Greatest NBA Player in History

[Dolph'sZiggler]

I like jennings but he is obsessed with shooting

Definitely. He has been a bit better as he's matured, but he still needs more of a PG mentality than he has. He and Monta is a crazy talented backcourt though, they can fill it up.

If I were playing a pick up game on the concrete I would love to have Jennings on my team though. He is slick with the ball in his hands and fearless as a scorer

 

[Danielson]

I like the kid because he isn't afraid to take the shot but like you said it would be nice to see him dish it more. I actually have him in fantasy and he balls pretty hard so i'm not hatin

 

[Zach]

CBA about Steph's comments tbh. Who cares what he says, I care about how he plays.

As for that list of PGs... pretty absurd IMO, but to each his own. No way I'd take any of your 6-10 over Steph, Lowry, Nash/Rose (injured) or even the MIke Conleys and Ty Lawsons of the world. Well, Holiday is in that same league. Jennings is a talent, but a head case and me first type of player. Dragic/Walker/Lilliard are nice up and coming PGs, but not yet the type of players I would take over more proven commodities like the ones I've listed.

as far as Power Forwards go I'd put ZACH RANDOLPH #1, then Love/Griffin, then probably Pau (even though he isn't a good fit in MDA's system) and LaMarcus Aldridge. Bosh is probably top 5 but is forgotten as the 3rd wheel of the big 3, then the David Lee's and Serge Ibaka's and Amare's come to mind. Also a mention for Dirk who is hurt.

I don't count guys like LBJ & Melo as 4s.. they will always be 3s in my mind.

I'm not sure how Curry plays with the absence of Monta Ellis but I had always considered them to both be shooting guards to be honest. With that being said I don't follow the Warriors religiously at all and don't really pay attention to them all that much.

As for my list I really just based it off the fly. No doubt in my mind that Nash, Rose, Irving are better than half of that list but it was pretty much based off of this year. With that being said, and as I mentioned before, I've considered Curry to be a shooting guard but if he was a point guard I'd have him as either my 4th or 5th man on the list.

For me, power forwards would go in the order of; Love, Griffin, Lee, Alridge... etc. Don't get why you're hyping up Randolph so much, however. Feel free to prove me wrong. He has done a lot for Memphis this year and is definitely a key part of their offense.

Speaking of Memphis, how about Marc Gasol? I absolutely love this dude. I think given time he will surpass his brother. He's an absolute beast on the court.

 

[Danielson]

He certaintly has been better the past two seasons zach. Good call on marc

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

I'm not sure how Curry plays with the absence of Monta Ellis but I had always considered them to both be shooting guards to be honest. With that being said I don't follow the Warriors religiously at all and don't really pay attention to them all that much.

As for my list I really just based it off the fly. No doubt in my mind that Nash, Rose, Irving are better than half of that list but it was pretty much based off of this year. With that being said, and as I mentioned before, I've considered Curry to be a shooting guard but if he was a point guard I'd have him as either my 4th or 5th man on the list.

For me, power forwards would go in the order of; Love, Griffin, Lee, Alridge... etc. Don't get why you're hyping up Randolph so much, however. Feel free to prove me wrong. He has done a lot for Memphis this year and is definitely a key part of their offense.

Speaking of Memphis, how about Marc Gasol? I absolutely love this dude. I think given time he will surpass his brother. He's an absolute beast on the court.

Long post so let me break it down by topic.

Steph Curry a 2 guard: I thought so at first as well, but last season and especially this season he is doing a good job of not only scoring (#10 in the league @ 20 PPG) but distributing as well. He had a long stretch of double digit assist games, and is currently sitting in the top 10 for assists by PGs with 6.5 per night.

So he has some passing ability and the ability to run the point, but he also, as you've pointed out, has the ability to play the two. And he does for the Warriors quite a bit because of our signing of Jarrett Jack. Jack is a solid veteran point guard who has been huge for us, and allows Steph to play some 2. He does both well, he is a real treat and an excellent combo guard.

As for my Z-Bo hype, I'll gladly defend it. He is one of the most efficient low post scorers in the league. He has an excellent mid range jumper and face up game. He scores at will on the block or from the 15-20 foot range. He is the best rebounder in the league. Yes, the BEST. 12.6 RPG this season. He just knows how to use his body to carve out space downlow and make room to gobble up the boards

He is a walking 20-10. Yes, he only scores 17 PPG this season, but look at who is around him. Conley will score some. Gay is their best scorer. Gasol needs the ball now as well. Bayless off the bench. They don't need Z-Bo scoring 20 a night to be successful. Z-Bo will always be efficient, shooting ~50% from the floor and ~75% from the line (where you have a lot of PFs who struggle from the stripe--- I'm looking at you, Blake Griffin)

When Z-Bo really caught my eye was the 2010-11 playoffs. The series he had against San Antonio blew me away, as did his efforts coming up short in the WCSF against OKC. He was putting up 35 & 11, 34 & 10 on a regular basis being defended by Duncan & Ibaka.

So yea, Love, Griffin & Aldridge are nice, but Z-Bo is my choice for the best 4 in the league.

