Who is the best player in the NBA ?

[MilBucksBackOnTop06]

You've debated this topic because a lot of people do not answer this question right or the way they should.

As in any poll when asking who is the best in anything, it can turn into a popularity contest rather then anything.

Many will look at this and they will vote awry. They will vote for their 'favorite player' rather then the 'best player.' I leave personal sentiments at the bottom of my considerations of criteria. These are just 10 of 20 things I consider. Few if any meet my expectations in even 4 of these much less all 10 except 1 or 2 guys...

1. Do they Win?
2. Do they lead?
3. Do they know (respect) the game?
4. Do they make others better?
5. Do they challenge others, especially teamates?
6. Do they play tough, smart, and hurt?
7. Do they refuse to lose and accept defeat?
8. Do they elevate their game yearly?
9. Do I like them and the way they carry the NBA? (Many put this personal crap too high up.)
10. Do they get the most out of themselves and their team?

And then some will get 'the most valuble player' or the most 'recognizable player' or 'most profitable' player' cmixed up with who is the actual...'best player.' This is not NBA2k9 or Fantasy basketball in answering this...

And even when asking who is the 'best player' in the NBA one needs to clarify what do you mean as 'best?' Best what? One on one player or team player?

Some can take the best individual one on one player over the best 'team player' which is what you should be asking.

This is a very star studded list. But some of these guys are 'the best' in different ways. The best guy as far as being the most valuable guy for his team and there success can be a toss up with 10 people giving 10 different reasons for a guy.

I see Tim Duncan is not on your list, and neither is Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce of the NBA Champs or a Dirk Nowitzki, perhaps with good reason....

But for my money, in making a pick for those who you do have here it is a tough call. But I have to toss it around for about 5 minutes as I type this and think about it hard.

And I have to go with CHRIS PAUL as the 'best player' in the NBA right now. You did not say who is my favorite player so i will leave Dwyane Wade and Amare Stoudemire out of the equation then...

But pound for pound CP3 does it all...so does Wade who would be my 2nd choice. Tim Duncan would be up there as well as Dwight Howard but they can't shoot free throws...

Pauls gets steals, hits free throws, gets dimes, can hit the trey, can get to the basket at will, is a great leader, is vocal, is intense, is a fierce competitor, is relentless, is fearless...is clutch, and he for his size is tough.

LeBron does not yet impress me. He has too much street in his game. Physically he is either on steriods of is just a freak.
He is just too stiff on his shot, and is more of an athlete then a b-ball player who gets away with a lot of walks.
I am really not a hater, I just dont like his game compared to a few guys who just happen to be on your list. LeBron is more of a show then substance.

Magic was a showman but Magic has substance and character and flair to his game with some style.

#1. Chris Paul Supplants Wade...barely.
#2. Dwyane Wade
#3. Kobe Bryant As much as it pains me to say it...
#4. LeBron James
#5. Tim Duncan

There you go...

[MilBucksBackOnTop06]

NIce avatar, L&H. But LeMOSHOW isn't as good as Mogut.

I've gotten a big kick out of watching Mo and LeBron run the pick and roll at times this year. How do you stop that?

I dunno.. When Mo is locked in and is feeling it, it is virtually impossible to stop... They love to operate on the left side of the floor because that's Mo's favorite location to shoot from.. When it's going well, you can't stop it...

But the kicker this year is when the Cavs park Big-Z in the baseline corner for a 3, and have Mo on the wing.... The floor spacing is absolutely amazing for LeBron when this is the case...

I will say this though, I was very intrigued with the Mo Williams/Delonte West smurf backcourt, but it was definitely clicking out there before Delonte got hurt... Those two actually work very well together and the defense didn't suffer at all despite the size...

That smurf backcourt won't work in the playoffs...

Any coach worth a darn will expliot that. But the kicker is that the teams in the East all have silly coaching hires of guys who do not have playoff coaching experience.

There are a lot of good coaches out of the game who have playoff experience like Flip Saunders, Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Fratello, and Avery Johnson to name a few who could make mince meat out of the Cavs but are not working.

With the right matchup they can be upset in the first round.

Teams that play well in the regular season when you don't see them in a long time and all of a sudden you gotta play LeBron it is tough.

But when you are in a series you can scout and plan against them easily and get them into a close game and win it...

One team the Cavs better hope they don't play is Orlando or Atlanta or even Philadelphia! The trade deadline will seal the deal.

The Cavs better go get a big SG or SF. They needed a guy like J-Rich or a bruiser like Maggette more then Pheonix did. If they had a guy like a Mike Miller (He can't defend) or even a Jamal Crawford it would be all over.

