SI.com's Top 100 NBA players of 2014/15

[Legends66NBA7]

http://www.si.com/nba/2014/top-100-nba-players-2015-list


SI.com is proud to offer our list of the Top 100 Players of 2015, an exhaustive exercise that seeks to define who will be the NBA's best this season. In the first installment of this weeklong series, we count down players 100-51 today.

Given the wide variety of candidates involved and the deep analytical resources available, no single, definitive criterion was used to form this list. Instead, rankings were assigned based on a fluid combination of subjective assessment and objective data. This is an earnest attempt to evaluate each player in a vacuum. As a result, future prospects beyond this season did not play a part in the ranking process, while the influence of team context was minimized to whatever extent was possible. Our sole concern was how players are likely to perform this season alone.

Injuries and injury risks are thus an inevitable component of that judgment, and who that are expected to miss the entire season -- such as Pacers forward Paul George -- were excluded. Past performance (postseason included) weighed heavily in our assessment, with a skew toward the recent. First-year players -- including delayed rookies like Sixers center Nerlens Noel -- were not included for that reason, among others. A predictive quality also came into play with the anticipated improvement of certain younger players, as well as the possible decline of aging veterans. Salary was not taken into consideration, even in those instances where a contract is mentioned. Otherwise, players were ordered based on their complete games -- offense and defense both, along with everything in between.

Naturally, rounding out the top 100 included some tough calls. The list of notable omissions is dotted with players both well regarded and largely deserving, though lines ultimately had to be drawn somewhere -- in many cases based on extremely minor differences. With those exclusions squared away, dive into our list here with Nos. 100-51, followed by Nos. 50-31 on Tuesday, Nos. 30-21 on Wednesday, Nos. 20-11 on Thursday and Nos. 10-1 on Friday. For those interested in understanding more about the ranking process and the limitations of this exercise in general, make a quick detour here.

Please feel free to take a look back to SI.com’s Top 100 Players of 2014 list here. This year’s list includes each player’s ranking from last year for comparison purposes.

Top 25 players "snubbed"

Tony Allen
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Avery Bradley
DeMarre Carroll
Vince Carter
Michael Carter-Williams
Channing Frye
Kevin Garnett
Eric Gordon
Gerald Green
Jeff Green
Spencer Hawes
George Hill
Jordan Hill
Brandon Jennings
Terrence Jones
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Jeremy Lin
Shawn Marion
Josh McRoberts
Timofey Mozgov
Victor Oladipo
Amar'e Stoudemire
Dion Waiters
Nick Young



Top 100 list

100. Boris Diaw
99. Kevin Martin
98. Jimmy Butler
97. Anderson Varejao
96. Danny Green
95. J.R. Smith
94. Kemba Walker
93. J.J. Redick
92. Jeff Teague
91. Ersan Ilyasova

90. Isaiah Thomas
89. Nikola Vucevic
88. Jose Calderon
87. Ricky Rubio
86. Jamal Crawford
85. Andrei Kirilenko
84. Tyreke Evans
83. Trevor Ariza
82. Robin Lopez
81. Arron Afflalo

80. Jonas Valanciunas
79. Derrick Favors
78. Larry Sanders
77. Kenneth Faried
76. Bradley Beal
75. Taj Gibson
74. Kyle Korver
73. Lance Stephenson
72. Wesley Matthews
71. Amir Johnson

70. Tiago Splitter
69. Thaddeus Young
68. Greg Monroe
67. Rudy Gay
66. Monta Ellis
65. Andrew Bogut
64. Omer Asik
63. Nene
62. Danilo Gallinari
61. DeMar DeRozan

60. David Lee
59. Ryan Anderson
58. Marcin Gortat
57. Gordon Hayward
56. Chandler Parsons
55. Luol Deng
54. Klay Thompson
53. Josh Smith
52. Roy Hibbert
51. Joe Johnson

Day 2 (50-31)

50. Jrue Holiday
49. Pau Gasol
48. Nikola Pekovic
47. David West
46. Paul Pierce
45. Deron Williams
44. Ty Lawson
43. Nicolas Batum
42. Zach Randolph
41. Manu Ginobili

40. Rajon Rondo
39. Tyson Chandler
38. DeAndre Jordan
37. Andre Drummond
36. Brook Lopez
35. Goran Dragic
34. Paul Millsap
33. Eric Bledsoe
32. Mike Conley
31. John Wall

Day 3 (30-21)

30. Kyle Lowry
29. Andre Iguodala
28. Kawhi Leonard
27. DeMarcus Cousins
26. Al Jefferson
25. Al Horford
24. Kobe Bryant
23. Derrick Rose
22. Damian Lillard
21. Kyrie Irving

Day 4 (20-11)

20. Dwyane Wade
19. Serge Ibaka
18. Chris Bosh
17. Joakim Noah
16. Marc Gasol
15. Tony Parker
14. Dirk Nowitzki
13. James Harden
12. LaMarcus Aldridge
11. Carmelo Anthony

Day 5 (10-1)

10. Blake Griffin
9. Dwight Howard
8. Stephen Curry
7. Kevin Love
6. Anthony Davis
5. Tim Duncan
4. Russel Westbrook
3. Chris Paul
2. Kevin Durant
1. LeBron James

[Milbuck]

Kemba and Teague still getting underrated like crazy :facepalm

Lol at Josh Smith ~40 spots higher than both. And Galo who didn't play last season is ~30 spots higher..

