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Top 30 Basketball Players Of All-Time: Tier List Edition

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.

Basketball

A Quick Preview of the 2018-2019 NBA Season

Yes, I know I am a day late. But hey, the NBA season began two weeks earlier! What can I do?

Eastern Conference

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Charlotte Hornets (33-49): Sounds about right. Going to be weird seeing Tony Parker in a uniform that isn’t the San Antonio Spurs.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. New York Knicks (25-57): I am truthfully ecstatic for the Knicks to be honest. Finally, a real rebuilding process! Only took 18 years.
  15. Atlanta Hawks (17-65): Another rebuild. If Doncic becomes the man though they would have set themselves back a bit.

Western Conference

  1. 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…
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Denver Nuggets (43-39): Fun team that could break out. Jamal Murray might be a real keeper.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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).
  13. 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.
  14. Sacramento Kings (28-54): I like Fox and Bagley. Team is a disaster otherwise.
  15. 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.

Basketball

Top 100 NBA Players of All-Time: 2018 Revision

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

Basketball

2017-2018 NBA Season Predictions

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.

                Warriors over Cavs in 5 again!

Basketball

Top 100 NBA Players Of All Time – 2017 Revision

Let’s look through my Top 100 and see what’s changed.

Dropped out: Tom Chambers

As time goes on, new players get in. And that means someone has to drop out.

100. Tim Hardaway (-1)

99. Manu Ginobili (-1) – Despite a throwback playoff performance, Manu is obviously done.

98. Alonzo Mourning (-1)

97. Dikembe Mutombo (-1)

96. Yao Ming (-1) – Every day I think Yao is more underrated than I realized.

95. Vince Carter (-1) – I feel like I have to re-evaluate Carter in the future. Is he really better than Mutombo, Mourning, Yao? I wrote the same thing last year.

94. Carmelo Anthony (-1) – It’s kinda a pathetic spot for Melo at this point. The East is an all-time train wreck, and he still isn’t good enough to get the Knicks to the playoffs.

93. Kevin Johnson (-1)

92. Shawn Kemp (-1)

91. Robert Horry (-1)

Everyone dropped a spot as the new player is in the 80s.

90. Chris Mullin (-1)

89. Bob Dandridge (-1)

88. Paul Westphal (-1)

87. Dan Issel (-1)

86. Artis Gilmore (-1)

85. James Harden (NEW) – Big year for Harden, but there was some criticism of his playoff performance against the Spurs. Rockets are a real threat next year though, and Harden can skyrocket through these rankings.

84. Tracy McGrady (-1)

83. Joe Dumars (-1)

82. Sidney Moncrief (-1)

81. Lenny Wilkins (-1)

Harden is the new player, but someone else rose, which is why 84-81 dropped a spot too.

80. Earl Monroe (-1)

79. Tony Parker (-1) – Another Spur who is pretty much done. Great career though.

78. Chris Webber (-1)

77. David Thompson (-1)

76. Jerry Lucas (-1)

75. Pete Maravich (-1)

74. Russell Westbrook (+10) – I’m mixed on Westbrook’s year. His average of a triple double with 30 PPG is impressive, but also an overrated achievement (not unlike Oscar, actually), his team didn’t win anything despite those statistics (lost in Round 1). His advanced metrics were good, not great for the year. I mean, the MVP matters and such, but let’s just no go crazy here. Basketball stats in 2017 are out of whack as it is.

73. Dwight Howard – Seriously, after what he was traded for how can anyone argue he would be any higher? His peak years in Orlando were seriously impressive, but he’s just someone who didn’t want it enough.

72. Chris Bosh – What a shame about Bosh.

71. Dennis Rodman

Westbrook’s the new addition.

70. Adrian Dantley

69. Alex English

68. Bob McAdoo

67. Tom Heihnson

66. Tiny Archibald

65. Pau Gasol – Gasol didn’t do much for San Antonio to consider moving him up.

64. Reggie Miller

63. Bill Sharmin

62. Dave Debusschere

61. Robert Parish

No movement here. Only one that can change their legacy is Gasol.

