Top 10 players going into 2016

[TheMarkMadsen]

who do ya got..

[Smoke117]

Who do you got...that's how you do this, playboy. Put Kobe in the top 10 so we can all have a good laugh.

[outbreak]

lebron
durant
harden
davis
griffin
curry
irving
westbrook
cousins
paul

no particular order.

[branslowski]

1. Anthony Davis
2. Kevin Durant
3. LeBron James
4. Russell WestBrook
5. Steph Curry
6. James Harden
7. Blake Griffin
8. Demarcus Cousins
9. Kyrie Irving
10. Deangelo Russell

[ekosky]

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Anthony Davis
4. James Harden
5. Russell Westbrook
6. Chris Paul
7. Stephen Curry
8. Blake Griffin
9. LaMarcus Aldridge
10. DeMarcus Cousins

[FreezingTsmoove]

In Order


KD
Kawhi
Paul George
Harden
Westbrook

[Droid101]

Anthony Davis
Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant
James Harden
Russell Westbrook
LeBron James
Blake Griffin
Chris Paul
DeMarcus Cousins
Kyrie Irving

[Duggrr]

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Anthony Davis
4. James Harden
5. Russell Westbrook
6. Chris Paul
7. Stephen Curry
8. Blake Griffin
9. LaMarcus Aldridge
10. DeMarcus Cousins
Pretty much this.

[ekosky]

Has there ever been an MVP, other than Steph, that has been considered to be only a borderline top 5 player in the league? :oldlol:

[SouBeachTalents]

Has there ever been an MVP, other than Steph, that has been considered to be only a borderline top 5 player in the league? :oldlol:

Nash & Rose?

[TiagoSimoes]

Has there ever been an MVP, other than Steph, that has been considered to be only a borderline top 5 player in the league? :oldlol:

Rose.

KD,LBJ,Dwight,Paul,Kobe were all better players

[ekosky]

Rose.

KD,LBJ,Dwight,Paul,Kobe were all better players
Rose was definitely better than Kobe and Paul that year.

I'd personally have him right behind Bron and Dwight.

[Legends66NBA7]

Curry isn't a borderline Top 5 player. I'd have him at least Top 3 at the moment.

Curry was better than Rose and Nash in the years they won MVP.

[SouBeachTalents]

Curry isn't a borderline Top 5 player. I'd have him at least Top 3 at the mmoment.

Curry was better than Rose and Nash in the years they won MVP.

You've got him ahead of LeBron, Durant, and/or AD?

[Legends66NBA7]

You've got him ahead of LeBron, Durant, and/or AD?

From the end of last season, I would only put LeBron ahead of Steph.

By next season, I think LeBron and healthy Durant will be ahead of him. Verdict is still out on Davis, although he very well could surpass Steph too. Wonder if Kerr gives Steph more of a green light to shoot more and with more minutes, his averages would be a consistent 27-5-8 player on top efficiency. Still has to work on his defense more.

[Akrazotile]

1. LeRon
2. Sim Bhullar
3. Anthony Davis
4. Stephen Curry
5. Kevin Durant
6. Koby Brian
7. Dwight Howard
8. Chris Paul
9. Blake Griffin
10. Tyreke Evans

[wally_world]

LeBron
KD
AD

Curry
Westbrook
Harden

Boogie
Marc Gasol
LaMarcus
Blake

not gonna pass judgement on PG13 yet but if he's 100% he'll bounce one of these guys out

[Suguru101]

Rose was definitely better than Kobe and Paul that year.

I'd personally have him right behind Bron and Dwight.

I think the 5 better were LeBron, Dwight, Wade, Dirk and Durant.

Dirk and Durant just were better offensively. Wade was more complete (2012 Wade was a much better defender and as good a playmaker, oh and he was healthy)

[chips93]

I split them up into tiers

Lebron
Davis
Durant

Curry
Harden
Westbrook
Paul

Griffin
Boogie

Aldridge
Carmelo
Wall
Irving
Kawhi
George

[Lebron23]

LeBron with this 5th NBA MVP. He's going to use that anger and motivation to win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

KD
CP3
Cousins
Westbrook
Kawhi
Davis
Bran
Wall
Steph
Kyrie
HM: George, Hardon, LMA and Blake. Hopefully Love gets back to his dominant self but well......never mind

[Smoke117]

LeBron with this 5th NBA MVP. He's going to use that anger and motivation to win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.

lol...lebron angry is about as much a threat as my cat tigger when I rub his belly and he growls...we all know the threat is a joke.

[MellowYellow]

Curry
AD
Durant
Lebron
Westbrook
Harden
Melo
Griffin
CP3
Cousins

[Prime_Shaq]

1. Anthony Davis
2. LeBron James
3. Kevin Durant
4. Stephen Curry
5. James Harden
6. Russell Westbrook
7. Chris Paul
8. Blake Griffin
9. Kawhi Leonard
10. DeMarcus Cousins

[TonyMontana]

Top Tier
Kevin Durant
Anthony Davis
LeBron

Mid Tier
Steven Curry
Chris Paul
Westbrook
James Harden
Deandre Jordan

Spurs rounding out the top 10 tier
Tim Duncan
Kawhi Leonard

Note: Only one Eastern Conference player on the list...

[BigTicket]

Best players:
- Lebron James
- Kevin Durant
- Anthony Davis

2nd tier:
- James Harden
- Steph Curry
- Russell Westbrook

Rest of the top 10:
- Chris Paul
- Blake Griffin
- DeMarcus Cousins
- LaMarcus Aldridge

[Lebron23]

lol...lebron angry is about as much a threat as my cat tigger when I rub his belly and he growls...we all know the threat is a joke.


We'll see more of this dunk from LeBron in 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cke0Ad1d5oQ

[ronnymac]

LBJ
Durant
Harden
Anthony Davis
Curry
Westbrook
Paul
Aldridge
Griffin
Melo



then the 2nd tier

....

[ronnymac]

KD
CP3
Cousins
Westbrook
Kawhi
Davis
Bran
Wall
Steph
Kyrie
HM: George, Hardon, LMA and Blake. Hopefully Love gets back to his dominant self but well......never mind
Harden is not top 10?:roll:

[Prime_Shaq]

We'll see more of this dunk from LeBron in 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cke0Ad1d5oQ
Great dunk but how was that near the free throw line? :oldlol:

[Chief Keef]

This may be first time I've seen Deandre Jordan in someone's top 10

[24-Inch_Chrome]

LeBron
Durant
Davis
Curry
Harden
Westbrook
Paul
Cousins
Griffin
Leonard

[MP.Trey]

LeBron with this 5th NBA MVP. He's going to use that anger and motivation to win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.
I'd rather see him use that anger to win a championship, personally.

[plowking]

Anyone who doesn't have Bron or KD first is lying to themselves and doesn't actually believe what they're typing.

[MellowYellow]

Anyone who doesn't have Bron or KD first is lying to themselves and doesn't actually believe what they're typing.
Aside from rebounding what did lebron do better than curry last year? And lebron keeps getting worse each season while curry is on the upswing entering his peak.

[aj1987]

Aside from rebounding what did lebron do better than curry last year? And lebron keeps getting worse each season while curry is on the upswing entering his peak.
The only thing that Curry does better than LeBron is shoot.

LeBron/KD
KD/LeBron
Davis
Blake
Curry
WB
Cousins
CP3
Harden
Melo

[MellowYellow]

The only thing that Curry does better than LeBron is shoot.

LeBron/KD
KD/LeBron
Davis
Blake
Curry
WB
Cousins
CP3
Harden
Melo


so wrong, curry also a better passer and ball handler and he is a more efficient scorer that can create his shot easier.

