Post#195 » by Doctor MJ » Tue May 4, 2010 6:28 pm
Okay, my much stressed over rankings for this year:
1. Wade
2. LeBron
3. Kobe
4. Dirk
5. Nash
Wade's the clear #1 with his title run, easy enough there. I'll go in reverse order for the rest...
Nash had a fantastic year, however in the end I'm less impressed with his run this year than in '05 or '07. '07 had the best stats - it was him at his most comfortable before he started decaying ever so slightly. '05 had a jawdropping playoff performance, and it also had the turnaround itself which is a testament to Nash. Going in as leader and coach on the floor, the actual act of the transformation has to earn some kudos.
Those who say '06 was his best year are doing so bad off of how the team overperformed based on expectations. It's not that I don't think Nash deserves credit for that, it's that I think it speaks to his general capabilities rather than a performance for this year alone. It means you should not be underestimating what he was bringing to the team in other years.
Meanwhile, this is the year of those three where there were some real struggles. The team wasn't good at the beginning of the year, and it wasn't all that great toward the end after Kurt Thomas went down. Now you might say "Can't blame Nash for his lack of big men", and I'd go with you part of the way, but on the other, might this have been a time where Kidd's rebounding ability would have proven more valuable than some of Nash's abilities? You bet. I still think Nash was great (and also better than Kidd to be clear), worthy of being significantly higher than #5 if competition was less fierce, but I think his skillset was a more perfect fit in other years.
Dirk at #4. For me the big selling point for Dirk this year is leading his team to an upset of the Spurs. Easily the greatest accomplishment of Dirk's career. The way he later let down in the finals keeps him from rising too high, but I'll give him the nod over the slightly imperfect Nash this year.
Kobe at #3. I've got issues with Kobe's use of his teammates, but the way he played down the stretch this year was stunning. Sharp contrast to the way the Suns fell apart, and frankly, just an accomplishment above what I see Dirk being capable of.
LeBron at #2. Kobe's stunning finish? Yeah, LeBron had one of those two. LeBron was the iron man this year playing more than anyone else, putting up stats that overall were just as jawdropping as Kobe's, and frankly being more impressive in the playoffs than Kobe. This was LeBron's best year until '08-09.
Honorable Mention:
Duncan - we've been over this. You can't watch him in these playoffs and not think he's a top 5 guy. My reasons for him not making the top 5 have been made clear, and I understand if you disagree.
Garnett - yup, still great. Still not so ridiculously impressed by his performance on a failure of a team that he manages to get into the top 5.
Marion - Deserves to get some love here. Really stepped up his game in Amare's absence, and didn't totally choke in the playoffs this time. Without him, particularly as the year went on and more injuries hit, the team wouldn't have been close to what they were.
Elton Brand - Solid player deserves his moment in the sun.
Billups - Disappointing loss to the Heat, but still a great regular season.
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