60. Bernard King

59. Elvin Hayes

58. Dolph Schayes

57. Paul Arizin

56. Dominique Wilkins

55. Billy Cunningham

54. Hal Greer

53. Nate Thurmond

52. Wes Unseld

51. Chris Paul – I just can’t look past how his teams never succeed in the playoffs.

I really don’t know what to do with CP3. If he can’t get past Round 2 with James Harden next year I don’t know what to think. A big playoff run would skyrocket him in these rankings, because that is all he’s missing really.

50. James Worthy

49. Dennis Johnson

48. Bill Walton

47. Ray Allen

46. Chauncey Billups

45. George Gervin

44. Sam Jones

43. Clyde Drexler

42. George Mikan

41. Jason Kidd

No one moved here. Everyone’s retired.

40. Paul Pierce

39. Allen Iverson

38. Gary Payton

37. Patrick Ewing

36. Dave Cowens

35. Steve Nash

34. Kevin McHale (-1)

33. Walt Frazier (-1)

32. Willis Reed (-1)

31. Rick Barry (-1)

Someone moved up. We’ll get there.

30. Bob Cousy (-1)

29. John Stockton (-1)

28. David Robinson (-2)

27. Elgin Baylor (-2)

26. John Havlicek (-2)

25. Bob Pettit (-2)

24. Scottie Pippen (-2)

23. Isiah Thomas (-2)

22. Dwyane Wade (-2) – Not a difference maker anymore. Still an effective player and could still have some amazing season to put him back in the Top 20, but it’s really unlikely.

21. Stephen Curry (+6) – It was an interesting year for Curry. Very rarely do we see the two time reigning MVP suddenly take a backseat to someone else. But Curry did it without complaint and it worked. It was still a great season for Curry, although even advanced metrically he dropped off. Still, it won’t take much to break into the Top 20 at this point.

Curry moved up and we are still taking into account the other player who moved up, which explains all the drops.

20. Karl Malone (-1)

19. Charles Barkley (-1)

18. Kevin Durant (+16) – Well then. I’d actually put him higher, but let’s be honest his supporting cast was ridiculously stacked. But Durant did become the alpha dog on this Warriors championship team, taking the team away from Stephen Curry, and that can’t be ignored either. Destined for the Top 10 to be honest.

17. Julius Erving

16. Oscar Robertson

15. Wilt Chamberlain

14. Kevin Garnett

13. Dirk Nowitzki – Dirk was okay this year, which isn’t bad. He still intends to play and a strong playoff run can get him as high as 11th on this list, depending on where Durant ends up.

12. Jerry West

11. Moses Malone

Durant is on the charge, but otherwise no changes. Only Dirk can change his legacy really, other than Durant.

10. Kobe Bryant

9. Hakeem Olajuwon

8. Shaquille O’Neal

7. Larry Bird

6. Tim Duncan

5. Magic Johnson

4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

3. LeBron James

2. Bill Russell

1. Michael Jordan

Really, nothing changes based off of what I said last year. Had LeBron been able to knock off this insane Warriors team, he’d be #2 and with an eye on MJ. But, great as performance as he had, it didn’t happen. Still need to see ring #4 before I’m taking him over the greatest winner in league history…or MJ for that matter.

Basketball

The Disappointing State of the NBA All-Star Game

My favorite All-Star game among the four sports is a mess.

          Don’t get me wrong. Apparently the NBA All-Star Game and the weekend as a whole is a success. Early reports stated that ratings for the weekend have been at its highest point in four years. Which perhaps is all that matters.

          But watching the game last night? Watching 24 (estimate, way too lazy to look up just how many players were in the game) of the greatest basketball talents in the world drift through the game like it was a random scrimmage rings empty and hollow. And ultimately disappointing.

          All-Star games aren’t supposed to matter. They are exhibitions. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be meaningful in some way. Those who watch or attend want to see exciting plays from their favorite players, and since this is a game, want to see a winner. This couldn’t be more apparent than at the 2002 Major League Baseball All-Star game, which infamously and embarrassingly ended in a 7-7 tie as both teams ran out of available players. Major League Baseball decided that beginning in 2003 the best idea would be to bastardize their world championship each year by having homefield in the World Series be decided by the result of the All-Star Game. Combine that with the other silly rule about each time having a representative in the All-Star Game and you can’t help by laugh at Major League Baseball. The NFL is no better, although this is less of a fault of the NFL. The game resembles a flag football game by necessity as no one wants to risk injury. This didn’t stop the NFL from messing around with its locations and rules anyway. And I’m not quite sure what’s going on with the NHL’s All-Star game other than it seems to be a four team tournament or something. Whatever.

