In the era of NBA superteams, a popular…meme (?) is to visualize such teams like the Monstars. For any basketball fans who haven’t seen Space Jam (I’m assuming single digits here), the Monstars were a group of aliens from Moron Mountain. Mr. Swackhammer was looking for a new attraction for Moron Mountain as it was not profitable anymore and looked to add the Looney Tunes. Bugs Bunny accepted a challenge for a basketball game to determine the Tunes fate, but not before the aliens stole the powers of several NBA players (we’ll get to that). Bugs went out and kidnapped Michael Jordan and convinced him to play for the Tunes (already making Bugs a top tier GM, for what it’s worth).
The
idea is that the Monstars are this big favorite, and it’s why the Warriors are
jokingly compared to them. But for anyone who really knows basketball, it’s
clear the Monstars built a deeply flawed basketball team that never stood a
chance against MJ. So here are seven reasons that the Monstars are the most
overrated basketball team of all-time. Note, I am assuming that since the story
took place when Michael Jordan was off playing baseball, the events of Space
Jam took place after the 93-94 season, but I’ll refer to 94-95 a bit. Also for
reference, the Monstars are Pound (Charles Barkley), Bang (Larry Johnson), Nawt
(Muggsy Bogues), Bupkis (Patrick Ewing) and Blanko (Shawn Bradley). I am also
including the box score of “the Ultimate Game” at the end of the article.
1. The Monstars Didn’t Consider Team
Building at All, They Just Put Together Some Stars
A
lesson later proven with the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, you can’t just put
together a bunch of stars and expect to put together beautiful basketball. The
Monstars have one defensive force (Ewing). Bogues at least could come up with
steals, but he’s not exactly Gary Payton. Otherwise we have defensive zeros
(Barkley, LJ) and someone who probably was posterized more than anyone else in
NBA history (Bradley, although he’s defensively underrated I guess). Perimeter
defense is a disaster here (LJ or Barkley at SG?!)
Outside
shooting is also a mess. Bradley obviously contributes nothing there. Ewing had
a nice outside game for a center, but not from three-point land. Bogues shot
just 16% from three in ’94 (27.8% for his career, although he randomly has a
41.7% season on decent attempts later on). Johnson hadn’t cracked 30% from
three yet at this point, although he would get up to 38.6% in ’95, a solid
number. Barkley’s coming off a 27% season and never cracked 34% in his career
(26.6% total). So far we have a below average defensive and outside shooting
team.
Lastly,
where’s the passing going to come from? While the offense can definitely flow
through Barkley (4.6 APG in ’94), we have no other real playmakers other than
Bogues. Ewing’s weakness was passing out of the post (as, according to Jack
McCallum wrote in Dream Team, MJ
would tease Ewing about often and cited that as the reason Ewing couldn’t win a
ring). LJ could get some assists as well, but watching him I think it’s clear
that passing the ball wasn’t a priority. Shawn Bradley is Shawn Bradley.
Overall,
the main offense focus of the Monstars would be inside scoring with three
inside scorers, Bradley and Bogues. Would that even work in the NBA today? For
what it’s worth, the actual game against MJ and the Looney Tunes had Ewing and
Barkley score 71 of the Monstars 77 points. LJ had 6 while Bogues and Bradley
didn’t score a point (or take a shot). Bogues had six assists at least.
This is the greatest team of all-time?
2. The Monstars had Shawn Bradley on the Team
Nothing reads best team of all-time like Shawn Bradley at center. While Bradley is a bit of an underrated talent, his rookie season averages in ’94 of 10 PPG, 6 RPG and 3 BPG weren’t scaring anyone. You hard do you think MJ laughed when he read the script and saw that the Monstars had Shawn Bradley at center? I also think it had to be a joke that Bradley’s character is named Blanko, and he failed to record a single stat in the entire game.
I doubt MJ was concerned about Shawn Bradley
3. The Monstars had a Clear Talent Advantage, And Allowed Some Embarrassing
Baskets
Despite the Monstars having
Bradley and the Tunes having MJ, the Monstars clearly had a massive talent
advantage on paper. Afterall, Bugs, Lola et al. never had even played a game of
basketball before. While we knew this would be all MJ for the Tunes coming in,
he got some contributions from the supporting cast that the Monstars simply
have no excuse for. Lola Bunny dropped 8 on 4/4 FG. Bugs had 10 with a few
assists. Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Pepé Le Pew all managed baskets (if only the
Monstars stole Gary Payton’s powers).
The defensive contributions of the Looney Tunes were also somewhat impressive. Bupkis/Ewing got his shot blocked by Wile E. Coyote’s dynamite (interestingly, Wile E. isn’t credited with the block. I’m sure that screwed up some people’s fantasy teams). The Looney Tunes stepped up and the Monstars allowed a lot of characters without the same basketball pedigree to beat them. Very embarrassing.
Where’s the defense?!
4. The Monstars Allowed Newman From Seinfeld (Stan) To Score A Basket
Worth its own section. This is more embarrassing than Fudd or Le Pew for sure. The Monstars fouled him and all but it didn’t matter. This was a clutch basket as it put the Tunes within one point as well.
This guy was able to hit a clutch shot? NEWMAN!
5. The Monstars Blew a 66-18 Half-Time Lead
Ouch. Worst yet, they scored
11 points in the 2nd half, which means the Tunes let up less in the
2nd half than the Stars let up in the 1st half. It’s
worth noting that while allowing 18 in a half is impressive, scoring 66 is
truthfully nothing special in a game like this. MJ is great, but is he really
come back down 48 at the half great? Speaking of which…
6. Jordan Didn’t Have Pippen, and He Won Anyway
Michael Jordan didn’t even have his trusty superstar wingman with him here. I know a lot of people like to say Jordan couldn’t win without Pippen, but the proof is right here. We don’t know how Lola Bunny’s skills would translate to today’s game, but I doubt it would be at the level of Scottie. Teams have taken down Jordan before (the ’86 Celtics, ’95 Magic). The Monstars, like the Trail Blazers and Suns before them, and the Sonics and Jazz after, couldn’t.
“Nah, I think I’ll let Scottie sit this one out”
7. Perhaps the Most Overlooked Reason That Shows The Monstars Are
Overrated: No Monstar Has Ever Won a Ring.
The biggest mistake of the aliens? Picking players who couldn’t get the job done. Barkley got close but Jordan took him down in ’93. Ewing just failed in ’94, and Jordan had stopped him plenty of times. Closest LJ would get is being a role player for the ’99 Knicks when they lost in the Finals. Bradley and Bogues never sniffed a ring. We understand how important the ring is for historical purposes…so how can this team be considered so great when all of its players never won it all? (MJ had won three at this point).
No Monstar has one
The Looney Tunes were the favorite as soon as they got MJ. Don’t let anyone else tell you differently.
I didn’t want to just do some Royal Rumble preview (if you are curious, I am picking Asuka, Lesnar (although I have this weird feeling about Balor, wish I had the guts to go with it), Rollins and Charlotte). So let’s do something different. Let’s take a look back at #1 and #2 of all the main Royal Rumbles.
Bret Hart kicked off the ’88 Rumble, and it wouldn’t be the last time.
1988 #1 – Bret Hart #2 – Tito Santana
The 1988 Royal Rumble is quite different than what we are used to today. It was the first televised one (there had been Rumbles before, notably one at a house show in 1987 won by the One Man Gang). Bret would have a long run (about 25 minutes), starting a theme of a smaller worker having a long run from #1. Santana lasted about 10 minutes himself, before Bret (and The Anvil) got him out. It’s also worth noting that #1 and #2 didn’t even get an entrance.
The formula was already being tinkered with
1989 #1 – Ax #2 – Smash
It’s interesting that Vince was already playing with the Rumble formula by having Demolition be #1 and #2. Neither Ax or Smash had a notable run, lasting 5 and 14 minutes respectively. Jesse Ventura on commentary insinuated that Ted Dibiase paid money to make sure some of the tougher guys got an early number. While it was the first thirty-man Rumble, we still didn’t know what the Rumble was going to be. But at least we had an interesting start with the Demos.
Dibiase’s riches didn’t get him a good number this time.
1990 #1 – Ted Dibiase #2 – Koko B. Ware
Interestingly, Howard Finkel announces that this year’s #1 had #30 the year prior. Dibiase would have a long run, over 44 minutes. Dibiase would dump Koko before #3 ever made it out. The 1990 Rumble is probably the first to really have a certain prestige attached to it, as Hulk Hogan would win it (as WWF Champion). Still, through three Rumbles, #1 and #2 were not particularly notable.
Bret was probably more annoyed about having to wrestle Bravo than being #1 again.
1991 #1 – Bret Hart #2 – Dino Bravo
Poor Bret Hart. Four Rumbles in total he already has two #1s. I’m sure he was thrilled to be in there with Bravo as well. It’s amazing to see how different Bret looks from 1988. While he was still in the Hart Foundation tag team, it’s obvious that he was primed for bigger things. He got 20 minutes here, while Bravo lasted three.
No one talks about anyone but Flair, but the Bulldog was a strong early face in the ’92 Rumble
1992 #1 – The British Bulldog #2 – Ted Dibiase
Surprisingly, Dibiase gets a second top two spot. The Bulldog is a solid face to be #1. Bulldog made quick work of Dibiase while lasting 20 minutes himself. Of course, no one really cares, because this is the infamous Rumble where Ric Flair won from #3 (winning the WWF Title with it). It was nice to see a time where drawing an early number was considered a death knell in regards to winning the match.
No one talks about Flair’s 2nd Rumble, Heenan was great here too.
1993 #1 – Ric Flair #2 – Bob Backlund
Definitely the highest level of prestige for #1 and #2 so far. Flair of course won from #3 the year prior, so he wasn’t counted out at all. Backlund is a former WWF Champion who would last over an hour and basically finished 3rd in the match. The idea that #1 or #2 could win was firmly entrenched here. Notably, this was the first Rumble where the winner was guaranteed a World Title shot at Wrestlemania.
The only “highlight” early on in the ’94 Rumble
1994 #1 – Scott Steiner #2 – Samu
A bit of a throwback to the first two Rumbles (Rick Steiner would be #3). Instead of having top guys start out, the 1994 Rumble started out quietly and that’s a good thing. Samu didn’t even make it to when Rick got in, and Scott lasted until Diesel went on a rampage and became a star.
