Brandon Roy had tremendous promise in his brief career that was tragically cut short by a career ending knee injury. Roy had the skillset of both a 1 and a 2 and developed into a really good all around player as he started to enter his prime. I'd go as far as to say he'd be the 3rd best SG in the NBA today had he not had the knee condition. Roy was a really good scorer and could shoot it pretty well too both off the dribble and off ball. But the great thing about Roy is that he was unselfish and despite having scoring ability that could get 25 a game he often wanted to distribute and set up his teammates as well as score. He was on his way to becoming an elite player and it's such a shame to see him go out like that.
In his prime Miachael Redd was one of the most lethal combinations of scorer and shooter in the NBA. He could shoot the lights out especially coming off screens and spotting up. He had 2 seasons where he averaged over 25 a game. Redd has 2 major knocks on his resume however. The 1st is he was very injury prone. He's played less than 60 games in a season 6 times and his injuries ultimately resulted in a drastic decline in abilities that left him as a spot up shooting rotational role player to bring off the bench. The 2nd knock on him is the lack of success he had. After Allen left the Bucks and he became the man they only made the playoffs twice getting bounced in the 1st round both times fairly easy. The other years he was in Milwaukee they didn't even make the playoffs in large part due to his injury troubles. But all in all when he was healthy there was a stretch where he could get buckets with the best of em.
It was an interesting beginning to the decade for Joe Johnson as he spent the 1st few seasons of his career as a rotational role player in and out the starting lineup. Then he managed to put together two pretty good seasons in his last years in Phoenix that allowed him to sign a pretty good deal and be the franchise player for the Hawks and that's where he really made his mark in this league and went from spot up shooting wing player to the scorer and all star player we know him as today. For a SG Joe Johnson is huge at 6'7 240 pounds and despite his size moves well and has some of the best ball handling skills in the league. He's become a fantastic Iso player with his dribbling ability, face up ability, post up ability, and ability to hit tough shots. His arrival was the beginning of change in Atlanta as they went from a team that never made the playoffs to a lock for the playoffs every year.
7. Rip Hamilton
Rip Hamilton wasn't quite as talented as far as attributes are concerned as the other guys on this list but his accomplishments vault him up the list. He's won a championship and has multiple finals and conference finals appearances. But Rip is more than just a nice resume he could play and gave great effort on both ends of the floor. He was also one of the best conditioned players in the league as he was in great shape and gave max effort on both ends of the floor. He was more quick than he was fast and used that quickness combined with his conditioning to outwork his defenders on the offensive end running around a maze of screens throughout a game to get open looks. He was one of the best mid range shooters during the era.
Vince Carter if nothing else was the best dunker of last decade and it's not even close. He's one of the most athletic and exciting players this league has ever seen and in his prime would put on aerial assaults nightly during regular games. Vince Carter was a terror going to the rim as he couldn't be stopped from getting there nor could he be stopped once he got there as he dunked on countless players at the wrong place at the wrong time. He could handle it, pass it, shoot it really well, and even defended every now and then when it was convenient for him. He had unbelievable talent and ability in his prime. Unfortunately Vince didn't always give it his all and in the playoffs has had his share of failures. He's also proven to be not so clutch in big moments and has missed alotta big shots. To have true greatness it's about more than stats and Vincanity just didn't have enough big moments to justify a spot in the top 5 in my opinion.
5. Manu GinobliManu Ginobili is one of my favorite players of all time and not just because I'm a Spurs fan but becasue he was just so exciting. I honestly don't see how people can say the Spurs were boring with this guy on the team doing some of the stuff he did. For 1 thing Ginobili was fearless as they come as he often attacked the paint without any regard for the defense or his own body. He was one of the best finishers at the rim of last decade and he wasn't even a high flyer. Ginobili got it done more with the lay up variety as he was good with both hands but very hard to deal with because he was left handed and extremely good at going to his left and often got there despite defenders best attempts to force him right. Ginobili was also an amazing passer and often ran point for the Spurs off the bench when Tony came out. That's another thing that made Ginobili great his selflessness. Ginoblili had 20+ per game talent but never averaged over 20 a game because of the role Poppavich wanted him to play and that he gladly accepted without any issues to speak of. Ginobili was also a good defender and excellent at stealing the basketball as he often picked opposing ball handlers pockets with ease. He's won 3 championships and was a critical element in all of them especially the last 2 and with the combination of his career in Argentina and in the NBA will definitely be a hall of famer one day.
