a garbage team to the NBA Finals, his best Magic Johnson impression ever IMO + elite D.

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

LeBron James. Took a garbage team to the NBA Finals, his best Magic Johnson impression ever IMO + elite D.
In a garbage east. Then he had one of the alltime worst finals for a star player 35% shooting and 6 turnovers a game in a sweep:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: his defense support wast stacked too 3 games were single digit losses except one at 11 and the last 2 games came down to the wire but Lebron choked in the 4th in both and got swetp

07 is Kobe for sure

[IncarceratedBob]

In a garbage east. Then he had one of the alltime worst finals for a star player 35% shooting and 6 turnovers a game in a sweep:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: his defense support wast stacked too 3 games were single digit losses except one at 11 and the last 2 games came down to the wire but Lebron choked in the 4th in both and got swetp

07 is Kobe for sure
Kobe didnt do shit in the playoffs with a better cast than LBJ

[red1]

LeBron James. Took a garbage team to the NBA Finals, his best Magic Johnson impression ever IMO + elite D.
Right on.

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

Kobe didnt do shit in the playoffs with a better cast than LBJ
Kobes cast was worse what r u smokin:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Gifted Mind]

Well I don't know if I would lock in my official vote for Tim Duncan. As I said in the previous thread, I am still in the process of finalizing.

Here is my post from the previous thread describing my thoughts:



Re-visiting Kobe vs. Duncan 2007.

As I've said earlier, its neck to neck. Here are the arguments I see for each:


Tim Duncan

Pros:

Was a solid offensive player. He could be your team's offensive anchor as he averaged 20.0ppg on a career high 54.9% FG. He was his championship team's leading scorer and demonstrated solid passing skills averaging 3.4apg.
He was also arguably the best defensive player in the NBA. He anchored the best defensive team in the NBA finishing Top 10 in blocks with an All-Defensive 1st team selection.
Overall an ideal 2 way player that by just having him your team had a strong foundation on both ends of the floor.
Strong rebounder finishing top 10 in rebounds in the league as well.
He showed strong winning characteristics by actually winning the NBA championship in 2007
He led the league in On/Off court points differential of 15.0 just another metric displaying the impact Duncan still had on the court
People forget he fell a bit due to injuries in 2006 but was back strong in 2007 in every way and was just as good as he was in 2005 when they won the championship.
He was the clear pick if we had asked this question following the 2007 NBA season to ISH posters
http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47980

He demonstrated the ability to step up when his team needed him the most. Their toughest opponent in the playoffs came in the WCF the Suns where Duncan had games of 33/16, 29/11, 33/19, and 24/13/9blk


Cons:

His stamina had lowered by then and was only able to play 34.1mpg. Probably could play more if needed, but even under Popovich he used to get more minutes. But overall may not be on the court as long as you would like him to be.
Though could step up when you need him to, at 20.0ppg he was not dominant night in night out leading his team at every occasion.
His free throw shooting was generally poor



Kobe Bryant

Pros:

Arguably the best offensive player in the game. He led the league in scoring averaging 31.6ppg. He was also more unselfish this year than in the year past trying to get his teammates involved. Yet he still had the ability to dominate when needed to having intervals of high scoring throughout the season. Overall much more dynamic and showed a variety of playing styles on offense this year.
He was a solid perimeter defender being named to All-Defensive 1st.
He was an outstanding rebounder and playmaker for a SG averaging 5.7rpg and 5.4apg.
He definitely had the ability to take over games whenever he needed to and also had the stamina to stay and finish them averaging over 40.0mpg.
He was about as good as he was in 2006 believe it or not. Just his playing style was different and more unselfish. He could still score at a high rate but just tried to involve his teammates more throughout the season. His defense however dropped a little. So a more team-orientated version of the 2006 Kobe (a plus) but with worse defense.



Cons:

Still was a selfish player overall compared to Duncan and did not have all the intangibles Duncan brought
Did not do anything special in the playoffs as his team was bounced out in the 1st round in 5 games
His defense dropped in 2007 compared to 2006 and even 2008.




I mean once again it's really close I'll admit. I go back and forth. I guess we must go back to the definition of being a better basketball player and that is winning more games on average given all possible teams. In other words, which player was going to help me get closest to an NBA championship regardless of who else was on my team.

