If you're going to say something like that then back it up - what 5 power forwards are better than him? You could argue Duncan, Amare, and Dirk maybe...try to force Garnett if you want, but I can't think of another in his tier.
Anybody still saying T-Mac is living in denial... ...as much as he has top 5 potential (can you still say that with a guy that is past his prime?), he has done nothing to earn such recognition. And, unlike other possibilities on the list (Bosh, Howard) - he has actually done things to TAKE AWAY from such recognition. If you're going to say T-Mac, you might as well fill out the rest of your top 5 with Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, and Steve Francis...cuz you're dreaming about the past or wishing on lost potential.
Duncan Amare Dirk -- his numbers are right now, and always have been better than Bosh's Garnett You can't seriously believe the Celtics would be better off with Bosh over Garnett. Boozer are all better. I don't see how you can argue with that. I like Bosh, but come on...Bosh is in the tier of Pau Gasol and Zach Randolph....not the big 5 PFs.
Boozer? Really? Using your logic - you think the Raptors would be better off with Boozer over Bosh? Conversely, you think the Jazz would be worse with Bosh rather than Boozer? I understand arguments could be made for the other four - and I know Boozer has been very consistently solid for the past 3 years - but any coach or GM would choose Bosh over Boozer if they had to win a game tonight.
1. Wade 2. Lebron 3. Kobe 4. Paul 5. Nowitzki Anybody with Tmac in their top 5 even (if healthy) is delusional. It's not 2004 guys.
Are you serious? Dirk is the 3rd top scorer in the league right now and a top 20 rebounder...his stats practically mirror those of 2004. Now look at T-Mac and compare this year (or last year) to the past...big difference!
Top 20 rebounder at 7'0 is not impressive at all. And just because you're third in scoring doesn't mean you can be top 5. I'm not going to argue if he's top 5 material or not, I don't think he is, but those two reasons you claimed aren't very good criteria. If you wanted to talk about, say, at 7'0 he's the best shooter ever, etc. etc. then it's a different argument.
I'm not arguing that T-mac should be in the top 5 but I'm arguing Dirk being in the top 5. His stats are nice but when you say top 5 players in the game you gotta factor in players that you'd build a team around, age, intangibles, clutchness etc. Dirk's team is 13-10 and he can be a top 3 scorer and top 20 rebounder but going at this rate Mavs don't even make the playoffs. I think we can all agree for the most part that Kobe, Lebron, Wade, CP3 are top 4. After that I'd take Dwight Howard, Brandon Roy, Danny Granger, Chris Bosh, a fully healthy Deron Williams all before Dirk Nowitzki. That's just me though.
Understood - I was just pointing out that a realistic argument could be made for Dirk while none can be made for T-Mac.
My "logic" about Garnett vs Bosh was specifically about a championship team. You said, Garnett, the PF for the championship team, was -- only as a stretch--as good as Bosh. My logic was specifically about the Celtics. Not Utah not anyone else. Fact is: I like Bosh. So, don't argue with me. Just put me down as someone who doesn't believe he's as good as the West's top 5 PF (ignoring Garnett is now in the East).