          But the NBA’s All-Star Game? It was pretty perfect all things considered. It obviously had some problems by All-Star Game standards: fan voting, players not going all out for 100% of the time, etc. But the nature of basketball means player competitive juices flow at all times. In no other league can you have 10 of the best players in the world on the court at the same time looking to beat one another. Individual pride is something that seems to matter more in the NBA than any other big sport. And if the game was close, things got good at the end.

          Want proof? Remember in 2013 when Kobe blocked LeBron over and over in the final few minutes? Commentary told us how this was Kobe’s chance to remind LeBron who the best was. LeBron of course got heckled the year before in the 2012 All-Star Game when LeBron passed off a potential game winning shot to Deron Williams. We all cared about that one too. (Side note: One of the hecklers was Kobe…which was funny since he did the same thing in 2001). Speaking of Kobe, how about his coming out party in the 1998 All-Star Game? Knowing all eyes were on him and that he had Michael Jordan on the other side of the ball, Kobe showed off his best moves to show he arrived. What about in 1987, where Magic Johnson, looking to win at all costs, fed Tom Chambers in the pick and roll down the stretch to win the game? How upset were all of us when Michael Jordan’s potential winner in 2003 was ruined by Jermaine O’Neal’s dumb foul on Kobe? My favorite example of this is in 2001. The East were big underdogs because the West had all these monsters (Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, etc.) and the East were led by guards. Only Dikembe Mutombo did all the big man work (22 rebounds) and the East completed a comeback because Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury refused to let them lose. That’s what I miss about the NBA All-Star Game.

          But last night? It was all about getting the hometown boy the MVP with his 50 points and breaking a Wilt record. Or some Durant vs. Westbrook drama that didn’t go anywhere. Last night there was no one challenging LeBron like Kobe did in 2013, or like Kobe challenged MJ in 1998 (Side Note to this too: MJ did win the Game MVP, so he accepted the challenge obviously). The game was close in the 4th, and Reggie Miller kept bring up during commentary that “this is where the game usually buckles down and players play hard”. Only they didn’t. Someday a team will drop 200 (we’re getting pretty close now). Or even an individual player will drop 100. Maybe NBA fans will like that.

          I’ll just be thinking about when players actually had some pride.

Basketball

2016-2017 NBA Predictions!

It’s finally time for some NBA basketball! Last season was historic for plenty of reasons as Golden State broke the 96 Bulls’ record for wins with 73…but fell to LeBron and the Cavs in the NBA Finals. Of course, for the city of Cleveland that was historic of itself. Other crazy stuff happened too…like Kevin Durant joining those Warriors and spurning the Oklahoma City Thunder (can we just make the late 90s Magic/2010s Thunder comparison documentary now). Dwyane Wade also switched teams to Chicago. The Knicks also built an alleged superteam, even though all of those guys peaked from 2010 through 2013. We also had one stacked retirement class in Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Amar’e Stoudemire and Elton Brand. Sadly, Chris Bosh may be added to that if he isn’t cleared to compete. Sorry for the spoilers, but all of this is just going to lead to Warriors-Cavs III anyway. Yeah the NBA is predictable, but when that predictability gets toppled (like the Cavs beating the Warriors) those moments are incredible.

