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Archive for the ‘Elton Brand’ Category

(Photo credit: respectkobe.com)

The Sporting News released its Top 50 NBA Players list Thursday with the help of a panel of over 100 players, coaches, former players, front office executives, and announcers, including: Hubie Brown, Mike D’Antoni, Joe Dumars, Tim Hardaway, and Jerry West.

Overall, it’s a solid list. I’m picky, though. I had some problems with it. Not the least of which is that Dickie V had a vote. (Does he even watch NBA basketball?)

Here’s a breakdown of the Top 50 with commentary:

The Top 5

Kobe Bryant topped the list, while LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, and Tim Duncan rounded out the top 5.

I have no problem with Kobe at number one. He’s the best player on the best team in the league. He plays good defense. And he’s arguably the most dangerous offensive player in the league after training with Hakeem this summer. Yes, LeBron  was the MVP last year. But the two are neck-and-neck at this point, and Kobe has the better team. It makes sense to me that he’s number one overall.

LeBron and D-Wade are gimmes at the two and three spots. They’re the second and third most dangerous players in the league, respectively. Both have led their teams deep into the playoffs, and both are MVP candidates on a yearly basis.

Dwight Howard, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, makes sense at number four. He’s the most dominant center in the league, and he led his team to the Finals last year. No argument here.

I was glad to see Tim Duncan round out the top 5. He’s arguably the best power forward of all-time, and the Spurs have a legitimate shot at the championship this year. He deserves to be mentioned alongside Kobe, LeBron and D-Wade as the league’s best.

Great top 5. The panel did well with this.

The Next Five

Spots seven through ten went to Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce.

Here’s where I begin to have a problem. Garnett is clearly not as good as Nowitzki this season. Dirk’s a top 5 scorer and one of the most league’s most dangerous closers. KG’s having one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, averaging just 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He’s the 41st best rebounder in the league, for crying out loud. Putting KG above Dirk is like putting Jessica Alba above Megan Fox. It just shouldn’t happen. Dirk is hands down a better player right now. He should be seventh, and KG should be somewhere between 12 and 15.

Other than Garnett, I think the panel got the top 10 right. Chris Paul, when healthy, is the best point guard in the league. Dirk is playing like a man possessed. Carmelo Anthony is the third toughest player to defend in the league (behind Kobe and LeBron). And Paul Pierce is shooting over 50 percent from the field for the first time in his career. All good choices.

Replace Garnett with Steve Nash or Deron Williams and I’m a happy man.

More analysis after the jump, including thoughts on Yao, Shaq, Elton Brand, and Andrew Bynum.

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Ladies and gentlemen, today karma is spelled D-I-S-L-O-C-A-T-I-O-N.

Elton Brand is out for a month with a dislocated shoulder according to ESPN.com.