Mr Feeny
02-10-2016, 05:36 AM
Note: This list does not include Shaq of anyone who was on the original '50 greatest players of all time' list. But SI just released a list of the best 20 players in the past 20 years. Here are the top 8:
8. Stephen Curry*
The single toughest player on this list to rank, Curry has overcome early-career injuries and unspectacular production during his first three seasons to blossom almost overnight into one of the most entertaining and devastating weapons in NBA history. While Curry didn’t even make the All-Star team until 2014, the reigning MVP will likely join LeBron James, Steve Nash and Tim Duncan as the only back-to-back MVPs of the post-Michael Jordan era. A record-setting three-point shooter who is on track to win his first scoring title and potential lead the Warriors to the best record in NBA history, Curry is also a skilled, improvisational distributor, a committed defender and an understated leader. At 27, he has the most untapped upside of any player included here. * **
7. Kevin Durant*
Durant is everything you want in a scorer: smooth, dependable, versatile, fearless and efficient. At age 27, the 2007 No. 2 overall pick already has four scoring titles to his name; If his foot injury last season proves to be an aberration, Durant has a shot at challenging Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. An underrated and improving defender, Durant has been widely regarded as the NBA’s second-best player for the last five years or so, in part because Oklahoma City has been among the league’s most consistent winners during that time period. The major reason that Durant is the most buzzed-about free agent in the 2016 class: he’s yet to win a title, he hasn’t made the Finals since 2012, and the clock is (always) ticking.* *
6. Dirk Nowitzki*
The NBA’s No. 6 all-time leading scorer and No. 1 all-time international scorer, Nowitzki silenced the doubters who might have characterized him as “very good but not great” by leading the Mavericks to the 2011 title over LeBron James’s Heat. A versatile scoring threat who could do damage on the block, in pick-and-rolls and from beyond the arc, the 7-foot German helped reimagine the modern power forward position. Although he was never regarded as an impact defender, Nowitzki’s excellent durability and age-defying turnaround jumper have ensured that Dallas has made the playoffs in 14 of the last 15 seasons. **
5. Dwyane Wade
Wade has enjoyed more than his share of good fortune over the years, teaming with Shaquille O’Neal to earn his first title (in a disputed 2006 Finals series) before later pulling together the famed “Big 3” that led to two more rings and four straight Finals appearances. That track record of winning combined with his nine straight seasons of 20+ PPG scoring solidifies his lofty standing among his contemporaries and places him in the conversation behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant on the list of greatest shooting guards of all time. Recurring knee injuries and a lack of three-point range might have held him back, but Wade’s hyper-athletic off-the-dribble game and endlessly creative finishing ability earned him the nickname “Flash” and made him an All-Star every year since 2005.**
*
4. Kevin Garnett
An athletic freak who averaged 20+ PPG for nine straight seasons and led the league in rebounding four times, Garnett will be remembered first and foremost for his fierce and unrelenting defense. The Big Ticket has teamed with everybody from Stephen Marbury to Paul Pierce to Karl-Anthony Towns during a storied career that reached its pinnacle during Boston’s 2008 championship run. Although he is held back in comparisons with a player like Tim Duncan due to his limited early-career playoff success in Minnesota and a sharper decline as he advanced through his 30s, Garnett will nevertheless be a no-brainer Hall of Fame selection on the first ballot. Hopefully he caps his induction speech by banging his head into the podium like a mad man for old time’s sake.
3. Kobe Bryant
Bryant’s 20–year career has had its share of peaks and valleys, but the peaks—a fistful of rings, 81 points against the Raptors, 35.4 PPG in 2006—were so high that his historical greatness can’t be denied. An unapologetic shot-taker and a dramatic shot-maker, the 37-year-old Bryant will retire as one of the most famous and polarizing players to ever take the court. A preps–to–pro success story who entered the league as a Michael Jordan clone and prepares to exit as the NBA’s third all-time leading scorer, with more points than Jordan himself, Bryant has battled through late-career injuries to set a new benchmark for longevity among high-scoring wings.*
2. LeBron James
By the time the NBA’s 75th*anniversary rolls around in 2021, it’s quite possible that James, 31, will have solidified himself as the No. 1 new addition to the Original 50. The most hyped high school prospect of the modern era, James has somehow managed to exceed expectations, singlehandedly dominating the Eastern Conference for the past half–decade and averaging 26/6/6 for a whopping 10 straight seasons while posting career averages of 28.2/8.8/6.7 in the playoffs.
Although it seems unlikely that James will match Michael Jordan’s six rings, his run of five (and counting) consecutive Finals trips, his franchise-altering moves from Cleveland to Miami and back, and his laundry list of individual achievements combine to illustrate his singular value. Will basketball ever see another player with James’ combination of size, speed, power, quickness and passing ability? Probably not. Be sure to save The King a spot on the NBA’s Mount Rushmore.* *
1. Tim Duncan
Duncan’s track record compares favorably with the greatest big men of all time: The Spurs legend has made more All-Star Game appearances than Bill Russell, he’s has won more titles than Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain, and he’s has taken home more Finals MVP awards than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Since taking The Big Fundamental at No. 1 overall in 1997, the Spurs have stood as the NBA’s model franchise as they close in on their 19th*consecutive playoff appearance and 19thstraight season with a .610 or better winning percentage. Duncan, 39 and still ticking, has beaten them all in the playoffs over the last 20 years, downing Kobe Bryant’s Lakers, LeBron James’ Cavaliers and Heat, Kevin Durant’s Thunder, Steve Nash’s Suns and Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks, among countless others.
