The NBA's Best

[Jasdragon]

Who do you rate as the best player in the NBA?

 

[Jasdragon]

D.Wade rules .

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

lebron

 

[Ridders]

If Lebron actually learned how to shoot, i would pick him. Imo it has to be the beast from the east, D. Howard. He will easily be the dominant force in the NBA for the next decade. Baring injuries, he should win DPOTY every year for the forseeable future.

 

[Noa]

LeBron shoots better then Dwight hits ft's. And he wins you game in the clutch unlike Dwight.

Its leBron first, daylight second. 10 years from now Lebron will be next to MJ as the GOAT

 

[Ridders]

LeBron shoots better then Dwight hits ft's. And he wins you game in the clutch unlike Dwight.

Its leBron first, daylight second. 10 years from now Lebron will be next to MJ as the GOAT

I was referring to his mid-range jumpshot and his three point shooting. Take away his dunks, layups and points in the point (which i know is his bread and butter) and he's a terrible shooter. I'm not denying his other skills, but imo Dwight has been the dominant force this season.

As for being the GOAT, the dude's gotta win a title first. Imo if he goes to NY rather than stay in Cleveland and finish what he built, he will be taking several steps back on that journey.

 

[McLovin]

Lebron...No question...This was Kobe's title a couple of years ago. I doubt Kobe can lift this Cavs team like Lebron does. Imagine Lebron on that Lakers squad...:shock:

 

[Tiger Hawk]

There is no argument, LeBron is the best player in the NBA and has been for a couple years now. The whole "weak" shooting thing is a bit of a myth IMO, he's made huge strides the last couple of years where he's now a knock down 3 point shooter if left open. Thing is, he isn't left open so most of his 3s are contested shots off the dribble, the most difficult shot to make. That he still hits at a quasi-decent clip shows how much he's improved. He's not as good from mid-range as Kobe, but not too many players are.

And before LeBron took the title, it was Tim Duncan, not Kobe. 4 rings, 3 Finals MVPs, 2 MVPs, never missed the playoffs, should have one or more DPOY titles, take away Manu's stupid foul on Dirk and they beat the Heat in 06, take away Fisher's miracle shot in 04 and they beat the Pistons in 05, could have had 5 straight.

 

[Stonecutter]

Currently i'd have to say LBJ followed by Wade. Duncan is getting on in years now. Still putting up 20 and 10 though in around 34 mins compared to most other guys 40+ mins. Just shows what a legend of the game he is.

Even though I don't like him, you have to have Steve Nash on that list over Paul Pierce. Although I don't think Nash would've won any MVP awards if he stayed in Dallas.

 

[Ridders]

Each to his own i suppose. I'm not denying the great season that Lebron is having, but imo Dwights numbers and performances are equally impressive. I love the TD like bank shot of the glass that he's developed this year. What scares me about Dwight is that he has such a relaxed demeanor during games. I always wonder what he could average if he had a KG-like intensity.

 

[Goldthorpe]

It's simple, LeBron James

 

[Ridders]

It's simple, LeBron James

Thank you o' deciphel of thy chosen one.

 

[Goldthorpe]

Thank you o' deciphel of thy chosen one.

No worries Superman!

 

[Mr Saab]

Its leBron first, daylight second.
10 years from now Lebron will be next to MJ as the GOAT

Whilst i am no Kobe fan, there is no way the gap between Bron and Kobe is that large.
Bron better have at least 2-3 rings in the next 10 yrs...otherwise he will be way begind the likes of Bird, Magic, Kareem, Wilt, Duncan.

 

[Noa]

Figure of speech. He's not really alot better then Kobe but he is just unstoppable when he decides to take the game over. When Kobes unstoppable its becuse he's hitting turnarounds and 3's and circus shots left right and center.

LBJ doesnt need all that stuff, he justs drive to the hoop, draws the foul and cannot be stopped. Its incredible to think he his only 1 inch and 4.5kgs smaller then the Mailman.

Combine that with his superior rebounding and passing and it makes him the best

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Each to his own i suppose. I'm not denying the great season that Lebron is having, but imo Dwights numbers and performances are equally impressive. I love the TD like bank shot of the glass that he's developed this year. What scares me about Dwight is that he has such a relaxed demeanor during games. I always wonder what he could average if he had a KG-like intensity.

He'd also be averaging 25+ if he hit better than 55% of his free throws. He's undeniably the best centre in the game at the moment however I can't give him the best overall. And if LeBron has a suspect jump shot what about Howard? He still has a fairly limited offensive arsenal on the blocks and is pretty much useless if he's more than 8+ feet from the basket. Whilst he's working on his game, you can't go to him in crunch time because he can't shoot plus he can't reliably hit his free throws.

IMO, Jameer Nelson is the bigger story in Orlando this year, he is absolutely on fire and if he keeps it up should make All-NBA second team, he has clearly been the best PG in the league after Chris Paul this year.

 

[Noa]

^

yeah Dwights arsenal is basically dunk, hammer dunk, toma-hawk dunk, tip-slam, lay-up, baby-hook, alley-oop dunk. Its awesome but limited.

Plus like you said they cant go to him in crunch time due to his ft's and hes still learning how to pass out the double-team.

 

[Ridders]

Have you seen him play this year? He has added a lovely bank shot of the glass to his arsenal. I don't doubt his FT woes, and i hope its something he can improve on in his game. You talk alot about his limited arsenal yet conveniently choose the ignore Dwight's defensive presence, he leads the league in both rebounds and blocks, not to mention how many shots he alters. Imo he has repaced Duncan as the best defensive big man in the game, and that says alot.

 

[McLovin]

Duncan's longevity is credit to his fundamentals and old school style of play. Every year he's been in the league he's never really relied on athletisism to be dominant. He'll be a 20-10 player for a few more years imo...Howard in a few years will be the most dominant force in the league...A prime Shaq...

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Have you seen him play this year? He has added a lovely bank shot of the glass to his arsenal. I don't doubt his FT woes, and i hope its something he can improve on in his game. You talk alot about his limited arsenal yet conveniently choose the ignore Dwight's defensive presence, he leads the league in both rebounds and blocks, not to mention how many shots he alters. Imo he has repaced Duncan as the best defensive big man in the game, and that says alot.

Actually I have, quite a few times. That shot is hardly reliable which is why he only attempts it once, max twice a game, and some games not at all. I didn't ignore his defence and in fact quite clearly stated "He's undeniably the best centre in the game at the moment". If you prefer, he's undeniably the best big man in the game. Yeah he rebounds like crazy, but remember who else is on that front-line - Lewis & Turkoglu aren't exactly rebounding machines despite both being 6'10". And similarly most of the Magic's players are defensive sieves so he's constantly mopping up for them.

Howard's numbers are down across the board - points, rebounds, FG%, FT%. In fact only his blocks are up on last year although they've gone down each month since the start of the season - he's only averaging 1.89 a game in January despite playing 36 minutes a game.

He's just not on the others' level. Yet.