A memorable moment wasted by the short Rumble.
1995 #1 – Shawn Michaels #2 – The British Bulldog
It’s kind of a shame this Rumble exists. Michaels and the Bulldog of course were known for both being able to go coast to coast, which on paper is a great story. The problem is with how it was done. The timer between each competitor was lowered to one minute, and the Rumble itself was only 38:41. Michaels and the Bulldog’s time wasn’t even top 5 all time at that point, despite going from 1 and 2 to the end (Backlund, Flair, Valentine, Martel and Dibiase all lasted 40+ minutes in a Rumble at this point). At the time it was cool, but what a waste of the concept.
HHH got himself DQed…and had to enter #1.
1996 #1 – Hunter Hearst Helmsley #2 – Henry O. Godwinn
HHH got his first #1 by getting a decision reversed in the Free-For-All against Duke “The Dumpster” Droese. Godwinn was feuding with him, which is another Rumble theme that would repeat itself. HHH has one of my favorite performances in the ’96 Rumble, as he lasted 48 minutes and didn’t eliminate anyone. Godwinn got 16 minutes himself, which unfortunately shows how thin the roster was at that point.
Contender for worst #1 and #2.
1997 #1 – Crush #2 – Ahmed Johnson
Like last year, #1 and #2 were in a feud (as Crush was a member of the Nation of Domination). Ahmed took himself out 3 minutes in chasing after Faarooq, and Crush only lasted a few minutes past that. Good argument for the weakest #1 and #2 here.
Foley and Funk added a lot of fun that had been missing from the Rumble.
1998 #1 – Cactus Jack #2 – Chainsaw Charlie
This was different. Mick Foley and Terry Funk had a friendly “who can hit the other with a chair harder” contest and then took out Tom Brandi as well. Very entertaining #1 and #2. Funk’s 1998 performance is quite entertaining overall. He lasts 25 minutes and is very animated throughout. Interestingly Funk was eliminated by Foley…but Foley was Mankind. So far, this is probably my favorite #1 and #2 and it really set the stage for what the WWF was becoming.
Austin vs. McMahon would recreate 1995, although in a strange way.
1999 #1 – Stone Cold Steve Austin #2 – Mr. McMahon
Oof. #1 and #2 were determined through storylines on RAW. This was a super hot feud and of course a really smart way for Austin to legally get his hands on McMahon. Of course, the rest of the Rumble is treated as a joke as after a trip to the women’s bathroom and a hospital, Austin and McMahon ended up as the last two competitors in the match. And McMahon won it. That’s WWF Attitude for you.
D’Lo and Grandmaster Sexay were lower profile than years prior.
2000 #1 – D’Lo Brown #2 – Grandmaster Sexay
Holy midcarders Batman! What a change from 1999. D’Lo’s peak had passed and Grandmaster was about to get there, but neither were above the midcard even then. Neither would last particularly long, but Grandmaster was part of a famous elimination when dancing with Rikishi.
A variant of 88, 89 and 94.
2001 #1 – Jeff Hardy #2 – Bull Buchanan
Another callback to 1988 and 1994, as Matt Hardy was #3 and Buchanan was part of the Right to Censor faction and teaming with the Goodfather. Once again neither lasted long, as the ring has to be cleared for the Drew Carey-Kane angle.
Goldust got a great reaction in his WWF return.
2002 #1 – Rikishi #2 – Goldust
The most interesting combination for #1 and #2 since 1999 for several reasons. One, Rikishi (who was #30 the year prior, the first since Dibiase in 89/90 to accomplish this) went from near top guy to midcarder in a year, and he’s treated as such (he eliminated The Undertaker the year prior, and was tossed out as part of the deadwood clearing portion of the Rumble by Taker this year). Goldust had a lot of hype as he was one of the returning four wrestlers advertised for that year. He got a big pop and looked good as well (he also was taken out by Undertaker).
Jericho and HBK was one of the all-time great starts, with a shocking ending.
2003 #1 – Shawn Michaels #2 – Chris Jericho
A contender for my favorite #1-#2. Jericho said he could do whatever HBK could, which led them being #1 and #2 here. Jericho though would cheapshot and brutalize HBK in the opening two minutes, taking him out. Brilliant. HBK would come back later and attack Jericho, allowing Test (???) to eliminate him. Excellent storyline build for what turned to be a great match at Wrestlemania XIX.
Randy Orton had a great showing from #2 in 2004.
2004 #1 – Chris Benoit #2 – Randy Orton
It’s a shame I can’t appreciate Benoit’s run in the 2004 Rumble today, because it’s excellent and the 2004 is still the greatest Rumble of all time (yes, better than 1992). Benoit of course would go coast to coast and win the whole thing. Orton was fantastic here as well, and he got a good run in until Mick Foley made his return and took him out. Two years in a row we’ve gotten excellent #1 and #2s.
One of Eddie Guerrero’s last fun moments before he turned heel in 2005.
2005 #1 – Eddie Guerrero #2 – Chris Benoit
Another enjoyable #1 and #2. While Guerrero was hurting at this point in his career, he still put in a solid and entertaining 28 minutes. Benoit would go 47 this year and made it past #30. I’m not sure if I should, but I still enjoy what Guerrero, Benoit and Hardcore Holly did to Daniel Puder early on.
Rey Mysterio put on one of the all-time great Rumble performances.
2006 #1 – Triple H #2 – Rey Mysterio
A very interesting #1 and #2 as Mysterio wasn’t quite at the top guy level yet, which made for a great underdog story. Both HHH and Mysterio would last to the end, and Mysterio would complete the coast to coast eliminating Randy Orton. For years now, WWE were definitely did right with #1 and #2.
Flair and Finlay was an awesome old school start.
2007 #1 – Ric Flair #2 – Finlay
While lower profile that previous years, this is still a strong top two. Unfortunately, Flair (his second #1) would only last a few minutes, but Finlay got in a strong 30.
Michaels vs. Undertaker was another chapter in their amazing feud of the late 2000s.
2008 #1 – The Undertaker #2 – Shawn Michaels
Another contender for best #1 and #2. There were so many great things about this that we need to make a list. First off, they were the last two remaining the year prior and had a great match. Second, each of their performances were excellent and should be included in the HBK-Taker that followed in 2009 and 2010. Third, Michael Buffer was brought in for the introductions. Undertaker also joined Dibiase and Rikishias someone who got #30 one year and #1 the next. Anyway, Undertaker and Shawn both lasted a little more than a half hour, and HBK would finally avenge his 2007 defeat by superkicking Taker out of this one.
Rey vs. Morrison was a fun start.
2009 #1 – Rey Mysterio #2 – John Morrison
Not particularly notable this year, but Rey would get a long 49 minute run and Morrison had a good showing himself at 20 minutes. Still, you could do worse with Mysterio and Morrison as your #1 and #2.
Two good workers, but we all remember CM Punk at #3
2010 #1 – Dolph Ziggler #2 – Evan Bourne
For the first time since 2002 we get a couple midcarders to start. CM Punk would wipe them both out as soon as he came in at three and proceed to be awesome. As great as the 2010 Rumble is, it’s #1 and #2 were rather bland. Ziggler would come a long way though, as we will get to.
I mean…it’s Bryan vs. Punk
2011 #1 – CM Punk #2 – Daniel Bryan
I mean, just read those two names. Unfortunately, the booking and structure of the 2011 Rumble somewhat deflated these two at #1 and #2. For one, there was a confusing Corre vs. Nexus brawl right before Bryan came out. Second, this was the first ever 40 man Rumble, while really put into question whether #1 or #2 could win. Lastly, Bryan wasn’t established yet as a guy that mattered. Still, Punk vs. Bryan is a pretty cool way to start. Punk would take out Bryan about 20 minutes in, and John Cena would wipe out Punk.
Miz had a solid showing in 2012.
2012 #1 – The Miz #2 – Alex Riley
Unfortunately, the Miz was on the way down after a successful 2011, mostly because he and R-Truth were blamed for the low 2011 Survivor Series buyrate. Alex Riley got cheers for turning on the Miz in 2011, but then people realized he was Alex Riley. WWE realized it too, and he was gone in a minute. Miz got a long run though.
Jericho’s surprise return in 2013 was nothing short of amazing.
2013 #1 – Dolph Ziggler #2 – Chris Jericho
One of the all-time great Rumble surprises. “And I don’t even care who #2 is, so just send him out already!” Ziggler had sent Jericho packing at Summerslam 2012, so this was perfect. Both were brilliant in the match as well, 45 minutes later Ziggler would eliminate Jericho. Ziggler was out a couple minutes later. I would have bet serious money on Ziggler being a big star in 2013, but by Summerslam he was just another guy.
This turned out to be CM Punk’s last match.
2014 #1 – CM Punk #2 – Seth Rollins
Poor CM Punk. His last three Rumble entry numbers were 3, 1 and 1. I also rolled by eyes at #2. As soon as Punk came out, I said #2 would be Rollins. Anyway this would prove to be CM Punk’s last match. Despite getting concussed by Kofi Kingston he lasted 49 minutes before Kane came in and tossed him out. Rollins got in 48 minutes himself, a performance that’s very overlooked, before fellow SHIELD member Roman Reigns tossed him.
Miz was shunted down the card in 2015…but was still amazing.
2015 #1 – The Miz #2 – R-Truth
We just did this in 2012, as Truth was #3 there. Both were complete midcarders at this point, and Miz was just fodder for the returning Bubba Ray Dudley and R-Truth Dudley’s signature moves. It’s amazing how long it took for the Miz to rebuild himself.
Roman had to defend the title, but this is another where we only cared about #3.
2016 #1 – Roman Reigns #2 – Rusev
Roman being #1 was a storyline, as he was defending the WWE Title here (not the worst concept in the world actually). Rusev and Roman were the last two in 2015 (officially, the whole finish was a mess). Unfortunately, Rusev didn’t make it to #3. Of course, this is overshadowed by A.J. Styles making his debut at #3.
Jericho looked like he had a lot of fun in 2017.
2017 #1 – Big Cass #2 – Chris Jericho
Rather forgettable, but somewhat saved by Jericho having one of my favorite runs. Jericho lasted an hour basically being a troll. Big Cass lasted 10 minutes and there’s not much else to say there.
