Top 5 players in the league entering the 2009/2010 season

Wade
Lebron
Kobe
Paul
between Roy, Nowitzki, and Duncan

 

How is Howard in anybody's top 5?

 

1. Brian Cook
2. Lebron
3. Wade
4. Paul
5. Kobe

 

I agree with you totally except for the #5 spot. Now don't get me wrong, I love KD's game and to me he is one of the brightest you stars the league has to offer. But as of this very moment, I would have to rank DWill ahead of him. That's not a knock on KD, I just feel that for his size & strength, DWill is a nightmare for opposing point guards. The vision, the ability to get to the rim, knocking down the 3, assisting the ball, kid can do it all. The biggest knock on him- he plays for the Jazz. I would rank him ever so slightly above KD. In fact, I would rank them 5a & 5b. It's just that close, IMHO.

 

in no particular order:
brooks
battier
ariza
scola
hayes

then theres everyone else.

 

on a more serious note
1. d wade
2. kobe
3. brandon roy
4. tim duncan
5. lebron or chris paul

 

at least one thread like this pops up every off-season, and they all are equally fun/impossibly subjective. but what the hell.

if i were picking a fantasy squad, starting with one player and building around them..

1. lebron
2. kobe
3. wade
4. paul
5. roy

and let's round out the top ten while we are at it

6. duncan
7. al jefferson
8. durant
9. nowitzki
10. joe johnson

honorable mention:
devin harris, tony parker, kevin garnett

 

James
Kobe
Wade
Roy
Paul

With Dre Miller running the point now I can see Roy focusing on other things mainly scoring more points. I can see him going off for 25+ ppg and still doing well at the other things he does. More points= more casual fans, more votes for All star game, more publicity, more hype, more of everything. Welcome to Super stardom Brandon.

Roy also shined in the playoffs this year. He's going to continue off of that and be beastly this year.

 

Nobody at his natural talent level is more basketball skilled.

 

Al jefferson, the 7th best player in basketball??? HA

 

you said entering the 2009 season.. so players has to be judged based on how they perfotmed during 2008-2009 season most especially how they played in the playoffs..

1. kobe - just got a ring so he has to be number 1
2. lebron
3. roy - ask ron artest
4. d wayde *
5. d rose *

* interchangeable depending who gets boozer

 

1. LBJ- Scottie Pippen in Karl Malone's Body

2. Kobe- Most unstoppable and clutch scorer since Jordan (I didn't say he was as good as Jordan)

3. Dwight Howard-I know you guys judge great players by who has the best crossover and jumper, but i give Howard the 3 spot because he dominates both ends of the court. Any given night he can give you 20/20 and still block 8 shots on the other end and change 10 other shots. He shuts down the lane and helps his team win by his presence

4. DWade- Can score with anyone in the league, and is probably the most consistent scorer in the league night in and night out. Still a top 3 perimeter defender in the league.

5. CP3- Struggled between CP3 and Melo here, but once again I judge "best player" by best all around player. CP3 is unstoppable on the break, and a steal waiting to happen on the defensive end.

 

My sentiments exactly.

This is my list as well. My order goes:

1. James





2/3. Kobe/Wade
4. Roy
5. Paul
----
6. D/Williams


I started a thread on here during the playoffs last year that I hadn't realized just how good Roy was. I always put him a notch after Chris Paul and Deron Williams but after seeing him score at will against us, I was honestly wondering if there was even that great a gap between him and Dwayne Wade. I said all throughout last year that if the Blazers wanted to win a title, they had to pray that they either landed another star or that Oden exploded because I didn't see Roy being good enough to carry them with minimal improvements elsewhere. After watching him up close, I have to completely retract that statement. That guy can absolutely carry a team to a title if they can just make some minor improvements.

 

Yao
Scola
Ariza
Landry
Lowry

 

New Orleans is in disarray. So is Utah. I could easily see a healthy D. Williams rallying his troops, playing outside the offense, and surpassing Chris Paul. I could easily see Chris Paul crumbling until a new coach comes in.

And remember what Artest said... is Roy better than Kobe? Seriously. Roy owns the Lakers head 2 head.

 

1) Lebron/Kobe tie - Lebron better team player Kobe better defender and killer instinct
2) Dwight Howard - A force in the middle, offensively and defensively, getting better; would challenge the 1 spot if not for lack of a goto move and free throws
3) Wade/Chris Paul tie - Wade would be higher if not for injury proness, CP3 gets docked for playing for a team who's dumping salaries.
4) T-Mac! J/K Tim Duncan - older yes, but who else consistently play better at both ends
5) Blake Griffin - LOL Seriously, if he can amount to anything, and turn the Clippers around into the playoffs inspite of the ownership and a dunderheaded coach, he get's +100 Props.

Honorable mention: Rockets medical/training staff, KG, D. Rose, Dirk Nowtizki (if voting on the regular season only, scratch if playoffs included), Brandon Roy (now playoff tested).

Houston's dark horse: AB, the offense will be tailor made for him.

 

1. Kobe
2. Lebron
3. Wade
4. Paul (Flopping b****)
5. Dirk

I'd rather have any of those guys than Howard.

I'd love to put Granger and Durant on the list, but their teams suck.

 

Go out on a limb for me and tell who you think will emerge as the top 5 players NEXT season. I wish this is what the OP had asked. Some players are going to get better, some will be about the same and others will decline. It's a harder question to answer but I think it's more fun.

I've read a bunch of stuff on KD this summer. He's been going to school in Austin and working out. I read somewhere that he's gained 15 lbs of muscle and is working tirelessly on his skills. After being asked if he should take more time off in the summer, he made the statement (paraphrase): The great players of all-time don't do that and that's what I'm trying to be.

Pardon my bias, but this is why I think KD is the next great thing in the NBA. Some here called him a "joke" during his rookie season (half of which was wasted because he was not coached), but this guy's work ethic and dedication to bball puts him in a special class. I think he will take another step next season and hopefully his teammates will too.

 

1 - lebron (by far the best player, it's not even close regardless of what people might want to say about kobe)

2 - wade (put up the best statistical season by a guard since TRACY )

3 - kobe

4 - paul

the rest, who cares. these 4 are the only real superstars who do everything for their team

 

something tells me that the cavs are going to be really slow, they cant run, so we can beat them!! lmao. when are shaq and igluazkas going to catch up to any of our players.

but yea. lebrons numbers are going to go way down this year. about -5 points, -2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists because the ball isnt going to go to him on every possesion now. am i right?

thats the only reason his stats are so high.

top 5:

#1 dwayne wade
#2 kobe bryant
#3 lebron james
#4 dwight howard
#5 chris paul/brandon roy.