when did i say you are a howard hater? chill. I still think would take what howard brings on both offense and defense over durant. I take it you wouldn't? though, you are right hes not elite, so maybe elite is too strong of a word, I can concede that. I'll still keep him on my list
Kevin Durant is by far my favorite player not in a Houston Rocket uniform. His game is just so smooth and fluent. He's probably the most graceful player in the NBA. I'm not sure he's in the top 5, but its damn close. His assist to turnover ratio is below 1 (2.8 APG vs 3.3 TPG) and I think that is a bad number for a player of his caliber. He players 40 minutes a night and can't even average 3 assists? That's mind boggling. His team is young, however, and I'm sure his "true assist" number, as Morey calls it, is higher. I look for his assists to rise as he matures (which is damn scary considering he is only 21) and the players around him start hitting their shots. Its also a factor that the Thunder's best big men are Collison and Kristic. No telling how many wide open shots those 2 guys missed. Once that team gets a legit scoring presence inside, its going to be scary. It really is time for us to win NOW before that team gets any better. I'm okay with babying Yao the first couple months of season with 25 minutes a game, but after that, I think we push him hard. Remember the 25 PPG dominating legit MVP candidate Yao the year he broke his leg? I know he can do it again. If he breaks down, well, as DD says we give him a gold watch and move on. I'm tired of going into every season with championship aspirations based solely on the health of one guy. I'm sure most of you are too.
I was being pre-emptive regarding Howard and realize you didn't accuse me of anything. People here get emotional about DH and I didn't know if you were in that boat. By your definition, Howard doesn't belong the top 5 because he certainly isn't elite on offense. I also question D-Will being elite on defense. I can't remember him ever locking anyone down. At this moment, I suppose Howard is still better overall than KD.
Yea...like i said, Elite may have been too strong. D will has the size for a point guard and is quick enough laterally to stay in front of his man, more so then say nash or chris paul (mainly due to size) Although, I do admit seeing men go by him too often so questioning D-Will is understandable. However, I did say capable. Nothing, except Durants length, imo, gives him the ability to be a shutdown defender. Even, with his length, he doesn't have the body (yet) to be a good defensive rebounder.
Dwight Howard is top 5 for sure. Even if he isn't elite in offensive his off the charts for D. And on offensive he changes the entire way a team has to play his team, similar to how a team can play Yao. You just can't play him or Yao straight up with one guy unless you have someone like Kendrick Perkins/Shaq/or Yao himself. His an automatic double team. He alters nearly 80% of the shots in the key. He rebounds like a monster. How is this not a top 5 talent? the Magic are better then most of the teams in the West and thats with a sucky VC and a sucky Rashard and a so and so Jameer Nelson. Can any other player in the league come close? As for Durant his a player. Take him away from OKC and they are nothing. Lets not mention earlier in the year he got slammed for his +/- numbers and he then proceeded to make ESPN eat crow over it. The bloke is a young and works hard to improve every facet of his game. His better then Melo offensively I reckon and for years to come. Imagine him with a bit more bulk and finishing more strongly.
1. Lebron James 2. Dwayne Wade 3. Kobe Bryant 4. Chris Paul 5. Kevin Durant 6. Dwight Howard 7. Deron Williams 8. Dirk Nowitzki 9. Carmelo Anthony 10. Joe Johnson I think people are underrating CP3 when he is healthy and has a decent supporting cast around him. Deron is one of my favorites, but CP3 is truly elite when he is right. Top 3 elite, don't forget about him... To me, Dwight Howard is about as impressive as Alonzo Mourning. I'll pass on "top 5."
durant's rebounding and blocking has impressed me. Are these underrated aspects of his game. If so, then maybe the argument for top 5 isn't that far fetched. maybe, ill have to eat my words...
Can't put him above Anthony right now....b/c as good as Durant is, his work is only in the regular season. He has to get a few post seasons under his belt b4 I compare him to a player who took his team to the conference finals.
Dwight Howard may not be elite in terms of post moves but he's still damn good on offense. He commands a lotta double teams and can finish better than anyone at the rim. He has the highest FG% in the league. If he could shoot free throws he would be unstoppable.
the thing with D12 is that he is the most dominant defensive presence in the league. if he isn`t one of the top 5 players in the league, i don`t know who is. what makes LBJ, Kobe, Wade a top 5 player is that they play both sides of the court well. durant, IMO, is still behind LBJ, Kobe, Wade, D12, Dirk.
He only went to college because of the no high school players entering the draft. If not for that, he most likely would've jetted for the NBA straight out of high school.
Kenny Smith on TNT OT today said in 3 years Durant will be the best player in the NBA surpassing Lebron. ThoughtS?
You're assuming he won't get any sort of injury in the coming years. Lebron's style of play won't last. All it takes is one injury to take away a portion of his game. On the other hand, Durant's game is modelled after jump shooters. Players like these last a VERY long time. Not to mention, Durant has a major height and wing span advantage against anyone guarding him. If Durant develops a solid post game, oh my..........