[MP.Trey]

Korver twenty spots over Kemba Walker. :roll: :roll:

And how can Beal be at 76 and Dipo/Waiters not even be on the list. :biggums:

[fiddy]

Hibbert @52 :wtf: garbage list

[Shade8780]

Every single list I see nowadays, people say it's garbage.

[imdaman99]

JR Smith #95? :wtf:

More like 495 :hammerhead:

[Legends66NBA7]

Every single list I see nowadays, people say it's garbage.

There's only a few selections that bug me, but I agree. This isn't easy to make, but I don't like the fact that they are just using advanced stats to make the list.

[andremiller07]

Stopped at #100 how is Diaw 100 when he's better than people like Ibaka?

How the **** is Ricky Rubio even on the list?

[fsvr54]

Stopped at #100 how is Diaw 100 when he's better than people like Ibaka?

How the **** is Ricky Rubio even on the list?

I agree with Diaw, there are not 99 players in the NBA more skillfull than him.

[Duggrr]

http://www.si.com/nba/2014/top-100-nba-players-2015-list



Top 25 players "snubbed"

Tony Allen
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Avery Bradley
DeMarre Carroll
Vince Carter
Michael Carter-Williams
Channing Frye
Kevin Garnett
Eric Gordon
Gerald Green
Jeff Green
Spencer Hawes
George Hill
Jordan Hill
Brandon Jennings
Terrence Jones
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Jeremy Lin
Shawn Marion
Josh McRoberts
Timofey Mozgov
Victor Oladipo
Amar'e Stoudemire
Dion Waiters
Nick Young



Top 100 list

100. Boris Diaw
99. Kevin Martin
98. Jimmy Butler
97. Anderson Varejao
96. Danny Green
95. J.R. Smith
94. Kemba Walker
93. J.J. Redick
92. Jeff Teague
91. Ersan Ilyasova

90. Isaiah Thomas
89. Nikola Vucevic
88. Jose Calderon
87. Ricky Rubio
86. Jamal Crawford
85. Andrei Kirilenko
84. Tyreke Evans
83. Trevor Ariza
82. Robin Lopez
81. Arron Afflalo

80. Jonas Valanciunas
79. Derrick Favors
78. Larry Sanders
77. Kenneth Faried
76. Bradley Beal
75. Taj Gibson
74. Kyle Korver
73. Lance Stephenson
72. Wesley Matthews
71. Amir Johnson

70. Tiago Splitter
69. Thaddeus Young
68. Greg Monroe
67. Rudy Gay
66. Monta Ellis
65. Andrew Bogut
64. Omer Asik
63. Nene
62. Danilo Gallinari
61. DeMar DeRozan

60. David Lee
59. Ryan Anderson
58. Marcin Gortat
57. Gordon Hayward
56. Chandler Parsons
55. Luol Deng
54. Klay Thompson
53. Josh Smith
52. Roy Hibbert
51. Joe Johnson

Will be covering the rest of the list for the next 4 days.
http://i.imgur.com/m2ToBFI.gif

[kshutts1]

http://www.si.com/nba/2014/top-100-nba-players-2015-list



Top 25 players "snubbed"

Tony Allen
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Avery Bradley
DeMarre Carroll
Vince Carter
Michael Carter-Williams
Channing Frye
Kevin Garnett
Eric Gordon
Gerald Green
Jeff Green
Spencer Hawes
George Hill
Jordan Hill
Brandon Jennings
Terrence Jones
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Jeremy Lin
Shawn Marion
Josh McRoberts
Timofey Mozgov
Victor Oladipo
Amar'e Stoudemire
Dion Waiters
Nick Young



Top 100 list

100. Boris Diaw
99. Kevin Martin
98. Jimmy Butler
97. Anderson Varejao
96. Danny Green
95. J.R. Smith
94. Kemba Walker
93. J.J. Redick
92. Jeff Teague
91. Ersan Ilyasova

90. Isaiah Thomas
89. Nikola Vucevic
88. Jose Calderon
87. Ricky Rubio
86. Jamal Crawford
85. Andrei Kirilenko
84. Tyreke Evans
83. Trevor Ariza
82. Robin Lopez
81. Arron Afflalo

80. Jonas Valanciunas
79. Derrick Favors
78. Larry Sanders
77. Kenneth Faried
76. Bradley Beal
75. Taj Gibson
74. Kyle Korver
73. Lance Stephenson
72. Wesley Matthews
71. Amir Johnson

70. Tiago Splitter
69. Thaddeus Young
68. Greg Monroe
67. Rudy Gay
66. Monta Ellis
65. Andrew Bogut
64. Omer Asik
63. Nene
62. Danilo Gallinari
61. DeMar DeRozan

60. David Lee
59. Ryan Anderson
58. Marcin Gortat
57. Gordon Hayward
56. Chandler Parsons
55. Luol Deng
54. Klay Thompson
53. Josh Smith
52. Roy Hibbert
51. Joe Johnson

Will be covering the rest of the list for the next 4 days.
Bolded the ones that really stood out to me.

