Best NBA Player

[bogeyhitter25]

King James is Numero Uno. What he did to get that far with that team is amazing.

[BillDolfski]

Kobe is better than LeBron at this point... but I'm thinking (hoping) it's just a matter of time.

I'm a King James fan, btw.

[jns575]

I agree with everything thats been said.

Hes got some rings to win before anyone should even start talking about that..

Kobe just did it again without Shaq. In the NBA your success is judged solely on the amount of rings you win. Just look at the hall of famers, if they did it just on stats then there are soooo many more players who deserve to be in there.

[wrx_junki]

Hes got some rings to win before anyone should even start talking about that..

Not sure about the rings equaling your success in the NBA or other professional sports. Charles Barkley in the NBA, Dan Marino in the NFL, and I'm sure there are many others do not have a ring.

[jns575]

Not sure about the rings equaling your success in the NBA or other professional sports. Charles Barkley in the NBA, Dan Marino in the NFL, and I'm sure there are many others do not have a ring.

Yeah.. but if were talking the BEST.. then you need to win rings..

You can't go down as one of the greatest if you have never won the big show.. Think about the greats of basketball for a second.. they all have atleast 3+ rings.. Lebron said his goal is to be the greatest of all time.. if thats the case he has no choice.. he HAS to win rings.

[Meddle]

Kobe better than Jordan? Does anyone else remember Kobe's disappearing act during last year's Finals? I was living in the LA area at the time and every radio station was blasting how Kobe will never be better than Jordan. Lakers won because they had the #2 best big in the NBA. Even then, the Rockets would have given them a run for their money had they stayed healthy.

Lebron took a team whose supporting cast was far worse than the Lakers (and most other teams that made the playoffs) and led them to the best record in the NBA in dominant fashion. His stats were better across the board during the regular season and playoffs versus Kobe's. No question in my mind, Lebron > Kobe.

[jns575]

Kobe better than Jordan? Does anyone else remember Kobe's disappearing act during last year's Finals? I was living in the LA area at the time and every radio station was blasting how Kobe will never be better than Jordan. Lakers won because they had the #2 best big in the NBA. Even then, the Rockets would have given them a run for their money had they stayed healthy.

If Lebron keeps up at the pace he is playing right now.. there is no question he will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

I am with you.. Lebrons team couldn't hold a candle to the Lakers.. Lebron would have done better with a supporting cast like Portland, even though thats not even ideal. Imagine him with a team like the Lakers.. or the magic.. too bad they couldn't afford him with dwight..

[denver_nuggs_15]

Yeah.. but if were talking the BEST.. then you need to win rings..

Karl Malone...2nd best power forward ever and he had 0 rings. Robert Horry...not even on the same page as Malone, but has 6 rings.

AI, possibly the best "little man" ever in the NBA (maybe #2 to Isaiah Thomas), has no rings. John Stockton, one of the greatest point gaurds ever, has no rings. Elgin Baylor, Patrick Ewing, Pete Maravich, George Gervin, Reggie Miller, and Dominique Wilkins all have 0 rings. So many great players haven't won a ring that I think it's unfair to define a career by that. Needlesstosay, I do not think that rings define greatness. IMO, to say LeBron has 0 rings and Kobe has 4, then Kobe is better is a crappy argument.

If Lebron keeps up at the pace he is playing right now.. there is no question he will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

Does anyone ever think that maybe Kobe makes those around him better than LeBron does? It's crossed my mine more than a few times. Jason Kidd, CP3, Wade, etc. all make everyone around them so much better. Maybe LeBron can't (or hasn't) maximize the potential of those around him like some other guys in the league. And, IMO his supporting cast is pretty damn good, just not as good as the Lakers...but still damn good. The next 3 scorers for the Lakers combined for 44 points while the next 3 players for the Cavs averaged 42 ppg. The Cavs next 3 also averaged 8.6 assists vs. 7.5 for the Lakers. It seems like they even out for the most part.

I think LeBron fans make excuses for him. He's a star. There's no excuses for stars at all. He had the best team in the regular season and he still lost. People have been raving about his supporting cast this year. How good they are and how improved they are. The loss IMO goes soley on LeBron since he's the star of the team (though it's not fair). Dirk lost in the first round against the Warriors a few years back and he got blamed. Shaq got blamed for losing the finals against the Pistons. Whenever a star loses a series he is supposed to win, he gets blamed...except for LeBron.

[jns575]

Karl Malone...2nd best power forward ever and he had 0 rings. Robert Horry...not even on the same page as Malone, but has 6 rings.

First things first, props on the name Melo is my boy. I grew up in Baltimore and have loved him since he left Towson Catholic.

