Who do you guys think are the top 5 players at each position? Here's mine: Center 1. Shaquille O'Neal 2. Alonzo Mourning 3. Dikembe Mutombo 4. David Robinson 5. Antonio Davis Honarable Mention: Theo Ratliff Power Forward 1. Tim Duncan 2. Kevin Garnett 3. Chris Webber 4. Rasheed Wallace 5. Karl Malone Honarable Mention: Antonio Mcdyess, Elton Brand, , Antawn Jamison Small Forward 1. Grant Hill 2. Dirk Nowitzki 3. Paul Pierce 4. Shareef Abdur-Rahim 5. Jamal Mashburn Honarable Mention: Latrell Sprewell, Lamar Odom, Shawn Marion Shooting Guard 1. Vince Carter 2. Kobe Bryant 3. Allen Iverson 4. Tracy McGrady 5. Ray Allen Honarable Mention: Jerry Stackhouse, Eddie Jones, Michael Finley Point Guard 1. Jason Kidd 2. Gary Payton 3. Steve Francis 4. Stephon Marbury 5. Baron Davis Honorable Mention: Mike Bibby, Sam Cassell, John Stockton Center is obviously the weakest position, and small forward is pretty weak too. The power forward spot and shooting guard spot are the most loaded. The small forward rankings are probably the most debatable, and the 5th spot for point guards is pretty wide open.
Very good rankings, LilStevie. Lamar Odom should be a little higher on the list after this season, assuming he doesn't get busted for drugs again.
My Rankings for top 5 players at each position (considering age factors) Center: 1. Shaquille O'neal 2. Alonzo Mourning 3. Dikembe Mutombo 4. Jermaine O'neal 5. David Robinson (HM: Theo Ratliff, Raef LaFrentz, Antonio Davis) Power Forward: 1. Tim Duncan 2. Kevin Garnett 3. Chris Webber 4. Rasheed Wallace 5. Karl Malone (HM: Antonio McDyess, Antawn Jamison, Elton Brand, Antoine Walker) Small Forward: 1. Vince Carter 2. Dirk Nowitzki 3. Shawn Marion 4. Grant Hill 5. Paul Pierce (HM: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Lamar Odom, Jamal Mashburn, Predrag Stojakovic, Glenn Robinson) Shooting Guard: 1. Kobe Bryant 2. Tracy McGrady 3. Allen Iverson 4. Ray Allen 5. Michael Finley (HM: Paul Pierce, Jalen Rose, Anfernee Hardaway, Eddie Jones, Allan Houston, Cuttino Mobley, Jerry Stackhouse, Bonzi Wells) Point Guard: 1. Jason Kidd 2. Steve Francis 3. Gary Payton 4. Stephon Marbury 5. Baron Davis (HM: Mike Bibby, Sam Cassell, Andre Miller, Steve Nash, Terrell Brandon, John Stockton) Edit: Completely forgot about Jermaine O'neal
Center: 1. Shaquille O'neal 2. Alonzo Mourning 3. Dikembe Mutombo 4. J O'Neal 5. David Robinson Power Forward: 1. Kevin Garnett 2. Tim Duncan 3. Karl Malone 4. Chris Webber 5. Rasheed Wallace Small Forward: 1. Vince Carter 2. Grant Hill 3. Glenn Robinson 4. Paul Pierce 5. Shareef Abdur-Rahim Shooting Guard: 1. Allen Iverson 2. Kobe Bryant 3. Ray Allen 4. Tracy McGrady 5. Michael Finley Point Guard: 1. Gary Payton 2. Steve Francis 3. Jason Kidd 4. John Stockton 5. Sam Cassell
Center 1. Shaquille O'Neal 2. Alonzo Mourning 3. Dikembe Mutombo 4. David Robinson 5. Theo Ratliff (HM: Raef Lafrentz, Hakeem Olajuwon (when healthy)) Power forward 1. Tim Duncan 2. Chris Webber 3. Kevin Garnett 4. Karl Malone 5. Antonio McDyess (HM: Antoine Walker, Antawn Jamison) P.S. I am leaving Rasheed off until he shows me he has the self control to stay in a game. Small Forward 1. Tracy McGrady 2. Dirk Nowitzki 3. Shawn Marion 4. Paul Pierce 5. Glenn Robinson (HM: Jamal Mashburn, Shareef Abdur-Rahim) P.S.-- I am leaving Hill off until we see if he is healthy or not... Shooting Guard: 1. Vince Carter 2. Allen Iverson 3. Kobe Bryant 4. Ray Allen 5. Jerry Stackhouse (HM: Cuttino Mobley, Michael Finley) Point Guard: 1. Steve Francis 2. Gary Payton 3. Jason Kidd 4. Stephon Marbury 5. Sam Cassell (HM: Terrell Brandon, John Stockton) It's fairly difficult to determine whether some of these players are SG's or SF's, so I just went by what position they played last year on their teams and/or what they are projected to play this year. The PG pick will seem a bit homeristic to some of you self-proclaimed realists out there , but right now there isn't another point guard I would take. Payton, while still putting up good numbers, has slipped considerably on defense in the past year. Kidd may be the best pure point of the bunch, but because of his shooting and overall lack of scoring I would not take him over Francis or Payton. A point guard needs leadership and good passing skills, but there are also times that they need to step up to that leadership role and create some opportunities for themselves. Kidd simply isn't a good enough offensive player for me to give him the #1 slot, and while Payton can still put up good numbers, I'll take Steve for his on the court and off the court presence. Don't need an ego like GP's to blow up the lockerroom.