Tim Duncan would give your team a strong foundation on offense and defense, while Kobe Bryant would be your true superstar who you could count on every game to contribute the very most. Both players played styles that can help your team win....I'll think about it a little more, if any one has any opinions in the meantime feel free to chip in.

[fpliii]

KG :banana:

[Gifted Mind]

As far as what ISH thinks, here were the results in the year of 2007 following the 2007 NBA Season

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47980


Duncan a clear #1 and Kobe a clear #2.

[HomieWeMajor]

If D Wade doesn't get injured you're looking at the greatest 2 peat since Shaq and Kobe

[Genaro]

Kobe

[aj1987]

In a garbage east. Then he had one of the alltime worst finals for a star player 35% shooting and 6 turnovers a game in a sweep:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: his defense support wast stacked too 3 games were single digit losses except one at 11 and the last 2 games came down to the wire but Lebron choked in the 4th in both and got swetp

07 is Kobe for sure
Yours and russwest0's posts are so similar. Oh, and lets forget about the fact that LeBron dragged a Cav's team, with Larry Hughes as his second best player, to the Finals. Even current Durant would've CHOKED and quit on the Cav's and gotten eliminated in the second round.

[Dro]

Its obviously Duncan...

[Milbuck]

Kobe

[Bandito]

I choose Lebron.

[ArbitraryWater]

The Player who had the best season WAS the best player in the nba in 2007...

no difference. if giftedminds makes a difference between the 2, its useless.

and i pick dirk

25/9/3 on 50% while leading his team to 67 wins and the best record + mvp :bowdown:

[navy]

It was Dirk.

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Sheed.

[Deuce Bigalow]

For real? niceee heh

Deuce, put me down for LeBron/Dirk
How can I put you down for 2 players?

[zoom17]

Duncan

[Keno]

LeBron James. Took a garbage team to the NBA Finals, his best Magic Johnson impression ever IMO + elite D.

pretty much this. cavs had no business being in that finals, it was all because of one player.

[DMAVS41]

duncan

[Shep]

lol @ Bryant, who actually wasn't even top 18.

Tim Duncan.

[kennethgriffin]

its funny how whenever theres a discussion about who was the best player. peoples criteria changes to fit their agenda

if its a year kobe won finals mvp and a title.. the best regular season player is their criteria

then if its a year kobe didnt win finals mvp and a title.. that suddenly becomes the reasoning for their pick

kobe cant be the best in 2007.. duncan won a title ( and even though parker won finals mvp and has been carrying the spurs every year since... its still duncans team )

kobe cant be the best in 2003.. duncan won a title

kobe cant be the best in 2009.. lebron was mvp of the regular season


kobe cant be the best in 2006... wade was finals mvp

kobe cant be the best in 2010.. lebron was mvp of the regular season

notice a trend

fact is kobe was the best player in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and it was a tie in 2010 with lebron.. then lebron took over the league

best player doesnt change every year. its a torch.. durants taking lebrons torch right now. but theyre sort of tied aswell. by next year he'l have that next 4-5 year run at the top

[DMAVS41]

its funny how whenever theres a discussion about who was the best player. peoples criteria changes to fit their agenda

if its a year kobe won finals mvp and a title.. the best regular season player is their criteria

then if its a year kobe didnt win finals mvp and a title.. that suddenly becomes the reasoning for their pick

kobe cant be the best in 2007.. duncan won a title ( and even though parker won finals mvp and has been carrying the spurs every year since... its still duncans team )

kobe cant be the best in 2003.. duncan won a title

kobe cant be the best in 2009.. lebron was mvp of the regular season


kobe cant be the best in 2006... wade was finals mvp

kobe cant be the best in 2010.. lebron was mvp of the regular season

notice a trend

fact is kobe was the best player in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and it was a tie in 2010 with lebron.. then lebron took over the league

best player doesnt change every year. its a torch.. durants taking lebrons torch right now. but theyre sort of tied aswell. by next year he'l have that next 4-5 year run at the top




Sorry, but the problem with your post is that you act like Kobe was simply better than he was.

Did you really just bring up 03? That was peak Duncan and he was clearly better than Kobe.