[KG215]

Stopped at #100 how is Diaw 100 when he's better than people like Ibaka?

How the **** is Ricky Rubio even on the list?
Never fails. Actually came into this thread to say andremiller won't like this at all since Ibaka is at least in their top 50 and about half of the 15-20 PFs you think are better than Ibaka were ranked in the 51-100 range.

Like how you have to specifically mention Ibaka when mentioning your disagreement with Diaw's ranking. Since he's at 99 and you disagree, there's got to be, what, at least 20-25 players you think he's better than that are or will be ranked ahead of him, yet you specifically call out Ibaka?

Seriously, of all the players in the NBA to have this weird, hater obsession with, Ibaka is about as curious of a choice as it gets.

[FKAri]

Kemba and Teague still getting underrated like crazy :facepalm

Lol at Josh Smith ~40 spots higher than both. And Galo who didn't play last season is ~30 spots higher..

That dude still in the league?j/k

[AirFederer]

100. Boris Diaw

lololol.

[andremiller07]

Never fails. Actually came into this thread to say andremiller won't like this at all since Ibaka is at least in their top 50 and about half of the 15-20 PFs you think are better than Ibaka were ranked in the 51-100 range.

Like how you have to specifically mention Ibaka when mentioning your disagreement with Diaw's ranking. Since he's at 99 and you disagree, there's got to be, what, at least 20-25 players you think he's better than that are or will be ranked ahead of him, yet you specifically call out Ibaka?

Seriously, of all the players in the NBA to have this weird, hater obsession with, Ibaka is about as curious of a choice as it gets.
Boris Diaw given 30 mins a night is easily a top 10 PF how he's 100th is a joke. In every post you fail to recognise everything I have been saying has been accurate

[kurple]

diaw at 100 and faried at 78 is a joke

[Reggie43]

With the departure of Lance and the injury to Paul it was a no brainer that George Hill was due for a breakout season for the Pacers and hes not even listed :confusedshrug:

[ralph_i_el]

Korver twenty spots over Kemba Walker. :roll: :roll:

And how can Beal be at 76 and Dipo/Waiters not even be on the list. :biggums:

Korver should be an All-star if we're looking at actual impact. I'll take the best off-ball shooter in the league on my team any day of the weak.

And Beal is flat better than Dipo and Waiters. see: 2014 playoffs

[Penny37]

Wasn't Derozan an All-Star last year?
How is he at 61?

[Sakkreth]

Wasn't Derozan an All-Star last year?
How is he at 61?

So much this... He's top 25 no doubt, would have to take a better look if he's top 20.

I don't mind Jonas being 80, but if he's 80 how come Splitter is 70 ? And Diaw 100 when Splitter is 70 ???

[KG215]

Boris Diaw given 30 mins a night is easily a top 10 PF how he's 100th is a joke. In every post you fail to recognise everything I have been saying has been accurate
No, not always accurate. I've just given up trying to argue with you because when it comes to Ibaka there's no point. Still doesn't tell me why you had to specifically mention Diaw being better than Ibaka. Seriously, did Ibaka sleep with your mom or something?

[MP.Trey]

Korver should be an All-star if we're looking at actual impact. I'll take the best off-ball shooter in the league on my team any day of the weak.

And Beal is flat better than Dipo and Waiters. see: 2014 playoffs
Going to have to wholeheartedly disagree there. Besides, your logic is flawed. We're talking best individual players, not players who you'd rather have on your team. I'd rather have Tony Allen on my team than James Harden in most situations, doesn't make him the better overall player. I'd rather take Novak than J.R. Smith but that doesn't make Novak a better player than JR.

Could get more in depth to explain my views but I don't have the time right now. Maybe tonight if I remember this thread.

[imdaman99]

Going to have to wholeheartedly disagree there. Besides, your logic is flawed. We're talking best individual players, not players who you'd rather have on your team. I'd rather have Tony Allen on my team than James Harden in most situations, doesn't make him the better overall player. I'd rather take Novak than J.R. Smith but that doesn't make Novak a better player than JR.

Could get more in depth to explain my views but I don't have the time right now. Maybe tonight if I remember this thread.
I'd rather have you playing for the Knicks than JR Smith :cheers:

[Kungfro]

I'm surprised Kyle Lowry is going to be ahead of some of these other point guards. Not that I necessarily disagree, he just doesn't seem to get as much recognition outside of the raptors fan-base.

[Sakkreth]

I'm surprised Kyle Lowry is going to be ahead of some of these other point guards. Not that I necessarily disagree, he just doesn't seem to get as much recognition outside of the raptors fan-base.

I still expect him to be put in 40-50 range which is slightly too low. DeRozan at 61 though :roll:

[Kungfro]

I still expect him to be put in 40-50 range which is slightly too low. DeRozan at 61 though :roll:

It's up to 31 now and he still hasn't showed up.