[aj1987]

so wrong, curry also a better passer and ball handler and he is a more efficient scorer that can create his shot easier.
Better ball handler? Sure. Better passer? :oldlol:

Dude averaged like 0.3 assists more than LeBron and he's a starting PG. Again, Curry is a MUCH better shooter and because of his 3pt shot, he's going to be better than LeBron, but he's not a better scorer than LeBron. Both are equal, TBH.

Scoring - Wash
Defense - LeBron
Rebounding - LeBron
Passing/Playmaking - LeBron
Shooting - Curry

[superteamtheory]

1. King
2. gotta be KD
3. Anthony Davis <assuming he's better than last year (which is.. wow..)
4-6 tight race probably in this order: Steph Curry, James Harden & Russell Westbrook
7. Chris Paul
8. Blake Griffin
9. Kyrie Irving
10. Lamarcus Aldridge
…
sleeper hits: Kawhi Leonard if he becomes an offensive all-star too, Demarcus Cousins if the Kings can get it together
…
effective but all for nothing: Derrick Rose, Marc Gasol, Mello when healthy
…
don't underestimate impact come playoffs: Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker (if healthier, maybe his career is in decline, we'll see)

[MellowYellow]

Better ball handler? Sure. Better passer? :oldlol:

Dude averaged like 0.3 assists more than LeBron and he's a starting PG. Again, Curry is a MUCH better shooter and because of his 3pt shot, he's going to be better than LeBron, but he's not a better scorer than LeBron. Both are equal, TBH.

Scoring - Wash
Defense - LeBron
Rebounding - LeBron
Passing/Playmaking - LeBron
Shooting - Curry

If we are talking 09-14 lebron sure, but his efficiency and scoring ability has dropped and is only getting worse. In no way is scoring a wash. Passing/playmaking isn't something you give more credit to lebron just because he is a small forward. Curry is a better passer, he turns the ball over less and the eye test agrees.

Lebron isn't really even a better defender anymore, for stretches he can still be great but he takes so many possessions off now that you can hardly call him a great defender anymore while Curry is a much improved defender. I would call D a wash.

[JtotheIzzo]

As of today, July 24th 2015 it looks like this:

LeBron
Curry
Harden
Davis
Westbrook
Durant (#2 if he comes back healthy)
Griffin
Paul
Boogie
Melo (barely)

[BlakFrankWhite]

#1. Westbrook

Has anyone seen such a massive improvement in one season as Westbrook showed last season?

2014: 21/5/7

2015: 28/7/9

#1 in scoring
#4 in assists
#1 in rebounds ( for guards)
#2 in steals

Westbrook is already the most productive player in the
league...and With KD on limited minutes...I believe Westbrook will win MVP next season.

[aj1987]

If we are talking 09-14 lebron sure, but his efficiency and scoring ability has dropped and is only getting worse. In no way is scoring a wash.
Again, LeBron is a better finished at the rim, a pretty good 3pt shooter (sucked ass in the PO's though), and a very good post player. The only thing Curry does better than LeBron scoring wise is shooting the ball. He's deadly from almost all over the court when it comes to shooting.


Passing/playmaking isn't something you give more credit to lebron just because he is a small forward. Curry is a better passer, he turns the ball over less and the eye test agrees.
LeBron averaged 7.4 APG on 3.9 TOV's as the starting SF on his team. You do realize that he plays alongside a top 5 PG in the league, right? A dude who averages over 5 APG. Curry averaged 7.7 on 3.1 TOV's a game. The numbers are on Curry's side, but as I said, one is a starting SF playing with a top 5 PG and the other is a starting PG.


Lebron isn't really even a better defender anymore, for stretches he can still be great but he takes so many possessions off now that you can hardly call him a great defender anymore while Curry is a much improved defender. I would call D a wash.
I didn't call LeBron a "great" defender. He wasn't that in the RS or the PO's. He still, however, is a much better defender than Curry. Calling their defense a wash just proves that you do not actually watch the games.

Also, don't forget that LeBron has back, knee, and ankle (?) issues almost throughout the season. Missed a significant amount of time because of his injuries as well.

BTW, how many votes did Curry get for the FMVP?

[K Xerxes]

Best players:
- Lebron James
- Kevin Durant
- Anthony Davis

2nd tier:
- James Harden
- Steph Curry
- Russell Westbrook

Rest of the top 10:
- Chris Paul
- Blake Griffin
- DeMarcus Cousins
- LaMarcus Aldridge

Good list, but I'd switch Harden for Paul. And not sure if you're ranking the tiers, but Westbrook is the best of the 2nd tier imo.

[superteamtheory]

#1. Westbrook

Has anyone seen such a massive improvement in one season as Westbrook showed last season?

2014: 21/5/7

2015: 28/7/9

#1 in scoring
#4 in assists
#1 in rebounds ( for guards)
#2 in steals

Westbrook is already the most productive player in the
league...and With KD on limited minutes...I believe Westbrook will win MVP next season.

2015-2016 will settle the Westbrook thing..
I'm not sure myself / hope it's here to stay b/c league will be more fun that way..
Westbrook is sick, but I just wonder if he can consistently do that again this year or if that was a one-off berserker rampage..

Eye test says he's a lot closer to Harden and Curry tho then people realize / that's why it's absurd when they use his team's record against him in the MVP debate / it's always stupid when you use the record against if the rosters aren't equal-ish... I don't believe Harden or Curry would have got that K.D.-less Thunder roster any higher...

[kshutts1]

Assuming everyone is healthy...

Lebron
Durant
Davis
Westbrook
Cousins
Griffin
Paul
Curry
Harden
Melo

I'm anticipating an improvement in Cousins.
Paul is on the down-swing. Marginally, but it's enough.
Curry loses points because of his subpar defense, as do Harden and Melo.

As you can all see, team wins don't really factor in to my rankings.

[ArbitraryWater]

LeBron
KD
Davis

Kawhi
Harden
Boogie (taking another step)
Curry
Blake
Westbrook
Paul


Marc Gasol
Aldridge

Wall
Irving



LeBron with this 5th NBA MVP. He's going to use that anger and motivation to win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.

dude, you've been saying this for 2 years though :lol

MVP winning time is over... there's no 'anger'....

[ArbitraryWater]

Looks like Bron still the consensus 1.... wow

[superteamtheory]

dude, you've been saying this for 2 years though :lol

MVP winning time is over... there's no 'anger'....

he should.. he should be pissed about 2015 in general..

and he's in a weak East, if he doesn't coast for the early stretches like he did last year he can absolutely get best record in league (or 2nd best worst if SuperSpurs take #1) ...

all the conditions are right for a 5th MVP including the lack of another guy who will clearly win it (other contenders: The Brow depending on how much Pelicans improve, Chris Paul if the Clippers secured best league record / last year's gamewinner over Duncan set the stage for a 2016 campaign, Harden will have an even better case this year with the improved other teams if he can pull off something similar as last year ... otherwise I don't see other serious contenders -- K.D. and Westbrook will cancel each other out unless NBA does something historical and gives it to them in a tie which would be supercool / deserved b/c I think the Thunder really are just a 2-man team unless Kanter breaks through ... none of those options are exactly locks...)

LBJ should win his 5th. but will he? I gotta admit, the last few years have shown, he doesn't care much about the regular season, or even playoffs round 1... or even game 1 of round 2... and he'll ease off the pedal again when he sees the win is in sight... he is committed to longevity and avoiding injuries which is also why he won't drive to rim more in Finals... (that and he doesn't believe he'll get the calls, there I sympathize.) ...

if I could tell him one thing going into 2016, it'd be that he should win his 5th MVP year, he should actually try to do it... but I think he'd still be worried he'll get injured in the process and miss a shot at a ring that way... :(

[K Xerxes]

Looks like Bron still the consensus 1.... wow

Mainly due to poor superstar competition. Durant would be easily the consensus #1 if he stayed healthy and continued his level of play of 2014. Davis is still really young with a crappy roster destined to be playoff fodder. Who else? Curry, Paul and Westbrook all PGs with less impact on the game. Harden a playoff choker.