Balor vs. Rusev was a fun start in 2018.
2018 (Men’s) #1 – Rusev #2 – Finn Balor
Because of his entrance, I would have put money on Shinsuke Nakamura being #1 or #2. Nonetheless, we have a very entertaining #1 and #2. Rusev got in a good 30 minutes amid “Rusev Day” chants. Balor lasted almost an hour, making the Final Four and putting on a great performance.
Could the first Women’s Rumble start with anyone but Sasha and Becky?
2018 (Women’s) #1 – Sasha Banks #2 – Becky Lynch
It was a safe bet that we’d get these two for #1 and #2. I expected them both to get to the end, but Becky was surprisingly eliminated midway in. Sasha would make it to the end and got played by the Bella Twins. Both were great though.
Honesty time. This
is pretty much my opinion with some searching around to see what some respected
wrestling forums and writers think. Also this will mostly be WWE (but not all),
basically because that’s what I watched 99% of the time. But if something else
catches my eye, it could make the awards. 2018 was an interesting year, for
sure. Again, if you disagree, fine. But just remember, I don’t watch NJPW or
anything else really.
Moment of the Year
Winner: The Man Comes Around RAW
You know what the
easiest way to determine if what someone is doing is great? Take an angle that’s
been pretty horrible for years (in this case, the forced RAW-Smackdown “invasions”
or whatever for Survivor Series) and turn it into a masterpiece. And that’s
what Becky Lynch did. In a pretty lame year for WWE angles, this ridiculously
stood out.
Second Place: Penta-Jericho at All-In
Third Place: Ronda Rousey Debuts at the
Royal Rumble
Fourth Place: Asuka wins the Smackdown
Women’s Title at TLC
Fifth Place: The Undertaker Returns to
Confront John Cena
Debut of the Year
Winner: Ronda Rousey in WWE
Her actual debut
at the Rumble felt like an absolute shock, and then she proceeded to string
together good match after good match all year. Has anyone felt so natural in
WWE as Ronda (samoan drop and awkward smiling aside).
Second Place: Ricochet in NXT
Third Place: War Raiders in NXT
Fourth Place: Matt Riddle in NXT
Fifth Place: AOP in WWE
Return of the Year
Winner: Daniel Bryan (WWE)
It wasn’t even the
strongest return as Bryan was saddled with trying to make something of Big Cass. But like always, he was too
good to be kept in the midcard for long. His heel turn is perhaps the 2nd
best story in the company at the moment, and winning the world title and having
an excellent match with Brock shows Bryan hasn’t lost a step.
Second Place: Drew Mcintyre on RAW
Third Place: Rey Mysterio at the Royal
Rumble/Smackdown
Fourth Place: The Undertaker at
Wrestlemania
Fifth Place: Nikki Bella at the Royal
Rumble/Smackdown
Match of the Year
Winner: NXT Championship: Andrade “Cien”
Almas vs. Johnny Gargano
I feel like I need
to add the “I didn’t watch much NJPW” disclaimer like I did last year. I think
it’s also worth mentioning, while great matches, the Gargano vs. Ciampa series
didn’t completely do it for me for whatever reason (probably because Ciampa was
gone too long). Gargano vs. Almas had a perfect story. Gargano’s focus was on
becoming Johnny Wrestling again after a post-DIY slump, while Almas had just
recently went through the same thing before Zelina Vega got him back on track. The
match itself is incredible. Not only did it give Gargano a legit argument at
best in the world, it elevated Almas into something special as well (that’s
been wasted on Smackdown, but whatever).
Second Place: WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship
– Evolution: Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch
Third Place: WWE Women’s Championship –
TLC: Charlotte vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
Fourth Place: WWE Survivor Series –
Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan
Fifth Place: NJPW WrestleKingdom 12 –
Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega
Feud of the Year
Winner: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte
Becky Lynch’s heel
turn on Charlotte launched one of rare moments of someone getting megaover (the
last one I can remember is Daniel Bryan in 2013). Becky and Charlotte’s beef
makes a lot of sense from a storyline perspective and while Becky has just
absolutely killed it, Charlotte’s done quite well herself. As a result, we’ve
had some great matches and launched a megastar in Becky.
Second Place: Johnny Gargano vs.
Tommaso Ciampa
Third Place: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
Fourth Place: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke
Nakamura
Fifth Place: Aleister Black vs. Johnny
Gargano
Biggest Disappointment of the Year
Winner: The Roman Empire Crashes
While the very end
of Roman’s run wasn’t his fault at all, the rest of it was an unnecessary mess
it didn’t have to be. First, Wrestlemania vs. Brock was an embarrassment.
Whoever wrote that needed to be fired. The cage match at the Greatest Royal
Rumble was there. The Summerslam main event, where Roman FINALLY won the title
was bad (and we needed Braun Strowman to be taken out just so people wouldn’t
root for a cash-in). Nonetheless, I was all for a fighting champion Roman
storyline and perhaps a strong feud with Braun (who he has great chemistry
with; it was my 2017 Feud of the Year). Somehow the writing got worse, where
Braun turned heel (no one wanted this), wasted his Money in the Bank contract
(what) to face Roman in Hell in a Cell…which went to a no contest (sigh). For
as strong as Roman gets pushed, he didn’t get a clean run once he won the title.
Sadly, Roman was forced to vacate the title due to real life Leukemia
returning. Roman’s ridiculously talented and quite frankly I think the WWE
Universe would love to cheer for the guy as a top guy. But his booking is
atrocious. The way Roman’s been booked not only hurts Roman, it hurt Samoa Joe
(Backlash), Brock (the whole thing), Braun (for his forced heel turn that wasn’t
needed), Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose (for the botched SHIELD reunion and
Ambrose turn). Roman has megastar potential. But not this way.
Second Place: Asuka pre-TLC
Third Place: Sasha Banks and Bayley’s never
ending storyline
Fourth Place: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke
Nakamura feud
Fifth Place: Finn Balor doing next to
nothing
Best Show of the Year
Winner: All-In
A non-WWE show! I
don’t know if All-Elite Wrestling is going to make it or anything, but wow did
Cody Rhodes and company make waves for the American wrestling landscape not
really seen for a long time. Good matches (Omega vs. Pentagon was considered
for my Top 5), good stories (Cody Rhodes’ path to the NWA title), big names
(Rey Mysterio was in the main event), good surprises (Jericho as Penta is my #2
moment of the year) and some other fun stuff (the Battle Royal) far exceeded my
expectations. It takes a lot for me to watch a non-WWE show. It takes a real
lot for me to enjoy one.
Second Place: NXT Takeover: Philadelphia
Third Place: NXT Takeover: New Orleans
Fourth Place: WWE Survivor Series 2018
Fifth Place: WWE Royal Rumble 2018
Non-Wrestler of the Year
Winner: Kurt Angle, RAW
Not a great year
for non-wrestlers. Angle did wrestle here and there, so this may be cheating.
He did fine with what he had to work with though, especially since his main
feud ended up being with Baron Corbin (almost made my disappointments list,
what a mess that’s turned out to be). Bringing back the Conquistador though,
hard to top that.
Second Place: Zelina Vega, Manager (A
stretch I know)
Third Place: William Regal, NXT General
Manager
Fourth Place: Paul Heyman, Manager
Fifth Place: Paige, Smackdown General
Manager
Best Surprisingly Good Angle
Winner: The Ultimate Deletion
One of the few
feel good stories in WWE this year. Br Woken Matt Hardy got to do a
WWE-style Ultimate Deletion match…and it was a lot of fun! And while Bray Wyatt
is capable of much more, the post-Deletion team, the Eater of Worlds, were fun
and a good way for Matt Hardy to go out.
Second Place: Daniel Bryan Turns Heel
Third Place: Kurt Angle as a
Conquistador
Woman of the Year
Winner: Becky Lynch (WWE)
Like this was a
question. Becky’s the most over act in WWE at the moment and arenas everywhere
are chanting her name. I’m begging that WWE doesn’t give her the 2012-2013 CM
Punk treatment. To give an idea of how big Becky’s year was, she didn’t even
make my Top 5 in this category last year.
Second Place: Ronda Rousey (WWE)
Third Place: Charlotte (WWE)
Fourth Place: Asuka (WWE)
Fifth Place: Shayna Bazsler (NXT)
Tag Team of the Year
Winner: The Undisputed Era (NXT)
It was a rough
year in WWE land for tag teams, let me tell you. Thank goodness the Undisputed
Era continues to be awesome. New Day, Bar and Usos, good as they all are, are
stale. Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel were champions at one point. And so was a 10
year old kid? Thank you Undisputed Era.
Second Place: The New Day (WWE)
Third Place: The Bar (WWE)
Fourth Place: The Deleter of Worlds
(WWE)
Fifth Place: The Bludgeon Brothers
(WWE)
Wrestler of the Year
Winner: Becky Lynch (WWE)
This one was a tough
one for me between three people – Becky, AJ Styles and Kenny Omega. Each had
pros and cons. Omega did a lot for wrestling that isn’t non-WWE, was called the
most important World Champion by Sports Illustrated and won Pro Wrestling
Illustrated’s #1 spot on the PWI 500. He had a lot of great matches and I would
guess would be the top draw not named Jericho for All Elite Wrestling if it
happens. But the truth is, I don’t watch enough to comfortably judge Omega and
his influence. If it wasn’t Jericho I wouldn’t have even watched his match at
Wrestle Kingdom. If he came to WWE would he even start on the main roster? Tons
of people would say of course not. Others would call me stupid for even
suggesting it. So I don’t feel he’s #1. AJ Styles’ year is quite strange, but
as WWE does whatever around him, he’s a constant top guy where no one else can
be consistent. He would have easily won this year (for the third straight time
in three WWE years), but unfortunately a lot of his dream feuds fell a little
flat. The feud with Nakamura wasn’t bad at all, but it was built as this dream
feud and we got…a string of good to very good matches. Samoa Joe, same thing. The
feud with Bryan has some potential and I think could be the dream match in the
right situation. Still, AJ still put together a very good year (and I don’t
even think any of this was his fault). The knock against Becky is she didn’t get
a chance to do anything notable before Summerslam. So basically, can she win a
year-long award for a strong four-five months. But wow what a four-five months
it was. As I wrote earlier, this is the first time since Daniel Bryan in 2013
where the fans are all-in and WWE has a transcendent star in their hands. Becky
has delivered ever since. And, it’s not like Becky’s pre-Summerslam was bad. Had
AJ had a stronger year or had I saw more of Omega, I would have given one of
them the nod most likely, but Becky stole 2018 with a super strong finish.