[Sakkreth]

It's up to 31 now and he still hasn't showed up.

If he gets put on the list soon then it's surprisingly accurate, don't think he's top 25 player, but very close to it. What if he doesn't get voted in at all ? :facepalm Seeing DeRozan at 61 wouldn't be that surprising :lol

[Legends66NBA7]

I've updated the list in the OP.

[Shade8780]

40. Rajon Rondo
































































































39. Tyson Chandler

:roll:

[Doranku]

Stopped at #100 how is Diaw 100 when he's better than people like Ibaka?

How the **** is Ricky Rubio even on the list?
Yeah I saw Tony Allen on the snubbed list, then Ricky Rubio on the actual list and stopped reading.

[TimmyDuncan]

7 spurs in the top 100 (Parker, Green, Kawhi, Duncan, Splitter, Manu, Diaw).
Not bad

[Sakkreth]

7 spurs in the top 100 (Parker, Green, Kawhi, Duncan, Splitter, Manu, Diaw).
Not bad

As it should be, Splitter too high and Diaw too low though.

[BuffaloBill]

:roll:



That's funny

[Doranku]

Paul Pierce > Klay

:roll: This list.

[BuffaloBill]

I just wanna see the top 30. Let's be honest

[Smook A.]

Horrible list so far.

[Legends66NBA7]

Kyle Lowry should be high, considering this is based of 3 advanced metrics that favour him.

[Legends66NBA7]

30-21 list is now up.

[Jlamb47]

List is crap

Ty Lawson too low

[Jailblazers7]

Kemba and Teague still getting underrated like crazy :facepalm

Lol at Josh Smith ~40 spots higher than both. And Galo who didn't play last season is ~30 spots higher..

Calderon is ranked higher and both are clearly better while playing the same position. :lol

[All Net]

Wonder where they decide to rank Anthony Davis.

[HurricaneKid]

There isn't a GM in the NBA that wouldn't take a dozen other guys above Rose and Kobe for this season.

[Duggrr]

20-11 are now updated.

20. Dwayne Wade
19. Serge Ibaka
18. Chris Bosh
17. Joakim Noah
16. Marc Gasol
15. Tony Parker
14. Dirk Nowitzki
13. James Harden
12. LaMarcus Aldridge
11. Carmelo Anthony

Aldridge and Anthony getting underrated IMO.

[ArbitraryWater]

Hm, I actually think the 20-11 stuff is pretty decent.

EDIT: Wait a minute, Kobe is supposed to be better than Kawhi, Cousins, Wall, Lowry, Dragic, Drummond, Bledsoe, Lopez...?

[YouGotServed]

James Harden not even top 10. :oldlol: List is a joke.

[TimmyDuncan]

James Harden not even top 10. :oldlol: List is a joke.
He was a liability on defense last year

[YouGotServed]

He was a liability on defense last year

agreed. still top 10 imo

[Legends66NBA7]

20-11 are now updated.

20. Dwayne Wade
19. Serge Ibaka
18. Chris Bosh
17. Joakim Noah
16. Marc Gasol
15. Tony Parker
14. Dirk Nowitzki
13. James Harden
12. LaMarcus Aldridge
11. Carmelo Anthony

Aldridge and Anthony getting underrated IMO.

Thanks for the bump and update. I was away for the day.

[JohnMax]

These are the 10 players who have not been listed

1 Lebron
2 Durant
3 Westbrook
4 Paul
5 Griffin
6 Davis
7 Love
8 Duncan
9 Curry
10 Howard

[andremiller07]

No, not always accurate. I've just given up trying to argue with you because when it comes to Ibaka there's no point. Still doesn't tell me why you had to specifically mention Diaw being better than Ibaka. Seriously, did Ibaka sleep with your mom or something?
Thats why I said 90% of the time, now looking at the list Ibaka is at #19 is the biggest joke of all time, he would lucky to be 19th among Big men in general let alone in the entire NBA.

No I don't believe he slept with my mom either....well at least I hope not. Christ this list is beyond garbage.

[Kidbasketball20]

JR Smith over Jeremy Lin :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Smook A.]

These are the 10 players who have not been listed

1 Lebron
2 Durant
3 Westbrook
4 Paul
5 Griffin
6 Davis
7 Love
8 Duncan
9 Curry
10 Howard
Tim Duncan getting a little overrated. He's definitely not a top 10 player anymore...

[Just2McFly]

Melo is a top 5-7 player at the very least.... You cannot honestly say that 10 people played better than him last year. Dude had the Knicks in playoff contention months after everyone quit.

[Doranku]

Tim Duncan getting a little overrated. He's definitely not a top 10 player anymore...

This. Duncan higher than Melo? C'mon.

[Nick Young]

Dwight Howard aka mr first round exit is gonna be top 10 XD

[SpanishACB]

those guys should do themselves a favor and drop the # lists in favor of something like tiers so they can stop embarrasing themselves this hard

but I don't really think any of us could make a top 100 list and not get at least a few shockers

[All Net]

Wonder how high they put Duncan...