Not a huge accomplishment that Bron is still marginally number 1.

[K Xerxes]

he should.. he should be pissed about 2015 in general..

and he's in a weak East, if he doesn't coast for the early stretches like he did last year he can absolutely get best record in league (or 2nd best worst if SuperSpurs take #1) ...

all the conditions are right for a 5th MVP including the lack of another guy who will clearly win it (other contenders: The Brow depending on how much Pelicans improve, Chris Paul if the Clippers secured best league record / last year's gamewinner over Duncan set the stage for a 2016 campaign, Harden will have an even better case this year with the improved other teams if he can pull off something similar as last year ... otherwise I don't see other serious contenders -- K.D. and Westbrook will cancel each other out unless NBA does something historical and gives it to them in a tie which would be supercool / deserved b/c I think the Thunder really are just a 2-man team unless Kanter breaks through ... none of those options are exactly locks...)

LBJ should win his 5th. but will he? I gotta admit, the last few years have shown, he doesn't care much about the regular season, or even playoffs round 1... or even game 1 of round 2... and he'll ease off the pedal again when he sees the win is in sight... he is committed to longevity and avoiding injuries which is also why he won't drive to rim more in Finals... (that and he doesn't believe he'll get the calls, there I sympathize.) ...

if I could tell him one thing going into 2016, it'd be that he should win his 5th MVP year, he should actually try to do it... but I think he'd still be worried he'll get injured in the process and miss a shot at a ring that way... :(

LeBron's already accumulated too much mileage on his body to give a shit about the regular season. It's not about anger or desire. I'm sure if he could, he'd go for the MVP. But he's not going to play enough games or minutes, nor put up the required stats for MVP. He's going to take a step back throughout the regular season, and then up it for the playoffs. It's necessary due to his declining stamina. This ain't the Bron of 08-10.

[Richie2k6]

Can't wrap my head around why anybody would have Harden 3rd..

[Bankaii]

Not a huge accomplishment that Bron is still marginally number 1.
Found the retard of the day. At least you tried, bud.

[WorldWarriors]

1. Lebron
2. KD (if healthy)
3. Curry
4. Davis
5. CP3
6. Harden
7. Westbrook
8. Griffin
9. Cousins
10. Wall or Kyrie (If healthy)


Damn we need some more top players in the eastern conference. Hopefully somebody will break out this season.

[dunksby]

Tier 1:
KD
LeBron

Tier 2:
Westbrook
Harden
Curry
Davis
CP3
Cousins

Tier 3:
D12
BG
Klay
Kawhi
M. Gasol
Kyrie

[pastis]

KD
Lebron
A.Davis

Westbrook
Harden
curry

DMC
LMA
Kyrie Irving
Chris Paul


HM: is see Pau Gasol, Wade and Melo having great seasons if healthy as well.

[BuffaloBill]

Tier 1:
KD
LeBron

Tier 2:
Westbrook
Harden
Curry
Davis
CP3
Cousins

Tier 3:
D12
BG
Klay
Kawhi
M. Gasol
Kyrie


2/14 from the east :lol

[sd3035]

Durant
Curry
Davis








The rest

[TheMarkMadsen]

so the consensus is that 9/10 of the best players play in the west

and the two best players out east are on the same team

[HOoopCityJones]

Who do you got...that's how you do this, playboy. Put Kobe in the top 10 so we can all have a good laugh.


Seems like you more worried about Kobe than OP is. Jesus , talk about rent free. :lol

[Doranku]

2/14 from the east :lol

And they're both on the same team. :roll:

[ArbitraryWater]

he should.. he should be pissed about 2015 in general..

and he's in a weak East, if he doesn't coast for the early stretches like he did last year he can absolutely get best record in league (or 2nd best worst if SuperSpurs take #1) ...

all the conditions are right for a 5th MVP including the lack of another guy who will clearly win it (other contenders: The Brow depending on how much Pelicans improve, Chris Paul if the Clippers secured best league record / last year's gamewinner over Duncan set the stage for a 2016 campaign, Harden will have an even better case this year with the improved other teams if he can pull off something similar as last year ... otherwise I don't see other serious contenders -- K.D. and Westbrook will cancel each other out unless NBA does something historical and gives it to them in a tie which would be supercool / deserved b/c I think the Thunder really are just a 2-man team unless Kanter breaks through ... none of those options are exactly locks...)

LBJ should win his 5th. but will he? I gotta admit, the last few years have shown, he doesn't care much about the regular season, or even playoffs round 1... or even game 1 of round 2... and he'll ease off the pedal again when he sees the win is in sight... he is committed to longevity and avoiding injuries which is also why he won't drive to rim more in Finals... (that and he doesn't believe he'll get the calls, there I sympathize.) ...

if I could tell him one thing going into 2016, it'd be that he should win his 5th MVP year, he should actually try to do it... but I think he'd still be worried he'll get injured in the process and miss a shot at a ring that way... :(

Griffin, KD, Davis, Curry, Harden, underdog Kawhi pick.... no, none of the conditions are right for another MVP, this man is 30 years old, he doesn't give a damn about the regular season.

He was injured dummie, the back visibly bothered him. Man was still an MVP candidate like you said, but if there is a 67-win team around, you'll have a hard time getting it... not hard to understand.


Mainly due to poor superstar competition. Durant would be easily the consensus #1 if he stayed healthy and continued his level of play of 2014. Davis is still really young with a crappy roster destined to be playoff fodder. Who else? Curry, Paul and Westbrook all PGs with less impact on the game. Harden a playoff choker.

Not a huge accomplishment that Bron is still marginally number 1.

If he plays like he did in 2014 in 2015? No, not enough, will need to be better in the playoffs... otherwise sure, LeBron declined in 2015, and he was the best player the year before.

KD and Davis are top 20 prospects, one who could be at his peak right now the other already in his prime.

[Heavincent]

1. Anthony Davis
2. Steph Curry
3. Lebron James
4. Kevin Durant
5. James Harden
6. Russell Westbrook
7. Kawhi Leonard
8. Blake Griffin
9. Chris Paul
10. DeMarcus Cousins

[RRR3]

so the consensus is that 9/10 of the best players play in the west

and the two best players out east are on the same team
Kyrie is in no way better than Carmelo and a healthy Paul George.

[RRR3]

1. Anthony Davis
2. Steph Curry
3. Lebron James
4. Kevin Durant
5. James Harden
6. Russell Westbrook
7. Kawhi Leonard
8. Blake Griffin
9. Chris Paul
10. DeMarcus Cousins
Curry two spots ahead of Durant :roll:

[Heavincent]

Curry two spots ahead of Durant :roll:

I feel pretty comfortable taking the reigning MVP and NBA champion over a guy who suffered a terrible foot injury (very hard injury to come back from, especially for a 7 footer).

[mehyaM24]

Curry two spots ahead of Durant :roll:
does it really matter when all those players are close?

curry = best player on a championship team. that's got to account for something.

[Heavincent]

does it really matter when all those players are close?

curry = best player on a championship team. that's got to account for something.

Yeah those 4 can be in any order and I wouldn't have much of a problem.

[RRR3]

Durant will be fine. If he's healthy he is quite clearly superior to Curry

[WorldWarriors]

Kyrie is in no way better than Carmelo and a healthy Paul George.

I almost put PG on my list but I honestly forgot about Melo.

[mehyaM24]

Durant will be fine. If he's healthy he is quite clearly superior to Curry
wrong.

[Milbuck]

1. Davis
2. Durant
3. Lebron
4. Curry
5. Westbrook
6. Cousins
7. Blake
8. CP3
9. Harden
10. Wall

[RRR3]

1. Davis
2. Durant
3. Lebron
4. Curry
5. Westbrook
6. Cousins
7. Blake
8. CP3
9. Harden
10. Wall
My god you actually are giving Harden some credit now.
I'm assuming him finally having a good playoff run (I know his last game was horrendous but overall he was very good in the playoffs) convince you?

