The definitive list of the NBA's franchise guys (and others)

[I. Hustle]

Did you see what Garnett did in Boston?! I mean he is the very definition of franchise. You can't put just any 7 footer in with a group that includes minor role players like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, David Stern, the refs, etc. and expect to win.

[Culburn369]

Then tell the Faker bandwagoner fanboy to stop criticizing Wade.

But, the criticism of Wade was legit and necessa.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

What, are you his ? You can give Wade all the credit you think he deserves, he's still not a franchise player. He wont play hurt, he's never played a full season, and three times in six years he never played more than 60 games, twice he's only played 50 games, and his only shining moment was staring in the worst officiated game in the history of sports which coined him the nick-name D-Whistle. This is not a franchise player.

Well, Wade did play a full season last year, IMO 79 games is a full season. He's also played hurt before, remember 2007 when he decided to delay shoulder & knee surgery because he wanted to make his best attempt possible to repeat? Granted his team got swept, he played hurt. Still, I agree, he is not a "franchise player".

IMO, there are only two "franchise players" in the NBA right now, Lebron and Kobe, who are good enough where they only need one all star caliber sidekick (Gasol), a good 3rd wheel who can lead the 2nd unit and then play a certain role in the 4th quarter (Odom). That's what a franchise player is in my mind. Being the best player on a 45-50 win team doesn't make you a franchise player.

So KG, Ray Allen and Pierce, none of them are franchise players since they all at one point or another needed the other two to pick up the slack cause they are all too inconsistent to carry a team wire to wire. In 2006, when the league was weak as it gets, Wade was a franchise player, but not in today's NBA, the 2006 Heat would barely be a top 10 team right now.

[hitmanyr2k]

people arguing over this franchise player, foundation player stuff. outta here with that garbage. It's a TEAM game. Without "foundation" players you don't have "franchise" players. Without the foundation players those "franchise" players would be nothing but losers putting up big numbers on mediocre teams...similar to where Wade is right now and where Kobe was just a few years ago, and Paul Pierce and so on.

[DJB]

Kobe Bryant: The best player of his generation. As well as he has played for these past two seasons to get the Lakers back to the elite strata, I still think his 2005-2006 season -- where he averaged 35 ppg (a ridiculous figure in the modern NBA) and almost led that lame Lakers squad to a first round upset of the Suns -- was when you really saw a Franchise Guy at work.

Duncan could have taken that squad to a le.

[all_heart]

I'm having a hard time with the term "franchise player". I think there are 2 different categories of franchise players:

Category A: Jordan, Bird, Magic, Kobe, Duncan, LJ - guys that can get it done on both sides of the floor, carry a decent team into at least the 2nd round of playoffs.

Category B: Great players that excel in their positions that need a little extra talent around them to make it deep into post season due to either size, defensive limitations, or styles. IMO there is where players like Paul and Dirk fall into.

Fire at will

[Culburn369]

Duncan could have taken that squad to a le.

Seriously, has Duncan ever been put upon via a Smush or a Walton, and then able to persevere and win the NBA le? I know he took Robinson kickin' & screamin' to the end, but, anything worse than that?