Kobe absolutely has an argument in 06...the problem is that Duncan, Dirk, and Wade all have legit claims as well. And if the regular season matters so much to you...Lebron's regular season was every bit as good as Kobe's. And Lebron was better in the playoffs;

35/5/5 56% TS...Kobe

31/7/7 57% TS...Lebron

Yea...Kobe was just clearly better...:facepalm

Not to mention Kobe was easily worse in the playoffs...choking in game 7 and quitting on his team....LOL...


07? Kobe has an argument for sure. I just think Duncan was better. Not crazy at all. And it's not just the playoffs....I thought Duncan was a better player. 20/11/4 and anchoring the 2nd best defense...and then going for 22/12/3 and anchoring an elite defense in the playoffs. Give me that over what Kobe brought in 07.

Thought Kobe was the best player in 08. Most people bring up Paul, but I actually think 08 KG is dramatically under-rated here.

Thought Lebron was better in 09 and 10.

You act like it's controversial to say the above...it simply isn't. You just can't see it because you love Kobe so much.

[zoom17]

Start counting Deuce you counted in that stupid thread full of Lebron haters and Alts is it because that Duncan is leading the votes.

[TheMilkyBarKid]

its funny how whenever theres a discussion about who was the best player. peoples criteria changes to fit their agenda

if its a year kobe won finals mvp and a title.. the best regular season player is their criteria

then if its a year kobe didnt win finals mvp and a title.. that suddenly becomes the reasoning for their pick

kobe cant be the best in 2007.. duncan won a title ( and even though parker won finals mvp and has been carrying the spurs every year since... its still duncans team )

kobe cant be the best in 2003.. duncan won a title

kobe cant be the best in 2009.. lebron was mvp of the regular season


kobe cant be the best in 2006... wade was finals mvp

kobe cant be the best in 2010.. lebron was mvp of the regular season

notice a trend

fact is kobe was the best player in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and it was a tie in 2010 with lebron.. then lebron took over the league

best player doesnt change every year. its a torch.. durants taking lebrons torch right now. but theyre sort of tied aswell. by next year he'l have that next 4-5 year run at the top


This could be avoided if kobe had won it all (mvp, ring & fmvp) in a season. 09 lebron was certainly better, 10 you can debate though.

[Deuce Bigalow]

Start counting Deuce you counted in that stupid thread full of Lebron haters and Alts is it because that Duncan is leading the votes.
:lol

Duncan - 5
Lebron - 4
Kobe - 4
Dirk - 2
KG - 1

[DMAVS41]

:lol

Duncan - 5
Lebron - 4
Kobe - 4
Dirk - 2
KG - 1

Who the **** is voting for Dirk in 07? I mean I know 6 games doesn't make a year, but he has no argument for best player after that Warriors series.

[Gifted Mind]

I was hoping this thread would have more discussion. Deuce Bigalow are you going to make any argument for Kobe Bryant? Do you seem more convinced Duncan may have actually been the better player?

[Deuce Bigalow]

I was hoping this thread would have more discussion. Deuce Bigalow are you going to make any argument for Kobe Bryant? Do you seem more convinced Duncan may have actually been the better player?
I'm not convinced. I mean I can't see how a player that loses FMVP to Tony Parker was better than the guy who had 10 50-point games in a season, but that's just me though. I'm not supposed to be biased here anyways since I'm counting the votes. More interested in seeing what others think tbh.

[KingBeasley08]

Duncan

[Gifted Mind]

I'm not convinced. I mean I can't see how a player that loses FMVP to Tony Parker was better than the guy who had 10 50-point games in a season, but that's just me though. I'm not supposed to be biased here anyways since I'm counting the votes. More interested in seeing what others think tbh.

A Finals MVP is decided in just 4 games. The Cavaliers had good post defenders in Varejao and Big Z and centered their defensive game plan around stopping Tim Duncan. They were successful to some degree however they still were not close to taking Duncan out of the equation as he still averaged 18/12/4 and was a big factor on defense (Cavs overall shot less than 40% from the field).

Furthermore, Tony Parker winning the Finals MVP speaks volumes to the type of player Tim Duncan is. He does not care about individual statistics or awards, he cares just about winning. So instead of making sure he had good numbers in the finals and averaged a lot of points he let Tony Parker take the glory because the Cavaliers were doing a poor job defending Parker and a better job defending him. His team was never under the threat of losing the series and therefore he was content with the way he was playing and did not try to do more than necessary. That is what Tim Duncan has been about all his career and that's one of the reasons that makes him so great of a basketball player. Remember, in their toughest opponent in the playoffs 27/14/4bpg on 57% FG through 6 games, thus he can dominate when asked to.

