Realgm's Top 25 most valuable players - vote for #25

[moocow007]

Pierce.

[Solid]

Granger

[dockingsched]

W/out the knee issues, approximately where would have Brandon Roy landed on this list?

top 10 for sure, he was #7 in our previous rankings and #12 before that.

[theokie]

Evans

[miruss2001]

Evans

[John Doe [MIN]]

Someone's going to have to explain the Cousins love. We realize that he sucks, right? .478 TS% with a high TO rate, that's just atrocious. He's an extremely skilled big man who can apparently only use those skills toward playing terrible, losing basketball. For comparison, Greg Monroe scores 6.4 points/36 less on 12% better FG% with 1/3 as many turnovers, and he's not even nominated. Are we all that blinded by points? We really don't think Monroe put up the same raw points numbers if given the license to put up 10 more shots than he is currently (and turn the ball over a bunch more in the process)? Plus Cousins has the attitude issues. What am I missing? This is the guy we're voting ahead of Ellis and Noah?

[x-]

He's a legit center and has the potential to be great. Obviously far from a finish product, but he's got all the tools you want.
Nobody is saying he's better than Ellis, Noah or Monroe right now. But should he ever figure it out, he'll be way better than all these guys. Centers with the potential to be great are too rare to pass on and have great trade value around the league.

[Trader_Joe]

Cousins is all of 19/20 years old, a rookie who came out after his freshman year. Assuming he's going to mature with age, the sky is the limit for him. He's got length and skill that are rare to find combined. He's a good rebounder, excellent passer, has an array of offensive moves and IMO has the potential to be a good defender with his length and strength.

Is he inefficient? Sure. But he's also on a bad/young team. Wait until that team is better and more structured and I'm pretty sure his efficiency will sky rocket.

[donkeylips]

monta ellis

[luigi11209]

This list is terrible

[John Doe [MIN]]

@x-, Trader_Joe

So why isn't Greg Monroe on there? Is he smaller, older, less productive, less skilled? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, it isn't by much. And I agree with the collective decision to not have nominated Monroe yet. So again, what is/will Cousins (be) doing that makes him 20 spots higher than Monroe in these value rankings.

Furthermore, is there any precedent for a guy being this inefficient and suddenly turning it on as he matures? That's not a hypothetical, I'd really like to see examples if we have them, because my off-the-cuff impression is that if big men are going to be dominant, they can usually post solid numbers right from the get-go, particularly in cases where they don't have to spend a few years adding bulk, which is not an issue for Cousins.

By way of TrueHoop:

John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog on DeMarcus Cousins: "He is a wonderful rebounder, shockingly good passer, and has lots of size and talent. However, when the ball leaves his hands, it is far more likely to end up in the hands of the other team than it is to end up in the basket or the hands of a teammate in a position to score. Being able to put the ball in the hoop or the hands of your teammates rather than near the hoop or in the hands of opposing teammates is a very fundamental tenet of effective basketball, and that has been a major problem for DeMarcus Cousins this season. Yet the overwhelming consensus on him seems to be that he’s a major, major talent who is a few tweaks away from dominance. He may the least efficient forward in basketball. I would be fine with a 'Tyreke was out, DeMarcus is 20, this was a wake-up call season for him, he’s still talented' reading of this season, but I seem to see way more 'This guy can grab rebounds and hurl the ball in the direction of the basket WITH THE BEST OF THEM! Sure, the shots aren’t going in and they’re not smart shots to be taking, but he’s 20! Just wait until he can drink legally!' I don’t really understand it."

[princeofpalace]

^
Its simply name recognition. Realgm loved Cousins this time last season, many were anointing Cousins as the next dominant big man. Cousins still has that residual hype despite his performance. Im really surprised at all the votes hes gotten over Noah. Noah to me is a beast, hes a better rebounder and much better defender and most importantly a winner.

[Casperkid23]

JD - simple reason: many people here do not know basketball.