Thanks to a line from Dom2K’s youtube channel, (link here) we’re going to tier the Top 30 NBA Players off All-Time. I may do all 100 I’ve listed at some point, but for now, this works. I’ve provided a link to my last revision of the Top 100 of All-Time here as well, although searching through the site you can find the original list I did in 2015 and how the list evolved from that. What Dom2K said is there’s a little gap between the best players of all-time. As a result, these tiers will have more negatives and even nitpicks to decide between each. No surprises either (as my Top 100 is no secret), so here is the list in picture form. In the picture I listed them based on rank, but in the article I did it alphabetically. Let’s go through it.
S – Michael Jordan
While not the undisputable best player of all-time anymore,
he’s still the best player of all-time, if that makes sense. LeBron can catch
him for sure though. I don’t know what good things I can say about MJ that
haven’t been said already. The combination of accolades, regular statistics,
playoff statistics, records, memorable games/moments, advanced metrics and whatever
else is purely in MJ’s favor.
A+ – LeBron James
It’s actually incredible that LeBron’s ceiling at this point
is still “greatest ever”. His lack of Championships will still probably always
have him falling short of MJ, no matter how ridiculous the teams LeBron has to
deal with though. But MJ vs. Lebron is a whole different article (I’m waiting
till LeBron retires for what it’s worth).
A – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
Bill Russell
Abdul-Jabbar probably doesn’t really need explanation. Kareem
is above the next tier as Of course there’s just one cog that connects the 11
Boston Championships together, and that’s Russell. And no, his teams weren’t
much stronger than Wilt’s if they were even stronger at all. They named the
Finals MVP after the man!
A- – Larry Bird, Tim
Duncan, Magic Johnson
All in the same tier for the same specific reasons. All were
clear winners who could win in different eras with different pieces (Magic in
1980 and the late 80s, Bird in 81 and then in 86, Duncan won titles fifteen
years apart, and as a clear top guy 99 and 07 were vastly different). Each were
the alpha dog for a few seasons (Bird from 84-86, Magic from 87-89, Duncan from
02-03). Each have memorable playoff/Finals games and Finals MVPs. And each have
a nitpick/negative that often hurts them in an all-time ranking (Duncan for not
being completely destructive/superior coach and system, Magic for a shorter
career, his actual unclutchness after his 1st ring and a mess
defending man to man on quick guards, Bird for arguably feasting on horrific
defenders his entire career).
B+ – Kobe Bryant,
Kevin Durant, Moses Malone, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Jerry West
All here for many different reasons. The one uniting factor
is that at some point, these are all great players, even arguably the best for
a year or a few. The difference between them is their negatives. These
negatives are much bigger than the A- group. So let’s go over why each are both
this high and this low. For Kobe, he’s this high as he was the best or 2nd
best player on five championship teams, probably had a best of all-time ceiling
at one point and at times was an unstoppable scoring machine (and in the
three-peat with Shaq, proved to be an incredible all-around player). He’s this
low because with Shaq and Phil Jackson, and in his prime or near-prime he
outright missed the playoffs (with modern playoff rules), he’s been outright
smashed or embarrassed in multiple playoff series as the clear top guy and his
advanced metrics always pointed to someone with crazy great help. Kevin Durant
might have capped his ceiling here with his move to the Warriors. It’s
impossible to really gauge if he could have won the whole thing without being a
part of the Warriors superteam (he had failed several times so far). But he’s
this high because his accolades, as well as how he’s played in the Finals with
these Warriors, speak for themselves. Malone was the outright best player
before Bird in the early 80s, but his peak crashed and team after team gave up
on him. Shaq was an absolute monster at his peak (2000 MVP is still one of the best
MVP seasons out there), but small injuries, really bad playoff losses (from his
rookie year through his last in Miami, he’s been swept out of the playoff six times! Six!) and reliance on a top
tier guard (Penny, Kobe and Wade, all at elite status) holds him back. Hakeem’s
’94 Championship is one of the best all-time one man and role player title
teams ever. He defeated all his top rivals at his position (Ewing, Robinson and
Shaq) as well as other Western Conference top guys (Malone twice, Barkley
twice) in a two-year period. He was a destructive defensive force. Also
forgotten, his dominance of the 1986 Lakers that got the Rockets into the ’86 Finals.
He’s held back because some of the problems the late 80s Rockets had can be
attributed to him and his offensive advanced metrics aren’t great (post-moves
aside, he was a ball stopper on offense which would not fly later on). Jerry
West doesn’t get the love Oscar gets despite 30-8-5 (or 31-7-6, whatever you
want to use as a peak year) with good percentages on a more talented team that
made the Finals year in and year out as opposed to averaging a triple double on
a team that isn’t as good. Almost reminds me Westbrook vs. Curry. But West lost
in most of those Finals and you have to hold the time period somewhat against
him.
B – Wilt Chamberlain,
Stephen Curry, Julius Erving, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Oscar Robertson
All of these players dominated a certain aspect of the game
at some point, all of them in some way validated their careers with a
championship and some unique scoring record or clearly defined skill, and all
of them can have their legacies torn apart with very valid arguments. Wilt of
course has the sheer force of numbers on his side, but a deeper look at
statistics in the 60s show how meaningless that is. For all his scoring
records, the regular seasons where a Wilt team actually won the title he scored
24.1 PPG and 14.8 PPG. Remember, the Warriors were 10-28 when Wilt was sent to
Philly. He scored the most points because he shot the most (his FG%, while very
good, isn’t historically super incredible or anything). He rebounded a lot
because the league as a whole was on average short and not that athletic. Doesn’t
mean he wasn’t great, but his numbers are never put in perspective. I’ll skip
to Oscar because a lot of the same can be said for him. Had he average a 30-9-9
instead of a triple double no one would talk about him historically as much as
he is (complete side note, isn’t it funny how Westbrook did a 30-10-10 and won
MVP, but the very next season he did the same thing with even a slightly higher
shooting % and no one cared. It was the “story” that mattered). Curry is the
greatest shooter in NBA history and is single handedly changing how NBA defense
works. Great shooting more than anything else matters in basketball. Letting
Durant have his team though may hurt him legacy wise (could he have followed up
with a 2nd ring or 3rd ring without him?). Dr. J didn’t
dominate the NBA like the ABA, and Moses led him to the title. He and David
Thompson created the MJ prototype though. Kevin Garnett has been called the
greatest defensive player of his generation (I disagree though, I’d pick
Duncan) and his MVP season was a sight to behold, but Minnesota as a franchise
held him back and he only got Minnesota past Round 1 once. He also needed some
offensive help for the Boston title team, although defensively he was amazing
there. Dirk Nowitzki saved his legacy in 2011 with one of the greatest playoff
runs ever, but his meltdowns in 2006 and 2007 are big red flags.
B- – Charles Barkley,
Karl Malone
Both would have rings if it weren’t for MJ. Malone was a
better defender (much better) and fundamental basketball player. Barkley was a
historic rebounder and had a competitive streak just short of MJ’s. Both are
the best examples of top guys who came up just short of being the man on a
title team (something the entire previous tier avoided, although Oscar won his
as a 2nd guy).
C+ – Isiah Thomas,
Dwyane Wade, Scottie Pippen
All three have massive, glaring red flags for their careers
that shines a huge light on their otherwise fantastic careers. I can’t even
project Isiah’s career today. His advanced metrics are a disaster, but some of
that is in part to how the Pistons played. He couldn’t shoot from the outside
at all. He’s known (and rightfully so) as the team leader and the Pistons won a
lot with him at the helm. And the broken foot story is one of legend. When you
have a great defensive that beats people down and you can do enough to win that’s
all that matters, but I have a tough time projecting Isiah to have tons of
success on a team not built that way. D-Wade’s two peaks are ridiculous (the 06
Finals and the ’09 and ’10 seasons) and really the true best MJ impression we
got since MJ…but his peak was so short and he wasn’t getting out of Round 1 at
that point until LeBron came around. Scottie Pippen is on my all-time defensive
team and probably got screwed in ’94. Other than ’94, he ended up being a guy
who didn’t fit or someone who couldn’t quite get his team over the hump. To be
fair, he wasn’t in his prime post-MJ either.
C – Elgin Baylor, John
Havlicek, Bob Pettit
The old guard. Havlicek did quite well for post-Russell
Boston, even winning the 1974 Finals MVP. Of course, he snagged eight rings in
total and two as the top guy. There’s a Shaq-Kobe similarity there. He’s probably
the hardest player to rank. Baylor is often known as the best player not to win
a championship (I have that as Malone and Barkley), but he’s also tough to rank
as his greatness is tied into Boston beating him and West over and over. He’s
credited with taking the game above the rim so there’s that. Bob Pettit is
probably the easiest to rank. While he wouldn’t survive today, his Hawks were
one of the team to beat Russell’s Celtics in a playoff series. He pretty much
dominated the era before Wilt and Russell and didn’t get wiped out by them (as
players such as Bellamy and Johnston did). 2 MVPs and 11 All-NBAs, 10 of them
first team! I’d rank him higher if it weren’t for his era.