[Dr Hawk]

If Durant is healthy:

1. Durant
2. Davis
3. LEBron
4. Curry
5. Harden
6. Westbrook
7 Paul
8. Cousins
9. Peter Griffin
10. Some *****

[Milbuck]

My god you actually are giving Harden some credit now.
I'm assuming him finally having a good playoff run (I know his last game was horrendous but overall he was very good in the playoffs) convince you?
Oh shit! Caught me slipping. Edited. Thanks for the catch, bro.

[RRR3]

Oh shit! Caught me slipping. Edited. Thanks for the catch, bro.
:rolleyes:

You know he's good give him a break. He proved he's a superstar.

[G0ATbe]

Durant
Davis
Kobe
Kyrie
Curry
Westbrook
Harden
Melo
Love
D'angelo

[K Xerxes]

:rolleyes:

You know he's good give him a break. He proved he's a superstar.

If Harden qualifies as a superstar, then that is a truly deplorable definition of superstar. How far we (and the league) have fallen.

[RRR3]

1. Kelvin Durant
2. Bran Jame
3. Da Brow
4. Chuckle Chuckbrook
5. Cp360
6. ZVC
7. Beardo
8. Flake Flippin'
9. DMC
10. Paul George John Ringo (if healthy)

HM: Chuckmelo

[Smook A.]

KD
CP3
Cousins
Westbrook
Kawhi
Davis
Bran
Wall
Steph
Kyrie
HM: George, Hardon, LMA and Blake. Hopefully Love gets back to his dominant self but well......never mind
Kyrie over Harden, Blake and LMA? :roll:

[Milbuck]

:rolleyes:

You know he's good give him a break. He proved he's a superstar.
On second thought, you're right. He's back on my list. Just barely doe. Edit button's always there.

But superstars don't get benched in the 4th quarter of an elimination game and watch bench players pull your ass out of a huge hole to save your season. They don't shoot 3-16 and get destroyed by 35 in an 0-2 series to go down 0-3. They also don't set the playoff record for turnovers in the elimination game 5.

[RRR3]

If Harden qualifies as a superstar, then that is a truly deplorable definition of superstar. How far we (and the league) have fallen.
I'd like to know at what point in NBA history a guy could put up 27/6/7/2/1 on 44/38/87, lead a severely injury plagued team to the 2 seed in a stacked conference an then put up 27/6/8/2/0 on 44/38/92 and get his team to the WCF and NOT be considered a superstar.

[Smook A.]

If everyone's healthy:

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Anthony Davis
4. Stephen Curry
5. James Harden
6. Russell Westbrook
7. Chris Paul
8. Blake Griffin
9. DeMarcus Cousins
10. Carmelo Anthony

:confusedshrug:

[RRR3]

On second thought, you're right. He's back on my list. Just barely doe. Edit button's always there.

But superstars don't get benched in the 4th quarter of an elimination game and watch bench players pull your ass out of a huge hole to save your season. They don't shoot 3-16 and get destroyed by 35 in an 0-2 series to go down 0-3. They also don't set the playoff record for turnovers in the elimination game 5.
Superstars don't shoot 2-18 with 10 turnovers
Superstars don't score 8 points in a finals game
Superstars don't score 8,8 and 12 in 3 straight finals games
Superstars don't shoot 6-24 in game 7
Superstars don't average 2 PPG in the 4th quarter
Superstars don't blow 3-1 leads



Guess Kobe LeBron Bird and CP3 aren't superstars either.

[Heavincent]

Superstars don't shoot 2-18 with 10 turnovers
Superstars don't score 8 points in a finals game
Superstars don't score 8,8 and 12 in 3 straight finals games
Superstars don't shoot 6-24 in game 7
Superstars don't average 2 PPG in the 4th quarter
Superstars don't blow 3-1 leads



Guess Kobe LeBron Bird and CP3 aren't superstars either.

No trolling, this is why I love shitting on CP3...because people put him in the same sentence as Kobe, Lebron, and Larry ****ing Bird.

Come on.

[Milbuck]

Superstars don't shoot 2-18 with 10 turnovers
Superstars don't score 8 points in a finals game
Superstars don't score 8,8 and 12 in 3 straight finals games
Superstars don't shoot 6-24 in game 7
Superstars don't average 2 PPG in the 4th quarter
Superstars don't blow 3-1 leads



Guess Kobe LeBron Bird and CP3 aren't superstars either.
I started watching in 2012, don't know nothing about all that nonsense. All I know is that Lebron, Kobe, and Bird are champions. CP3 I'll agree with.

[RRR3]

No trolling, this is why I love shitting on CP3...because people put him in the same sentence as Kobe, Lebron, and Larry ****ing Bird.

Come on.
If CP3 wins a ring he will be viewed as the 3rd best PG of all time.

[RRR3]

No trolling, this is why I love shitting on CUrry...because people put him in the same sentence as Kobe, Lebron, Magic and Larry ****ing Bird.

Come on.
Fixed

[kennethgriffin]

kobe is a top 10 player if healthy

he can average 23/5/5 still quite easly


or go the playmaking rout and put up 17/5/9

[mehyaM24]

Fixed

he's a fan of curry. how does that even make sense.

[Heavincent]

Fixed

At least Curry has a title, an MVP, and a 30/6/5 playoff run to his name. Paul has none of that.

[Milbuck]

kobe is a top 10 player if healthy

he can average 23/5/5 still quite easly


or go the playmaking rout and put up 17/5/9
YOU ARE NOT REAL

[RRR3]

At least Curry has a title, an MVP, and a 30/6/5 playoff run to his name. Paul has none of that.
Neither of them are on the same level as LeBron Kobe Bird Magic so your point is moot.

[TheMarkMadsen]

Superstars don't shoot 2-18 with 10 turnovers
Superstars don't score 8 points in a finals game
Superstars don't score 8,8 and 12 in 3 straight finals games
Superstars don't shoot 6-24 in game 7
Superstars don't average 2 PPG in the 4th quarter
Superstars don't blow 3-1 leads



Guess Kobe LeBron Bird and CP3 aren't superstars either.

by that criteria neither is lebron

[Wade's Rings]

by that criteria neither is lebron

He included LeBron in the list at the bottom.

[RRR3]

by that criteria neither is lebron
....

Apparently you can't read.

[RRR3]

He included LeBron in the list at the bottom.
Yes but if he acknowledged that he couldn't come back with a "witty" diss on LeBron.

[K Xerxes]

Superstars don't shoot 2-18 with 10 turnovers
Superstars don't score 8 points in a finals game
Superstars don't score 8,8 and 12 in 3 straight finals games
Superstars don't shoot 6-24 in game 7
Superstars don't average 2 PPG in the 4th quarter
Superstars don't blow 3-1 leads



Guess Kobe LeBron Bird and CP3 aren't superstars either.

Yeah, no one is saying that superstars can't have bad games. But when you consistently choke and underperform in the playoffs relative to your regular season capabilities, you don't quality as a superstar. Kobe, LeBron and Bird are all proven champions and have all shown the ability to lead their teams deep into the playoffs, and ultimately win.

I don't agree that Paul is a superstar either, but he's closer to a superstar than Harden is. Paul plays to his capabilities in the playoffs, but is generally let down by his team mates in the playoffs. But I would agree that his lack of postseason success prevents him from earning the superstar label, and he has underperformed on occassion.

Also, in terms of ability on the court, Harden still isn't good enough defensively. And although his offense is very good, it has clearly failed him in the most pivotal moments in the past. Not superstar level.

