As the decade comes to a close...

[tha_rock220]

all the players you grew up watching reach their early to mid 30's and more and more all-stars are younger than you.

For the decade obviously Shaq and Duncan are the two that matter. They won 6 titles, 2 MVP's, 4 Finals MVP's, and were the only players in basketball who guaranteed a team 50 wins and getting at least to the 2nd round for a long time. Duncan carries that title.

Kobe, AI, Kidd, LeBron, Wade, and KG make up the rest of the elite as guys who got the honors and were consistently awesome every year. LeBron and Wade didn't play the entire decade, but they have just been too good to ignore.

[Showtime:Part2]

how has nobody mentioned that this was the decade of high schoolers.

[HarlemHeat37]

how has nobody mentioned that this was the decade of high schoolers.

because there was already a lot of HS players drafted in the 90's, including superstars like Kobe, Mac, KG and JO..

[GJense4181]

^But they flourished in the 2000s.

My top five players from the 2000s are:
Bryant/James/Garnett/Duncan/O'Neal. Lebron will be lucky enough to span two decades (he'll be 25 in 2010).

[guy1]

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Well Shaq's career clearly straddled the decades boundary. I'm not going to strenuously argue either way, it's just how I see it.

As for the NBA getting worse, it clearly has. In 97-98 there were 4 teams that won 60+ games and 4 more that won 55+. Last year there were 2 60+ win teams, and only 1 more than won 55+. If you lined up the top 8 teams from 97-98 against the top 8 of last year, the 97-98 teams would smoke them.

Yea well Shaq would make the all-decade team (12 man) for both the 90s and 00s. I can agree with that.

The better records of the top teams back then does not mean the league has declined significantly, because the records of the worse teams in 98 are alot worse then last years'. Last year, every team in the league won at least 20 games, while in 98, six teams won only 20 games or less. So it all balances out. The Western Conference right now is crazy and way more competitive then it was last year, but I highly doubt any west team is going to win 60+ games, as opposed to two last year. I would still say the West has gotten better though. Records don't indicate a league's decline. It can indicate one conference's domination over the other though, like with the West and East. I agree the league has declined though, because of rule changes where you can't play as physical, which has turned some players soft, and also some players just play for a contract it seems. I agree those things are happening, but its not as bad as people make it out to be. The conferences being more even would definitely make the NBA more fun to watch, but I don't see that as indicator of the whole league declining.

[HarlemHeat37]

I don't see how Lebron can be on a first team..he hasn't accomplished more than Kidd, Nash or Iverson so far..he's only been in the NBA since 2004..he's took a team to the finals, but so have Kidd and Iverson in that conference, and surely Nash would have in the East..he would have to do it again, or win an MVP in the next 2 years to have consideration..and that's also barring Nash winning a ring, or Kidd going to a new team and winning a ring as a major contributor..

[TheKingOfVa360]

1.Shaq
2.Duncan
3.Kobe
4.Iverson
5.KG

[Ballings7]

2 MVP's

Three. Duncan won two.

Thanks.

Interesting though, while those guys are 2010s primarily, it does occur to me one or more might squeak on to the this decades team depending on how the next year and a half go. Howard especially doesn't exactly have tough competition at the 5.

Yeah, good point. I thought about that to an extent, but didn't think about one of Paul/Howard realistically possibly winning an MVP. Aside from numbers, impact, all-star appearances, and quite possibly going deep in the playoffs.

One of them winning an MVP would put them as a stand-out in this decade, especially being so young.

I don't think Carmelo will do enough, though.

[Doctor MJ]

i think the general consensus is that the 3 best players of this decade have been shaq, duncan, and kobe (in no particular order). with that said, here would be my all-decade team

Don't see that. I see most people saying Shaq and Duncan are clearly one and two or two and one, and KG and Kobe are three and four or four and three. There's just a few Kobe extrmeists out there, and they'll go so far as to say he's #1 for the decade which is just insane for a guy who never was the #1 guy on a title team and never won the MVP.

[conleyorbust]

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Don't see that. I see most people saying Shaq and Duncan are clearly one and two or two and one, and KG and Kobe are three and four or four and three. There's just a few Kobe extrmeists out there, and they'll go so far as to say he's #1 for the decade which is just insane for a guy who never was the #1 guy on a title team and never won the MVP.

... but you forget that he is the most stylistically similar player to MJ and MJ was the most dominant player of the 90s :. Kobe is the best of the decade.

Seriously though, people forget how great KG is because the Wolves were a disaster for a couple years. Kobe has been the best all-around wing since the turning of the century, although not necessarilly the best in many given years, but KG has been firmly in the discussion for the best all-around player in many years since the new millenium.