[Jlamb47]

My boi Duncan at his age still top 10 :bowdown: :rockon: :banana:

[kshutts1]

I wish someone would make a list.. and not just rely on advanced stats to do so.

[Milbuck]

Duncan first a 90 in 2k and now top 10 in the league? What the ****? There is seriously no argument for him to be above guys like Aldridge, Melo, Cousins, Wall, Dragic, Lillard etc. as a player other than "RING". And I'd take guys like Noah, Dirk, Marc, Kawhi, Derozan, and Klay over him as well..



But James Harden finally out of the top 10 :applause:

[Kungfro]

Duncan first a 90 in 2k and now top 10 in the league? What the ****? There is seriously no argument for him to be above guys like Aldridge, Melo, Cousins, Wall, Dragic, Lillard etc. as a player other than "RING". And I'd take guys like Noah, Dirk, Marc, Kawhi, Derozan, and Klay over him as well..



But James Harden finally out of the top 10 :applause:

Just updated, Top 5

10. Blake Griffin
9. Dwight Howard
8. Stephen Curry
7. Kevin Love
6. Anthony Davis
5. Tim Duncan
4. Russel Westbrook
3. Chris Paul
2. Kevin Durant
1. Lebron James

[Milbuck]

Just updated, Top 5

10. Blake Griffin
9. Dwight Howard
8. Stephen Curry
7. Kevin Love
6. Anthony Davis
5. Tim Duncan
4. Russel Westbrook
3. Chris Paul
2. Kevin Durant
1. Lebron James
:biggums:

[Warfan]

I love Timmy, but top 5...:facepalm

[JohnFreeman]

Curry better than Melo? :facepalm

[All Net]

timmy at 5 is a joke..i'm sorry

and i would much rather have Curry than Melo if i'm honest.

[YouGotServed]

Anthony Davis better than Howard
Duncan top 5
harden not top 10

the **** is this? :biggums:

[Qwyjibo]

Move Duncan down to 10 and everyone else up a spot and it looks better. Although even then, Duncan being top 10 is a stretch.

[T_L_P]

Duncan first a 90 in 2k and now top 10 in the league? What the ****? There is seriously no argument for him to be above guys like Aldridge, Melo, Cousins, Wall, Dragic, Lillard etc. as a player other than "RING". And I'd take guys like Noah, Dirk, Marc, Kawhi, Derozan, and Klay over him as well..



But James Harden finally out of the top 10 :applause:

Actually, Duncan being 90 in 2k is very reasonable, especially if you are aware of the new system. You should read about it (basically, Duncan is a more complete big man than Curry or Westbrook are guards, which is 100% true).

Duncan in the top 10 list here is too high imo. Lower end of the top 15 is about right.

And even though I know this is going into next season, I find it hard to believe you'd get more from 2014 John Wall than 2014 Duncan in a Playoff series. Wall was borderline terrible in the Playoffs last year. He racked up slightly better raw numbers than Duncan (16/4/7 to Tim's 16/9/2), but Duncan literally has him beat everywhere else: leadership, defensive impact, efficiency, even clutch play. The same applies to some others you listed.

[Graviton]

The Top 4 is spot on, but after that it's a total cluster****.

[Legends66NBA7]

Projected Top 10 positional ranking for 14/15

Top 10 PG's

1. Chris Paul
2. Russell Westbrook
3. Stephen Curry
4. Tony Parker
5. Kyrie Irving
6. Damian Lillard
7. Kyle Lowry
8. John Wall
9. Goran Dragic
10. Rajon Rondo

Top 10 SG's

1. James Harden
2. Dwyane Wade
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Eric Bledsoe
5. Manu Ginobilli
6. Klay Thompson
7. DeMar DeRozan
8. Monta Ellis
9. Wesley Matthews
10. Lance Stephenson

Top 10 SF's

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Carmelo Anthony
4. Kawhi Leonard
5. Andre Iguodala
6. Nicolas Batum
7. Paul Pierce
8. Joe Johnson
9. Luol Deng
10. Chandler Parsons

Top 10 PF's

1. Tim Duncan
2. Anthony Davis
3. Kevin Love
4. Blake Griffin
5. LaMarcus Aldridge
6. Dirk Nowitzki
7. Chris Bosh
8. Serge Ibaka
9. Paul Millsap
10. Zach Randolph

Top 10 C's

1. Dwight Howard
2. Marc Gasol
3. Joakim Noah
4. Al Horford
5. Al Jefferson
6. DeMarcus Cousins
7. Brook Lopez
8. Andre Drummond
9. DeAndre Jordan
10. Tyson Chandler

[Smook A.]

The writers, Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney, need to be fired ASAP. Horrible ****ing list.

[KG215]

Thats why I said 90% of the time, now looking at the list Ibaka is at #19 is the biggest joke of all time, he would lucky to be 19th among Big men in general let alone in the entire NBA.

No I don't believe he slept with my mom either....well at least I hope not. Christ this list is beyond garbage.
While I think Ibaka in the top 20 is a little too high, it still has him 11th among all big men on their rankings. He's more reasonably in the top 25-40 range. Once you get past Durant and LeBron, and break it down into groups of 15-20 players, you could reasonably make an argument for any of those 15-20 players to be ranked ahead of the rest in their "group" if you picked the right stats and argument to back you.