[BlakFrankWhite]

I can see Westbrook getting

30 ppg, 10 apg, 6 rpg

MVP

[pastis]

kobe is a top 10 player if healthy

he can average 23/5/5 still quite easly


or go the playmaking rout and put up 17/5/9

putting up those stats doesnt necessarily make you a top 10 player. efficiency and and team winning is important as well.


Superstars don't shoot 2-18 with 10 turnovers
Superstars don't score 8 points in a finals game
Superstars don't score 8,8 and 12 in 3 straight finals games
Superstars don't shoot 6-24 in game 7
Superstars don't average 2 PPG in the 4th quarter
Superstars don't blow 3-1 leads



Guess Kobe LeBron Bird and CP3 aren't superstars either.
who was this?

[K Xerxes]

who was this?

Bird in 81 finals

[dunksby]

2/14 from the east :lol
I tried thinking of more East players to add but I felt like I was going to have a brain aneurysm, so I gave up.

[TheMarkMadsen]

....

Apparently you can't read.

My bad didnt see bran

June 2011 all over again

[TheMarkMadsen]

so basically we can confirm that all of the superstars play in the west

and the only two top 10 players in the east play on the same team.

sucks to be in the west

the only other guys out east getting any love (Melo & Wall) don't play on teams that are good enough to make noise, while the other two (bran and kyrie) play on the same team..

EC champion basically gets to pick at the scraps left over from the WC battle as whoever makes it through the West this year will have basically played in 3 finals series before making the actual finals..

legacies to be made out west this year

[red1]

Best players:
- Lebron James
- Kevin Durant
- Anthony Davis

2nd tier:
- James Harden
- Steph Curry
- Russell Westbrook

Rest of the top 10:
- Chris Paul
- Blake Griffin
- DeMarcus Cousins
- LaMarcus Aldridge


I split them up into tiers

Lebron
Davis
Durant

Curry
Harden
Westbrook
Paul

Griffin
Boogie

Aldridge
Carmelo
Wall
Irving
Kawhi
George

:applause:

[ArbitraryWater]

by that criteria neither is lebron

lol............ :lol :facepalm

still all love, brother... who you got in this wrasstlin?

[TheMarkMadsen]

lol............ :lol :facepalm

still all love, brother... who you got in this wrasstlin?

what do ya mean

[RRR3]

Kyrie is not top 10 at all that's ridiculous. No one was ranking him anywhere near top 10 until he started playing with LeBron.

To be fair, Kevin Love would be in the top 10 on most lists a year ago and I haven't seen him mentioned in this thread.

[Cocaine80s]

1.Lebron
2.KD
3.AD
4.Westbrook
5.Harden
6.Curry
7.Cp3
8.Blake
9.Cousins
10.Dwight

[RRR3]

1.Lebron
2.KD
3.AD
4.Westbrook
5.Harden
6.Curry
7.Cp3
8.Blake
9.Cousins
10.Dwight
No Lavine?

[Cocaine80s]

No Lavine?
Im a huge fan but i dont let bias affect my lists


Hes definitely top 15 though right behind Okafor

[TheMarkMadsen]

Kyrie is not top 10 at all that's ridiculous. No one was ranking him anywhere near top 10 until he started playing with LeBron.

To be fair, Kevin Love would be in the top 10 on most lists a year ago and I haven't seen him mentioned in this thread.

and everybody stopped putting Love in their top 10 when he began playing with Lebron



Kyrie is not top 10 at all that's ridiculous. No one was ranking him anywhere near top 10 until he started playing with LeBron.

WTF does that have to do with anything..he's 22 and he's been continuously getting better... players can improve you know..

he had multiple 50+ point games last year and if he continues improving each year like he has for the past 4 then he'll easily be top 10..

[RRR3]

and everybody stopped putting Love in their top 10 when he began playing with Lebron




WTF does that have to do with anything..he's 22 and he's been continuously getting better... players can improve you know..

he had multiple 50+ point games last year and if he continues improving each year like he has for the past 4 then he'll easily be top 10..
You seem to really enjoy repeating things I've already addressed.


Wow 50 point games. He had one before last year too. Doesn't make him better than Carmelo, Paul George, Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, or Dwyane Wade. And it's certainly debatable if he's better than John Wall, Love (even now. Love is underutilized/superfluous on the Cavs), Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Damian Lillard, Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh, etc.

[Cocaine80s]

You seem to really enjoy repeating things I've already addressed.


Wow 50 point games. He had one before last year too. Doesn't make him better than Carmelo, Paul George, Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, or Dwyane Wade. And it's certainly debatable if he's better than John Wall, Love (even now. Love is underutilized/superfluous on the Cavs), Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Damian Lillard, Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh, etc.
Lol just ignore that fool already

Dude was a huge K Love stan too until he went to Cleveland. Probably felt like shit knowing he cant root for him anymore :roll:

[RRR3]

Lol just ignore that fool already

Dude was a huge K Love stan too until he went to Cleveland. Probably felt like shit knowing he cant root for him anymore :roll:
You can root for a player and not the team lol. I root for LeBron, I could care less about the Cavs, since I root for Miami as a team.

[Cocaine80s]

You can root for a player and not the team lol. I root for LeBron, I could care less about the Cavs, since I root for Miami as a team.
Except that dude ****ing hates Lebron and everything to do with him :oldlol:

[TheMarkMadsen]

Lol just ignore that fool already

Dude was a huge K Love stan too until he went to Cleveland. Probably felt like shit knowing he cant root for him anymore :roll:

lol what are you talking about.. i've maintained being a K Love fan ever since he went to Cleveland..

I was calling him a top 5 player in 2014, when he went to CLE I claimed they had the best PF in the game.. dude is one of my favorite players..

yet you try to call me a lebron hater when I prop up Love because "i'm trying to downplay lebron and prop up his teammates"..

either way you fuccing idiots try to find a way to twist it into some lebron hating agenda :roll: :roll:

I've mantained that K Love is one of the best players in the league and is being under utilized in CLE as have others.. yet when they do it they're "hating on Lebron" and when they don't prop him up they're still "hating on lebron"

lol idiots

[TheMarkMadsen]

You seem to really enjoy repeating things I've already addressed.


Wow 50 point games. He had one before last year too. Doesn't make him better than Carmelo, Paul George, Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, or Dwyane Wade. And it's certainly debatable if he's better than John Wall, Love (even now. Love is underutilized/superfluous on the Cavs), Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Damian Lillard, Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh, etc.

I would take Irving over most of those players.. dude is special..

and go ahead and claim that i'm just proping him up because of yada yada yada yada you paranoid fucc..

but i've been backing Kyrie for years.. picked him over WB 2 years ago before coming back to CLE was ever even imaginable.

[RedBlackAttack]

You seem to really enjoy repeating things I've already addressed.


Wow 50 point games. He had one before last year too. Doesn't make him better than Carmelo, Paul George, Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, or Dwyane Wade. And it's certainly debatable if he's better than John Wall, Love (even now. Love is underutilized/superfluous on the Cavs), Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Damian Lillard, Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh, etc.
No he didn't.

[Cocaine80s]

lol what are you talking about.. i've maintained being a K Love fan ever since he went to Cleveland..

I was calling him a top 5 player in 2014, when he went to CLE I claimed they had the best PF in the game.. dude is one of my favorite players..

yet you try to call me a lebron hater when I prop up Love because "i'm trying to downplay lebron and prop up his teammates"..

either way you fuccing idiots try to find a way to twist it into some lebron hating agenda :roll: :roll:

I've mantained that K Love is one of the best players in the league and is being under utilized in CLE as have others.. yet when they do it they're "hating on Lebron" and when they don't prop him up they're still "hating on lebron"

lol idiots
Literally what the **** are you even trying to say here


Just sit the **** down, child

[RRR3]

Kyrie over Westbrook at ANY point in time :biggums:

Insanity.



RBA,
My mistake I thought he had 50 something last year for some reason.