C- – Chris Paul,
David Robinson, John Stockton
Three players who at times had out of the world statistics,
but never could cross the finish line in first. Chris Paul’s 2008 and 2009
seasons are incredible, especially advanced metrically. He was robbed of the 2008
MVP. His 2008 season is one of four ever to boast at least 20 PPG, 11 APG and
50.0% FG. But, somewhat similarly to Isiah, he could never truly dominate (I
assume because of size). He just played in his first Conference Finals (and for
all the talk of him being a second guy, he put up a 41-10-7 in the Game 6
Semi-Final clincher to get there)…but unfortunately injuries prevented him from
finishing it. It’s a shame really. David Robinson actually win a couple
championships, and in 1999 he was an important second guy, but Tim Duncan
promptly took over. Robinson of course was supposed to be THE NBA star, but it
never quite happened and worse yet, Hakeem bulldozed him in 1995. Stockton’s a
weird case because some of his numbers are inflated (assist totals in the early
90s weren’t scored strictly) and he rarely was incredible. He was just very
good for a long time. He caught a break in the late 90s with Shawn Kemp heading
to the East (Stockton could not deal with Gary Payton, as evidenced by the 1996
Western Conference Finals) and got to feast on horrible PGs in the Western
Conference playoffs for two years. His very good, but not great reputation is
evidenced by all his All-NBA 2nd and 3rd Teams (and even
Defensive 2nd teams), but rarely a 1st team. He had no
real weaknesses, but never dominated or took over either. And it wasn’t enough
for him and Malone to get the ring. But he was always just really good.
Yes, I know I am a day late. But hey, the NBA season began two weeks earlier! What can I do?
Eastern Conference
Boston Celtics (60-22): As much as everyone wants to push the narrative that the East is wide open, the Celtics are far and away the best team in the Conference. Remember they almost went to the Finals missing Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Undervalued as the favorite in the Eastern Conference. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are only going to be better, and Al Horford is an experienced playoff banger who doesn’t have to face LeBron anymore.
Philadelphia 76ers (53-29): Still the future of the East obviously. Still disappointed I picked them to beat Boston in the playoffs last year. They’ll need Markelle Fultz to figure things out to challenge Boston.
Milwaukee Bucks (50-32): Hate to say it, but I think Giannis is leaving. But he’ll finish this season with Milwaukee and they’ll lose to Boston at some point, if not Philly. They only improvements will come from Giannis and Khris Middleton.
Toronto Raptors (49-33): Following things that worry me about Toronto: Kawhi Leonard’s commitment to the team (and how healthy is he really?), Kyle Lowry and his disappointed with DeMar DeRozan being gone and a new head coach. Despite the talent upgrade this feels like another disappointment in Toronto.
Indiana Pacers (48-34): Exciting team that looks quite good in the post PG era. Fully expect them to be in the mix again and wouldn’t shock me if they were better than this. I think a lack of a true stretch four will hinder them. Not sold on Tyreke Evans being a positive either.
Washington Wizards (44-38): The Wizards are who they are. Although theoretically Dwight Howard should make them better, I think we’ve played that game enough to see how that works over the past few years.
Miami Heat (42-40): Toughest one for me to judge because I feel like Jimmy Butler will end up here. Hassan Whiteside could always get it together I guess. A well coaches team that has just enough to be good but won’t bottom out.
Detroit Pistons (36-46): The rest of the East is a bit of a mess. Detroit is not a well-structured team and every season I’m down about bad their spacing should be. And with Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin in the frountcourt, that spacing should be worse than ever.
Cleveland Cavaliers (34-48): I don’t expect Kevin Love to revert to his pre-Cavs self, but he should allow Cleveland to win some games. Don’t be surprised if he’s traded at the half-way point though.
Charlotte Hornets (33-49): Sounds about right. Going to be weird seeing Tony Parker in a uniform that isn’t the San Antonio Spurs.
Chicago Bulls (31-51): Jabari Parker is an interesting offensive addition, and Wendell Carter should be a decent piece. While Chicago seems like a team on the rise, I wonder about the money Zach LaVine just got though.
Brooklyn Nets (30-52): Getting rid of Mozgov is a plus. Sad Jeremy Lin didn’t make it. Upcoming Free agency is huge for the Nets.
Orlando Magic (27-55): A long way to go here. Aaron Gordon is pretty much the only exciting piece on this mess of a franchise.
New York Knicks (25-57): I am truthfully ecstatic for the Knicks to be honest. Finally, a real rebuilding process! Only took 18 years.
Atlanta Hawks (17-65): Another rebuild. If Doncic becomes the man though they would have set themselves back a bit.
Western Conference
Golden State Warriors (63-19): The chemistry cracks are showing, but there’s way too much talent here to think they’ll fall off much. I think they get another ring in June, especially because…
Houston Rockets (56-26): …the Rockets replaced Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute with Carmelo Anthony. That’s going to be quite the hit on the Rockets defense. Chris Paul isn’t getting younger either.
Los Angeles Lakers (52-30): I kinda have to see LeBron fail before I drop a team led by him to an under 50 win prediction. Team is a bit of a mess to be honest (Rajon Rondo should not be starting over Lonzo Ball), so I expect a slow start. But it’ll fix itself by the end.
Utah Jazz (51-31): Love the way this team is built, especially on defense, but unless Donovan Mitchell becomes a true big time scorer this is their ceiling.
Oklahoma City Thunder (50-32): They should be better without Carmelo Anthony’s inefficient offense gobbling up possessions, but Dennis Schroder isn’t anything to write home about either so it feels like a wash.
New Orleans Pelicans (48-34): Anthony Davis should make a strong MVP candidate this season. West is just stacked. There’s just not much else here except Nikola Mirotic. Davis and Mirotic is a better combo than Davis and Cousins, for what it’s worth.
San Antonio Spurs (47-35): Fun fact, there is one NBA team this season that has two players were on either All-1st or All-2nd NBA teams last season. And that team is the Spurs (Aldridge and DeRozan). They are practically adding DeRozan for free compared to last year (as Leonard barely played), so all this missed playoffs stuff is nuts. I actually wish I had some courage and ranked them higher.
Portland Trail Blazers (46-36): I was a bit underwhelmed by how they finished last season, and losing Ed Davis isn’t a positive thing either.
Denver Nuggets (43-39): Fun team that could break out. Jamal Murray might be a real keeper.
Minnesota Timberwolves (41-41): What a mess. Jimmy Butler doesn’t want to be there and while I am a big fan of KAT, Wolves need Butler to be good. I think he ends up in Miami before the trade deadline.
Dallas Mavericks (38-44): A bit under the radar. Dirk Nowitzki can still play at a decent level, and if he matches last season’s production that’s a solid role piece. DeAndre Jordan is a sneaky grab. Let’s see how far along Dennis Smith is, and if Luka is the real deal.
Los Angeles Clippers (33-49): Not going to lie, I have no idea what happens here this season except they won’t make the playoffs. They could bottom out to 15-67 and I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ll guess Doc Rivers does what he can to win games and then leaves/gets fired (despite the contract extension).
Memphis Grizzlies (32-50): Kudos to the Grizzlies for still going against the grain with the Mike Conley-Marc Gasol combo. If Conley stays healthy they should be a bit better than last year.
Sacramento Kings (28-54): I like Fox and Bagley. Team is a disaster otherwise.
Phoenix Suns (23-59): Devin Booker had more PPG than Suns’ wins last season. I know that the Suns want to win or something, but unless DeAndre Ayton is a monster right away, which I doubt, it isn’t happening.
Warriors over Celtics in 7 in the Finals. Boston is better than people are giving credit for.
We are a few weeks removed from the NBA Finals and its result shook the foundation of my Top 100 (and should have shaken everyone’s Top lists). So let’s look through my Top 100 and see what’s changed.
Dropped out: No One…AD is coming though.
As time goes on, new players get in. And that means someone has to drop out.
100. Tim Hardaway
99. Manu Ginobili
98. Alonzo Mourning
97. Dikembe Mutombo
96. Yao Ming
95. Vince Carter
94. Carmelo Anthony – To say he did nothing this season to raise his position is an understatement.
93. Kevin Johnson
92. Shawn Kemp
91. Robert Horry
No changes here.
90. Chris Mullin
89. Bob Dandridge
88. Paul Westphal
87. Dan Issel
86. Artis Gilmore
85. Tracy McGrady (-1)
84. Joe Dumars (-1)
83. Sidney Moncrief (-1)
82. Lenny Wilkins (-1)
81. Earl Monroe (-1)
Someone rose through the ranks.
80. Tony Parker (-1)
79. Chris Webber (-1)
78. David Thompson (-1)
77. Jerry Lucas (-1)
76. Pete Maravich (-1)
75. Dwight Howard (-2) – Charlotte just dumped him for Mozgov. MOZGOV! His early career stuff will always be great, but things just went downhill from LA on.
74. Russell Westbrook – He got elite help, averaged another triple-double and promptly lost in Round 1 again. Can we agree that his style of play is damaging to winning a NBA Championship at this point? Dwight’s damaged his own rep so much I felt Westbrook could pass him at least.
73. Chris Bosh (-1)
72. Dennis Rodman (-1)
71. Adrian Dantley (-1)
Only change is Westbrook-Dwight swap.
70. Alex English (-1)
69. Bob McAdoo (-1)
68. Tom Heihnson (-1)
67. Tiny Archibald (-1)
66. Pau Gasol (-1) – Great career. His peak was amazing.
65. Reggie Miller (-1)
64. Bill Sharmin (-1)
63. Dave Debusschere (-1)
62. Robert Parish (-1)
61. Bernard King (-1)
No movement here.
60. Elvin Hayes (-1)
59. Dolph Schayes (-1)
58. Paul Arizin (-1)
57. Dominique Wilkins (-1)
56. Billy Cunningham (-1)
55. Hal Greer (-1)
54. Nate Thurmond (-1)
53. Wes Unseld (-1)
52. James Harden (+33) – The NBA MVP! He was one game away from the Finals against a Warriors team that would destroy the Cavs the next round. Even looked competent on defense at times. Sky is the limit for Harden, especially if Paul sticks around and can stay healthy. Heck if Paul were healthy, we could be talking about the NBA Champs right now. Shame.
51. James Worthy (-1)
Another player rose in the rankings, which is why Worthy drops one spot.
50. Dennis Johnson (-1)
49. Bill Walton (-1)
48. Ray Allen (-1)
47. Chauncey Billups (-1)
46. George Gervin (-1)
45. Sam Jones (-1)
44. Clyde Drexler (-1)
43. George Mikan (-1)
42. Jason Kidd (-1)
41. Paul Pierce (-1)
Everyone dropped one spot because of the rising player.
40. Allen Iverson (-1)
39. Gary Payton (-1)
38. Patrick Ewing (-1)
37. Dave Cowens (-1)
36. Steve Nash (-1)
35. Kevin McHale (-1)
34. Walt Frazier (-1)
33. Willis Reed (-1)
32. Rick Barry (-1)
31. Bob Cousy (-1)
Someone moved up.