Ultimately, Duncan knew how to win and did whatever was necessary to win. Not winning the Finals MVP should not be a big knock against him because he was still clearly the best player on his team in 2007.

[Gifted Mind]

I'm not convinced. I mean I can't see how a player that loses FMVP to Tony Parker was better than the guy who had 10 50-point games in a season, but that's just me though. I'm not supposed to be biased here anyways since I'm counting the votes. More interested in seeing what others think tbh.

Also if you were just curious what other people thought wouldn't the thread I posted in 2007 with countless opinions be more authoritative? Considering it was done without any revisionist history and had over 20 pages of voting.

I really respect Kobe Bryant btw. Once again the comparison is really close. Extremely close. I am beginning to lean on Duncan just because of Kobe's defense in 2007 now that I have reminded myself more of it. I considered Kobe Bryant the best player in 2006 and 2008, and part of the reason is he played very good defense in those years relative to 2007. He was a better player because of that in 2006 and 2008 than he was in 2007. In fact, I'll go as far as saying I would probably rank 2006 Kobe or 2008 Kobe over 2007 Tim Duncan. But just the fall in defense in 2007 gives Tim Duncan the small edge.

[ABfor3]

Tim Duncan

[Rose'sACL]

Duncan

[T_L_P]

A Finals MVP is decided in just 4 games. The Cavaliers had good post defenders in Varejao and Big Z and centered their defensive game plan around stopping Tim Duncan. They were successful to some degree however they still were not close to taking Duncan out of the equation as he still averaged 18/12/4 and was a big factor on defense (Cavs overall shot less than 40% from the field).

Furthermore, Tony Parker winning the Finals MVP speaks volumes to the type of player Tim Duncan is. He does not care about individual statistics or awards, he cares just about winning. So instead of making sure he had good numbers in the finals and averaged a lot of points he let Tony Parker take the glory because the Cavaliers were doing a poor job defending Parker and a better job defending him. His team was never under the threat of losing the series and therefore he was content with the way he was playing and did not try to do more than necessary. That is what Tim Duncan has been about all his career and that's one of the reasons that makes him so great of a basketball player. Remember, in their toughest opponent in the playoffs 27/14/4bpg on 57% FG through 6 games, thus he can dominate when asked to.

Ultimately, Duncan knew how to win and did whatever was necessary to win. Not winning the Finals MVP should not be a big knock against him because he was still clearly the best player on his team in 2007.

Someone who gets it :bowdown:

[zoom17]

http://img.pandawhale.com/post-21703-Tim-Duncan-Deal-With-It-gif-gbjX.gif

[ImKobe]

Kobe. His best all-around season since 03, really played well on the offensive end. The only reason his defense fell off was because of the high volume of minutes & the Lakers relying on him to score all the points down the stretch. Defense wasn't a priority.

[Dro]

A Finals MVP is decided in just 4 games. The Cavaliers had good post defenders in Varejao and Big Z and centered their defensive game plan around stopping Tim Duncan. They were successful to some degree however they still were not close to taking Duncan out of the equation as he still averaged 18/12/4 and was a big factor on defense (Cavs overall shot less than 40% from the field).

Furthermore, Tony Parker winning the Finals MVP speaks volumes to the type of player Tim Duncan is. He does not care about individual statistics or awards, he cares just about winning. So instead of making sure he had good numbers in the finals and averaged a lot of points he let Tony Parker take the glory because the Cavaliers were doing a poor job defending Parker and a better job defending him. His team was never under the threat of losing the series and therefore he was content with the way he was playing and did not try to do more than necessary. That is what Tim Duncan has been about all his career and that's one of the reasons that makes him so great of a basketball player. Remember, in their toughest opponent in the playoffs 27/14/4bpg on 57% FG through 6 games, thus he can dominate when asked to.

Ultimately, Duncan knew how to win and did whatever was necessary to win. Not winning the Finals MVP should not be a big knock against him because he was still clearly the best player on his team in 2007.
:bowdown: :applause:

[Dro]

Kobe. His best all-around season since 03, really played well on the offensive end. The only reason his defense fell off was because of the high volume of minutes & the Lakers relying on him to score all the points down the stretch. Defense wasn't a priority.
So another reason that MJ>>>>>>>>>Kobe?