[sd3035]

You can root for a player and not the team lol. I root for LeBron, I could care less about the Cavs, since I root for Miami as a team.

couldn't* care less

http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/2015-02/1/20/enhanced/webdr08/enhanced-32005-1422840611-40.jpg

[RRR3]

Yes that is the correct way to say it, and I am aware of that.

It is common in America to phrase it the way I did for whatever reason, though.

[Graviton]

Lebron
Davis
Curry
Westbrook
Harden
Paul
Griffin
Howard
Cousins
Kawhi

Not ranking Durant because we have no idea how he comes back from a serious foot injury, he might end up like Rose.

[RedBlackAttack]

Kyrie over Westbrook at ANY point in time :biggums:

Insanity.



RBA,
My mistake I thought he had 50 something last year for some reason.
WB will be 27 next season. Kyrie just turned 23. Pretty significant difference. Westbrook really should be better at this stage.

And, while Russ is the more dominating player right now, there are both positives and negatives with that. Westbrook on a team surrounded by role players and shooters, he's going to put up monster numbers and probably carry your team to wins they wouldn't otherwise get.

But, Westbrook playing a secondary role and being asked to do anything other than sprint 100 miles per hour up and down the floor at all times, throwing up 20+ shots a game? He really doesn't have much nuance in that way.

KI has a very diversified offensive game and could play in virtually any system and do well alongside virtually any player.

But, we haven't seen even close to the best out of Kyrie yet. People forget how young he still is. Other than Anthony Davis, he's the youngest player on any of these lists.

[Lodi Dodi]

Superstars:
LeBron
Durant

Almost:
Curry
AD

Premier All-Stars:
Harden
Westbrook
Paul
Kyrie
Blake
Gasol
Cousins

[CTbasketball92]

You seem to really enjoy repeating things I've already addressed.


Wow 50 point games. He had one before last year too. Doesn't make him better than Carmelo, Paul George, Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, or Dwyane Wade. And it's certainly debatable if he's better than John Wall, Love (even now. Love is underutilized/superfluous on the Cavs), Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Damian Lillard, Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh, etc.

Kyrie Irving is clearly much better than Chris Bosh and Dwade, you are ridiculous.

Kyrie would have absolutely shredded the Spurs in the 2014 finals. Dwade can't shoot and relies heavily on his athleticism, so he averaged like 13 ppg a game on average percentage lmao. Wade got locked up by danny green, it was embarrassing at times. Bosh didn't do anything to impact the game whatsoever.

Damian Lillard was completely exposed against Mike Conley in the playoffs this year, he only played well when conley was injured. He's not as good of a long range shooter or a midrange shooter and doesn't handle the ball nearly as well. Every point guard in the league basically had their best game of the season against Lillard, who's been insulated by the fact that he has played on a winning team as the 1b option for the last three years. There is absolutely no way that Conley would've done that to Kyrie. Kyrie played Curry to a draw when he was on a hobbled knee.

Jimmy butler is a good two way player, but irving is a much much better scorere, and honestly, that is more important at pg than playing great defense, which doesn't really matter, because LeBron, KD, Harden, Westbrook are still going to drop 30 a game on him anyway. Butler is a great 2nd option and a good defender. Good for him. I'll take a more disciplined Gilbert Arenas over him any day of the week.

Him vs. wall is debatable, but wall can't score in the half court, especially during the playoffs when he's shot under 40% from the field, which is simply dreadful. Walll has also been insulated by the fact that he has been surrounded by good players for the last 3 years. Who's kyrie had, Dion waiters and an uncomitted, injured andrew bynum and a washed up Luol Deng? Put irving on that wizards team in 2014 and they might just beat the pacers.

The center equivalent of Irving is Boogie at this point and honestly ... give me Boogie any day of the week over D-howard. Howard really didn;t seem that helpful to harden when he was getting destroyed by the Warriors. Irving helped lebron in very noticable ways in one game when he was injured. No GM would take howard for irving at this point.

Duncan is old and only has to fulfill his role for 30 minutes a night on the best team in the league with the best team in the league. The same goes for kawhi leonard. Say it was a regular season game if you want, but irving shredded the Spurs defense for 57 points in a way that I haven't seen from someone ever. look it up. There's no getting around that -- howard, wall, lillard, thompson, wade. butler, melo, have nothing like that performance in their future. Kyrie's complete offensive skillset and applicable athleticism and explosiveness guarantees years of it.

Paul George.. we'l see. Pau Gasol? I''d buy it ... but he's older, so there's reason to believe he'll fall off sooner than later.

So yeah.

[Cleverness]

#1 Lebron James
#2 Kevin Durant
#3 Stephen Curry
#4 Anthony Davis
#5 Harden
#6 Westbrook
#7 Paul
#8 Blake
#9-12 Cousins/Aldridge/Irving/Kawhi

[And1AllDay]

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Anthony Davis
4. James Harden
5. Russell Westbrook
6. Chris Paul
7. Stephen Curry
8. Blake Griffin
9. LaMarcus Aldridge
10. DeMarcus Cousins

LMA?

Over Kyrie Irving? Dwight? Kawhi? PG13?

[Lebron23]

#1 Lebron James
#2 Kevin Durant
#3 Stephen Curry
#4 Anthony Davis
#5 Harden
#6 Westbrook
#7 Paul
#8 Blake
#9-12 Cousins/Aldridge/Irving/Kawhi


I agree with this posts.

[And1AllDay]

Hard to rank AD after 1 good season, I can't put him on Tier 1 because it's only been 1 great season. Give him another and he gets Tier 1 (for me)

Tier 1

Durant
LeBron

Tier 2

Davis (will likely be Tier 1, just need to see one more good season)
Curry
Harden
CP3
Goatbrook

Tier 3

Cousins
Irving
Griffin

[aj1987]

Kyrie would have absolutely shredded the Spurs in the 2014 finals. Dwade can't shoot and relies heavily on his athleticism, so he averaged like 13 ppg a game on average percentage lmao. Wade got locked up by danny green, it was embarrassing at times. Bosh didn't do anything to impact the game whatsoever.

Wade was on a retarded "maintenance program", which backfired epically! Dude was clearly gassed midway through the Pacers series and you could clearly tell that his conditioning was terrible. Yeah, he deserves a lot of blame for not working hard enough.

Oh, and Wade can't shoot? He's a bad 3 point shooter, but he has always been good from midrange. Wade is ~2%-3% less efficient than Kobe Bryant on jumpers throughout their careers (Kobe till the '13 season). Wade shot 45% on jumpshots in '14 and 65.5% of his shots were jumpers. Irving shot 41% on his jumpers. Wade shots 40% this season. That's only 1% off Kyrie's BEST shooting season.

[kshutts1]

Kyrie is not top 10 at all that's ridiculous. No one was ranking him anywhere near top 10 until he started playing with LeBron.

To be fair, Kevin Love would be in the top 10 on most lists a year ago and I haven't seen him mentioned in this thread.
For Kyrie, he's a hell of an offensive player, and that makes people overrate him once his team starts winning. Which they did.

As for Love, he has been mentioned a few times. But he doesn't deserve to be mentioned now. Complete inability to adapt/adjust to circumstances.

Final point, I'm really surprised... ok now I'm not, but it's sad... how many people hate on Melo.

[ImKobe]

no order

Lebron
KD
Russ
Steph
CP3
Harden
Griffin
Davis
Bryant
Irving
Wall

[RedBlackAttack]

The attitude that offense and defense are somehow equal attributes and skills in the NBA and should be weighted on the same scale when evaluating a player is crazy. In this sport, offensive superiority is far more important than defensive prowess.

Great offense almost always beats great defense and I love great defensive/rebounding teams. If you have a truly special offensive player and you're comparing him to a good two-way player, you'd be wise to take the special offensive talent 10 times out of 10.

[Legends66NBA7]

Final point, I'm really surprised... ok now I'm not, but it's sad... how many people hate on Melo.