As far as Marc Gasol goes, he is the man. 3rd or 4th best Center in the league, and an EXCELLENT passer for a man his size.

I'd put D12 & Bynum (when healthy) ahead of him, and then 3/4 are Gasol/Lopez.

 

[Danielson]

I like tyson chandler over lopez. He shoots 20% better from the field

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

He also shoots 90% dunks/layups whereas Lopez is shooting a ton of 16-18 foot jumpers.

I would take Lopez over Chandler in a heartbeat.

Lopez is a bonafide scorer at the 5, keeps the floor stretched for his teammates by drawing opposing big men away from the paint, and he protects the rim as well as Chandler. Chandler is a MUCH better rebounder and better on ball defender, and perhaps a SLIGHTLY better help defender, but the difference there is negligible.

So I guess it just comes down to preference. Do you want the rebounder who will be slightly better on ball defensively, or the better shooter and scorer who can still protect the rim with the best of them?

 

[Danielson]

Defense wins championships or something like that lol

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Lopez is fine defensively (no Chandler, but fine) his main issue is rebounding.

Idk that I've ever seen a fairly athletic 7 foot center get 30 minutes a night and only come up with 6 boards. It's sad

 

[Danielson]

It really speaks volumes about the lack of great centers in the NBA

 

[Danielson]

I'm a fan of Ibaka too though. That dude is such a beast, single handily could win you a block category in fantasy

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Yea most Centers are just big oafs that can protect the rim and grab some boards. I would venture to guess that most NBA teams don't even use a real center in their closeout lineup (lineup used in the last 5 minutes of games.. more important to me than starting lineups). They'll go with a 4 at the 5 who can be more versatile offensively. You have a lot of tall 4s who play the 5 (KG, Duncan, ect)

Hell even Dwight who was supposed to be the elite C of the league is struggling big time this season.

Can't wait until the Warriors get Bogut healthy.. What a luxury it will be to have a 7 foot center who can pass, defend and rebound.

Top 10 true centers IMO: 1.) Dwight 2.) Bynum 3.) Gasol 4.) Lopez 5.) Al Horford 6.) Bogut 7.) Tyson Chandler 8.) DeMarcus Cousins 9.) Marcin Gortat 10.) Joakim Noah

probably forgetting one

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

I'm a fan of Ibaka too though. That dude is such a beast, single handily could win you a block category in fantasy

He is a bit overrated defensively IMO, but a blocks machine (sort of his downfall)

He is such a natural athlete with long arms, but it costs him at times. He isn't the best on ball defender (too aggressive/overzealous at times) and he sometimes leaves his man to try and go for a weakside block which can result in an easy dish for a layup. But yea, he is a top 10 PF in my mind and can play some 5 down the stretch of games

 

[Danielson]

Yea most Centers are just big oafs that can protect the rim and grab some boards. I would venture to guess that most NBA teams don't even use a real center in their closeout lineup (lineup used in the last 5 minutes of games.. more important to me than starting lineups). They'll go with a 4 at the 5 who can be more versatile offensively. You have a lot of tall 4s who play the 5 (KG, Duncan, ect)

Hell even Dwight who was supposed to be the elite C of the league is struggling big time this season.

Can't wait until the Warriors get Bogut healthy.. What a luxury it will be to have a 7 foot center who can pass, defend and rebound.

Top 10 true centers IMO: 1.) Dwight 2.) Bynum 3.) Gasol 4.) Lopez 5.) Al Horford 6.) Bogut 7.) Tyson Chandler 8.) DeMarcus Cousins 9.) Marcin Gortat 10.) Joakim Noah

probably forgetting one

Yeah when closing out games, like you metioned, it seems teams put their small fowards at 4 and pf at 5. That's why when everyone is saying melo and amare won't work together, i tell em they might want to wait until Woodson has Amare at the 5 while Chandler is taking a breather. You can almost manage the game where they both get their minutes.

Wasn't Lebron a PG when he came into the league? He was playing 4 once he developed his post up game. So yeah, that confirms your theory about the last 5 min.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

LeBron was playing some point his rookie year IIRC. His ball handling skills and passing were NBA ready when he came into the league, but he didn't have his MAN'S BODY yet so he was put where he could best be utilized. Today he can play 1-5 and be fine really.

As for Amare/Melo-- I just don't like the dynamic. IMO they both are the same type of player, but Melo is better at it. They need the ball in their hands on the wing 15-18 feet out, isolated so they can score. That's about it. Both of them on the floor together doesn't work well, and they aren't good enough defensively/rebounding to justify it when they can't both be productive on offense together.

In a PERFECT world Amare would accept a role off the bench. He comes in when Melo gets tired and plays with the JR Smith bench unit, allowing him to be the 'Carmelo' of the offense for about 10-15 minutes a game. He can play another 10-12 minutes alongside Melo, but they just need to be careful not to overdue it. Amare plays 25 minutes a night off the bench and gets 15 & 6 while accepting his role and doing the little things to help the team.

I don't think Amare would be that guy though. IMO if they can get anything for him they should deal him.