Best leaders today? top 10

[Bgil]

Jordan was always the same guy. The Bulls surrounded Jordan with the type of players that could deal with his personality and abrasivness. In Washington, he didn't have the same protections from management (or the great leadership of Pippen and Jackson) so all of his flaws were exposed.

Sam Smith wrote a book in 1993 called "The Jordan Rules" and a lot of people didn't like the way it painted Jordan because he was a god back then but now we can see the truth in it all. Jordan wasn't a great leader at all.

[Bgil]

You've got some questionable people on your list I'd say. Top 10 leaders in the game don't traded addition by subtraction style in my book, and they don't throw their teammates under the bus publicly while trying to force a trade.

For #1 on my list, it's tough. My first thought is to put Duncan at #1, but he's clearly a guy who wouldn't be a leader if he wasn't so damn good. The best leaders lead by more than example.

Duncan really sets the tone for the Spurs. Very blue collar, hard working, and selfless. I think that says a lot.

Thinking along those lines Nash comes to mind as someone who had a tremendously beneficial impact even before he was a star. Only problem with Nash though is that I don't think he can quite sell leadership like a Duncan-type player.

Nash has a ton of heart and I love the way he's usually the only guy going 100% when the rest of the team is faltering but I don't sense Nash's personality in the Suns play. To me they mirror their coach.

Put it this way, if Michael Jordan were Shawn Marion's teammate in Phoenix, I think there's a decent chance that Marion just shuts up and plays rather than put his team in a position where they felt like he was dragging morale down.

Pippen and numerous other players did much of the same thing in Chicago. Not to mention that whole Washington debacle.

Publically and without intention to help them? I don't think so.

Pippen, Kerr, Management, Ownership Armstrong, Stacy King etc. all got it publically from Jordan. Read The Jordan Rules.
And all that washington stuff too. Don't forget he actually traded Rip and others to make room for his own game. He attacked Stack, Kwame, and Jefferies publically too.

Lebron's not doing such a good job. Much of his team doesn't play hard and just goes through the motions. They sit out for minor injuries, holdout on the team, and generally just have a me-me-me or half-assed attitude. It doesn't even look like most of their players enjoy playing their... and Newble didn't resign and that should tell you something.

Paul, Iverson, T-Mac?

Kobe's been great the last few seasons but before the years before that weren't so hot (being generous).

[TheSecretWeapon]

I covered the Wizards during Jordan's time with the Wizards. I had press passes, I talked with players, coaches, front office guys, janitors, security, player family, and posse. Jordan was a real piece of work in DC. From what I was told by folks who were with him in both Chicago and DC, his behavior was much the same when he was with the Bulls. With Chicago, he had more mature teammates, and he had a coach who could turn Jordan's boorish behavior into a "good cop/bad cop" routine.

In Chicago -- when the Bulls started winning -- he had veteran guys who were more secure as individuals, and more willing to accept roles for the good of the team. In Washington, he had a lot of youngsters who still thought they could be stars.

bgil's point about Jordan not being protected by management is interesting. In a sense that's true. But what's interesting is that management in Washington was Jordan himself. As team president, he staffed the front office, picked the players, and hired the coach he wanted.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

I remember people calling Michael Curry a great leader, what is he doing now?

[ronnymac2]

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Little things for LeBron like being by far the teams hardest working player. But more importantly, things like coming off the bench on Varejaos first game back after the hold out so that he wouldn't get booed when he came into the game.

wait he did that? dam. thats actually really coool of him. it does show good leadership qualities, espeically from someone his age. he def can improve as a leader, cuz, as was said, his teams kinda go through the motions, have holdouts, and wutnot. but doing something like wut he did with varejao is a good sign.

[Rasheeed!!!]

I remember people calling Michael Curry a great leader, what is he doing now?

I think he's in the Raptors front office.......he was the president of the NBAPA before Fisher too!

[writerman]

Rank the top 10 leaders for there team in todays game.

my list:

1: Kevin Garnett
2: Tim Duncan
3: Lebron James
4: Jason kidd
5: Kobe Bryant
6: Steve nash
7: chris paul
8: Chauncy billups
9: Allen Iverson
10: Tracy mcgrady

whats your list?

I just laughed when I saw Garnett even on the list, let alone #1---this is a guy who has a history of thinking slugging and demeaning teammates is "leadership"...what a joke

[Albanian Damien]

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I just laughed when I saw Garnett even on the list, let alone #1---this is a guy who has a history of thinking slugging and demeaning teammates is "leadership"...what a joke

I find it comical that you believe that.