Isn't much to like about him.

[BallsOut]

Top 10? How about top 20?

1) Russell Westbrook
2) Kevin Durant
3) Stephen Curry
4) Anthony Davis
5) James Harden
6) Lebron James
7) Chris Paul
8) John Wall
9) DeMarcus Cousins
10) Kyrie Irving
11) Blake Griffin
12) LaMarcus Alridge
13) Kevin Love
14) Chris Bosh
15) Damian Lillard
16) Kawhi Leonard
17) Kyle Lowry
18) Mike Conley
19) Tim Duncan
20) Jimmy Butler
21) Paul Millsap
22) Pau Gasol
23) Marc Gasol
24) Al Horford
25) Zach Randolph
26) Klay Thompson
27) Goran Dragic
28) Andre Iguodala
29) Ty Lawson
30) Isiah Thomas

10 Unrankable/unpredictable players due to injury history who could easily vault in to the top 20 this season:
1) Paul George
2) Derrick Rose
3) Kobe Bryant
4) Dwyane Wade
5) Dirk Nowitzki
6) Dwight Howard
7) Manu Ginobili
8) Tony Parker
9) Joakim Noah
10) Deron Williams

[Doranku]

The attitude that offense and defense are somehow equal attributes and skills in the NBA and should be weighted on the same scale when evaluating a player is crazy. In this sport, offensive superiority is far more important than defensive prowess.

Great offense almost always beats great defense and I love great defensive/rebounding teams. If you have a truly special offensive player and you're comparing him to a good two-way player, you'd be wise to take the special offensive talent 10 times out of 10.

Specifically at the PG position imo. Also agree with the last part. Who here is honestly going to take a good two-way player like Mike Conley over Kyrie Irving? PGs just don't impact the game defensively like other positions do, especially with the elimination of handchecking.

lol @ George (who we have barely seen post-injury) and Melo being better than Kyrie. I would take Kyrie over those two guys 10/10 times. And like you mentioned earlier, dude is only 23. :eek: Mind blowing.

[RedBlackAttack]

Specifically at the PG position imo. Also agree with the last part. Who here is honestly going to take a good two-way player like Mike Conley over Kyrie Irving? PGs just don't impact the game defensively like other positions do, especially with the elimination of handchecking.

lol @ George (who we have barely seen post-injury) and Melo being better than Kyrie. I would take Kyrie over those two guys 10/10 times. And like you mentioned earlier, dude is only 23. :eek: Mind blowing.
And, a lot of guys are really great players, but not overly fun to watch. Kyrie -- to me -- is the most entertaining offensive player in the league. He'll make the most ridiculous dribbling exhibitions look routine. I think, by the end of his career and injuries notwithstanding, he will have one of the greatest career highlight packages in league history.

These are just some of his dribbling highlights from the 2014-15 season alone... they had to split it into three parts:

Kyrie Irving 2014-15 Season NASTY Ball Handling Moves Compilation - Part1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfNwncxJzGE)

Kyrie Irving 2014-15 Season NASTY Ball Handling Moves Compilation - Part 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLQjlyvPsH4)

Kyrie Irving 2014-15 Season NASTY Ball Handling Moves Compilation - Part 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgbC_ibn4Tk)

[Doranku]

And, a lot of guys are really great players, but not overly fun to watch. Kyrie -- to me -- is the most entertaining offensive player in the league. He'll make the most ridiculous dribbling exhibitions look routine. I think, by the end of his career and injuries notwithstanding, he will have one of the greatest career highlight packages in league history.

These are just some of his dribbling highlights from the 2014-15 season alone... they had to split it into three parts:

Kyrie Irving 2014-15 Season NASTY Ball Handling Moves Compilation - Part1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfNwncxJzGE)

Kyrie Irving 2014-15 Season NASTY Ball Handling Moves Compilation - Part 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLQjlyvPsH4)

Kyrie Irving 2014-15 Season NASTY Ball Handling Moves Compilation - Part 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgbC_ibn4Tk)

Jesus, it's absolutely absurd that all of those highlights came from just ONE season. Dude is one of the craftiest, most inventive dribblers I've ever seen. The ways he is able to split the double team and dribble through traffic is jaw dropping.

I think my favorite play is the slow-mo clip in the first video around 1:41. He makes it look so easy but the low dribble and then the quick left handed push out to free himself from the double team... just beautiful basketball.

[imdaman99]

#1. Westbrook

Has anyone seen such a massive improvement in one season as Westbrook showed last season?

2014: 21/5/7

2015: 28/7/9

#1 in scoring
#4 in assists
#1 in rebounds ( for guards)
#2 in steals

Westbrook is already the most productive player in the
league...and With KD on limited minutes...I believe Westbrook will win MVP next season.
This :rockon: Team Goatbrook :cheers:

[TheMarkMadsen]

my list

Curry
Bran/KD (if healthy)
WB
Davis
BG
Harden
Paul
Kyrie

[MellowYellow]

I can see Westbrook getting

30 ppg, 10 apg, 6 rpg

MVP

nah dont see it, gotta shoot at least 45% or ts% above 56% to get dat.

[masonanddixon]

Marc Gasol should make everyone's top 10 list and there shouldn't be a single point guard above him.

This just shows the board has been overrun by pre-pubescents.

[TheMarkMadsen]

Marc Gasol should make everyone's top 10 list and there shouldn't be a single point guard above him.

This just shows the board has been overrun by pre-pubescents.

he's overrated

he forces you to play a style offensively that is slow and methodical which isn't how you get it done in todays NBA, and he's not good enough offensively to make up for that.. you're team has a lower ceiling with Gasol as the best player..

[masonanddixon]

he's overrated

he forces you to play a style offensively that is slow and methodical which isn't how you get it done in todays NBA, and he's not good enough offensively to make up for that.. you're team has a lower ceiling with Gasol as the best player..

No, if he played with an even halfway decent perimeter player he'd have a ring by now. He's a legitimate post presence but has to work hard to get buckets/get to the line but on the defensive end he controls games.

Anyone who lists multiple PGs in their top 10 list and doesn't have Gasol is showing their lack of NBA IQ.

[MellowYellow]

No, if he played with an even halfway decent perimeter player he'd have a ring by now. He's a legitimate post presence but has to work hard to get buckets/get to the line but on the defensive end he controls games.

Anyone who lists multiple PGs in their top 10 list and doesn't have Gasol is showing their lack of NBA IQ.
Jeff Green, Mike Conley, Courtney Lee, Jerryd Bayless. All halfway decent perimeter players.:confusedshrug:

[TheMarkMadsen]

No, if he played with an even halfway decent perimeter player he'd have a ring by now. He's a legitimate post presence but has to work hard to get buckets/get to the line but on the defensive end he controls games.

Anyone who lists multiple PGs in their top 10 list and doesn't have Gasol is showing their lack of NBA IQ.

I would consider Conley a "halfway decent perimeter player", not to mention the first team all nba defensive player he has at SF and the 18/8 PF that plays beside him isn't bad either..

[masonanddixon]

I would consider Conley a "halfway decent perimeter player", not to mention the first team all nba defensive player he has at SF and the 18/8 PF that plays beside him isn't bad either..

Conley and Allen are not dynamic offensive players, in fact Allen is garbage offensively, so is Courtney Lee. If Gasol was blessed to play with an elite 2 guard he'd have a ring by now.

[TripleA]

No, if he played with an even halfway decent perimeter player he'd have a ring by now. He's a legitimate post presence but has to work hard to get buckets/get to the line but on the defensive end he controls games.

Anyone who lists multiple PGs in their top 10 list and doesn't have Gasol is showing their lack of NBA IQ.


Marc Gasol is not that good at scoring he has had bad shooting percentages the last two years when he was the main option in the playoffs. He got shut down by Draymond Green who is 6'7 on good day. He is a great passer and defender which gives him legitimate reason for being a top 10 player. His rebounding and scoring for a center are lacking which makes people look past him.

