http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...op-100-players-before-2017-18-season-tips-off Top 10: 1. Lebron 2. Durant 3. Curry 4. Kwahi 5. Antetokounmpo 6. Harden 7. Westbrook 8. Butler 9. Davis 10. Paul Other Rockets on the list: 68. Ariza 67. Capela Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson left off the list.
It's just hard to say. It's hard to compare players with different skill sets. Do I think curry is better than harden or Westbrook? No But if I have harden or westy as my man on my squad with some good pieces around them and I was going to add a star is add curry over the remaining player of harden and Westbrook. Harden and westy can take a bottom feeder team and make it into a playoff team. I'm not convinced curry could carry that load. But curry is a guy who you could pretty much throw on any great team and automatically know they are instantly better, just because of the way he plays. Same with kawhi. Different skill sets are just hard to judge against each other but they got it right with harden>westy. Also I think the Greek freak is overrated here but maybe this is a prediction of him taking the next big step.
As much as I like the Greek freak's game (despite his occasional punk-like behavior, but would I be any different were I that young, rich, and talented?), putting him in the top 5 is a little premature. But at least this ranking lacks some of ESPN's more obvious, "Hey, Peter, what's happening, looks like you ranked Anthony Davis a little low, did you GET that memo?"
Ryno tops the rank, that's all I could see before realizing it was a BR article and I should close the tab quickly before my brain started melting
Antetokounmpo is too high. It's still potential based. He should be that high - or higher - but we've yet to see it. Gordon off the list is INSANE. Regarding Curry... Curry is constantly underrated. I can't believe everyone keeps putting KD above him. The Warriors won 73 games WITHOUT KD. But they lost in the Finals!!! Yeah, after Draymond got suspended, Bogut got hurt, and Curry wasn't himself from the DMo sweat injury. And they were still 1 different play (Iggy layup, Kyrie 3, Barnes making 1 shot, lol) from being 3x champions now. How on earth is KD ranked above Curry? Curry has by far the highest net rating impact on that team. He did last year, he did 2 years ago, he did this year, and he did this year in the playoffs. Do people not remember how the already dominant Warriors just became more dominant once KD got injured? Here's Kerr's commentary on Curry I think yesterday. Granted Kerr is biased a his coach, and perhaps even more biased since Curry is more a Kerry type player than someone like KD is. Bias aside, I think Kerr is basically saying what I'm saying... Curry is the engine that makes the ship go. And offensively is the engine in the way that almost no player in NBA history has every been, maybe save MJ. KD had a game in the Finals where he had 6 wide open dunks in the first half. That isn't because KD is amazing - he is, I'm not arguing that - it's because of the system.
I see what you are saying. I agree with a lot of it. But they won a finals with a bench player as their finals MVP. That team would be pretty damn good even without curry in my opinion. Curry has never been their most impactful player in the finals that they have won. I def agree, a lot of the individual player success is bc of the system. But draymond and iggy mean a lot to that team and currys success is also in part because of the guys in that system in my opinion
EG was 6th man of the league and didn't even crack top 100?!?! I guess he was just lucky to be part of the system that is in place around him....I'm pretty sure he'd start for a lot of the teams out there and players ahead of him...once again f*ck the national media guys..
Here's the excuse for not including Eric Gordon Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets Leaving off a Sixth Man of the Year winner blows, but Eric Gordon's role next to James Harden, Chris Paul and Houston's wings is hard to decipher. Someone explain what "next to Houston's wings" means. When on the court, EGo is a 1st target ahead of any wing....he is a wing. I mean, Iggy is still Top 50 in their list as a 6th Man behind 4 better players. And check out Porter....who plays same role and minutes as EGo. 37. Otto Porter Using the very same knock on Porter as Gordon, they place Porter at least 60-70 spots higher than Gordon for having the same role behind two Stars/Superstars "Nine-figure contracts infer a certain level of offensive freedom Porter will never get with the Wizards. He won't direct more than a handful of pick-and-rolls (0.8 per game in 2016-17) or stage a ton of drives (1.1) so long as Bradley Beal and John Wall are his teammates. That comes with the territory of being a spare tire."
I don't put much/any stock in Iggy as the Finals MVP. Remember it is voted on by the same media that left Harden entirely off the all-nba list in 15-16 and though RW deserved the MVP over Harden this year because he grabbed two more rebounds, despite leading his team that was supposed to be better than the Rockets to a 7 game worse record. It's illogical. Even more illogical, the chatter was about possibly giving it to Lebron, even as a Finals loser, because he was playing so crazy. So the media decided not to do that and instead give it to the guy who was guarding Lebron? Illogical. The gave it to Iggy because the insertion of Iggy meant more small lineup with meant more death lineup and the GSW had a better net rating... that's all. Curry played well that Finals. He had one horrific game - which I don't give him a pass for - but excluding that game, for the other 5 games in which GSW went 4-1 he averaged 28.4 ppg on 50% shooting (142 points on 99 shots), 46% from three, 5 rebounds, 6.6 apg and 2.2 spg. Which goes to my point. There are very few years where that, plus a 4-2 Finals win, plus a regular season MVP performance, doesn't get you the Finals MVP as well. Doesn't make sense. And the averages don't go down much if you factor in the 1 crappy game. He just shot 5-23 that game bringing his efficiency down. And he was better this year. His game 4 that they lost was so-so, but he put up 28, 32, 26, 14 and 34 points, had assists of 10, 11, 6, 10, 10... 2 plus steals in every game but 1, rebounds of 6, 10, 13, 5, 6 and again solid efficiency. But KD outscored him with better efficiency. But I already know what KD does when he's not on the GSW. Put him next to Steph on the GSW and all of a sudden he's super efficient. Lol. Yeah... no crap. In my view, you take Curry off the Warriors before KD and they don't have any rings yet. For one, the system never really comes to work as amazingly as it turned out to do. For two, even if the system works somewhat, they become much easier to defend, to bump and grind (maybe the Grizzlies would have taken them out that one year, maybe the Rockets). Certainly would have lost to OKC 2 years ago, etc. I won't go as far to say at this point you lose Curry and they're not still the favorites. I mean KD, Dray, Klay is pretty formidable still, obviously. But I'd much rather lose KD than Steph. And to take it to the extreme, it's definitely down to KD and Klay as to which player I'd rather lose if forced to, and I'd probably pick KD. Yes, he's better than Klay, clearly, and Draymond. But I like Klay's defensive versatility and know that he can be a highly efficient 24+ ppg scorer if tasked to be so in that system. Just my two cents.
Also, no one tell Isaiah Thomas he's ranked behind his teamate Jae Crowder. And 12th best Point Guard
I fast forward to the end but no way I’m picking Klay over KD. KD defense was better than average until he got to GSW. His defense is very good now. Maybe it’s bevause team defense but I clearly have him over Klay. If Klay can give you 24+ then KD can give you 30+
It's a bit of nitpicking, but I don't care that much if KD gives me 30 and Klay gives me 24. The Warriors offense is unparalleled in either case, and Steph can certainly score more if/as necessary. KD turned into a real solid/great defender with GSW. But I still don't really want him guarding great backcourt offensive players. Whereas with Klay I do. And Steph's weakspot is of course defense. So I'd rather have Klay as backcourt defender and Dray as frontcourt, then two frontcourt guys, even if both those guys are solid frontcourt defenders (and one's amazing).