Wouldn't you say having a center like big Z is a problem? He had the best team based on record. That team couldn't of played any better than they did. They just didn't have the tools to make it to the finals, BIG Z was the problem, he couldn't handle dwight. In terms of statistics, Malone would be No. 1 on this list. However, he wasn't clutch or a winner. He had career averages of 25 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks. He also shot 51.6 percent from the field and 74.2 percent from the free-throw line. He also ranks second all-time in total points, as he is only behind Kareem. Although to say Karl Malone is the 2nd best power forward is a stretch, top 5 though. All those infront of him though have won rings, Elvin Hayes, Bob Pettit, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan. The list is very much based on the person. Now, where do you think Karl Malone would rank if he DID win rings? easily 2nd. A lot of people have an arguement that Kevin McHale is better than Karl because he HAS won the big games. I guess in the end, it depends on the person.. if you factor in the fact that all of these players goals are pretty much to win a NBA championship. In the NBA to be where Lebron wants to be, G.O.A.T. YOU NEED RINGS ... thats just a fact.

[denver_nuggs_15]

First things first, props on the name Melo is my boy. I grew up in Baltimore and have loved him since he left Towson Catholic.

It's too bad his name hans't been mentioned in this debate. He got just as far as LeBron did this year, so he's making progress.

Wouldn't you say having a center like big Z is a problem? He had the best team based on record. That team couldn't of played any better than they did. They just didn't have the tools to make it to the finals, BIG Z was the problem, he couldn't handle dwight.

Big Z is an above average center. There aren't many good centers anymore. Plus, he fits well with that team since he can hit a 15 foot jumper pretty well. In the Conference Finals vs. the Magic, they didn't really play well at all. I don't think it was the lack of tools as you say; they just got beat because they didn't play that well. And Big Z was the problem because he couldn't handle D12. No one can.

Although to say Karl Malone is the 2nd best power forward is a stretch, top 5 though. All those infront of him though have won rings, Elvin Hayes, Bob Pettit, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan. The list is very much based on the person. Now, where do you think Karl Malone would rank if he DID win rings? easily 2nd. A lot of people have an arguement that Kevin McHale is better than Karl because he HAS won the big games.

I'd take Malone over KG any day. Malone wasn't as good of a defender, but was better than KG offensively by a long shot. I still think Malone is the 2nd best PF all time. I don't think that rank would change in my mind (maybe to others) if he won a title or two. The fact is he lost to Jordan.

[jns575]

It's too bad his name hans't been mentioned in this debate. He got just as far as LeBron did this year, so he's making progress.

Great point at the end there, he came up short against the most clutch player to ever enter the game.

I respect your opinions, seems to be something that could go one way or the other.

[wrx_junki]

KG has a better shot than Malone. Malone was more efficient in the pick and roll department but that may partly be because he played with Stockton.

Melo has no business being in this discussion. Doubt he'll ever enter a debate like this in the future either.

[cdrusch]

I agree with the idea that you need rings, and for just that reason, I think Tim Duncan's name should be thrown in, even though SA did have a disappointing season.

BTW, I'm kind of surprised Oscar Robertson hasn't been mentioned yet. But then again, I did grow up in Milwaukee.

[bogeyhitter25]

Man, I said Lebron earlier in this thread, but after the talk of Nike confiscating the cameras after the college kid jammed on him, I lost a lot of respect for him. I also lost a smidge after his behavior after Orlando beat the Cavs. I like what cdrusch said about Tim Duncan. Although, he did have a great supporting cast with guys like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and even guys like a Bruce Bowen (now gone). Still, in my honest-to-God opinion, I'd have to say that the Spurs are probably somewhere in the top-3 franchises this decade. Obviously LA's #1.

[wrx_junki]

I agree with the idea that you need rings, and for just that reason, I think Tim Duncan's name should be thrown in, even though SA did have a disappointing season.

Oscar Robertson wasn't mentioned because we're talking about current players.

Man, I said Lebron earlier in this thread, but after the talk of Nike confiscating the cameras after the college kid jammed on him, I lost a lot of respect for him. I also lost a smidge after his behavior after Orlando beat the Cavs. I like what cdrusch said about Tim Duncan. Although, he did have a great supporting cast with guys like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and even guys like a Bruce Bowen (now gone). Still, in my honest-to-God opinion, I'd have to say that the Spurs are probably somewhere in the top-3 franchises this decade. Obviously LA's #1.

Spurs and Lakers are definitely #1 and #2 in this decade.

[Greg]

Kobe is the best, Lebron still cant shoot consistently from outside the paint. Lebron has improved his defence quite a bit but Kobe still has him beat there too. And dont forget Kobe has rings, Lebron still has none.

[Brndn]

First of all basketball is like my life right up there with Golf and i have watched both play and studied there gameplay. While i believe that Kobe's game is much more mature and he makes less mistakes i believe that Lebron is the better player. He is just the complete package which is crazy because he is so young. Kobe has made it into the conversation of top 10 players ever but i think that Lebron will be in the conversation for top 2 players ever.

[MrKadash]

Dwight Howard and it's not even close...