They can be beat...

[MilBucksBackOnTop06]

LeBron is the best all around player in the NBA....

Kobe is the most skilled player in the NBA....

Who would I want taking the last shot ??? Kobe..

Who would I want with the ball in their hands at the end of the game ??? LeBron.. He has a better chance of making the correct play... Whether it's getting to the rim, passing to the open man, or yes, taking the shot... Although, I hate it when LeBron actually insists on taking a outside shot for a game winner because he's had so much success driving for the game winner, or setting up a wide open player for the last shot..

Kobe is a better shooter and has better footwork, but LeBron is a better finisher, facilitator, ball handler, passer, rebounder etc... Their defense is pretty much a wash now, because LeBron's defensive mindset has caught up to Kobe's...

IMO, if you put LeBron in the Lakers traditional offense where they operate in the post and move players around, LeBron could succeed... However, if you asked Kobe to actually run the Cavaliers offense in the same capacity that LeBron has had to do, Kobe would fall flat on his face...

LeBron is not the best all around player in the NBA out of that list. The Cavs might have one of the best coaches no one knows about in Mike Brown more so then LeBron being the best all around guy.

They have a lot of size to get him the ball in the open floor and he is allowed to walk and travel his way to the basket taking 3 steps at a time. He has holes in his game.

Physically he is the top player in the league, but basketball wise I would not put him at the top nor Kobe.

I think Wade and Paul have the basketball intangibles as it relates to the team aspect that is greater then anything LeBron and Kobe bring individually and athletically.

Thereis a difference in making basketball plays off your team and the games tempo then making just individual athletic plays. LeBron has a world class first step. No doubt about it.

Kobe has great body control, hang time and an iron will. But so does Wade and Paul have all of that and basketball toughness mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually which is harder for me to explain...so I will leave it at that and explain upon request as you know how winded I can be...

We can argue this until the cows come home. But many times in situations like this it is so close that we are all going to have our personal biases in the equations. It is close, but for me not really.

If you sat me down and asked me to pick one guy out of this list...to start the playoffs with to win my team a title right today I would take......CHRIS PAUL. If he got hurt I would take Dwyane Wade.

LeBron's not ready...yet. The NBA will see to it he wins a ring. That is just the way the system works.
They will...if he plays long enough. But for my money, I see what Rick barry sees.

In so many words...no substance. All flair. He has had it easy...and you can see it in his game. Some say, 'no, he is so good he makes it look easy....you dummy!' I say, no...I don't think so. He is a bless physical specimen at age 23 wth a body like that!?

One can't help but to be decent...but he has got too much 'street' in his game for me with no real blend...to it.

But we'll see. He commands alot of attention but like I told you before, you can stop that in the playoffs when you can prepare for him in a 5 or 7 game series...

He plays for a great coach...Brown does a hell of a job with that one guy spreading the floor and putting a good rebounding team around him.

I think the best way for me to explain it is, the same way you answer who is the best coach. You have to factor in those around them. You can put Wade or Paul on any team in the NBA and they will win.

You cannot put Kobe or LeBron on any team in the NBA and win the same way.

[lawrybeard]

Hands down Kobe. He has won championships and will likely continue to do so.

His defense is far superior to anyone on the list (excluding Dwight - different position).

His scoring potential is superior to anyone on that list (i.e. if you challenged them all to score as many points as they could in a game he would win easily). He is equally reliable from the post, the perimeter or when driving.

Kobe under Phil reminds me a lot of Jordan under Phil. Give him a coach like Doug Collins and he would explode statistically. This is why his stats aren't a true indication of how good he is.

All of these guys are winners, so his ability to lead a team and drive it to success is on par at a minimum.

[LISTEN2JAZZ]

Hands down Kobe. He has won championships and will likely continue to do so.

Would Lebron win any championships if he had prime Shaq instead of Ilgauskas? I guess the closest thing to that today is Tim Duncan. So if Lebron had Duncan on his team would he win any rings?

I voted Lebron, and I'd also take CP3 over Kobe. My rank:

1. Lebron
2. Paul
3. Kobe
4. Howard
5. Duncan

[PaBuck]

Got to go with Kobe. With the game on the line, Kobe has it all over LeBron. Not so sure James does for his teammates what Kobe does. Without another star on either team Kobe is the hands on favorite to take a title over LeBron. If the Cavs make it to the NBA finals, my money is on the Lakers and that says it all! Skills wins over glitz every time.

[LISTEN2JAZZ]

Kobe only played with an average supporting cast during the first couple years after the Shaq trade, and he didn't exactly "take a title."

The current group of Odom/Gasol/Bynum is better than what any other star player has to work with.

You don't think Lebron would be willing to trade Mo/Ilgauskas for those guys? You don't think Paul would be willing to trade Chandler/Peja/West for them?

I respect the arguments about Kobe's skillset, but please don't pretend that he's carrying a bunch of scrubs to a nice record.

[LUKE23]

LeBron and it's really not THAT close. The poll should be "who is the second best player in the NBA after LeBron?"

[aboveAverage]

Wow, I knew Lebron was taking over as the best player in the league, and this poll helps me see actual proof. I respectfully disagree, but it's a very close line between Kobe and Lebron.

I still think if you put Kobe on Cleveland, they are just as good.

[LUKE23]

And if LeBron is playing with Gasol/Odom/Bynum, they are just as good if not better. Kobe has the better supporting cast, and I don't know how anyone could refute that.

[Rockmaninoff]

1. LeBron James

Classical Monster: Frankenstein's Monster.

Magic Johnson's eyes, Dr. J's legs, Dennis Rodman's body. A freak of nature that still has room to grow.

2. Chris Paul

Classical Monster: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

One of the NBA's real nice guys, but a terror on the hardwood. Will punch you in the nuts if you disrespect the memory of his grandfather. Fits every winning basketball skill in a 6-foot-nothing frame.

3. Tim Duncan

Classical Monster: The Invisible Man.

The most reserved superstar of the modern era. Puts up MVP caliber stats every season, but is rarely celebrated on ESPN. PHD level knowledge of the game.

4. Kobe Bryant

Classical Monster: Dracula.

His blood lust knows no bounds. A necromancer who can regularly summon the ghosts of the games' greats. Prone to sucking the life out of his allies, as well as his enemies.

5. Dwight Howard

Classical Monster: The Mummy.

Stiff and mechanical, but extremely powerful.

Just havin' a lil' fun.

[aboveAverage]

I understand. They are both very good, and it's hard to pick either as the clearly better player.

[emunney]

It's not hard for me to choose at all, and Kobe is a great player. LeBron can play all five postiions adequately on either end of the court, and his ability to recover defensively both for himself and for his teammates is totally ridiculous. His range is just incredible. I first came solidly to the conclusion that LeBron was the best player in the world two summers ago during the tournament of the Americas. Even amongst a team full of the game's best players, LeBron popped off the screen on every play. Kobe is a little more like Michael Redd -- the perfectly honed offensive talent who can score in any situation from any position on the court. LeBron is so much better at the cooperative aspects of the game, the angles, the anticipation. He just has a preternatual understanding of the game. He sees the whole floor, and not just when he's been challenged to get 10 assists. I'd been waiting a long time for him to comprehend that he can do anything he wants at any time on a court. He gets it now. It helps that he's bigger, faster and stronger than anyone who'd defend him. Kobe has to rely on his craft, which is admirable, but LeBron has an arsenal of his own -- which is not to say that Kobe is unathletic. Relative to LeBron, though, he is.

[RideEmCowboy24]

Brian Cardinal....and it's not even close

[RideEmCowboy24]

for real though my vote goes to kobe

[Nowak008]

You guys couldn't be more wrong.

[lawrybeard]

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/57264/20090215/nba_gms_prefer_kobe_over_lebron/

USA Today asked nineteen NBA general managers who they thought was better; Kobe Bryant or LeBron James?

Twelve of the GMs picked Bryant, while seven preferred James.

Kobe is the NBA's reigning MVP, and has three NBA titles to his credit.

"Kobe's basketball IQ, competitive spirit and skill set make him, unquestionably, the best closer in the game," former coach and current ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy said. "But James is younger, and nobody outplays him over the first 44 minutes."


So I guess that means if you said Kobe then most GMs would agree with you. If you said Lebron, I guess they wouldn't.... then again, what would GMs know?

Although it wasn't mentioned, I'm pretty sure the seven who said they preferred Lebron said that Kobe wouldn't have won a championship if it wasn't for Shaq.

[Ayt]

LeBron.

[Sigra]

]Would Lebron win any championships if he had prime Shaq instead of Ilgauskas?

Nope IMO. Z is actually very good fit for LeBron because he can hit jumpers and open paint for the King. Shaq camp in paint which would actually hurt LeBron's game. Shaq was perfect fit for Kobe but Z is perfect fit for Bron. IMHO