RGM's Top 25 Most Valuable Players - Vote for #15

[Sasaki]

V: Kobe

N: Monroe. Not sure how a 22 year old C who is currently averaging 16 points/9 boards/3 assists/1 steal on 32 mpg isnt getting more mentions. He's showing an expanded FG range as well and using his ability to pass. I don't see how he wouldnt have more value than a guy like Paul George, Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, etc..

Not sure how people keep voting for Kobe, Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan. Kobe is paid $30 million, is worth more to the Lakers than anybody else and has a no trade clause which is why he isn't a Bull or Knick right now, Howard has burned a lot of bridges and the teams that he might condescend to play for will have cap-space to sign him outright this upcoming off-season and Duncan has Spurs blood running in his veins and took a paycut to play there.

Because to me, judging this by the likelihood of the guy getting traded is just silly, because the Heat aren't going to trade Lebron and the Thunder aren't going to trade Durant either. I interpret most valuable as a simple "Who would I want on the team above all else, factoring in things like age and contract and all that?"

Consequently, I nominate Duncan, because even the chances of the Spurs trading him are Zero, everything about Duncan as a player is great for any sort of team for reasons I've already discussed. Kobe in the meantime is well, Kobe Bryant, a legitimate superstar who while being paid a lot, isn't paid for that long a time at this point. I can understand Lillard or Curry or Wade going ahead of him, but I'm a lot more iffy on Deron ( I want to see him play at a great level longer before I'm really comfortable with him) and definitely don't like Drummond because there have been far too many young big men who play well initially but only settle down to be good or okay.

[kdawg32086]

Vote: Lillard
Nominate: Bosh

[Ian Kognitow]

Vote: Damian Lillard
Nominate: Serge Ibaka

[Sasaki]

Oh yes, my actual votes.

V: Kobe
N: Duncan.

[Quackenboss]

Lillard
Ibaka

[9abovetherim]

V: STEPHEN CURRY

N:Ibaka

[j_angel]

V: Paul George - would be Curry/Holiday but there are fewer decent young SF's than PG's.
N: Ibaka - again

[Zubby]

Would anyone trade Dwight straight up for curry, love, lma, griffin, lilliard pretty much anyone listed above 8?
He should really be at worst top 10... Not matter that he is an expiring.

[Texas Chuck]

Ive been saying what Vince is saying about Kobe for the last 4 or 5 spots. People who keep bringing LEbron/Durant into this are confusing the issue. Of course those guys arent getting traded BUT IF THEY WERE OKC and Miami could name their price. That simply isnt the case for Kobe and it has absolutely nothing to do with how good or bad he is as a player or how much value he could or could not bring an organization. Getting Team X(of which there are somewhere between 0-5 teams Kobe would even consider), the Lakers and Kobe to all agree on a deal of that magnitude would be nearly impossible and the only way it would happen is for LAL to agree to take pennies on the dollar because Kobe wanted it and they were trying to reward a guy who has done tons for the franchise.

Vote: Im taking Paul George. Ive given reasons last thread but basically: great player, great contract, great guy

Nom: Im sticking with MKG. Again rookie contract, terrific player, the exact type of guy you want to be the face of your franchise.

[Dr Positivity]

Vote Deron Williams

Nominate Derrick Favors

Deron is getting very underrated, he's a legit franchise guy in his prime. In January he's at a 19/8/4 .65 TS% clip and Brooklyn has won every game. He's back to being the guy he was in Utah which would normally have slotted him at 9 on this list (after Harden, but ahead of Westbrook). Avery's micromanaging and playing him at the 2 was just f*cking up his game and the Nets

[Sasaki]

Would anyone trade Dwight straight up for curry, love, lma, griffin, lilliard pretty much anyone listed above 8?
He should really be at worst top 10... Not matter that he is an expiring.

What do you mean it doesn't matter that he is an expiring? That's the problem, especially with someone who is as mercurial as Dwight. You have no guarantee whatsoever that if you have Dwight, he will stay next offseason, especially if you're a smaller team or a team that can't quickly put a supporting cast around him. Compare that with having Stephen Curry for 5 years, or Griffin for 5, or Lillard for like 7 years, and add that Dwight has been nowhere near as good as he has in the past ( not to mention that unlike Deron, he really hasn't improved with the coaching change), and I don't foresee voting Dwight anytime soon.

[eliasrapp98]

Holiday
Bosh

[lewdog]

V: Lillard
N: Ibaka

+2

[JasonStern]

vote: lillard

nominate: bosh

Would anyone trade Dwight straight up for curry, love, lma, griffin, lilliard pretty much anyone listed above 8?
He should really be at worst top 10... Not matter that he is an expiring.

I would. while howard is the better player, he is currently an injury prone expiring with a reasonably high chance of walking at the end of the season. once he signs a contract, his value will go up drastically.

I also value those players higher than kobe, who is old, makes half the cap, and has a no-trade clause.

[eliasrapp98]

Would anyone trade Dwight straight up for curry, love, lma, griffin, lilliard pretty much anyone listed above 8?
He should really be at worst top 10... Not matter that he is an expiring.

Actually the fact that he will leave 95% of the teams he is traded to does make him at best top 20... He doesn't commit.

[Texas Chuck]

If Dwight was fully healthy even with his flakiness and indecisiveness he would def be in the top 20 and maybe the top 10. Some teams would gamble they could keep him or just use him for one big run at the title. But he's clearly not himself--his defense is notably worse this year and with people not being able to trust him or his agent right now--he shouldnt be getting any votes at all in this project. Because if he gets traded to a team and doesnt like it I can promise you he probably doesnt appear in any more games this year. He would simply claim he had to get his body right.

[deNIEd]

Vote: Lillard
Nominate: MKG!!!!!!!!!!!

[SamBone]

V. DWill
N. Ibaka

[JoseRizal]

V: Deron
N: Lopez

[JustinSane]

Vote: Drummond. I understand there are a huge number of players who are better than him left on the board. But his potential, contract status and absence of character or injury questions give him enormous value. He's already a premier rebounder and I think within two years will be a consistent DPOY candidate.

Nominate: Brook Lopez. He's just really good.