30. John Stockon (-1)
29. Chris Paul (+22) – Almost as good as you could expect. Made a Mike D’Antoni-James Harden team great on defense. Was able to share the ball with Harden, which was a big concern. Got a team to a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Finals, only to get injuried and watch the Rockets lose games 6 and 7. Put up a 41-10-7 with 8 threes to finally get past Round 2. If only he stayed healthy we’d probably be talking about his Top 20 candidacy. What a shame.
28. David Robinson
27. Elgin Baylor
26. John Havlicek
25. Bob Pettit
24. Scottie Pippen
23. Isiah Thomas
22. Dwyane Wade – Whacky season for Wade. Done as an impact player, and unfortunately didn’t jive with LeBron’s Cavs.
Curry moved up and we are still taking into account the other player who moved up, which explains all the drops.
21. Karl Malone (-1)
Curry’s moved up.
20. Charles Barkley (-1)
19. Julius Erving (-2)
18. Stephen Curry (+3) – Got hurt so didn’t get a full season, but still was great when he played. Set a NBA Finals game record for threes and had a legit case for NBA Finals MVP.
17. Oscar Robertson (-1)
16. Wilt Chamberlain (-1)
15. Kevin Garnett (-1)
14. Dirk Nowitzki (-1)
13. Jerry West (-1)
12. Kevin Durant (+6) – He’s knocking on the door of the Top 10 and put a huge Game 3 away in Cleveland. That’s two rings, but of course the discussion will be about how he got them as opposed to him actually owning while he got them.
11. Moses Malone
Curry is in, Durant is getting awfully close to the Top 10.
10. Kobe Bryant
9. Hakeem Olajuwon
8. Shaquille O’Neal
7. Larry Bird
6. Tim Duncan
5. Magic Johnson
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. Bill Russell (-1)
2. LeBron James (+1) – It’s time. LeBron’s 2018 playoffs were ridiculous and while it’s disappointing he got swept, it shouldn’t knock dragging this team to the Finals. Jeff Green was his 2nd best guy in Game 7 vs Boston. Jeff Green! He hit a bunch of game winners. Had some ridiculous statlines. He inched closer to Jordan, but unfortunately he’s quite old to just be inching. Still, it’s remarkable.
1. Michael Jordan
I don’t have a real basis for this to be perfectly honest. It’s mostly my opinion with some searching around to see what some respected wrestling forums and writers think. Also this will mostly be WWE (but not all), basically because that’s what I watched 99% of the time. But if something else catches my eye, it could make the awards. With that being said, here goes. (Yes, I wrote the same thing last year).
Moment of the Year
Winner: The Undertaker Loses to Roman Reigns and Gets a Standing Ovation
Can’t say he retired, because we don’t know that yet, but it was one heck of a moment after he lost to Reigns. He sure looked like he was retiring, that’s for sure.
Second Place: The Festival of Friendship – Kevin Owens Turns on Chris Jericho
Third Place: Kurt Angle returns as RAW GM
Fourth Place: Chris Jericho challenges Kenny Omega for Wrestle Kingdom 12
Fifth Place: The Hardy Boyz return at Wrestlemania 33
Debut of the Year
Winner: Samoa Joe in WWE
WWE has already seemingly screwed up some NXT talent debuts, but one they haven’t messed up at all has been Samoa Joe. He came in as Triple H’s heavy to take out Seth Rollins, and has been near the top of the card ever since. He could be that big match killer that Brock Lesnar is sooner than later.
Second Place: Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE
Third Place: Tye Dillinger in WWE
Fourth Place: Aleister Black in NXT
Fifth Place: Asuka in WWE
Return of the Year
Winner: Kurt Angle on RAW
It feels so right to see Kurt Angle back in WWE. He got an insane reaction when announced as Raw GM. His in-ring return was I guess a bit underwhelming, but it was also refreshing to see him come back in the flow as opposed to a massive big built match. He also was pretty good in the TLC match. It’s great to see Kurt home.
Second Place: Chris Jericho to NJPW to challenge Kenny Omega
Third Place: The Hardyz at Wrestlemania
Fourth Place: Paige in WWE
Fifth Place: Drew McIntyre in NXT
Match of the Year
Winner: WWE Championship: A.J. Styles vs. John Cena – WWE Royal Rumble 2017
I didn’t watch any NJPW, so I can’t speak on anything Okada and Omega did, but there still was a strong WWE selection. It may have been weaker than the Summerslam 2016 match, but AJ and Cena delivered once again it what seemed to almost be a greatest hits version of their match. Those were some pretty great hits.
Second Place: Brock Lesnar vs. A.J. Styles – Survivor Series 2017
Third Place: WWE U.K. Championship: Pete Dunne vs. Tyler Bate – NXT Takeover Chicago
Fourth Place: War Games: Undisputed Era vs. Sanity vs. Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong – NXT Takeover War Games
Fifth Place: WWE Championship – Elimination Chamber: John Cena vs. A.J. Styles vs. Bray Wyatt vs. The Miz vs. Baron Corbin
Feud of the Year
Winner: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
Say what you want about Roman, him and Strowman had some great matches and this feud elevated Strowman into a top guy. The Last Man Standing match at Great Balls of Fire almost made my top five. It also gave us an edge to Roman’s character that’s been missing since he was elevated to top guy status. Great stuff all around.
Second Place: Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens
Third Place: The Usos vs. The New Day
Fourth Place: Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens
Fifth Place: Asuka vs. Ember Moon
Biggest Disappointment of the Year
Winner: Former NXT Talents Get Buried
Man where to start. Finn Balor went from the first ever Universal Champion to doing a whole lot of nothing. After his feud with Bray Wyatt eroded into a joke, he was saved with a great match with A.J. Styles at TLC only to just get jobbed out the next night to Kane. Word is Vince doesn’t see what’s so special about him. I mean come on. He even has a marketable Demon gimmick and everything! We had fans booing Bayley at one point, which is incredible really. Talk about a lost year. Shinsuke Nakamura debuted on Smackdown during a Miz promo and that ended up being the highlight of his entire run in 2017. Too bad he couldn’t just feud with Miz. Feud with Ziggler was okay at best. Wrestling Jinder for the WWE Championship and not winning it only hurt him. Bobby Roode has also done a whole lot of nothing since debuting on Smackdown and also had an okay feud with Ziggler. There’s already worry about Asuka’s booking. At least Samoa Joe looked great I suppose.
Second Place: Bray Wyatt
Third Place: Jinder Mahal as WWE Champion
Fourth Place: Survivor Series 2017 Main Event
Fifth Place: Jason Jordan as Kurt Angle’s son
Best Show of the Year
Winner: NXT Takeover: War Games
Everything ranged from good to great here. Lars Sullivan vs. Kassius Ohno? Good start for Sullivan. Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream told a great story in their match and could be near the top of some match of the year lists. The four way for the vacant NXT Women’s title was solid. Drew McIntyre and Andrade Almas had a surprisingly good match with a shocking outcome. War Games is 4th on my match of the year and really put over the Undisputed Era as an up and coming great faction.
Second Place: NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III
Third Place: NXT Takeover: Orlando
Fourth Place: NXT Takeover: Chicago
Fifth Place: WWE Royal Rumble 2017
Non-Wrestler of the Year
Winner: Paul Heyman, Manager
Got to give it to Heyman. He made every match against Lesnar this year a really special feel. From the Goldberg match to the Samoa Joe match to even the A.J. Styles match, he put over everyone. He even put over Finn Balor. All while Brock ran through all of them.
Sometimes those type angle miss (see “This is Your Life” for Bayley this year) and sometimes they hit. I guess when Chris Jericho is doing it, it hits. There was a painting, a Gillberg, a new list…and a truly great heel turn. I think Owens vs. Jericho should have been the Universal title match at Mania, to be honest.
Second Place: Enzo Amore becomes the face of 205 Live
Third Place: Aliester Black vs. Velveteen Dream
Woman of the Year
Winner: Asuka (NXT/WWE)
Asuka carried the NXT Women’s division in the post Charlotte-Becky-Bayley-Sasha world. She had great matches with Ember Moon, and has yet to be screwed up in WWE yet, although the start hasn’t been all great either. After the “women’s revolution”, it hasn’t been a super strong year for women. Asuka at least had a strong year.
Second Place: Alexa Bliss (WWE)
Third Place: Sasha Banks (WWE)
Fourth Place: Charlotte (WWE)
Fifth Place: Ember Moon (NXT)
Tag Team of the Year
Winner: The Bar (WWE)
What amazing chemistry Cesaro and Sheamus have! What began as a best of 7 series between two guys who had nothing to do turned into an amazing tag team that complement one another well. They had good matches with the Hardyz this year and also were a good team to put together with the Miz in the feud with the Shield.
Second Place: The Usos (WWE)
Third Place: Authors of Pain (NXT)
Fourth Place: The New Day (WWE)
Fifth Place: The Hardy Boyz (IMPACT/ROH/WWE)
Wrestler of the Year
Winner: A.J. Styles (WWE)
How can it not be Styles? I asked that last year. He came in as WWE Champ. Participated in my 2017 Match of the Year at the Royal Rumble and another contender for it at Elimination Chamber. Carried Shane McMahon to the best or second best match at Wrestlemania. Had a good, if not too long feud with Kevin Owens over the US Title in the summer. Surprisingly won the US Title at a MSG house show. Had to save the TLC show and Finn Balor’s early career by replacing Bray Wyatt and having a great match. Even Vince realized he was too good to not be WWE Champ, so the Jinder experiment ended with AJ winning another WWE Title. As a result he saved Survivor Series and had a Match of the Year contender with Brock Lesnar. Pretty good year for AJ. That’s 2/2 when it comes to WWE years too. Hope he main events Wrestlemania.
The Path to Warriors-Cavs IV? Sure it looks likely, but we’ll see. Sure was a crazy off-season.