4. Ray AllenWhen you think of Ray Allen these days you think about a guy that's like Rip Hamilton was in his prime only doing it shooting 3s instead of from mid range. Ray in his Celtics days became more of a off ball scorer that scored more in the flow of the offense. But in his prime Ray Allen was one of the best scorers in the NBA. He's averging 20 points a game for his career and is the all time leader in made 3 point field goals. He's always been a great 3 point shooter perhaps the best ever but that used to only be one element of his game. Ray at his best could take you off the dribble and go the rack for acrobatic lay ups and dunks or pull up and put one right between your eyes. He's been one of the best conditioned players his whole career and even at the back end of his career is still in better shape than guys in their early 20s. He finally got his ring in 2008 when he was traded to the Celtics to team up with Pierce and KG solidifying his career, greatness, and spot in the hall of fame.
I don't care what anybody says Allen Iverson had the best handles of all time. He was the crossover king and broke many ankles during his time. He's one of the best scorers of all time and one of the quickest of his era. Despite being only 6 feet Iverson played shooting guard and dominated guys 6'6 on the offensive end. However despite all of Iverson's awards and statistics he had his flaws. He wasn't the best teammate or most coachable player and he had maybe the worst shot selection in the history of the league. Also despite his high number of steals wasn't a good defender. When I think about the best of the best Shooting Guards of all time I think about guys who could get theres on offense like he did but also guys who when their team needed them to could lock down a team's opposing best player at that position and that wasn't Iverson. He might have never won a title but he'll always have my respect for taking that Sixers team to the finals in 2000.
2. Dwayne Wade
Alot of people might feel that Iverson should be in the 2 spot but I think Wade is more deserving. Forget the greatness thing for a minute and throw out the championship edge wade has over Iverson he was also a better player than Iverson. Wade can do things to affect the game that Iverson never could as he could only affect the game when he was scoring the basketball. Wade is far superior defender as he's one of the best in the league. He also rebounds, steals, blocks shots, and when needed can run the point effectively and run the offense and distribute for others. Now as for why he's greater it's really because of the 06 Finals. Wade's team was down 0-2 and he picked them up and put them on his back and carried them to a championship with what was arguably the greatest finals performance in NBA history definitely the best one of last decade.
1. Kobe Bryant
The number 1 choice for this position is a no brainer it's Kobe Bryant the best shooting guard of last decade, 2nd best player of last decade, 2nd best shooting guard ever, and top 10 player ever. Before I get into some of his accomplishments you need to know what why Kobe was so great if you don't already. He was a complete 2 way basketball player as he dominated games on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. He'd drop 30 and dominate on defense night in and night out unlike most players with that were scorers. Kobe had the most lethal scoring repertoire in the NBA during last decade and combined with his cold blooded nature on the court made him the most dangerous scorer in the NBA. In his prime he wasn't the Kobe you see today. He could easily break defenders down and take them off the dribble, he got to rim with ease and dunked on awaiting bigs, and had a fade away jumper that rivaled Michael Jordan's. Kobe despite being a 2 guard had one of the best post games in the league and was even more deadly from triple threat position. In his prime he was probablly the most dangerous triple threat player I've ever seen with his fantastic foot work, violent jab steps, and pull up shooting shooting ability. Kobe had an all time great game. He won 5 championships, 2 finals MVP's, averaging over 25 a game for his career and currently in position to maybe go down as the all time scoring leader. Hate him or love him you can't deny Kobe's ability and standing in the game of basketball.
No comments:
Post a Comment