Reply With Quote
injured Manu in top 5 SG, Oden in top 5 Centers. the NBA is in a sad, sad state
Top 5 Shooting Guards
By: Joel Brigham Last Updated: 8/20/09 8:40 AM ET | 10436 times read
Adjust font size:
<DIV class=font-sizer4 id=story_font style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Ranking the top five shooting guards for this upcoming season is an extremely difficult task, especially after you get outside the big three of Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and Joe Johnson. There are so many gifted shooters in this league that it's hard to quantify who outranks whom; even harder is predicting who will have the best season in 2009-10.
Despite that, we're giving it a shot (so to speak), so here are your top five shooting guards for the upcoming NBA season:
(Author's Note: Brandon Roy was originally left off this list because I was, for some reason, viewing him as a point guard. Were I doing this over, he'd absolutely be ranked #3, followed by Johnson and Ginobili, which would push Ray Allen to the top of the Honorable Mention category).
#1 – Kobe Bryant – Not only is the 2008 league MVP and coming off a championship ring, but he's also the most dominant player in the game. Say whatever you want about [COLOR=#c80000! important][COLOR=#c80000! important]LeBron [COLOR=#c80000! important]James[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], but Kobe's got the rings, the experience, and the 81-point game under his belt. He may not have outscored Wade last year, but that doesn't mean he isn't the superior player. Not far superior by any means, but how is any argument plausible that puts Wade atop this list when Kobe's the guy he has to leapfrog?
#2 – Dwyane Wade – Arguably the best clutch shooter in the modern [COLOR=#c80000! important][COLOR=#c80000! important]NBA[/COLOR][/COLOR], Wade is here not only because he led the league in scoring last season with 30.2 ppg, but also because his long list of difficult and amazing game-winners. By adding 5 points and 7.5 boards a game to his totals last year Wade made a strong case for best all-around player in the league, and even pulled some late MVP votes despite not really being in the conversation earlier on in the season. The man's a star, just like Kobe, which is why these guys are the top two off-guards in the league.
#3 – Joe Johnson – After Johnson the field drops off a little bit, but at the same time he's not quite in the same class as the first two guys on this list. Clearly the third-best shooting guard in the league, Johnson has done a lot for bringing the Atlanta Hawks back to credibility—an effort that's likely to be awarded heftily next summer when he very well could become the highest-profile free agent on the market to actually consider leaving his current team. At 21.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.4 rebounds a game (2008-09's statistics), he's certainly a game-changer and a team leader.
#4 – Manu Ginobili – Statistically, maybe Vince Carter should've been the fourth-best two-guard in the league, and considering Ginobili missed half the season last year due to injury, his place at fourth on this list could certainly be considered a gamble. But if he comes into this year healthy, his numbers will jump right back up that 19-20ppg mark again, and the Spurs are already heavily favored to be a Conference Championship team this year. At his best, Ginobili is a force, and even injured he's better than most.
#5 – Ray Allen – So why no Vince again? A couple of reasons. First of all, his numbers will probably see a drop in Orlando next year as his role will undoubtedly have to change in that Magic system. Even if he doesn't change his role and continues scoring 20+ points a night, it would be to the detriment of a really good young team, in which case I can't put him in the top five anyway. Compared to Ray Allen—someone who just never stops knocking down threes, including several clutch shots in last year's [COLOR=#c80000! important][COLOR=#c80000! important]playoffs[/COLOR][/COLOR]—Carter isn't quite the same class of player. He's an amazing athlete and the skill is certainly there, but in terms of being a better player and all-around shooter, Allen nips him out of the top five by a hair.
Honorable Mention: Vince Carter, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Martin, Ben Gordon, Richard Hamilton – It will be interesting to see what happens to Ben Gordon and Rip Hamilton in Detroit considering they'll have to share time and shots not only with each other but with Rodney Stuckey. Those two guys are last on this list for that reason and that reason alone, but both deserve to be in the top ten. Carter and Iguodala are amazingly freakish athletes, but are closer to the small forward side of the spectrum than pure shooter. Kevin Martin is a top-notch scorer, but his team is never compe ive. It hurts to fault him for that, but it's hard to determine whether he'd post similar numbers on a winning team with more complementary star power.
Surely other young shooters will pop up the rankings this year as well, and maybe some of these honorable mention guys will prove me wrong. If Ginobili's ankle will never be the same, I'll be proved extremely wrong very quickly. But that's the beauty of the preseason; everyone can be optimistic about what's to come. For the best of the best, it's one more season chasing the le, and short of maybe Joe Johnson, all these guys in the top five have a legit shot at doing that.
---------------------------------------------------------
<EM><FONT face=Tahoma size=3><SPAN style="COLOR: black">From The Editor-----
injured Manu in top 5 SG, Oden in top 5 Centers. the NBA is in a sad, sad state
Manu isn't currently a top 5 SG..Roy is nothing like a PG, he's clearly a SG, and he's clearly 3rd..
Don't think it is really true that Manu is better than most SG when he is really injured...
But I do think he deserves to be on this list when healthy.
If you think that, make your list, instead of making us try to read your mind?
Ray Allen #5?this must have been written a few years ago
Replace Allen with Roy and the list is good to go.
Per 48 min Manu Statically ranks among the best of them. If he was on another Team like the Raptors or something where he is the lone star his per game stats would be ridiculous! He would have MVP numbers!
hoopsworld articles suck ...
Sounds like a Laker fan making a case for Bynum.
Haha, he should have said something about Ginobili's impact on the game.
Oh yeah and Ginobili's impact on the game is already truely legendary.... .. How bout that?
Bynum doesnt have the balls to make any kind of impact.
I hope he plays like one this year. This year is looking great, but the thought of an injured Manu or Tony keep creeping up in the back of my mind.
Brandon Roy should be 3rd and Ray Allen shouldn't be in the Top 5.
1 – Kobe Bryant
2 – Dwyane Wade
3 – Brandon Roy
4 – Manu Ginobili
5 – Vince Carter
Agree Brandon Roy should be somewhere there, 4th or 5th, and take Ray Allen out. If we're being objective, it's a tough call between Ginobili and Vince. Ginobili is absolutely the better winner, team player. Vince is the better, more talented individual player. Depends how you look at it.
1. Kobe
2. Wade
3. Joe Johnson (although I do lean towards Ginobili "personally")
4. Brandon Roy
5. Ginobili / VC toss-up
Manu >>> Joe Johnson
It really depends what you need. Put Manu on the Hawks last year, and they might have a similar record and maybe he puts up similar numbers. But, then again, if he had to play 35 mpg and carry the team offensively night in and night out, he'd be injured 30+ games of the season.
I love Ginobili. But, just because he's got the heart of a warrior, it doesn't necessarily mean he's better than another player who has very comparable skill, plus size and athletic advantages, plus is more durable. There's a thread about those two already. If you include bias, I take Manu over Joe Johnson because of his heart. Objectively speaking, I think Joe Johnson is better because of those things I mentioned with size and athleticism and durability, not to mention he's younger.
A healthy M. Redd is > B. Roy.
Kobe
Wade
Roy
T-Mac (if healthy)
J Johnson
Manu
Carter
Rip
K Martin
Ben Gordon
Ray Allen
Redd
Iggoudala
Mayo
When Manu's on top of his game, he's a top 3 SG no doubt. When hurt though, he's not even Top 10. It sucks. Manu makes a HUGE impact on this team on both ends...if he is healthy this year....the Spurs will be a BEAST.
What a homer list. Ben Gordon above Redd, AI and Allen? When has Gordon ever been the man on the team and average consistent numbers?
Injured Manu doesn't sniff the top 10. Healthy Manu is MAYBE top 5, but i doubt it, considering Kobe, Wade, Roy, Vince, Andre Iguadala, and Ray Allen are better than him IMO
Per 48 doesn't provide accurate analysis because, since he plays less than the rest, he is able to play with much more energy and intensity than them. Which inflates his Per 48 numbers. If he played the same amount of minutes as they did, he Per 48 number would be lower than they are.
Oh andat Manu having anything close to MVP numbers
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