I'm really just trolling...

[BlackVVaves]

Who the **** is voting for Dirk in 07? I mean I know 6 games doesn't make a year, but he has no argument for best player after that Warriors series.

DMavs is that you bro :eek:

[BlackVVaves]

A Finals MVP is decided in just 4 games. The Cavaliers had good post defenders in Varejao and Big Z and centered their defensive game plan around stopping Tim Duncan. They were successful to some degree however they still were not close to taking Duncan out of the equation as he still averaged 18/12/4 and was a big factor on defense (Cavs overall shot less than 40% from the field).

Furthermore, Tony Parker winning the Finals MVP speaks volumes to the type of player Tim Duncan is. He does not care about individual statistics or awards, he cares just about winning. So instead of making sure he had good numbers in the finals and averaged a lot of points he let Tony Parker take the glory because the Cavaliers were doing a poor job defending Parker and a better job defending him. His team was never under the threat of losing the series and therefore he was content with the way he was playing and did not try to do more than necessary. That is what Tim Duncan has been about all his career and that's one of the reasons that makes him so great of a basketball player. Remember, in their toughest opponent in the playoffs 27/14/4bpg on 57% FG through 6 games, thus he can dominate when asked to.

Ultimately, Duncan knew how to win and did whatever was necessary to win. Not winning the Finals MVP should not be a big knock against him because he was still clearly the best player on his team in 2007.

Although it's somewhat subjective that Duncan was letting Parker get his shine out of selflessness/Kobe was gunning for FMVP out of selfishness, I agree with this post and think it shows the difference between the two. Kobe's ambition to be great was both an advancing and inhibiting tool at different points of his career, while Duncan's timid and unselfish nature has been instrumental in the Spurs sustained success since 99.

Unlike many, I don't fault Kobe for his obsession with being one of the greatest, but you can't deny it...along with his stubbornness...has seemingly gotten in the way of the team at times during his career.

[Deuce Bigalow]

A Finals MVP is decided in just 4 games. The Cavaliers had good post defenders in Varejao and Big Z and centered their defensive game plan around stopping Tim Duncan. They were successful to some degree however they still were not close to taking Duncan out of the equation as he still averaged 18/12/4 and was a big factor on defense (Cavs overall shot less than 40% from the field).

Furthermore, Tony Parker winning the Finals MVP speaks volumes to the type of player Tim Duncan is. He does not care about individual statistics or awards, he cares just about winning. So instead of making sure he had good numbers in the finals and averaged a lot of points he let Tony Parker take the glory because the Cavaliers were doing a poor job defending Parker and a better job defending him. His team was never under the threat of losing the series and therefore he was content with the way he was playing and did not try to do more than necessary. That is what Tim Duncan has been about all his career and that's one of the reasons that makes him so great of a basketball player. Remember, in their toughest opponent in the playoffs 27/14/4bpg on 57% FG through 6 games, thus he can dominate when asked to.

Ultimately, Duncan knew how to win and did whatever was necessary to win. Not winning the Finals MVP should not be a big knock against him because he was still clearly the best player on his team in 2007.
To me Duncan did play like the best player would. 18/12/4 on 48%TS. It wasn't like Duncan wasn't trying to score, he only took 9 less shots than Parker and at an inefficient clip. Not like a Wilt Chamberlain type of low volume but high effiency mark but low points on low efficiency. I mean were talking about being better than Kobe here, how did he prove that with that performance?

[Bandito]

For real? niceee heh

Deuce, put me down for LeBron/Dirk
Yeah, Kobe played great but Lebron was just a tad better. Plus in the Cavs he was really great. My opinion of him went down to the collusion in 2010 and the 2011 choke job.

My main knock on him was the post game, but he work on it a lot and it has shown.

Plus Kobe quit on the team the same year too.

[Deuce Bigalow]

Results so far:

Duncan - 8
Kobe - 5
Lebron - 4
Dirk - 2
KG - 1

[Cold soul]

Kobe.

[Artillery]

Duncan - led the league in RAPM that year. Impact was tremendous that year:

8.8 - Duncan
7.3 - Lebron
7.0 - Garnett
6.3 - Nash
6.2 - Dirk
6.1 - Baron Davis
5.5 - Kobe
4.9 - Wade
4.7 - Arenas