Phi Slamma Jamma, isn't Jermaine O'Neal more of a power forward? I know he played center at times on Indiana, I just view him as a power forward. If you consider him a center, he is definitely one of the top 5 or 6 centers in the game. Cat, is Elton Brand not good enough for honorable mention under PF? You probably just forgot him.....as he is a legitimate star
Cat, is Elton Brand not good enough for honorable mention under PF? You probably just forgot him.....as he is a legitimate star LilStevie, He's definitely good, but I limited myself to two honorable mentions per position.
Stackhouse in the top 5???? Christ how could Stack even make anyones top 10? especially if you are going to put Carter as a guard (which he is not). Did you attend college at Noth Carolina or something Stack is just horrible
Umm...Carter is a shooting guard. He played small forward his first two seasons. This past season he has started at the shooting guard slot along with Alvin Williams in the backcourt. The Raptors start MoPete at SF. He can play both positions, but this past season he's seen most of his action at the SG slot. Stack is a top 10 SG- no player that scores 29 ppg and makes the all star team is horrible. He is like a poor man's Iverson, he can score with the best of them, but he can't make his teammates better like the Answer can. Stack still needs to work on his ballhandling and decision making to cut down on his turnovers and taking bad shots. It helps now that they have added Rodney White, so there is someone else on that Piston team that can put the ball in the bucket.
crash is right.. the only way stack could throw up more bricks is if he was in masonry. He is the number 1,2,3,4, and 5 option(24-25 shots a game!) on his team, and look at his shooting percentage..40% just horrible. Hell, image steve taking that many shots a game! He would easily win the scoring title, but our team would probably be in the lottery again next season...or would we? That would probably be a good thread to start.
He is the number 1,2,3,4, and 5 option on his team, and look at his shooting percentage. just horrible. Allen Iverson must be pretty horrible too. He's the only legit scoring option on his team. Allen Iverson-- 42.0%, 32.0% 3 pt FG Jerry Stackhouse-- 40.2%, 35.1% 3 pt FG Jerry Stackhouse-- 24.08 shots per game Allen Iverson-- 25.54 shots per game Stackhouse also averages more assists and rebounds per game than Iverson, for those who would reply with the ballhog comments and say that he isn't an all around player. He also does this with less shots and minutes per game than Iverson. Allen Iverson jacks up more shots per game, and bricks about the same percentage. They score about the same as well. Would you consider Iverson overrated? Stackhouse may get a lot of touches, but it doesn't mean he isn't worthy of praise for his numbers. Averaging 29 points a game in the NBA is very hard, and Stack has a lot of tools. He can create and shoot from the outside, get to the foul line as much as anyone in the league, and he's not a horrible defender either. Stackhouse was once a bust, about two seasons ago. But make no mistake, things have changed drastically since then. Stack is better than what people give him credit for.
You left out one stat comparing the Answer and Brickhouse. Sixers: 56 - 26 Pistons: 32 - 50 There's nothing special about a big-time scorer on a crappy team. Stack = the next Bernard King. My list: Center (1) Shaq (2) Zo (3) Deke (4) Robinson (5) Ratliff Power Forward (1) Duncan (2) Garnett (3) Webber (4) McDyess (5) Malone Small Forward (1) McGrady (2) Nowitzki (3) Marion (4) Spreewell (5) Big Dog Shooting Guard (1) Bryant (2) Iverson (3) Carter (4) Allen (5) Finley Point Guard (1) Payton (2) Kidd (3) Franchise (4) Sammy (5) Stockton
Sam, You make a good point, but remember that Iverson's team wasn't very good until the last couple of seasons or so. It seems like he has been regarded by the media and fans as a top shooting guard for longer than 2-3 years, although I definitely could be wrong on this. I don't believe you fall under this category, but I think there are some who stereotype Stackhouse on his production (or lack of) in his first 4-5 years in the league, and a lot of those criticisms aren't as valid anymore if you watch him play. He has changed and is a very good player-- arguably a top 5 SG and definitely a top 10, imho.
