Best player on a championship team?

john2jer · Post #1 » by **john2jer** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 1:04 am

How many guys in the NBA as they currently stand; age, ability, and health, can you say that about?

LeBron
Kobe
Durant
Dirk

Anyone else? Any of the Celtics? Howard? Duncan? Rose? I think they can lead great regular season teams, but I don't think any are best players on a championship team at this moment. Duncan and KG/Pierce were, Rose may someday become... Dirk might be off the list, but I'll give him credit still for what he did 14 months ago.

Clearly it takes more than just one guy to win a ring, but if one of the above 4 guys isn't your best player today, how much help does your guy need, and is that realistic?

Keep in mind, this isn't in a vacuum, if you want to argue someone like Monta Ellis is, he has to get passed Miami still. Ellis is just an extreme example of a top player on a team in the East.

Brooklyn718 · Post #2 » by **Brooklyn718** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 1:09 am

john2jer wrote:How many guys in the NBA as they currently stand; age, ability, and health, can you say that about?

LeBron
Kobe
Durant
Dirk

Anyone else? Any of the Celtics? Howard? Duncan? Rose? I think they can lead great regular season teams, but I don't think any are best players on a championship team at this moment. Duncan and KG/Pierce were, Rose may someday become... Dirk might be off the list, but I'll give him credit still for what he did 14 months ago.

Clearly it takes more than just one guy to win a ring, but if one of the above 4 guys isn't your best player today, how much help does your guy need, and is that realistic?

Keep in mind, this isn't in a vacuum, if you want to argue someone like Monta Ellis is, he has to get passed Miami still. Ellis is just an extreme example of a top player on a team in the East.

If you give Durant credit for getting to the Finals (and Losing) then Dwight has to be up there cause He made the finals by beating Bron one year and has improved his game since.

I'd add Melo to the list BTW.

Mobby · Post #3 » by **Mobby** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 1:29 am

I'm kind of confused as to what you're asking.

smith2373 · Post #4 » by **smith2373** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 1:32 am

StopItDRose wrote:I'm kind of confused as to what you're asking.

I'm guessing that he's asking what players currently in the NBA are capable of winning a championship as the best player on the team.

swag2011 · Post #5 » by **swag2011** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 1:35 am

As a Kobe fan, i think this is his last year of being the best player on a championship team. Bynum is emerging. Kobe brings it on a daily consistent basis whereas Bynum does it for certain games at a time. If Bynum can be a bit more consistent, i can see him being alot more effective than Kobe for Kobe's last year under contract.

barborous · Post #6 » by **barborous** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 1:36 am

I don't think Kobe or Dirk can be top players on a championship team anymore. Father Time and all that.

Bertrob · Post #7 » by **Bertrob** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 1:37 am

Rondo

Wone · Post #8 » by **Wone** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 1:58 am

Rose before the injury was one.

john2jer · Post #9 » by **john2jer** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 2:21 am

I thought I made this obvious enough.

I'm not talking before an injury, or 2 years from now if they return to form, or if they should only learn how to dribble, shoot, defend, prasad, etc, or any other excuses.

Who right now has the ability? This season.

My point is that we see a lot of guys like Bosh, LMA, Love, Rondo, and others get ripped for not being able to lead a team to a championship, and really that list is very short.

ChrisMac456 · Post #10 » by **ChrisMac456** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 2:24 am

bertrob wrote:Rondo

Wone · Post #11 » by **Wone** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 2:33 am

john2jer wrote:I thought I made this obvious enough.

I'm not talking before an injury, or 2 years from now if they return to form, or if they should only learn how to dribble, shoot, defend, prasad, etc, or any other excuses.

Who right now has the ability? This season.

My point is that we see a lot of guys like Bosh, LMA, Love, Rondo, and others get ripped for not being able to lead a team to a championship, and really that list is very short.

I knew what you were saying before, I was just pointin out that Rose was one because you mentioned him in your OP. He was more of a "best player on a championship team" than both Kobe and Dirk imo, who are no longer able to be those guys.

I think Dwight can be one too but I don't think he can be the best scorer.

Joao Saraiva · Post #12 » by **Joao Saraiva** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 3:01 am

LeBron and Durant - certain choices nowadays.

Dwight right next in my opinion.

Long shot that I believe in - Carmelo, Chris Paul.

Kobe and Dirk - maybe still can do it. I don't think Dirk has decreased that much from 2 years ago when he won.

D. Rose... who knows.

On teams that play great, great team basketball some other guys can do it... like Tony Parker for example.

picc · Post #13 » by **picc** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 3:09 am

barborous wrote:I don't think Kobe or Dirk can be top players on a championship team anymore. Father Time and all that.

Of course they can. Both would need wall-to-wall stacked teams but could easily be the best in a collection of great talent. Any top 10 guy could conceivably be the best player on a championship team as long as the team was balanced enough with a large number of comparable or slightly inferior all-star level players.

Dirk in particular is 2 years removed from the best basketball run of his career. Pretty ridiculous to say it about him.

Higga · Post #14 » by **Higga** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 3:22 am

Lebron, Durant, and a healthy Rose.

crazybranman360 · Post #15 » by **crazybranman360** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 4:02 am

Lebron
Durant
Melo
CP3
Deron
Rose (healthy)
Dwight
Rondo

Maybe Dwade or Dirk if they have bounce back years

For the future (potentially): Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love

MMyhre · Post #16 » by **MMyhre** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 5:59 am

Lol, Wade has something to prove this season I see...

Dupp · Post #17 » by **Dupp** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 6:22 am

Dwight should be on every list.

sefant77 · Post #18 » by **sefant77** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 7:09 am

picc wrote:Dirk in particular is 2 years removed from the best basketball run of his career. Pretty ridiculous to say it about him.

Its 14 months. His best season at age 32. Legendary playoff run and performance.

Then the shortened sucking lockout season and its "father time catching him"?!

Post #19 » by **Texas Chuck** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 1:17 pm

crazybranman360 wrote:Lebron
Durant
Melo
CP3
Deron
Rose (healthy)
Dwight
Rondo

Maybe Dwade or Dirk if they have bounce back years

For the future (potentially): Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love

how in the world can Deron,Melo,CP3 be on your list and Wade and Dirk not?!?!?!? You know since they have actually done it and all. Deron is a complete joke. You can actually make a case for the others but Deron Williams? Uh no.

Rockice_24 · Post #20 » by **Rockice_24** » Thu Aug 9, 2012 2:28 pm

Texas Chuck wrote:
crazybranman360 wrote:Lebron
Durant
Melo
CP3
Deron
Rose (healthy)
Dwight
Rondo

Maybe Dwade or Dirk if they have bounce back years

For the future (potentially): Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love

how in the world can Deron,Melo,CP3 be on your list and Wade and Dirk not?!?!?!? You know since they have actually done it and all. Deron is a complete joke. You can actually make a case for the others but Deron Williams? Uh no.

DAL fans still mad about D-Will? How can you say Melo and CP3 but not Deron. The guy has been to the WCF and has played 10x better then Melo in the playoffs and been out of the first round almost every time he's been in them

Melo's been out of the first round once and the last time they met head to head in 2010 D-Will's team won and he was the first person in history to put up 5 straight games of 20ppg/10apg in the playoffs. He dropped games of 26/11, 33/14, 24/10, 24/13, and 34/10 to lead his team to victory.

LOL at Melo and not D-Will. I do agree about Wade and Dirk though, they should def be on the list for another 1 year or 2 at least. Both seem to be breaking down a bit.