[Fox Sports] Shooting Guards: T-Mac #4

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/4806088

Wade's already top shooting guard in game
Story Tools: Print Email XML
Mike Kahn / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 2 days ago



The glamour position of the NBA remains just that.

Filled with spectacular athletes capable of taking over games in any number of ways, they can grab the ball off the rim, take the ball the length of the floor, and burn defenders from the perimeter or off the dribble on a whim.
The bigger question is how do you differentiate between the elite shooting guards who play the game today?

Seriously now ... do you really think Dwyane Wade is a better basketball player than Kobe Bryant?

Then again, is Kobe Bryant more talented than Tracy McGrady?

And while we're at it, is any one of the aforementioned trio even close to being the same kind of consistent leader that Ray Allen was for the Seattle SuperSonics last season?

Not to be forgotten is the biggest winner of the entire group — Manu Ginobili, who in the last four seasons has won two NBA titles, an Olympic gold medal and a European title.


Dwyane Wade needed just two seasons to reach the top of the shooting guard heap. (Victor Baldizon / Getty Images)

The key to ranking extraordinarily talented players such as these is the criteria used for the ranking. If we went on pure talent, Vince Carter would be considered for first. So would Steve Francis. And there is always the sleeper of the bunch who everybody fell in love with over the past six months — Joe Johnson.

Actually, Johnson is loaded with tangible skills, but we won't find out what kind of leadership qualities he has until we see how he performs with his new team in Atlanta.

Bryant's leadership qualities have been in question since the team completely unraveled at the end of the 2004 NBA Finals against the Pistons and there was unrest last season.

And that's not to mention that both McGrady and Carter admittedly quit on their previous teams, setting the stage for trades last season.

That leaves us with the wonderfully talented and focused qualities that both Wade and Allen bring to the floor to help their teammates succeed. Not only did that last throughout the regular season, but well into the postseason. Wade led the Miami Heat to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, and Allen carried the underdog and injured Sonics to Game 6 of the West semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs.

So how do we differentiate between the two? Well, Wade just does more. He isn't the special perimeter shooter that Allen is, but Wade does everything else better ... from ballhandling, to taking players off the dribble, to setting up his teammates, and defending.

Consequently, we believe not only is Wade the best shooting guard in the league entering this season, but along with a healthy Shaquille O'Neal and other additions to the team, will lead the Heat to their first NBA title in 2006.

And without further adieu, here are our top 10 shooting guards for the 2005-06 season, and a few more:


1. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Ht./Wt. 6-4, 210
Numbers: 24.1 pts., 5.2 reb., 6.8 ast.
Wade became the "It Player" during last year's playoffs. Strong, smooth and extraordinarily gifted, his best quality might just be his humility. And when you consider that he is just entering his third season ... it just puts everything in perspective. The fifth player taken in the special 2003 draft — after LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh — may indeed end up being the best of all.


2. Ray Allen, Seattle SuperSonics
Ht./Wt. 6-5, 205
Numbers: 23.9 pts., 4.4 reb., 3.7 ast.
Just when everybody thought the Sonics were headed to the cellar for good and Allen along with them, he gathered the troops and not only explained, but showed them how to win. He became an upper-crust superstar for good during the playoffs with a slew of extra-terrestrial performances against the Kings and Spurs that exceeded expectations even for Allen.


3. Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers

Kobe Bryant is the most complete talent at the SG position. But his attitude knocks him down to No. 3 on our list. (Rocky Widner / Getty Images)

Ht./Wt. 6-6, 220
Numbers: 27.6 pts., 5.9 reb., 6.0 ast.
He's still the best package of talent, with the size, strength, quickness, defense and offensive skills. But there is so much resentment and disdain for his selfishness that he has to overcome that it tends to supersede his wondrous gifts. And it is amazingly ironic that Phil Jackson would return to coach after a one-year hiatus to help him prove otherwise.


4. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
Ht./Wt. 6-8, 210
Numbers: 25.7 pts., 6.2 reb., 5.7 ast.
T-Mac appeared to do everything humanly possible in the first round of last year's playoffs against Dallas, and still couldn't prevent the Rockets from blowing a 2-0 lead coming home. It's too easy to point the finger at the irrefutable fact that he has never gotten out of the first round, but it's also why he's ranked no better than fourth.


5. Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets
Ht./Wt. 6-6, 220
Numbers: 24.5 pts., 5.2 reb., 4.2 ast.
There is still Vinsanity to reckon with, but the difference is in the definition. No longer is his talent what keeps fans in awe, but the contradiction of his great play to his frequent disappearing acts. He was outstanding down the stretch last season to get the Nets into the playoffs. Now in Year Two we'll find out how deep his commitment is. Plenty of people still need to be convinced.


6. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Ht./Wt. 6-6, 210
Numbers: 16.0 pts., 4.4 reb., 3.9 ast.
Many insiders watching the seven-game win over the Pistons believed it was Ginobili, not Tim Duncan, who should have been the MVP of the finals, and that it was backlash to commissioner David Stern's globalization theme that skewed voting from the writers. Whatever the case, Ginobili now is a legitimate All-Star in every phase of the game and getting better, regardless of whether he was raised in Argentina or Brooklyn.


7. Steve Francis, Orlando Magic
Ht./Wt. 6-3, 205
Numbers: 21.3 pts., 5.8 reb., 7.0 ast.
Stevie Franchise had hoped for bigger and better things with the Magic last season, only to suffer another disappointing trip into the lottery. He is not a point guard, nor a shooting guard. He is a guard, with exceptional talent, who just dribbles way, way, too much. Somebody else will play point, so he is a two, and we'll see if new coach Brian Hill can help him gain some consistency.


8. Michael Redd, Milwaukee Bucks
Ht./Wt. 6-6, 215
Numbers: 23.0 pts., 4.2 reb., 2.3 ast.
He has moved into the "elite player" category contract-wise and without question shooting-wise. But can he rise to the level of a player who helps his team win? The Bucks were a major disappointment last season and have added two key players in Andrew Bogut and Bobby Simmons, and new coach Terry Stotts. Now Redd has to prove he deserves the money and plaudits by leading them to the playoffs.


9. Richard Hamilton, Detroit Pistons
Ht./Wt. 6-7, 195
Numbers: 18.7 pts., 3.9 reb., 4.9 ast.
Rip's all-around improvement defensively and passing the ball have been vastly overlooked in the wake of the Pistons' back-to-back Eastern Conference titles. He remains one of the top two or three mid-range shooters in the game and is getting better all the time at setting up his teammates as well. Just because he's skinny, doesn't mean he can't play. He's potentially Reggie Miller with less range.


10. Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
Ht./Wt. 6-7, 230
Numbers: 17.1 pts., 5.1 reb., 3.5 ast.
It's hard to figure what will happen to this marvelously talented 24-year-old now that he's going to the Hawks. A natural shooting guard, maybe he becomes a point guard, maybe a small forward. Whatever the case, he's the only other player who has the complete game on both ends of the floor and shooting touch to rival Bryant. The difference is, he may be too nice of a guy.

Also under consideration: Larry Hughes, Cleveland Cavaliers; Michael Finley, free agent; Jason Richardson, Golden State Warriors; Jalen Rose, Toronto Raptors; Cuttino Mobley, Los Angeles Clippers; Stephen Jackson, Indiana Pacers.