I'm sure in your mind you could rattle off 25 big men you think are "easily" better than Ibaka and another 5-10 you think are better, which is fine. That's not the problem I have with your post. It's the "biggest joke of all-time" extreme you take it to. You know there are other more overrated, less likable players out there your irrational hate could be spent on, right?

[andremiller07]

While I think Ibaka in the top 20 is a little too high, it still has him 11th among all big men on their rankings. He's more reasonably in the top 25-40 range. Once you get past Durant and LeBron, and break it down into groups of 15-20 players, you could reasonably make an argument for any of those 15-20 players to be ranked ahead of the rest in their "group" if you picked the right stats and argument to back you.

I'm sure in your mind you could rattle off 25 big men you think are "easily" better than Ibaka and another 5-10 you think are better, which is fine. That's not the problem I have with your post. It's the "biggest joke of all-time" extreme you take it to. You know there are other more overrated, less likable players out there your irrational hate could be spent on, right?
I don't really see anyone else who should not be top 50 in the top 20, how is it possible that OKC has not won a ring with two top 10 players (both elite level you could argue both are top 5) easily) and the 19th best player in the NBA, that's just not possible. One of them doesn't impact the game as much as people like to think.

[ArbitraryWater]

My Reaction to Tim Duncan = 5th Best Player in the NBA (LOL)
































http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/wtf3.gif


Lettuce be reality, anything in the top 15 for Duncan is a push... Probably top 20, 25.

[ArbitraryWater]

BTW, Kawhi at just 28? That's low... really low.

He's the best Spurs player, and will easily be next year... So how the fack is Duncan 5th? :lol

TLP, how can Duncan be 15 when Kawhi is better than Duncan?

[Hoopz2332]

The Top 4 is spot on, but after that it's a total cluster****.


top 3 is right but the rest is:biggums:

[T_L_P]

BTW, Kawhi at just 28? That's low... really low.

He's the best Spurs player, and will easily be next year... So how the fack is Duncan 5th? :lol

TLP, how can Duncan be 15 when Kawhi is better than Duncan?

He's not. Duncan had the best regular season RAPM, and he lead the Spurs in Playoff PER, Win Shares and WS/48. 2 more PPG, 2.5 more RPG, .3 more assists, 1.4 less steals, .7 more blocks in just .7 more minutes. Played more vital defense by virtue of being a big.

GameScore per series?

Rd. 1: 15.3 - 8.6 in Duncan's favour
Rd. 2: 17.1 - 12.5 in Kawhi's favour
Rd. 3: 15.3 - 9.4 in Duncan's favour
Rd. 4: 15.8 - 12.9 in Kawhi's favour

Kawhi was better than Duncan in the two easiest series and Duncan was better than Kawhi in the toughest series.

GameScore for Playoffs?

14.2 - 12.2 in Duncan's favour

But yeah, Kawhi has the better On/Off numbers. I guess Fisher was better than Kobe in the 01 regular season and Shaq in the Playoffs.

How's that?

[Smook A.]

Don't really like SI's list, so here's mine. Its just my top 50 for 2014-15

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Chris Paul
4. Russell Westbrook
5. Blake Griffin
6. Anthony Davis
7. Stephen Curry
8. Kevin Love
9. LaMarcus Aldridge
10. Carmelo Anthony
11. James Harden
12. Dwight Howard
13. DeMarcus Cousins
14. John Wall
15. Damian Lillard
16. Dirk Nowitzki
17. Joakim Noah
18. Dwyane Wade
19. Tony Parker
20. Marc Gasol
21. Tim Duncan
22. DeMar DeRozan
23. Al Jefferson
24. Kyrie Irving
25. Goran Dragic
26. Rajon Rondo
27. Al Horford
28. Chris Bosh
29. Kyle Lowry
30. Klay Thompson
31. Kawhi Leonard
32. Monta Ellis
33. Paul Millsap
34. Serge Ibaka
35. Lance Stephenson
36. Nicolas Batum
37. Manu Ginobili
38. Rudy Gay
39. Eric Bledsoe
40. Ty Lawson
41. Mike Conley
42. Zach Randolph
43. Chandler Parsons
44. Kemba Walker
45. DeAndre Jordan
46. Gordon Hayward
47. David Lee
48. Greg Monroe
49. Jeff Teague
50. Andre Drummond

*I didn't include Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, and of course Paul George. The reason why I didn't put Kobe and D-Rose is because I have no idea how they'll play.

[KG215]

I don't really see anyone else who should not be top 50 in the top 20, how is it possible that OKC has not won a ring with two top 10 players (both elite level you could argue both are top 5) easily) and the 19th best player in the NBA, that's just not possible. One of them doesn't impact the game as much as people like to think.
Ibaka isn't a top 20 player. Doesn't mean he doesn't have a positive/good impact on the game. I think you underrate his defensive impact and are pretty much spot on about his offensive impact. Here's something to consider, and something I've started to think about and wonder more over the last couple of years: why don't you (and others) think that maybe Ibaka is a product of his environment on the offensive end? Would OKC benefit from a lowpost scorer? Sure, but I honestly think a large part of why Ibaka has become almost strictly a mid-range and offensive rebound-putback PF is because that's what OKC has steered him towards being. It opens up the lane for two elite slashers/perimeter players in Durant and Westbrook and also gives them a release if the defense collapses.

