Ridders
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With the decade coming to an end, it will be interesting to see the general consensus of who can be attributed to have been the dominant player. The 80s had Magic and Larry, the 90s had MJ, while I think this decade is defined by the following 3, and in the order I believe they are in.
1) Tim Duncan
Doesn't have the flashy or sexy game of other superstars, but imo is the player of the decade. The real marvel with Duncan is the consistency he has shown throughout his career. Has been a dominant PF/C for this entire decade and as a testament to the man, his teams have been in contention for the title for every season of the noughties. Plus I give him major credit for being a guy who attracts very little controversy and has always been a great team-mate, unlike the next two players I'm going to mention. Thats not even getting into the completeness of his game. I've always felt that Duncan was a guy, especially in his prime, he could score much more than he did, but was always looking to keep the rhythm of his team-mates going. To me, thats what separates him from other superstars.
Along with his brilliant offensive game, he was just as good on defense and would have to be one of the best defensive big men of all time. It's one area of the game where Duncan has a distinct advantage over Shaq imo.
2) Shaquille O'Neal
While he has certainly been a fading force for the end part of this decade, you can't ignore how dominant he was at the start of this decade. While he did have Kobe, the numbers he put up in the Finals for the Lakers three-peat were stunning. Also while he wasn't the A player in Miami, he also allowed Wade to get over the hump to win the Heat's first ever title. I've always been a bit disapointed with Shaq in terms of his commitment to his conditioning and health. I genuinly feel that if he had the same commitment to the game as Duncan or Kobe, not only would he be the dominant player from this decade, but rivaling MJ for the GOAT title.
3) Kobe Bryant
Like Shaq, he's certainly had his fair share of controversy this decade, although his image has certainly taken a large boost in recent years. His greatness cannot be denied though. He is without a doubt imo the dominant back-court player of the decade. At the start of this decade we had arguments like Kobe vs Vince Carter, Kobe vs T-Mac and even Kobe vs Paul Pierce. As the decade's gone on, those guys may have faded but Kobe's still remained in the discussion and we've had arguments like Kobe vs Lebron and Kobe vs Wade. That in itself is a credit to the man's longevity. I've also always admired his reported work ethic and hunger to be the best at what he does. While I think Duncan is the most complete big of this decade, I also think Kobe is the most complete back-court player. There is nothing he can do on the court. What really sets up apart from other back-court players is his superb post-game, which he's had for a while but has really gone to this season.
1) Tim Duncan
Doesn't have the flashy or sexy game of other superstars, but imo is the player of the decade. The real marvel with Duncan is the consistency he has shown throughout his career. Has been a dominant PF/C for this entire decade and as a testament to the man, his teams have been in contention for the title for every season of the noughties. Plus I give him major credit for being a guy who attracts very little controversy and has always been a great team-mate, unlike the next two players I'm going to mention. Thats not even getting into the completeness of his game. I've always felt that Duncan was a guy, especially in his prime, he could score much more than he did, but was always looking to keep the rhythm of his team-mates going. To me, thats what separates him from other superstars.
Along with his brilliant offensive game, he was just as good on defense and would have to be one of the best defensive big men of all time. It's one area of the game where Duncan has a distinct advantage over Shaq imo.
2) Shaquille O'Neal
While he has certainly been a fading force for the end part of this decade, you can't ignore how dominant he was at the start of this decade. While he did have Kobe, the numbers he put up in the Finals for the Lakers three-peat were stunning. Also while he wasn't the A player in Miami, he also allowed Wade to get over the hump to win the Heat's first ever title. I've always been a bit disapointed with Shaq in terms of his commitment to his conditioning and health. I genuinly feel that if he had the same commitment to the game as Duncan or Kobe, not only would he be the dominant player from this decade, but rivaling MJ for the GOAT title.
3) Kobe Bryant
Like Shaq, he's certainly had his fair share of controversy this decade, although his image has certainly taken a large boost in recent years. His greatness cannot be denied though. He is without a doubt imo the dominant back-court player of the decade. At the start of this decade we had arguments like Kobe vs Vince Carter, Kobe vs T-Mac and even Kobe vs Paul Pierce. As the decade's gone on, those guys may have faded but Kobe's still remained in the discussion and we've had arguments like Kobe vs Lebron and Kobe vs Wade. That in itself is a credit to the man's longevity. I've also always admired his reported work ethic and hunger to be the best at what he does. While I think Duncan is the most complete big of this decade, I also think Kobe is the most complete back-court player. There is nothing he can do on the court. What really sets up apart from other back-court players is his superb post-game, which he's had for a while but has really gone to this season.
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