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics forward Al Horford holds up a jersey during a media availability at the team's practice facility, Friday, July 8, 2016, in Waltham, Mass. Horford agreed to a four-year, $113 million deal with the Celtics as an unrestricted free agent, ending nearly ten years with the Atlanta Hawks. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Celtics: 51-31 (2)
Raptors: 42-40 (7)
Knicks: 41-41 (8)
76ers: 18-64
Nets: 13-69

Boston is correctly the off-season darling as they are a well coached team (President Stevens!), added Al Horford and already have a solid team overall. There are a lot of Cavs hangover-Celtics in the Finals predictions, but Boston will probably lose in the Eastern Conference Finals to Cleveland. Even though Toronto was a good team last year (and I didn’t even believe in them), the team will go as far as Kyle Lowry takes them and I don’t really know what to make of DeMar Derozan. I sense he’s that good stats guy who’s not really that great. The Knicks might have been a title contender in 2011, but Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Joakim Noah just isn’t going to make for a high profile offense at this point. They’ll have their nights for sure. But Noah has been one of the worst offensive centers in his last full season (and he was good at one time), and all he’s going to do it logjam the middle for Melo and Rose (and Brandon Jennings), none of whom are great outside shooters although Melo gets hot once in a while. The 76ers still have a long way to go and I sadly believe Embiid, great as he’s looked, has Greg Oden injury potential written all over him. The Nets are the laughing stock everyone predicted when they traded their future for old Paul Pierce and old Kevin Garnett.

Central Division

20117lebron

Cavaliers: 54-28 (1)
Pacers: 49-33 (3)
Pistons: 45-37 (5)
Bulls: 40-42
Bucks: 29-53

Once again, there are a lot of “Cavalier hangover” articles out there, but they’ll get over it before the playoffs anyway. I mean this is a team that overcame a mid-season coaching change and beat the greatest regular season team ever. Yeah, maybe LeBron is slightly past his prime, but so was Jordan in the 2nd three-peat and that worked out fine. They are going to the Finals again. Paul George was great in his return season and I see no reason he won’t be better next year, and in the East that’s enough. They almost beat the Raptors in Round 1 afterall. Detroit is a team that I need to see get it done before I can put them higher, but Andre Drummond has best center in the league potential. He just needs to hit a free throw. Putting the Knicks over the Bulls might have been homerism from me…but Chicago has a lot of the same issues the Knicks have in regards to spacing, and it may actually be worse. They’ll miss Pau Gasol too. I know the Bucks have Giannis, but he seems more highlight reel worthy than actually leading to wins.

Southeast Division

Feb 11, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 99-92. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Wizards: 45-37 (4)
Hawks: 43-39 (6)
Hornets: 33-49
Magic: 32-50
Heat: 31-51

What a mess of a division. I think it’s time for John Wall to put up or shut up. He has the talent to be an elite guy, but whether he will be is another question. The Hawks mainly dropped Horford for Dwight Howard. I think there’s some homerun upside here…but it’s probably leading to a small regression. Hornets are one of the teams I don’t believe in this year. Kemba Walker had a good year and all, but just look at that roster. I think it falls apart. Serge Ibaka isn’t going to lead to wins for a Magic team with no identity. The Heat are a mess. Goran Dragic gets another chance I guess to make something happen and return to All-NBA 3rd Team form, but Hassan Whiteside is either really good or deceptively bad, Chris Bosh is gone and I think Miami has to start from scratch.

Northwest Division

2017westbrook

Thunder: 50-32 (4)
Utah Jazz: 49-33 (5)
Timberwolves: 48-34 (6)
Trail Blazers: 42-40
Nuggets: 28-54

The Thunder will still be there because Russell Westbrook is a Top 5 guy. Victor Oladipo may find a new lease on life playing with him too. And you know Westbrook is determined to show he can do it without Durant. Utah’s put all the pieces together over the last five years and it should finally show something. Minnesota has Tom Thibodeau as coach and an exciting young core led by KAT. They remind me of the 09-10 Thunder. Portland looked good thanks to a big year from Lillard and big improvement from CJ McCollum, but all the pieces fell in place perfectly last year for them just to end up at 44-38 (bad Anthony Davis year, no Wolves, Rockets falling apart). The Nuggets are just there and that’s the best way to describe them at the moment.

