OT: Poll - best player in the league?

[whoknows]

Dirk seems to think KD is the best player in the league...

...He's arguably the best player in the league right now. I see a guy that really has no holes. "He's a 6-10 guy with a 7-4 wingspan who can shoot it from the parking lot. He's posting up now. In transition he's so long that, when he gets a pass from the 3-point line, it's a layup or dunk with one step. He's got the one- or two-dribble pull-up, which you need to be a great scorer, because you can't just shoot 3s or go to the basket if you want to be a great scorer, 'cause sometimes you can't get all the way to the bucket. He can go both ways, one or two dribbles and up.

"He's way more of a 3-man than I ever was. He handles the ball way better on the break than I ever did. He's got deeper range. And he's doing all this at 23. He's won the scoring title three times in a row, so that he means he won the first one at 21. I barely got through my rookie year. When I was 21, Gary Trent was still killing me in practice."

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/22 ... z1xeBzFoER

I think it is a close runoff between KD and LBJ right now, with LBJ slightly ahead right now (more dominant). However in the near future KD will surpass LBJ and these finals could be culminating with a new king.
To me, the best player is not based on personal stats, but on his proven way of making everybody around him better and winning.

As a person, KD has easily won that battle already.

What do you think?

[seanbig]

i'm back on the kd= next mj bandwagon, now flame away

[SHFT]

Best player in the regular season: Lebron James

Best player in the playoffs: Kevin Durant

I think it's safe to say that its debatable though.

This will be a decade where people get robbed of rings thanks to these guys.

[C_Money]

Lebron James just because he's dominant on both sides of the court.


Kevin Durant is by far the best shooter in the league though. If he's even slightly left open its going in every time.

[fredericklove]

Now calm down, Dirk, I still think you're the best at 1-2 dribble pullup, that move you have is so much better than Durant. But yes, Durant has the fewest holes in the NBA.

I don't wanna say its Lebron, but Kobe's game is declining in terms of athletically/explosiveness and no longer being the major dominant force he once was. KD's still extremely good, I can't say he's the best. Painfully, I have to admit Lebron being the best player now. He changes the game in the most unique way.

[Waylon Mercy]

Gary Forbes

[fredericklove]

Gary Forbes

Best looking, yes. Best player, yes too.

[DreamTeam09]

Always take the better shooter is what I say. The threat of KD to score from anywhere trumps the fact that lebron is the better playmaker.

[from24ft]

Who is a better teammate, and which player makes the players around him better?


Hard one... but I want to wait on this series before I make a judgment on this.


If we are talking about sheer tools, I go with LBJ easily... but that is where the catch is as well, LBJ tends to defer a lot and his greatness does not always fit so neatly on a team. KD just seems to be a much more instinctive and purer talent to me.

(Personality wise it is no contest)

[Landomar]

Durant is a better pure scorer than LeBron, but it's close. LeBron is better at passing / creating for others, rebounding, and defense. If you're looking at overall impact, LeBron is the best player in the NBA, but Durant is probably #2 right now.

[Kabookalu]

LeBron James should take this title easily, but he isn't. I don't know what it is about him but although he's a fantastic passer and playmaker, I don't feel like he makes his teammates better. It may be that LeBron handles the ball so much that he doesn't exactly trust his teammates to handle it themselves whereas Durant has Westbrook to deal with. And I feel like his leadership skills are I guess you could say, fake.

It just seems like everything he does is meant to impress in front of a camera. Like him reading a book before games, why do that before the game and not afterwards? And all the words he says seems so contrived and calculated. In the end when everything doesn't go his way you see the true weight of his leadership skills. It seems everyone is pitting this entirely on Erik Spoelstra but although he does get his fair share of blame, not as much as LeBron deserves.

On the other hand I feel much more comfortable with Kevin Durant leading my team. When you think about it switch Durant and LeBron. I think the Heat get better while the Thunder get worse. Although on paper LeBron checks off on more quality traits, I see Durant making his team better.

[Chamilitary Man]

Durant is a better pure scorer than LeBron, but it's close. LeBron is better at passing / creating for others, rebounding, and defense. If you're looking at overall impact, LeBron is the best player in the NBA, but Durant is probably #2 right now.

Where do people get this idea that Lebron is a better rebounder than Durant? You realize Durant passed Lebron's career high in boards this year, right?

[Basketball_Jones]

KD has turned himself into a very well rounded player. He knows how to pass and make plays for others, comes up with big defensive plays here and there, and the one thing he has that lebron doesn't is the knack to come up with timely buckets/plays when needed. As an option A, alpha type of player, you'd probably want to go with KD. Lebron is a damn near perfect player though and probably easier to build around because he can make up for everyone elses weaknesses, but when it comes down to the intangibles (leadership, shot creation, clutch plays) KD gets it done.

[whoknows]

There is no question that these 2 are top two players in the league.

As expected, the votes are for now a close 50/50 split.
By the end of the finals, balance will tilt in favour of the new MVP.

[kingr]

Lebron. He impacts the game from more angles than Durant.

[Indeed]

I can only think Dirk is one of the best player in terms of speaking good things about others.
Like he said good things about Bargnani, now Durant.

[JackedFinancier]

How convenient to run this poll right after Lebron James is defeated by Kevin Durant's Thunder last night. At least wait until the end of the series, but ultimately, they are two different players. If one wins the championship over another, there will still be people arguing for the other player as a result of his completely different skill set.

[Landomar]

Durant is a better pure scorer than LeBron, but it's close. LeBron is better at passing / creating for others, rebounding, and defense. If you're looking at overall impact, LeBron is the best player in the NBA, but Durant is probably #2 right now.

Where do people get this idea that Lebron is a better rebounder than Durant? You realize Durant passed Lebron's career high in boards this year, right?

Rebound Rate, James vs. Durant

2012 - 12.6 vs. 11.8
2011 - 11.4 vs. 10.3
2010 - 11.1 vs. 11.0
2009 - 11.9 vs. 9.6
2008 - 11.1 vs. 6.9

James has been a better rebounder than Durant for Durant's entire career. Looking at the last three years, Durant has improved to the point where they are almost the same. James is still a bit better though.

[CPT]

I think I'd take LeBron for a season, but KD for one game.

I'm not sure how I should vote though.

[Legal Non-Conforming]

Durant plays the team game better, LeBron is a better one on one player. It's not that LeBron doesn't want to play the team game or can't but Miami's Big Three don't complement each other particularly well. LeBron would be better off playing with Dwight Howard and a quality team of lesser players. It would be interesting to see him play for a real coach too--someone who had real authority. There is still an organic dimension missing to LeBron's game--the whole remains less than the sum of its parts.