AK47 is a very good player but he does not belong on the list with those guys that have been mentioned in the pole. I would love to have him but I could probably name 20-30 players I would prefer to have ahead of AK47 if I was starting a team.
prada I was just trying to make sure everyone understands anyways I think 20 - 30 players is too much. I would put AK in the top 20 .. J
AK is a top 15 or so player, he more than likely will become one of those players that are NEVER on losing teams.
Disregarding salary, I think most NBA GMs would take Odom+Butler+Grant. That's 1 all-star caliber player and another potential all-star caliber player, both under the age of 25, plus a power forward that does a lot of dirty work down low. That's a potential to plug 3 holes for 1 all-star.
20-30? I'd like to see that list. I'll make my list of players I'd rather have before Kirilienko right now were I GM of the Bobcats and could start with any player of my choice. 1. Yao Ming 2. LeBron James 3. Tim Duncan 4. Kevin Garnett 5. Tracy McGrady 6. Kobe Bryant 7. Jermaine O'neal 8. Dirk Nowitski 9. Amare Stoudamire 10. AK47 11. Carmelo Anthony 12. Zach Randolph 13. Dwyane Wade 14. Dwight Howard I'm actually surprised how high I place him on this list. If age and history of injury aren't factored in then Shaq, Chris Webber, etc etc are definitely above him. I strongly considered Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade but I don't know if either of those players are ever going to be on the level of Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady and if they can't carry a team than they're just great secondary players like AK47. That being the case, I'll take Kirilienko who does EVERYTHING any day of the week. I'd still have to seriously consider those guys though.
None of the above, and I love AK more than anyone I know that doesn't live in Salt Lake or Russia. Still, he's a legit top 20 talent (offense AND defense!), and a case could be made for top 12. I'd definitely take him over Dirk...Melo... He's an unselfish player, he plays both ends well, he seems to have an unending supply of energy, he won the Russian slam dunk contest at the age of 15; the list goes on for a while... I'd still definitely take him over Dwayne Wade (Steve Francis light, damnit) and Zach Randolph (good as he is on offense, AK brings much more to the table on defense...much like the Lamar vs AK argument). 5x5 people!
I said I hit the "enter" button accidentally before I input all the options. Now only "moderators" can change the content of a poll.
Just wondering...are you discounting Iverson, Carter, Elton Brand, and Baron Davis also because of injury histories? Because when they're healthy, I'd take those 4 over Kirilienko. And what about Paul Pierce, Francis, Artest, Gasol, Marion, Maggette, and Redd? How would you stack him up against them? I'd probably put Kirilienko a level below Pierce and Francis, and more on the level of Artest, Gasol, Marion, etc.
NBA's Top 25 Most Valuable Players* (IMHO) 1. Tim Duncan 2. Kevin Garnett 3. Shaquille O'Neal 4. Kobe Bryant 5. Tracy McGrady 6. LeBron James 7. Yao Ming 8. Jason Kidd 9. Dirk Nowitzki 10. Amare Stoudemire 11. Jermaine O'Neal 12. Paul Pierce 13. Ben Wallace 14. Vince Carter 15. Baron Davis 16. Jamal Mashburn 17. Allen Iverson 18. Ron Artest 19. Andrei Kirilenko 20. Shawn Marion 21. Stephon Marbury 22. Carmelo Anthony 23. Elton Brand 24. Ray Allen 25. Chris Bosh *When healthy
I'd put Webber in the top 20 when healthy. The other 2 in the Sac trio, Stojakovic and Bibby, along with Steve Francis, Zach Randolph, and Pau Gasol deserve the 25th spot more than Bosh right now.
Not just because of history of injury but because of age. The statement he made was something like "If I were starting my own team there are 20-30 players I'd take before AK47.", so my list was based on the same idea. I wouldn't want to build a team around a guy who is 30+ or even in his late twenties unless he had a Shaq like impact. Iverson is a former MVP who carried his team to the Finals. Most definitely I'd place him on that list were he younger. Vince Carter would make that list were it not for his history of injury. Elton Brand and Baron Davis I'm not so sure about. Elton Brand is a solid player but he's never carried a team anywhere near the playoffs and is in his late 20's now. Baron Davis has had way too many problems with injuries and if building a team you always go with size if the talent is on a comparable level. That rules out Francis too. Pierce and Gasol..... close but I don't think they bring nearly as much to the table all around. Artest and Marion are closer for their hustle and all around contributions. Both of them are probably on par with AK47 but I'd definitely take Kirilienk over Artest just because Artest comes with so much baggage. Redd is great, but I think of him as a shooter. AK47 does everything. You look at his full stat line and it's just mind boggling. He's one of the most complete players in the game. That's the same reason I left Ray Allen and Peja Stojakovic off. (well, that and age) Magette? I don't think nearly so highly of him as you do apparently because I'm baffled as to why he's on that list. Until he proves otherwise he's just another guy who puts up decent (and not even great) numbers on a terrible team to me. I like Dharocks list and mine would be similiar if I was simply listing the most valuable players and not making a list of players I'd like to build around if I were starting my own team today.
That's a pretty good list. But, Jamal Mashburn??? Didn't he get left unprotected on the expansion draft?
I understand where you stand on Baron, Iverson, and Carter, but I disagree on Brand. Brand is only 25 and can score, rebound, and block shots. He's just been stuck on teams with no supporting cast or horrible chemistry. Also, Paul Pierce is known primarily as a scorer but he has a pretty good all-around game, averaging 6.5 rpg and 5.1 apg, along with a career avg of 1.8 spg. He's also known to be a terrific 4th quarter/clutch player...last year was an off year for him. Pierce is generally considered to be a top 10-15 player. As for Maggette, maybe it's just me, but I see a lot of potential in him. He's only 24 and can average 20+ppg on 45% shooting w/ 6 rpg and 3 apg. He's also a pretty good individual defender. He's probably not on the level of Kirilienko or Marion, but he's getting there.
I like Elton Brand a lot, but I'm starting to wonder if he's not going to be a lot like Shareef Abdur-Rahim. A guy who is never more than anything but a great player for bad teams. Is he really only 25? If Steve Francis is 27 and they came into the league the same year I expected he'd be 27 or 28. I suppose that couple years makes a difference too. Perhaps I should reconsider on him if I ever get to put my own team together. And I understand that Pierce is fairly well rounded but he's not the defensive player that Kirilienko is. Have you seen his steals and blocks? Honestly, AK47 is close to being Hakeem-lite. Magette definitely has some potential and I'm sure he'll have a respectable career but I'll be very surprised if he ever emerges as a top 25 player in the league.
Out of the list above, the only ones I would trade for him (cap considerations notwithstanding) would be Shaq, for age reasons and Jermaine O'Neal. He's a great player, though.
BOSH????? bosh isnt even a top PF. you'd take bosh over chris webber, kenyon martin, brad miller, rasheed wallace, zach randolph, troy murphy, drew gooden, kenny thomas, or emeka okafor?
Bosh doesn't belong on that list, but I'd definitely take Bosh over Murphy, Gooden, and Thomas, and probably over Okafor and Brad Miller. Rasheed Wallace is a maybe. Bosh is only 20 and has superstar potential.