Pacific Division

2017warriors

Warriors: 64-18 (1)
Clippers: 52-30 (3)
Kings: 40-42
Lakers: 36-46
Suns: 30-52

I was absolutely wrong about how this division would shake out last year. This year it’s clear the Warriors will be at the top adding Kevin Durant, and they’ll settle for a nice 60+ win season while probably resting key guys down the stretch. That’s because the Clippers have peaked (and really peaked in the 14-15 season). While Blake Griffin should be amazing now and Chris Paul is still the best pure point guard, the chemistry isn’t there anymore and all the Blake trade rumors from last year has to take its toll. I think it may be time to start over really. The Kings will improve because Cousins is hitting his prime, although the roster is still a mess. Lakers should automatically improve without having Kobe on the roster and adding Ingram. I know I picked D’Angelo Russell as ROTY last year, but I think the toxic Laker make-up cost him that chance. Not much to be happy about post Goran Dragic with the Suns to be honest.

Southwest Division

Feb 4, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) watches on during the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Rockets: 53-29 (2)
Spurs: 48-34 (7)
Pelicans: 45-37 (8)
Mavericks: 41-41
Grizzlies: 34-48

The Rockets ended up being an embarrassing division winning prediction last year, but I love the idea of a Mike D’Antoni coached James Harden point guard team. If Harden can be efficient, he may swipe MVP. Chemistry should only be better too. The LaMarcus Aldrige grumblings have already begun. Gregg Popovich is an amazing coach and the Spurs still seem stacked, but Gasol is on his last legs, Aldridge is unhappy and I want to see Kawhi Leonard be the man. I think that post Duncan era regression begins slowly. Anthony Davis got a shooter in Buddy Hield, but either a star needs to be put with him or we need to prepare for Davis to leave New Orleans in a few years. It’s too late for the Mavericks. And we are way past the correct era for the Grizzlies with their $153 Million man to succeed.

Warriors over Cavs in 7 for the title. I think LeBron is top 3 all time…but the Warriors just added Kevin Durant for free. Imagine if Jordan had to run into the 98 Jazz but they added Grant Hill or something? This is actually worse!

Basketball

Sports Oddities: Michael Adams

odditiesadams

This series of articles (looking to do it bi-weekly…but have failed at that) focuses on a bizarre or oddball statistical anomaly that played in professional sports. I probably will run out of players to do this with eventually though.

Only three players in NBA history have had a season where they averaged at least 26 points per game and 10 assists per game. Oscar Robertson did it during his statistical dominance in the early 1960s. Tiny Archibald did it during his famous (or infamous?) season where he led the league in PPG and APG. The third guy? It wasn’t a big name like Michael Jordan or Jerry West. No, not even close.

The third guy was Michael Adams.

How did this happen? Before the 1990-1991 NBA season Adams’ previously had a season PPG high of 15.5 and 6.3 APG. Not even close to his crazy 26.5 PPG, 10.5 APG season in 90-91. Adams didn’t even get recognition for these seemingly MVP level stats either, as he didn’t make an All-NBA or even All-Star team. What Adams was a product of was the Paul Westhead insane pace play no defense Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets scored 118 PPG but let up over 130.

The box scores against the Nuggets were insane. A few games into the season the Phoenix Suns dropped 107 on them…in the first half (and 173 total). Nine times they allowed over 150 points in a game, all in regulation. Too bad fantasy sports didn’t exist back then, streaming against and owning Nuggets would have been all the rage.

As for Adams, he got to be the star (along with Orlando Woolridge) of this team and as a result got the big stats. But to be fair to him, he played for the Bullets the next year, put up a solid 18-7 and made the 1992 All-Star Game. He looks rather out of place in the All-Star Game…but he got there at least, right?

Basketball

Sports Oddities: Yinka Dare

This series of articles (looking to do it bi-weekly) focuses on a bizzaro or oddball statistical anomaly that played in professional sports. I probably will run out of players to do this with eventually though. This is the 2nd edition of Sports Oddities!

With a mid-1st round pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets selected Nigerian Yinka Dare. By the time he was eligible for the NBA draft he wasn’t an unknown. He averaged a 13-10 for George Washington University and had led them to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

To be blunt, Yinka Dare was objectively terrible in the NBA. Some of that seemed like bad luck as in his first game of his rookie season he tore his ACL in just three minutes of action. The Nets seemingly gave up on him already as they left him exposed in the 1995 expansion draft (Toronto and Vancouver wisely passed). In his first real season he shot 44% and averaged 2.8 PPG and 2.1 RPG in about 10 MPG.