[TheMarkMadsen]

No, if he played with an even halfway decent perimeter player he'd have a ring by now.


If Gasol was blessed to play with an elite 2 guard he'd have a ring by now.



:biggums: :biggums:

[masonanddixon]

:biggums: :biggums:

Conley is an average-slightly below average PG, tony allen and courtney lee are two of the worst offensive players at their positions. Do you not understand what this means?

[TripleA]

Courtney is good role playing shooting guard, Allen is pretty bad at offense though.

[masonanddixon]

Courtney is good role playing shooting guard, Allen is pretty bad at offense though.

They both suck at offense and you can't win in the West when you have two starting swingmen who are not scoring threats and never get to the line. It''s just not possible unless your bigman is Dirk or maybe Duncan

[dannywpt]

James
Durant
Westbrook
Curry
Davis
Harden
Paul
Irving
Wall
Griffin

Yes, I know I left off players like George, Cousins and Aldridge. I just think Kyrie and Wall will be that good the upcoming season

[kshutts1]

The attitude that offense and defense are somehow equal attributes and skills in the NBA and should be weighted on the same scale when evaluating a player is crazy. In this sport, offensive superiority is far more important than defensive prowess.

Great offense almost always beats great defense and I love great defensive/rebounding teams. If you have a truly special offensive player and you're comparing him to a good two-way player, you'd be wise to take the special offensive talent 10 times out of 10.
Agree there. I don't think Kyrie, assuming he's the player you're arguing for, is "truly special" on offense, though.

I reserve "truly special" on offense for only Lebron, Durant and Curry right now. Kobe used to be there. Westbrook should be. Paul used to be. Harden is close.

[WorldWarriors]

Agree there. I don't think Kyrie, assuming he's the player you're arguing for, is "truly special" on offense, though.

I reserve "truly special" on offense for only Lebron, Durant and Curry right now. Kobe used to be there. Westbrook should be. Paul used to be. Harden is close.

I would put Harden in that special category. That 45pt game against my Dubz in game 4 of the WCF made me a believer.

[kshutts1]

I would put Harden in that special category. That 45pt game against my Dubz in game 4 of the WCF made me a believer.
Yeah, it's likely bias keeping him out of the "truly special" category. I hate how a lot of his forays in to the paint seem to be an attempt to draw a foul rather than an attempt to score.

That said, he's effect enough to be "truly special".

[West-Side]

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Anthony Davis
4. Stephen Curry
5. Russell Westbrook
6. James Harden
7. Chris Paul
8. DeMarcus Cousins
9. Kyrie Irving
10. Blake Griffin

[stalkerforlife]

Healthy Kobe is top 10.

PERIOD.

[WorldWarriors]

Yeah, it's likely bias keeping him out of the "truly special" category. I hate how a lot of his forays in to the paint seem to be an attempt to draw a foul rather than an attempt to score.

That said, he's effect enough to be "truly special".


Yeah that turns a lot of people off. Wade used the same tactic early on his career. Doesn't bother me because when he's on he can hit from anywhere on the floor. He hit a full court shot (thank god it didn't count) that was ridiculous. If it had, we would have seen it non-stop in the play off highlights.

I gained a lot of respect for him in that series.

[RedBlackAttack]

Agree there. I don't think Kyrie, assuming he's the player you're arguing for, is "truly special" on offense, though.

I reserve "truly special" on offense for only Lebron, Durant and Curry right now. Kobe used to be there. Westbrook should be. Paul used to be. Harden is close.
Well, Kyrie had the two highest scoring games in the league last year and he did so at age 22. He is the first player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to have multiple 55+ point games in a season and his 57 points are also the most in Cavs history, more than any high point game by LeBron who has played here for 8 full seasons. And again, the guy has only been in the league for four years after coming into the NBA as a teenager.

So, just based on his tendency toward explosive scoring alone, you have to be a pretty unique player to put up those marks. It's one thing to go nuts in a single game out of nowhere the way Mo Williams did last year. It is something different when you replicate it and even surpass it multiple times in a year.

Throw that in with his 22/5+/3+ averages on 47/41/87 splits while playing alongside LeBron James... Then, in his playoff debut, he put up 30 before the injuries started (and he even had some big performances afterward)....

I guess it comes down to semantics and what we individually define as "special," but I felt Kyrie was a special offensive player last year and the fact that he is putting up all these numbers at 22 just isn't something that comes along all that frequently.

[RRR3]

Well, Kyrie had the two highest scoring games in the league last year and he did so at age 22. He is the first player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to have multiple 55+ point games in a season and his 57 points are also the most in Cavs history. And again, the guy has only been in the league for four years after coming into the NBA as a teenager.

So, just based on his tendency toward explosive scoring alone, you have to be a pretty unique player to put up those marks. It's one thing to go nuts in a single game out of nowhere the way Mo Williams did last year. It is something different when you replicate it and even surpass it multiple times in a year.

Throw that in with his 22/5+/3+ averages on 47/41/87 splits while playing alongside LeBron James... Then, in his playoff debut, he put up 30 before the injuries started (and he even had some big performances afterward)....

I guess it comes down to semantics and what we individually define as "special," but I felt Kyrie was a special offensive player last year and the fact that he is putting up all these numbers at 22 just isn't something that comes along all that frequently.
His stats have been similar for 3 years. His efficiency improved a lot this year. 22/5/3 isn't a special offensive player. He is one of the best PGs in the league and he is only 22, so he is almost certain to improve and may become special, but he is not special right now.

Special is Durant, LeBron (especially prime LBJ), prime Kobe, CP3, Curry, prime Wade etc.

[Jlamb47]

1. Kevin Durant
2. Anthony Davis
3. James Harden
4.Lebron James
5. Russell Westbrook
6. Steph Curry
7.Blake Griffin
8. Chris Paul
9. Kyrie Irving
10. Kahwi Leonard

HM - Lamarcus Alridge, Demarcus Cousins, John Wall,

[kshutts1]

His stats have been similar for 3 years. His efficiency improved a lot this year. 22/5/3 isn't a special offensive player. He is one of the best PGs in the league and he is only 22, so he is almost certain to improve and may become special, but he is not special right now.

Special is Durant, LeBron (especially prime LBJ), prime Kobe, CP3, Curry, prime Wade etc.
Pretty much this. I love Kyrie's offensive game, and think he's pretty incredible. But not "special".

As you said, semantics, I guess.

[RedBlackAttack]

His stats have been similar for 3 years. His efficiency improved a lot this year. 22/5/3 isn't a special offensive player. He is one of the best PGs in the league and he is only 22, so he is almost certain to improve and may become special, but he is not special right now.

Special is Durant, LeBron (especially prime LBJ), prime Kobe, CP3, Curry, prime Wade etc.

That's fair enough.

He has certainly visibly improved over the past three years despite the raw numbers remaining similar. One thing is his attention to defense which -- while remains a work in progress -- has improved visibly from his first couple years. Obviously, he was able to maintain his scoring this past year despite a career low usage, while his efficiency across the board improved. That includes A/TO ratio.

But, he is still really in the formative years of his career. If people don't want to elevate him to the "special" offensive category yet, I'm not going to argue otherwise.

[game3524]

Update

1. Curry
2. KD
3. Lebron
4. Harden
5. Westbrook
6. Griffin
7. CP3
8. AD
9. Kawhi
10. Drummond

[feyki]

1 Curry

2 Durant

3 Lebron

4 Harden

5 Blake

6 Westbrook

7 Davis

8 Drummond

9 Kawhi

10 Millsap

[24-Inch_Chrome]

no order

Lebron
KD
Russ
Steph
CP3
Harden
Griffin
Davis
Bryant
Irving
Wall

:yaohappy: