Best players each season since 2000

[ShaqAttack3234]

Wait, what are we arguing? My list isn't based on who the best player was after the season, but who had the better season. I'm not saying Shaq wasn't the best player in basketball in 2002. In fact, I remember going to the dentist and reading a Sporting News magazine where they ranked the top 25 players in the NBA. The order was Shaq, Kobe, Duncan, KG, McGrady, Kidd, Webber, Dirk, Pierce, Iverson. I won't go past that but the point is I was talking with my friend and told him I couldn't understand the argument for any 3 ahead of that 3. So I get that. I'm talking about the season tho. So maybe that's where the disconnect is.


I'm not saying Nash was a better player than Duncan was in 2005. I actually thought Garnett was the best player in the NBA, even with his lousy ass team. But I had Duncan in second. Again, I was just referring to the season.



The reason Duncan wasn't the same had little to do with him physically. I think that the Spurs are the least impressive dynasty. Not that much of an insult, as they're still a dynasty. But I always thought they did just enough- in a watered down league -to win. I think that Duncan became more and more of a cog after 2003/04. I also think people fail to recognize that and fail to fully appreciate Ginobili. I also think that everyone on that team was a cog and that Duncan was obviously #1, and that is part of why Ginobili doesn't get the attention he deserves or the freedom he deserves, which goes beyond the stats he puts up. But that's another topic. I just think that Duncan didn't have the same approach and he played within the system a lot more after 2004...and that's on both sides of the ball. He should have moved to center in 2003, and that's for certain. Maybe he'd have taken a different approach.


I admit, I should give Lebron more credit. But I still don't think he was great in that series. I don't think his defense was where it was in the regular season. I don't think he made anyone around him better. I'm not holding it against him that he didn't win, but I do think he could have done better. And I disagree very strongly on Bryant. He played on a great team and there is no doubt about that. But he also deserves more credit for playing within it. Lebron had to do more on his team, as his team wasn't that good, but he often didn't know when to and when not to. I stand by that.

Ok, well, then I did misunderstand. Even so, I can't see Kidd having a better overall season than Shaq if you include the playoffs.

As far as the Lebron vs Kobe part, I think you make some valid points. Kobe did play within his team's offense more, and Lebron's defense wasn't great in the ECF. Though it's kind of tough to average 39/8/8 and play great defense.

I think it's tough to compare how they played within their team's offenses, though. Kobe has always been the better off the ball player, but he played in the triangle, while Lebron's Cavs didn't have much of an offense aside from "Lebron ball." That's one of the things I think got exposed late in the playoffs. They had won 66 games that way and dominated the first 2 playoff rounds, but it's very tough to win a championship that way. I don't see it being any different with Kobe in Cleveland under Mike Brown instead of Lebron. We've seen Kobe under Mike Brown last year, and I thought he was holding the ball longer and I didn't like his approach as much. But if you take away Gasol and Bynum, I don't see him playing within an offense under Mike Brown anymore than Lebron did.

[Kingwillball]

Lebron 2008 or 2009 to Present...He has been the best Player the past 4 to 5 years Anybody disagreeing with that is Obviously Blind. He has been Top 3 since 2006.

[Whoah10115]

Ok, well, then I did misunderstand. Even so, I can't see Kidd having a better overall season than Shaq if you include the playoffs.

As far as the Lebron vs Kobe part, I think you make some valid points. Kobe did play within his team's offense more, and Lebron's defense wasn't great in the ECF. Though it's kind of tough to average 39/8/8 and play great defense.

I think it's tough to compare how they played within their team's offenses, though. Kobe has always been the better off the ball player, but he played in the triangle, while Lebron's Cavs didn't have much of an offense aside from "Lebron ball." That's one of the things I think got exposed late in the playoffs. They had won 66 games that way and dominated the first 2 playoff rounds, but it's very tough to win a championship that way. I don't see it being any different with Kobe in Cleveland under Mike Brown instead of Lebron. We've seen Kobe under Mike Brown last year, and I thought he was holding the ball longer and I didn't like his approach as much. But if you take away Gasol and Bynum, I don't see him playing within an offense under Mike Brown anymore than Lebron did.

To be fair to Lebron, Kobe should be a better off-ball player. Kobe is a scorer and a SG. Lebron is a point forward who has played Lebron since high school.


I do think that Lebron ball rids the room of argument tho. I think people see all these things and conclude he must be the best. You see the same thing happen in soccer with the way Messi is playing. The guy is scoring more goals in a calendar year than great players (whose job is to score) do over 3 years. Both sports are similar in that general off-ball movement is essential. But too many conservative and simple-minded front offices and coaches (and analysts and journalists) decide that the best guy can do everything, so he should.


It's not easy to gage who does more, considering different teams are built differently. But you could have these arguments 10 years ago without just going "He leads in this and that". That's too bad.


And I agree that Lebron ball could not win a title. He couldn't do it in the West either, because the better teams would catch up and all the wear and tear would catch up to him. But I think that Kobe, jumping into that series, would have likely beaten Orlando. But I most certainly think he plays better than James. I think it's a problem for a guy's impact to be so much less than his numbers, when his numbers are that crazy. In this case, I think it's indicative of an approach that isn't going to win and one that's difficult to justify as being great play.