Now, I'm not saying Ibaka, in another environment and on different team, would've developed into a low-post threat, but I do think the system -- and I use system lightly because Scott Brooks is about as clueless as it comes when implementing an offensive system -- in OKC has somewhat made him what he is offensively. And it's not like he's close to average at that. Ibaka is an elite mid-range jump shooter, one of the best in the NBA. And when he's engaged he can be a force attacking the offensive glass...which he was MUCH more consistent at doing this year averaging 2.8 ORPG this past season which was good for 13th in the NBA. Considering he spends most of his time on offense playing 12-18 feet away from the basket, I'd say that's pretty damn good.

I'm not trying to get you to say Ibaka is a good to great "true" big man in that he's good with his back to the basket, because he's not. But he is VERY good offensively at what he's asked to do and his defensive impact is greater than I think you realize. Before this season, sure, I'd say you're mostly right, but I think he improved as an all-around defender this year and I think you've always underrated his impact as a rim protector.

[All Net]

Blake is too low for me too.

[JohnFreeman]

Curry has no business in the top 10

[All Net]

Curry has no business in the top 10

Huh? how? Curry should be lower than 7-8 in most rankings. Some even have him top 5-6.

[JohnFreeman]

Huh? how? Curry should be lower than 7-8 in most rankings. Some even have him top 5-6.
You think Curry is better than Melo, Griffin or Harden?

[All Net]

You think Curry is better than Melo, Griffin or Harden?

I would rather have him on my team than Melo or Harden If I'm honest. Blake is better to me but I'm a big Blake fan anyway.

[Heavincent]

You think Curry is better than Melo, Griffin or Harden?

Blake? Maybe not. Melo and Haren? Definitely.

Curry is quite easily in the top 10.

[hawksdogsbraves]

Don't really like SI's list, so here's mine. Its just my top 50 for 2014-15

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Chris Paul
4. Russell Westbrook
5. Blake Griffin
6. Anthony Davis
7. Stephen Curry
8. Kevin Love
9. LaMarcus Aldridge
10. Carmelo Anthony
11. James Harden
12. Dwight Howard
13. DeMarcus Cousins
14. John Wall
15. Damian Lillard
16. Dirk Nowitzki
17. Joakim Noah
18. Dwyane Wade
19. Tony Parker
20. Marc Gasol
21. Tim Duncan
22. DeMar DeRozan
23. Al Jefferson
24. Kyrie Irving
25. Goran Dragic
26. Rajon Rondo
27. Al Horford
28. Chris Bosh
29. Kyle Lowry
30. Klay Thompson
31. Kawhi Leonard
32. Monta Ellis
33. Paul Millsap
34. Serge Ibaka
35. Lance Stephenson
36. Nicolas Batum
37. Manu Ginobili
38. Rudy Gay
39. Eric Bledsoe
40. Ty Lawson
41. Mike Conley
42. Zach Randolph
43. Chandler Parsons
44. Kemba Walker
45. DeAndre Jordan
46. Gordon Hayward
47. David Lee
48. Greg Monroe
49. Jeff Teague
50. Andre Drummond

*I didn't include Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, and of course Paul George. The reason why I didn't put Kobe and D-Rose is because I have no idea how they'll play.

I think this is a pretty reasonable ranking.

Things I disagree with:

Irving is about 8 spots too low.

Leonard is too high.

That's really about it, that's a solid top 50 ranking imo.

[Kidbasketball20]

I think this is a pretty reasonable ranking.

Things I disagree with:

Irving is about 8 spots too low.

Leonard is too high.

That's really about it, that's a solid top 50 ranking imo.

Harden at 10 loses ALL credibility. :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

[oarabbus]

http://i.imgur.com/m2ToBFI.gif

:applause: :lol

[Heavincent]

I'm not including Kobe or Rose either.

1. Lebron
2. KD
3. Anthony Davis
4. Curry
5. Griffin
6. Westbrook
7. Paul
8. Love
9. LMA
10. Kawhi Leonard (bold prediction, I think he has a breakout year)
11. Howard
12. Duncan
13. Parker
14. Melo
15. Lillard
16. Marc Gasol
17. Noah
18. Klay Thompson (his defense is highly underrated)
19. Harden
20. Irving/Dragic

[UK2K]

Just updated, Top 5

10. Blake Griffin
9. Dwight Howard
8. Stephen Curry
7. Kevin Love
6. Anthony Davis
5. Tim Duncan
4. Russel Westbrook
3. Chris Paul
2. Kevin Durant
1. Lebron James
:wtf:

Wow.

[houston]

tim duncan a top 10 player :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol:

[masonanddixon]

Dragic at 34 and below Bledsoe? Dirk at 14? Duncan #5?