And he didn’t register one assist.

Not one.

He set the NBA Record for most games played in a season without registering an assist (58).

So yes, he was quite the punchline at this point.  It wouldn’t be until his 78th game, a game against the Raptors, until he’d record one. He’d record four total assists in his entire career. The video above was about 10 games before he’d finally record an assist.

Four career assists against 96 career turnovers? In recent times Dare’s name had come up again as Hassan Whiteside started his career with 26 games without an assist. Still nothing like the Dare though.

Basketball

Top 100 Basketball Player of All Time – 2016 Edition

We are a week 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: Mark Price
Unfortunately for Price a new player has joined the Top 100, and that means Price drops out. Perhaps next year I’ll expand to a Top 125.

100. Tom Chambers (-1)
99. Tim Hardaway (-1)
98. Manu Ginobili (-1) – Could be a big playoffs away from going up about 10 spots, but it looks like he’s done and may retire.
97. Alonzo Mourning (-1)
96. Dikembe Mutombo (-1)
95. Yao Ming (-1)
94. Vince Carter (-1) – I feel like I have to re-evaluate Carter in the future. Is he really better than Mutombo, Mourning, Yao?
93. Carmelo Anthony (-1) – Needs something to move up. Not making the playoffs in the East these days is inexcusable if you’re a top player.
92. Kevin Johnson (-1)
91. Shawn Kemp (-1)

Everyone in this group dropped a spot as the new entry is already in the 80s.

90. Robert Horry (-1)
89. Chris Mullin (-1)
88. Bob Dandridge (-1)
87. Paul Westphal (-1)
86. Dan Issel (-1)
85. Artis Gilmore (-1)
84. Russell Westbrook (NEW) – With his first NBA 1st Team selection, as well as being part of a dangerous 1-2 punch with Kevin Durant that almost beat the 73 win Warriors, it was impossible to deny Westbrook a Top 100 spot. I feel like he’s at the level of Tracy McGrady at the moment, but Westbrook is still young and will probably only trend upwards.
83. Tracy McGrady
82. Joe Dumars
81. Sidney Moncrief

Westbrook’s the only new player in the Top 100.
80. Lenny Wilkins
79. Earl Monroe
78. Tony Parker – Looking like he’s close to done as well. Will need a big season or playoffs to really move up at all.
77. Chris Webber
76. David Thompson
75. Jerry Lucas
74. Pete Maravich
73. Dwight Howard (-1) – Drops a spot to Bosh, will explain below.
72. Chris Bosh (+1) – Passes Howard, will explain below.
71. Dennis Rodman

Really liked how Chris Bosh played this year, even though he unfortunately was done after 53 games because of his heart (and his career might be over). While Dwight performed below expectations once again Bosh was the leader of a Heat team that I think could have given Cleveland a run for their money had he been healthy. Combine this with Bosh’s transformation as a top role player/third guy on the Heat title teams and I think his career is slightly more impressive than Howards. Yeah, Dwight had a better peak, but I’ll take Bosh’s overall career this time. Dwight SHOULD be better than what he is though.

70. Adrian Dantley
69. Alex English
68. Bob McAdoo
67. Tom Heihnson
66. Tiny Archibald
65. Pau Gasol – Impressive that Gasol keeps going, but I think I need to see one more good playoff run to consider putting him in the Top 60.
64. Reggie Miller
63. Bill Sharmin
62. Dave Debusschere
61. Robert Parish

No movement here. Only one that can change their legacy is Gasol.
60. Bernard King
59. Elvin Hayes
58. Dolph Schayes
57. Paul Arizin
56. Dominique Wilkins
55. Billy Cunningham (-1)
54. Hal Greer (-1)
53. Nate Thurmond (-1)
52. Wes Unseld (-1)
51. Chris Paul (+4)

CP3 is one of the toughest to rank. His advanced stats are incredible and he’s clearly a positive on his team. How much of it is his fault that he can’t get out of Round 2? Yes, he keeps running into the juggernauts of the West, but he should have at least been able to get by some of them, right? (He had home court vs. the Spurs in 2008 in Game 7 and was up 3-1 on the Rockets in 2015). I think in terms of success CP3 isn’t much different than Dominique. They just can’t get past those juggernauts of their respective conferences. This year injuries cost Paul a chance at a deep playoff run. But he’s running out of time. He’ll probably inch towards the top 40 with these continual great seasons, but unless there’s some playoff success that’s probably as far as he’d go.