You might be right on the top-10 ranking Cat. I know I haven't watched many of the Pistons' games in the last year or 2 - just those that came against the Rockets or were on national TV. My whole thing is that the truly elite can carry their teams to at least respectability. Scoring 40 points in a game that you lost 110 to 95 is pretty meaningless, especially if you took 35+ shots to get there. I think Cuttino's a better shooting guard than Stack, and I have no doubt that he could score 30 a game on the Pistons. I personally don't like Iverson's volume-shooting approach to offense. He jacks up some shots that would make Mad Max proud. But he's recently become a winner, and I have to respect that. In his earlier days he was definitely the definition of what I talked about above - his streak of 40+ games his rookie season came in a stretch where it seems like his team lost every game by a good margin.
Hmm. I decided to skim through most of the posts quickly as to make sure Im not influenced. Anyways this looks like fun... Center 1. Shaquille O'Neal 2. Tim Duncan (yes center) 3. Alonzo Mourning (???) 4. Dikembe Mutombo 5. Theo Ratliff -I think Divac is still better than Lafrentz and J. O'neal, I feel he can elevate his team more so than the younger centers and the older Sabonis and Olajuwon. If healthy Olajuwon would be high, he put up 19 and 9 in the 50 game season if my memory serves me. You know Robinson might be able to put up 21 and 9.5 in say Vancouver but he isn't in San Antonio. Power Forward 1. Chris Webber 2. Kevin Garnett 3. Karl Malone 4. Antonio McDyess 5. Antoine Walker -Yes Webber is ahead of KG, just look at the records! Both seem unable to step up and elevate their games when it counts, neither can Malone. Wallace is still unproven, he has talent, good D, versatile but 19pts is weak. He isn't good enough to warrant being such a distraction. Brand has yet to do much, rebounding on a horrible shooting team is not very impressive. Walker and Wallace are close. Small Forward 1. Tracy McGrady 2. Vince Carter 3. Paul Pierce 4. Shareef Abdur-Rahim 5. Grant Hill? -I expect McGrady to really explode next season, he should pick up where he left off in the playoffs, him, carter, and Pierce could all average 30ppg. Rahim should flourish in Atlanta, make the all-star team, 25 and 10 is very realistic for him. Hill is a big question mark, where does he fit in Orlando? Nowitzki may be better, Marion might even be better but Hill was very good before the injury, I expect his rebounding and assists to be very high (7&9) if healthy. Odom might go on a tear too, difficult position to rank considering all the talent. Damn is Rose really a SF? Geez... Shooting Gaurd 0. Michael Jordan (still)* 1. Kobe Bryant 2. Michael Finley 3. Allen Iverson 4. Ray Allen 5. Eddie Jones -Damn Jones at 5th? If healthy he can really do some damage for the Heat. Still think Finley is more valuable than most, he can do it all. Does Iverson really do all that much? I don't think he elevates his team, decent on defense but gets the steals(yes sounds like oxymoron), scores like crazy at the expense of others on his team, c'mon at least shoot 44%. Needs more assists, I like the massive FT attempts. There are a lot of good SG's but these are the elite. You'd be suprised at my 2nd group of SG's, Richmond, Wesley? Maybe... What the hell is Rose again? Point Gaurds 1. Steve Francis (objectively) 2. Jason Kidd 3. Gary Payton 4. Stephon Marbury 5. John Stockton/Sam Cassell -Seriously Francis is amazing. Kidd makes me feel like he is holding back, Ziggy does not like this attribute. Payton has the will but he is slower on D and can't rebound anymore (not that he needs to). Marbury is the fastest guy Ive ever seen, faster than Iverson. I think Strickland could put up better numbers than my current 5th position but he would have to find the right situation. Brandon might also be 5th. Hmm... I do think it was 2 years ago that Cassell got me about 19.5 and 8.5 in fantasy ball, with those numbers he would be the solid 5.
I think that's an excellent list LilStevie3....! I'm very impressed... I dont' usually agree with people on rankings....
Shaq Mutombo Zo Theo Hakeem Duncan Webber Rasheed Garnett McDyess McGrady Carter Hill Odom Raheem Kobe Ray Allen Finley Iverson Eddie Jones Steve Payton Kidd Cassell Marbury
Ill give this a go CENTER 1.Shaq 2.Zo 3.Mutombo 4.Robinson 5.Jermaine O'Neal HM:Theo ratliff Power Foward 1.Tim Duncan 2.Kevin Garnett 3.Chris Webber 4.Rasheed Wallace 5. id put Brand or McDyess here Small Forward 1.Grant Hill 2.Dirk Nowitzki 3.SAR 4.Shawn Marion 5.Odom HM:Sprewell,Jamison Shooting Guards: 1.Vince Carter 2.Tracy McGrady 3.Kobe Bryant 4.Allen Iverson 5.Mike Finley HM:Stack and Ray Allen Point Guards: 1.Jason Kidd 2.Gary Payton 3.Steve Francis 4.Marbury 5.Cassell or Brandon