What a horrific list

[ArbitraryWater]

He's not. Duncan had the best regular season RAPM, and he lead the Spurs in Playoff PER, Win Shares and WS/48. 2 more PPG, 2.5 more RPG, .3 more assists, 1.4 less steals, .7 more blocks in just .7 more minutes. Played more vital defense by virtue of being a big.

GameScore per series?

Rd. 1: 15.3 - 8.6 in Duncan's favour
Rd. 2: 17.1 - 12.5 in Kawhi's favour
Rd. 3: 15.3 - 9.4 in Duncan's favour
Rd. 4: 15.8 - 12.9 in Kawhi's favour

Kawhi was better than Duncan in the two easiest series and Duncan was better than Kawhi in the toughest series.

GameScore for Playoffs?

14.2 - 12.2 in Duncan's favour

But yeah, Kawhi has the better On/Off numbers. I guess Fisher was better than Kobe in the 01 regular season and Shaq in the Playoffs.

How's that?

Parker was better than Duncan, too, you know.

Kawhi took this team to another level... Dropped 30 on the Heat, two more big scoring games... Just a level Duncan't can't singlehandedly reach anymore. He's carried on by the rest of the team.

[T_L_P]

Parker was better than Duncan, too, you know.

Kawhi took this team to another level... Dropped 30 on the Heat, two more big scoring games... Just a level Duncan't can't singlehandedly reach anymore. He's carried on by the rest of the team.

And yet, literally every determining factor other than On/Off numbers suggest otherwise.

How can people seriously forget what happened a couple of months ago? Before the Finals there was legit talk of Kawhi being underwhelming. So because he was the best player in the two easiest series (and Duncan was the best in the two hardest), he's now the best player?

Like I said, I find it hard to believe you can lead your team in RAPM, PER, Win Shares, Win Shares per 48, and have the best raw stats, as well as being the defensive anchor and on-court leader, and be just the third best player on your team.

If you're gonna say it's Kawhi or Parker at least qualify it, using the very few things (Kawhi's On/Off numbers and Finals MVP, Parker's All-Star selection) they have on their side.

EDIT: also, what does, "He's carried on by the rest of the team" mean?

[ArbitraryWater]

Most bigs can fill in what Duncan is doing right now...

You're a Spurs fan, you see it every game.. Parker and Manu penetrate, Duncan gets easy layups.. Duncan can take off stretches, and the Spurs still roll... I remember like a 1-9 half against the Thunder, Spurs still cruising...
Splitter could give the Spurs what Duncan gave them at times aswell, while taking on tougher defensive covers.

The Spurs live off their shooting, ball movement, passing, Parker/Manu/Leonard... What Duncan is doing, won't be missed as much as what any of those 3 do.

[T_L_P]

Most bigs can fill in what Duncan is doing right now...

You're a Spurs fan, you see it every game.. Parker and Manu penetrate, Duncan gets easy layups.. Duncan can take off stretches, and the Spurs still roll... I remember like a 1-9 half against the Thunder, Spurs still cruising...
Splitter could give the Spurs what Duncan gave them at times aswell, while taking on tougher defensive covers.

The Spurs live off their shooting, ball movement, passing, Parker/Manu/Leonard... What Duncan is doing, won't be missed as much as what any of those 3 do.

Everything you posted works both ways.

Parker: won the hardest game of the damn season with him missing half of it. Spurs were down 7 when he checked out and they end up winning.

Manu: practically swept the Blazers with him averaging 9/4/4 on 29% shooting. An abomination of a series. But yes, his play decides where this team goes.

Kawhi: had an underwhelming series against the Thunder, goes scoreless in the 4th+OT of game 6 even though Parker was not there to carry the load.

Meanwhile, Duncan scores 7 of the Spurs' 11 points in OT.

You can probably find a stretch or a half or a game this Playoffs where Duncan didn't perform well and the Spurs still chugged on, but not a whole series like the others, because, as many call him, he's Mr. Consistency.

Add to that the fact that he was the best statistical player, and I again challenge that's it's pretty far fetched to suggest he's the team's third or fourth best player (you implied he was when you mentioned Manu).

You say what Duncan does can be replaced, but there's no real example of it. Everytime he's been injured (2000), or played like utter shit (2010, 2011), we've crashed out of the Playoffs.

Parker basically misses a whole game and we still win. Manu played like dogshit and we still win. Leonard averages 12/6 on 41% in a series, goes scoreless in the most important moments, with his team's best or second best player missing, and we win.

The thing is, Leonard (and Leonard only) has a legitimate claim for the team's best player. But it's not as simple as saying "he plays lockdown defense and has a bigger role on offense." At this point you need to prove his case, because Duncan clearly has the upper-hand in the most used rationales. :confusedshrug:

[houston]

parker and melo should be top ten

[ballup]

I think we all can take something from this. Lists suck and always take them with a shaker of salt.

[Milbuck]

parker and melo should be top ten
No he shouldn't.

[houston]

No he shouldn't.


dude just won championship as his team best player and still playing at a high level