50. James Worthy
49. Dennis Johnson
48. Bill Walton (-1)
47. Ray Allen (-1)
46. Chauncey Billups (-1)
45. George Gervin (-1)
44. Sam Jones (-1)
43. Clyde Drexler (-1)
42. George Mikan (-1)
41. Jason Kidd (-1)

We had one player move up…we’ll get there eventually.
40. Paul Pierce (-1)
39. Allen Iverson (-1)
38. Gary Payton (-1)
37. Patrick Ewing (-1)
36. Dave Cowens (-2)
35. Steve Nash (-2)
34. Kevin Durant (+1) – It seems like a minimal move for Durant. On one hand I was super impressed that he got past the Spurs. On the other hand, he needed one more really big performance to get past Golden State and didn’t get it done. His career is impressive no doubt, but I’m going to need more for him to break into the Top 30.
33. Kevin McHale (-1)
32. Walt Frazier (-1)
31. Willis Reed (-1)

All of these drops are because of the player who went up from the 40s. Durant obviously has potential to move up a lot depending on how things go from here.

30. Rick Barry (-1)
29. Bob Cousy (-1)
28. John Stockon (-1)
27. Stephen Curry (+20) – I was ready to put him into the Top 15 until the collapse against the Spurs happened. Despite an incredible year (.318 WS/48!) and a unanimous MVP, we’re left at the end of the season wonder if he’s even the league’s best player (he’s not). He’s failed to dominate in two straight Finals now, winning the first one arguably because the 2015 Cavs were decimated by injuries and simply overmatched. He’s still headed to the Top 20 (and maybe Top 10), but the train definitely slowed down in the Finals.
26. David Robinson
25. Elgin Baylor
24. John Havlicek
23. Bob Pettit
22. Scottie Pippen
21. Isiah Thomas

Only change here is the addition of Curry.

20. Dwyane Wade – Had a chance to add onto his legacy but couldn’t get it done. His best days are past him, but a surprisingly good run could get him to the Top 15.
19. Karl Malone
18. Charles Barkley
17. Julius Erving
16. Oscar Robertson
15. Wilt Chamberlain
14. Kevin Garnett
13. Dirk Nowitzki – As impressive that he’s still the key member of some solid playoff teams, any shot at the Top 10 is probably dead.
12. Jerry West
11. Moses Malone

No changes here. Only Wade and Nowitzki can change their legacies (and perhaps Garnett?)

10. Kobe Bryant – These last three seasons did nothing for me to think he deserves to go any higher. This past season was especially embarrassing and held back the Laker future.
9. Hakeem Olajuwon
8. Shaquille O’Neal
7. Larry Bird
6. Tim Duncan (-1) – Looks like he’s run out of gas, which is a shame. While I wouldn’t rule him out of being an elite role player next year I don’t know if that’s going to be enough to get back into the Top 5.
5. Magic Johnson (-1)
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (-1)
3. LeBron James (+3) – We’ll get to the Kareem vs. LeBron vs. Russell arguments shortly.
2. Bill Russell
1. Michael Jordan

LeBron James obviously put himself into GOAT discussion with his 2016 NBA Finals performance. I still think he has a bit to go to get to MJ (but at least it’s a discussion. That wasn’t guaranteed at all at this point), but he CAN get there. I think he clearly gets to jump Duncan and Magic here. Kareem was a tough choice, but I think LeBron’s been more impressive against better average talent than Kareem was in the 70s (not to say Kareem wasn’t impressive against good teams, it’s just that I find LeBron to be better). Lebron vs. Russell you can go back and forth with all day and I thought about it for a few days. For me it becomes a bit of a hardware argument. It’s not to say LeBron needs 11 rings, but I’d like to see #4 or #5 before I’m taking him over the best winner in NBA history.