Atlantic Division
Celtics: 53-29 (2)
Raptors: 46-36 (5)
Sixers: 30-52
Knicks: 26-56
Nets: 25-57
Boston I think is pretty obvious for the top of the Atlantic (it was less obvious last year when I called it). Sure it may take time to integrate Hayward and Kyrie, and the defense overall has some holes losing Avery Bradley. But come on, it’s the East. Toronto is trying this new three pointers everywhere thing, which would be fine if they actually had good three point shooters. There’s enough talent there though to be in the thick of things again. I would love to give the Sixers a huge 2010 Thunder leap, but I’m sorry there is nothing that makes me think Joel Embiid can play anything resembling a full NBA schedule. Which is a shame, because he could be a difference maker. Knicks are thankfully past the Carmelo era and should be bad, but again wins are just going to appear in the East. A potential defensive disaster with Hardaway Jr. and Kanter too. The Nets should show some signs of life, and I’m sure if you ignore FG% D’Angelo Russell will be a fun fantasy guy, but we have a long way to go here.
Central Division
Cavaliers: 54-28 (1)
Bucks: 49-33 (4)
Pistons: 38-44 (8)
Pacers: 32-50
Bulls: 21-61
Maybe the Cavs actually fall behind the Bucks in the standings but once it becomes playoff time, it won’t matter. Giannis might just be the future, and the Bucks have a cool (and long) team otherwise. They might be the 18-19 team to be honest. Detroit is kind of a mess and unless Andre Drummond wants to become the star I thought he would be a few years ago I don’t see them really getting past this point (Reggie Jackson at one time was probably the most overrated player in the league). Like Milwaukee, Indiana has a future star on their hands in Turner, but once again we’re not there yet. Giving the Bulls 21 wins might be high. I’m calling it now though, Lauri Markkanen will at least be a solid player in this league and not a complete disaster.
Southeast Division
Wizards: 51-31 (3)
Hornets: 43-39 (6)
Heat: 42-40 (7)
Magic: 28-54
Hawks: 23-59
Washington definitely has an outside shot at the Finals. They almost beat Boston, and if the Cavs aren’t ready with IT2 it could happen. The Wall+Beal combo is good, not great, but good in the Eastern Conference gets you far. The Hornets’ Steve Clifford is a very good coach and while Dwight will probably be the same cohesion destroyer he’s been since he left Orlando, his rim protection should help a lot. Miami was the hottest team in basketball somehow, finishing at 30-11. There’s some flukiness to that though, especially when you are relying on Dion Waiters as part of that equations. The Hawks join the Knicks, Nets and Bulls in the “jeeze these teams are bad” club for the East.
Northwest Division
Thunder: 54-28 (4)
Timberwolves: 50-32 (5)
Nuggets: 45-37 (6)
Trail Blazers: 43-39 (7)
Jazz: 37-45
A real tough division here. I don’t even think OKC is guaranteed the top of the division. Westbrook-Carmelo-George is of course a sexy trio in name value, but I’m not sure how they are all supposed to work together on offense. Carmelo will probably be fine to be honest, finally in a role that makes sense (third best player on his team, potentially hot offensive option that can win games). If his ego is fine with that, then that works perfectly. Can George be a good off the ball weapon? We all know Westbrook will be handling at all times. The rest of the team is a dumpster fire though. Minnesota could be a crazy surprise if Jimmy Butler is the superstar he was turning into in Chicago. Butler, KAT, Wiggins, so much potential for a great season here. I could see them beating OKC in a playoff series too. Denver has some cool additions this season too, specifically Paul Millsap. Him and Jokic are an exciting front court that should have Denver’s offense at an elite level all season. Portland is kinda stuck where they are, with one really good guard, one good guard and a lot of pieces. I don’t know how they get better. Utah should be good defensively with Gobert, but I’m not sure where the offense is supposed to come from.
Pacific Division
Warriors: 69-13 (1)
Clippers: 40-42
Lakers: 38-44
Suns: 28-54
Kings: 27-55
Obviously Golden State. There’s a lot of random hype about the Clippers, and I love the Danilo Gallinari addition, but come on now, you don’t drop Chris Paul and expect to be close to the level you were at before. Lakers have a lot of exciting young pieces and I think will surprise. Ball is probably going to be a fun offensive option in the passing game and I think Brandon Ingram will look a lot better. Brook Lopez, while flawed, is still a notable addition too. The Suns have Devin Booker so there’s that. The Kings have who I think can win Rookie of the Year in Fox…although who knows who’s playing how much in Sacramento. Apparently Vince Carter started some pre-season games. Vince Carter!
Southwest Division
Rockets: 62-20 (2)
Spurs: 59-23 (3)
Pelicans: 42-40 (8)
Mavericks: 39-43
Grizzlies: 36-46
There’s no way you can sell me on a Mike D’Antoni team led by Chris Paul being bad. For all the talk that James Harden can’t play off the ball he was fine in Oklahoma City. Too bad they’ll probably lose to the Spurs in Round 2. Speaking of the Spurs, sure I have questions about LaMarcus Aldridge, but Leonard (my MVP last year) is there and he’s a destructive force at both ends of the floor. It’s not just that I don’t completely believe in the Anthony Davis-DeMarcus Cousins pairing (because of Cousins), but what they surround them with isn’t good. Jrue Holliday gets all the credit in the world for a fluke All-Star game appearance five years ago in a bad East. He’s not good. Dallas has nice young pieces (Smith and Noel) and the aging Dirk, but that’s not nearly enough. Expect Mike Conley and Marc Gasol to be on the trade block, because Memphis is a shell of its former self and I don’t see their old school style succeeding…although I said that last year.
There are plenty of reasons why I don’t watch the NFL anymore. Some of them are purely selfish reasons (my team stinks and I’m struggling to care about them…go Jets). I can’t say I completely care for how Fantasy sports changed my perspective of the NFL. It was fun in college I suppose, but rooting for individual stats over whether a team wins or loses took away something over time for me. Daily Fantasy Sports only made that perception for me worse. But none of that stuff really mattered in the long run for my decision to stop watching the NFL. Neither has the protesting debate that consumes the NFL now. While that topic is a whole other article, players kneeling during the National Anthem is quite low in regards to me watching the NFL as there are far more pressing issues (and reasons not to watch) facing the NFL.
The first event that made me think twice about the NFL was when Ray Rice punched his finance Janay Palmer in the face…and the NFL gave him a two game suspension because “they didn’t see the video” or whatever their excuse was at the time. A week later, Adrian Peterson was indicted for beating his son with a switch as a form of discipline. NFL fucked that up too. There was also Greg Hardy’s situation, NFL didn’t even initially suspend him. While I always knew in the back of my mind the NFL and their owners didn’t really give a shit about their players, just what they do on the field.
You’d think this would have turned everyone against Peterson…
Which brings me to the real point of the article. Hypocritical as it may seem, I didn’t just turn off the TV when a NFL game was on because of what I just wrote in the prior paragraph. I still talked about the NFL with friends. I still played on Draftkings. I did all that stuff last year. This has been something that’s been building over time for me. And while it started specifically with the NFL in regards to Ray Rice, my current concerns with the NFL really began with an event that had nothing to do with the NFL.
It all started for me when professional wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife and family.
As I’ve gotten older, I guess extreme violence directed toward the head has started to make me feel bad for what I’m watching. In Bill Simmons’ most recent article he talked about how he still watched boxing even after it seemed clear Muhammad Ali suffered brain damage because of the sport. I guess it was that with me and professional wrestling. Plenty of professional wrestlers had died at abnormally young ages, and some of them due to some sort of depression (The Renegade, Mike Awesome, Chris Kanyon, Andrew Martin, Axl Rotten, Balls Mahoney just to name six quick ones, three of which were confirmed to have what I will mention in the next sentence). But none of them really hit hard as the Chris Benoit tragedy. It was later revealed Chris Benoit had severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This was in 2007.
Chairshots like this aren’t allowed in WWE anymore, and for good reason…
It took me years to understand why WWE changed their product and promotes a much safer style than it did in the late 90s/early 2000s. It’s a reason I’m still okay with following and watching today.
It’s not to say the NFL hasn’t made changes to make the game safer. Only those changes aren’t enough. And while NFL players are practically killing themselves on the field for (non-guaranteed) contracts, the NFL is making billions of dollars off of these players. Before I get the argument that “the players know what they are getting into”, I would counter that no they don’t and that’s not a good argument to make anyway. That, and the biggest reason I’m not watching, the NFL is trying to hide the fact that a diagnosis for CTE is likely for their players.
The biggest thing that stuck in my mind wasn’t even a factual event. It was the movie Concussion that came out in 2015 which detailed the work on CTE that was done by Dr. Bennet Omali. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the film isn’t 100% accurate. But it opened my eyes as something I felt like I needed to look into. Dave Duerson and Junior Seau both killed themselves and were found to have CTE in their brain. There was Jovan Belcher, the Kansas City Chiefs player who killed his girlfriend, showed up at the Chiefs practice facility and killed himself. He had CTE too. What about college player Owen Thomas, a 21 year old who committed suicide? CTE there too.
Not surprisingly, the film didn’t get a lot of hype from the NFL
What about, overshadowed in all this kneeling for the flag stuff, what about the revelation that Aaron Hernandez what found to have Stage 3 CTE on September 21?
The Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that in 111 former NFL player brains that were tested, 110 had CTE. 110!
And the NFL doesn’t care. Their concussion lawsuit settlement was ridiculous (and will be rendered moot once the next thing I mention becomes true). Before 2016, the NFL downplayed the connection between CTE and football (read up on Dr. Elliot Pellman).
CTE isn’t covered in that concussion settlement. This is because CTE can’t be diagnosed until a person is dead. And it looks like that’s about to change. Boston University has said they’ve potentially found a way to diagnose CTE in people that are living. The NFL can’t hide it now. American football, a game that’s already changed drastically for safety changes will soon not even closely resemble the game we all once watched and enjoyed. Bill Simmons wrote it best:
“And there’s no way to stop it. You can’t change football. You can dump kickoffs and punts. You can eject anyone for a helmet-to-helmet hit. You can keep cutting the number of practices. You can dump the preseason. But you can’t rewire trained missiles going 20 miles per hour. It’s not a contact sport; it’s a collision sport.
Advertisers have the luxury of deciding, “Things are changing … instead of doing A, B, and C, we have to start doing X, Y, and Z.” Football owners don’t have that luxury. Even worse, they don’t want to change. They want everything to stay EXACTLY THE SAME. Collectively, they’ve made tens of billions of dollars the old way. They don’t want a new way.