The list of Duncan’s basketball virtues is endless: he’s an intelligent, selfless, consistent and no-nonsense leader who could protect the rim, score in volume, dominate the boards and make the right pass. With little fanfare and zero self-congratulation, Duncan stands as his generation’s most reliable force and most decorated winner.*
8. Stephen Curry*
The single toughest player on this list to rank, Curry has overcome early-career injuries and unspectacular production during his first three seasons to blossom almost overnight into one of the most entertaining and devastating weapons in NBA history. While Curry didn’t even make the All-Star team until 2014, the reigning MVP will likely join LeBron James, Steve Nash and Tim Duncan as the only back-to-back MVPs of the post-Michael Jordan era. A record-setting three-point shooter who is on track to win his first scoring title and potential lead the Warriors to the best record in NBA history, Curry is also a skilled, improvisational distributor, a committed defender and an understated leader. At 27, he has the most untapped upside of any player included here. * **
7. Kevin Durant*
Durant is everything you want in a scorer: smooth, dependable, versatile, fearless and efficient. At age 27, the 2007 No. 2 overall pick already has four scoring titles to his name; If his foot injury last season proves to be an aberration, Durant has a shot at challenging Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. An underrated and improving defender, Durant has been widely regarded as the NBA’s second-best player for the last five years or so, in part because Oklahoma City has been among the league’s most consistent winners during that time period. The major reason that Durant is the most buzzed-about free agent in the 2016 class: he’s yet to win a title, he hasn’t made the Finals since 2012, and the clock is (always) ticking.* *
6. Dirk Nowitzki*
The NBA’s No. 6 all-time leading scorer and No. 1 all-time international scorer, Nowitzki silenced the doubters who might have characterized him as “very good but not great” by leading the Mavericks to the 2011 title over LeBron James’s Heat. A versatile scoring threat who could do damage on the block, in pick-and-rolls and from beyond the arc, the 7-foot German helped reimagine the modern power forward position. Although he was never regarded as an impact defender, Nowitzki’s excellent durability and age-defying turnaround jumper have ensured that Dallas has made the playoffs in 14 of the last 15 seasons. **
5. Dwyane Wade
Wade has enjoyed more than his share of good fortune over the years, teaming with Shaquille O’Neal to earn his first title (in a disputed 2006 Finals series) before later pulling together the famed “Big 3” that led to two more rings and four straight Finals appearances. That track record of winning combined with his nine straight seasons of 20+ PPG scoring solidifies his lofty standing among his contemporaries and places him in the conversation behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant on the list of greatest shooting guards of all time. Recurring knee injuries and a lack of three-point range might have held him back, but Wade’s hyper-athletic off-the-dribble game and endlessly creative finishing ability earned him the nickname “Flash” and made him an All-Star every year since 2005.**
*
4. Kevin Garnett
An athletic freak who averaged 20+ PPG for nine straight seasons and led the league in rebounding four times, Garnett will be remembered first and foremost for his fierce and unrelenting defense. The Big Ticket has teamed with everybody from Stephen Marbury to Paul Pierce to Karl-Anthony Towns during a storied career that reached its pinnacle during Boston’s 2008 championship run. Although he is held back in comparisons with a player like Tim Duncan due to his limited early-career playoff success in Minnesota and a sharper decline as he advanced through his 30s, Garnett will nevertheless be a no-brainer Hall of Fame selection on the first ballot. Hopefully he caps his induction speech by banging his head into the podium like a mad man for old time’s sake.
3. Kobe Bryant
Bryant’s 20–year career has had its share of peaks and valleys, but the peaks—a fistful of rings, 81 points against the Raptors, 35.4 PPG in 2006—were so high that his historical greatness can’t be denied. An unapologetic shot-taker and a dramatic shot-maker, the 37-year-old Bryant will retire as one of the most famous and polarizing players to ever take the court. A preps–to–pro success story who entered the league as a Michael Jordan clone and prepares to exit as the NBA’s third all-time leading scorer, with more points than Jordan himself, Bryant has battled through late-career injuries to set a new benchmark for longevity among high-scoring wings.*
2. LeBron James
By the time the NBA’s 75th*anniversary rolls around in 2021, it’s quite possible that James, 31, will have solidified himself as the No. 1 new addition to the Original 50. The most hyped high school prospect of the modern era, James has somehow managed to exceed expectations, singlehandedly dominating the Eastern Conference for the past half–decade and averaging 26/6/6 for a whopping 10 straight seasons while posting career averages of 28.2/8.8/6.7 in the playoffs.
Although it seems unlikely that James will match Michael Jordan’s six rings, his run of five (and counting) consecutive Finals trips, his franchise-altering moves from Cleveland to Miami and back, and his laundry list of individual achievements combine to illustrate his singular value. Will basketball ever see another player with James’ combination of size, speed, power, quickness and passing ability? Probably not. Be sure to save The King a spot on the NBA’s Mount Rushmore.* *
1. Tim Duncan
Duncan’s track record compares favorably with the greatest big men of all time: The Spurs legend has made more All-Star Game appearances than Bill Russell, he’s has won more titles than Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain, and he’s has taken home more Finals MVP awards than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Since taking The Big Fundamental at No. 1 overall in 1997, the Spurs have stood as the NBA’s model franchise as they close in on their 19th*consecutive playoff appearance and 19thstraight season with a .610 or better winning percentage. Duncan, 39 and still ticking, has beaten them all in the playoffs over the last 20 years, downing Kobe Bryant’s Lakers, LeBron James’ Cavaliers and Heat, Kevin Durant’s Thunder, Steve Nash’s Suns and Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks, among countless others.
The list of Duncan’s basketball virtues is endless: he’s an intelligent, selfless, consistent and no-nonsense leader who could protect the rim, score in volume, dominate the boards and make the right pass. With little fanfare and zero self-congratulation, Duncan stands as his generation’s most reliable force and most decorated winner.*