Thu 7 Feb 2008
My good buddy John “Stat Mastah” Giagnorio took time out from studying at Statistics 101 to give me a call before regarding the Shaq/Marion trade. For whatever reasons only known to him, the 22 year-old Chicago Illinois native seems to feel that Marion’s a “Top 10 player” in the NBA.
I thought he was joking but apparently the adopted laid back n’ snappy Californian was actually serious. So, with that in mind, I’m going to keep a promise I made and make a list of who I believe the best superstars in the league are.
Mind you, there are a number of ways to do this. I could go by position or just down the line and come up with 10 better (pronounced bett-ah) players (pronounced play-ahs) than the overrated former Suns’ forward.
There’s a reason Mr. Giagnorio likes Marion and it’s actually quite simple. He’s a stat man. While the 29 year-old new member of the Heat is a solid player in the league who will get plenty of double doubles and score his points, is the former UNLV star really an impact star who makes teammates around him better? I highly doubt that.
In any event, enough about this. I’ve decided to rank the top five at each position and see what we come up with. Then maybe we’ll do an overall rankings afterwards.
Let’s start with the guards.
Point Guard: In order to be considered a top flight PG, the star player must be able to make teammates around them better and impact the game. So, we’re going to go with the five who do the fundamentals well and prioritize teammates around them.
1.Steve Nash, Suns
2.Jason Kidd, Nets
3.Chris Paul, Hornets
4.Deron Williams, Jazz
5.Chauncey Billups, Pistons
Shooting Guard: A great two can fill it up. They have to be a lights out shooter who can also get their points off the dribble.
1.Kobe Bryant, Lakers
2.Dwyane Wade, Heat
3.Allen Iverson, Nuggets
4.Richard Hamilton, Pistons
5.Ray Allen, Celtics
Small Forward: A solid three should be able to score inside and out becoming a very tough cover for opponents. If they rebound and distribute the rock, that’s as good as it gets.
1.LeBron James, Cavs
2.Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
3.Caron Butler, Wizards
4.Tayshaun Prince, Pistons
5.Richard Jefferson, Nets
Power Forward: The best four’s can score inside and dominate the glass being able to keep possessions alive. There are some unconventional four’s in today’s game who can step outside and score making it a more versatile position. Still, being able to impact the game in their end is what separates the men from the boys.
1.Tim Duncan, Spurs
2.Kevin Garnett, Celtics
3.Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs
4.Carlos Boozer, Jazz
5.Antawn Jamison, Wizards
Center: In today’s game, it’s little secret that there aren’t many conventional back to the basket big men who can dominate the paint. If you can step out and shoot, it makes for a difficult match-up moving shot blockers away from the basket. Still, I’d much rather have a big who can power up in there and create chaos drawing doubles and even triples freeing up teammates.
1.Dwight Howard, Magic
2.Yao Ming, Rockets
3.Chris Bosh, Raptors
4.Shaquille O’Neal, Suns
5.Marcus Camby, Nuggets
If you noticed, there are plenty of names who didn’t make the cut. Some are combination guards/forwards who play out of position. No Marion on this list.
So, who are the best players not to make my Top 25? Let’s see:
26.Baron Davis, G
27.Manu Ginobili, SG
28.Amare Stoudamire, PF
29.Brandon Roy, G
30.Gilbert Arenas, G
31.Al Jefferson, PF
32.Ron Artest, SF
33.Tony Parker, PG
34.Paul Pierce, F
35.Josh Howard, SF
36.Shawn Marion, F
37.David West, PF
38.Tracy McGrady, SG
39.Jermaine O’Neal, C
40.Michael Redd, SG
41.Hedo Turkoglu, SG
42.Vince Carter, SF
43.Josh Smith, F
44.Rashard Lewis, SF
45.Joe Johnson, G
46.Monta Ellis, G
47.Luol Deng, SG
48.Gerald Wallace, SF
49.Stephen Jackson, F
50.Jameer Nelson, PG
51.Pau Gasol, C
52.Kirk Hinrich, PG
53.LaMarcus Aldridge, PF
54.Chris Kaman, C
55.Zach Randolph, PF
Obviously, there will be a lot of debate over where I ranked players. I could easily name more. But I believe the extensive list I have come up with proves without a shadow of doubt that JPG’s Marion statement was a little perplexing.
Is he really better than some of the guys ahead of him? I don’t think so. He’s too perimeter oriented for my liking despite how well he rebounds for his size. We’ll see how he does on a dreadful Heat club.
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