That’s why they leveraged the stunningly short length of the average NFL career — not once but twice — to force players to accept unfavorable collective bargaining agreements. They buried concussion research until they couldn’t bury it anymore, even bullying ESPN from participating in Frontline’s concussion special. They stifled individual expression until NBA stars became more popular and recognizable than NFL stars, forcing them to begrudgingly (and awkwardly) change course. They effectively blackballed Colin Kaepernick. And when a president who many of them supported — with their money — threatened their business last weekend, they chose to unite with their players for a few hours. Like they give a shit.”
Sure, I’ll be a bit of a hypocrite. I’ll probably watch the Super Bowl. It’ll still look up some scores. See what players are doing well. But as time moves on the NFL will probably become a distant memory for me. I just can’t get past players wrecking their entire lives just to provide me some entertainment for a few hours every Sunday. And in case this didn’t make you think, don’t forget what Davante Adams looked like this last Thursday night. One day a player is going to die on the field. Let’s hope that’s not what it takes to change everything like it did for WWE.
Criticizing Kevin Durant for leaving the Thunder to play for the 73-9 Warriors isn’t fair.
Oh yeah, it was an unpopular choice for sure. The idea that Durant, at the time the third best player in basketball, would join a 73 win team that had the second best player in the basketball and an entire array of basketball talent was disappointing (to say the least) from a competitive standpoint. When you play basketball in the playground, you never want to stack the team on one side. What fun is that? Legends like Magic, Larry and Michael talked about how they never would have joined one another, they wanted to beat one another. Quite frankly, it seemed like Durant, and LeBron before him (and others) took the coward’s way out. But they didn’t. They did the right thing. And it isn’t their fault that it had to happen that way. I’ll wait until the end of the article about whose fault it is. But first, let’s go through the reasons of why you can’t blame them for making the moves they made.
Fair or not, everything’s measured through the Championship.
Maybe if Ewing somehow played with MJ instead of against him we’d remember him in a more positive, different light.
As a New York Knicks fan, I’ve toyed with the idea that Patrick Ewing was overrated and the Knicks played better without him (the Ewing theory). But that’s not fair. He’s properly rated (mostly outside of New York) and the Knicks franchise hasn’t been the same since he left. But his legacy is of course, that he wasn’t good enough to be the best player for a title team. His failures are measured more than his successes. How about Kevin Garnett? What would we think of his career if he hadn’t left Minnesota and never won that title in Boston? Charles Barkley and Karl Malone are known as two of Michael Jordan’s victims. Dirk Nowitzki played out of his freakin mind to shed the label of a playoff choker. Heck, fans killed Kobe for not winning his own ring until 2009, even though he had three with Shaq. Some guys move to get their rings. Some guys don’t. Would we be criticizing Steve Nash’s MVPs if he had won the title during one of them?
There’s no reason players shouldn’t go out and have the best career they possibly could.
You think Bosh preferred this or carrying subpar Raptor teams to 40 wins every year?
So how much does legacy mean to these players? For some of them it matters greatly. In fact, I’d argue the biggest difference between players then and players now is that players then cared about their legacy (especially MJ) and now, not so much. They care about their brands now. And you know what, I totally agree. Right now there are people who think Kevin Durant is the best player in basketball. And that’s GREAT for the Kevin Durant brand. If he could guarantee that by going to Golden State, good for him! LeBron thought playing for the Miami Heat was best for him and his brand. We all trashed him for doing it, but he came out of Miami as someone who’s compared to Michael Jordan without someone blinking an eye. He came out of it as the undisputed best player in the world. Does that happen in Cleveland? You think LeBron came back to Cleveland just for the loyalty? No, he came back because it was his best shot at a title. And he was right. These players are grown adults and, like any one of us, should be doing what’s best for themselves. What’s best for their families. What’s best for their money and brand. You think Chris Bosh really cares that people called him soft when joining Miami after those four years changed his career? Why do these adults owe the fans? Because the fans pay money to see them play and buy their gear?
Past players didn’t have to go through what players do today.
Of course Bird wouldn’t have to leave McHale and Parish to win…
Let’s put it this way, if there were 30 teams in basketball in the 80s, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would have been carrying shit franchises just like LeBron had to. Magic, Bird and MJ can all talk about being loyal and wanting to beat one another, but they also either had stacked teams (McHale, Parish, DJ for Bird, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar for Magic…and both teams had good role players) or in MJ’s case, was delivered elite-great talent. One of the reason fans are loyal to Kobe is because he allegedly had that old school mentality of being loyal. Of course, that was fiction, Kobe demanded a trade in 2008, rejected going to Chicago for Luol Deng and Ben Gordon cause he thought the Bulls were demolishing their team, and only stayed as the Lakers delivered Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum finally came around. I don’t see Kobe carrying around 45 win teams throughout the late 2000s, let’s just say that (I think there’s some truth for that with MJ too). So, the lesson from the Kobe situation is…
It’s the owners’ fault, not the players.
Let’s look at the major players that switched to “better” teams. Even the ones that weren’t criticized much for it.
LeBron James
The Decision was embarrassing sure. But what exactly did Cleveland do to keep LeBron around? He carried an absolutely dreadful 2007 Cavs team to the Finals. Let’s actually look at that team for a second. 2nd scorer? Larry Hughes. Hughes the very next year was one of the joke contract New York Knicks. After that we have Drew Gooden, knucklehead that never reached his potential. You had a past his prime Ilgauskas. Role playing Anderson Varejao. Eric Snow was the starting point guard and averaged a whopping 4 and 4 in 23 MPG that season on 42% shooting. Without LeBron this team is at best 25-57. And this was a FINALS team. Let’s see what moves Cleveland made to bring in that Scottie Pippen or Pau Gasol.
For the next season, they added a washed up Ben Wallace and decent shooter Wally Szczerbiak. Both were complete non-factors.
Not quite Scottie Pippen is it…
For 08-09, the Cavs make a big splash by adding scorer Mo Williams! Mo has the best year of his career and makes an All-Star Team. Of course, Williams isn’t a difference maker at all, never made an All-NBA team in his life, never sniffed an All-Star Game before or after this year and shot under 35% in four of the six games against Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals. But hey, it’s something!
The next year, the Cavs add a 36 year old Shaquille O’Neal, who missed half the season and was a complete non-factor. They also add Antawn Jamison. Jamison, always a one way player at this point would seem to be the difference maker. Well, my favorite Jamison Cavs memory is making 2010 Kevin Garnett look like 2008 Kevin Garnett in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals (a big difference, KG was a 14/7 guy in 2010 after surgery in 2009. KG never scored less than 18 in this series, with a huge 22-12 on 11/19 in the clincher. And Jamison was his primary defender). Jamison was also poor in the series as well.
A 33 year old scorer with no defense and a point guard who had one good (not great, but good) year was the best they could do. And we blame LeBron for leaving?
Chris Paul
Can’t forget about CP3, who demanded a trade to LA and only didn’t get hell for it because of the Laker veto situation that made David Stern to be the bigger evil. Paul had a good team around him as the Hornets were excellent in 07-08. David West was a solid big man. Peja Stojakovic was at the end of his prime, but still a sharpshooter. Tyson Chandler just came around as a defensive and rebounding force (and would win the title with Dallas in that role, as well as help New York become relevant again). Bonzi Wells and Morris Peterson were effective pieces too. This Hornets team was a game away from the Western Conference Finals.
The next year Chandler only plays half the season and Peja slips. Hornets don’t improve personnel wise in any way. Peterson becomes a 12 MPG guy, and Wells is gone. Hornets fall into a losing in Round 1 team.
Chris Paul gets hurt, but the team remains relatively unchanged other than trading Chandler for Emeka Okafor, who was a one way guy (on defense) his whole career. Chandler for Okafor makes sense when you look at the statline. Of course, Chandler was (and is) a much better player than Okafor. Two emerging young players come to light though, Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison.
Collison is traded for Trevor Ariza and midway Thornton is traded for Carl Landry. Hornets are stuck as a First Round team again, although with an injured West Paul takes the Lakers to six games anyway (one of the best forgotten one man shows in recent NBA history).
Switching out a bunch of role players, trading Chandler for Okafor. Way to trap Chris Paul on a one and done team. And you wonder why he wanted to play for the Lakers…and didn’t mind the Clippers with Blake Griffin.
Dwight Howard
Dwight had led the 2009 Magic to a surprising NBA Finals berth. Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson were all interesting options around him, especially since Dwight wasn’t one to take a lot of shots. Still, this is what Orlando built for Dwight.
Orlando admittedly takes a good shot with Vince Carter. Unfortunately, it’s a past his prime Vince Carter. Magic lose in the ECF.
Carter continues to be a non-factor, Turkoglu is losing his edge, Lewis only played 25 games (and was probably off PEDs). Jason Richardson was a decent addition I guess. To get Dwight elite help the Magic laughably added Gilbert Arenas, who was beyond done at this point.
Penny and T-Mac should be embarrassed their jersey number was used here.
Ryan Anderson emerges as a viable option while Nelson, Turkoglu and Richardson all regress. Arenas, Carter and Lewis are all gone.
Past his prime Vince Carter, a done Gilbert Arenas and Jason Richardson. Just the elite star Dwight was looking for. (Although, to be fair, Dwight is a headcase anyway).
Kevin Durant
Ahha, how can I spin Kevin Durant into this conversation? He just left the guy who won MVP! Well let me ask you something. If your owner, if your boss told you he was going to put money ahead of building a better team or organization. How would you feel? You’d potentially want to leave, right? Well, I present to you the following:
James Harden: October 27, 2012: Traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder with Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to the Houston Rockets for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, a 2013 1st round draft pick (Steven Adams was later selected), a 2013 2nd round draft pick (Alex Abrines was later selected) and a 2014 1st round draft pick (Mitch McGary was later selected).
Why was that done? Because OKC didn’t want to go over the luxury tax to pay Harden. You know, the guy who was top three in the MVP race this year. He immediately made the Rockets a Western Conference force. And it was thought Harden was good at that point too. The Thunder put money over winning the title, there’s no way around that. And if Oklahoma City wasn’t serious about winning the title…
….how can I blame Kevin Durant for going to a team that was?
