You're right, it is a circular argument, but I agree with TheFreak, that the best time to evaluate a player's career is after it is finished. A lot of people would have considered Robinson a better player up until 94 and they may have been right, but Hakeem clearly took a leap ahead as he continued to improve.
This is pretty much what I think, and I mean it makes sense. In sports like hockey and basketball where there are five guys on the court/ice at a time, the chances of the team with the top 3 player winning are always higher, whereas is sports with many players that switch in and out it isn't always the case. Like in football now, where it used to be that the team with the better QB always won the Superbowl, it really isn't the case anymore like the Ravens in 2000 (in fact it's usually the offesive line, the most team-oriented position, that wins the Superbowl). And of course in baseball, there really isn't much Barry Bonds can do if the Giants have bad pitching, or much Pedro Martinez can do if the Red Sox wont hit. HOWEVER, a lot of posters seem to be insinuating that by getting mcgrady, the rockets are a lock for a championship down the road, and that we should do anything to get him. Problems with this - 1- tmac is a top 3 talnet, but if you look at all those players that won chamipionships, all of them were
The only way to debunk this theory is to have a team like the Kings win the championship. The Kings don't have a "top 3" player (i don't think Peja is anywhere near top 3). They have very very good players on every position and on the bench. Some might argue that IF the Kings won, Webber or Peja would be considered top 3. It might. But it is perfectly conceivable that the Kings could win without anyone player dominating the whole series. In fact, Bibby would have been the hero if they beat the Lakers two years ago. Nobody would consider Bibby a top 3 player.
Let's hope Detroit proves this theory wrong, as it looks like they are our last best hope to take down the evil Lakers empire and deny Karla his gravy-training ring.
Chris Jent!!! Are you out of your mind? You were (suposidly) listing the 2 great and 3 very, very good players on a Championship team. How in the world do the words "Chris" and "Jent" end up on that list? For that mater: Matt Bullard, Carl Herrera and Scott Brooks have no place in that context. Thorpe is a very, very good player but not great. Kenny Smith, Robert Horry and Sam Cassell were all good players at that time but not very, very good players.
Raven, I see one obvious problem with Tmac being included on this list. McGrady has already whined his way out of two stops, and has never come close to a championship. I know he is still young age-wise, but experience-wise he is already further along than even Steve Francis. Undoubtedly, he is one of the top 10 players in the league right now. Probably second-best 2guard behind Kobe. But at this point, I feel what you see is what you get (a lot like Francis). But a lot of players have been top-10 talented losers in their career, and I see a lot of other past dissappointments in McGrady. 1. AI - Tracy's back problems could rob him of his unbelievable athleticism early, thereby reducing his effectiveness at a premature age. Look at AI 3 years ago...probably the 2nd best 2guard in the league (like TMac now), league's leading scorer (again like TMac), and even managed a Finals in the weak East. Look at AI now...a percieved brat who blames everyone but himself and has worn out his welcome with a team and fans who used to worship him. He has definitely slipped out of the top 10 way before his prime, and will most-likely never LEAD any team to a championship, although he could pull a Payton and hitch a ride on the coattails of other's greatness. 2. Penny - teamed with a young Shaq to go to what seemed to be the first of many finals in 95. Back then he was a dynamic scorer/playmaker, the next Magic Johnson, and definitely a top-10 player (I think he even made All-NBA first team one year). Look at Penny now...a perennial dissappointment, severely over-paid and under-productive. Again, an early injury robbed him of the explosiveness that made him special. 3. Vince Carter - who better to epitomize the savior-to-scapegoat syndrome I am talking about than TMac's own cousin? 3 years ago Carter was the NBA's golden child, the new face of the league. So high were his praises then that he drove this very same TMac to escape his large shadow in Orlando. Definitely top-10, and probably the second-best 2guard in the league after he led his team to the Eastern Finals. Look at Vincanity now...a soft, disinterested prima donna who may be run out of town. He complains (like TMac), irks teammates with his penchant for quitting when the going gets tough (like TMac), and has a reputation for easily injuring himself (like TMac). These are just a few of the top-10, top-5, and even top-3 talents who never won anything in this league after showing such early promise. While their story is not complete, I think most would agree their true colors are now showing. CWebb is another prime example of a seemingly dominant player who has never fulfilled the hype with anything but regular season accomplishments. I am not saying TMac cannot become a Jordan, Duncan, or Kobe, but the people from your list became franchise icons from day one, not wandering nomads who blow through cities, coaches, and teammates at the rate TMac has established. Still, if we can get him for Francis, I do it in a second b/c Tmac's ceiling is still tremendously higher than Steve's.
