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29th May, 2008 - 10:01 pm
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| Current Features |
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SCOOP DU JOUR: Injuries, Kobe, Manny, Kiffin And Jones!
A number of preseason injuries, Shaq apologized to Kobe for rap, Manny wants more than $20M, Lane Kiffin still calls JaMarcus, and Pacman is in legal trouble once again.
LOCKER TALK: Players Thrilled About Move To Oklahoma City
The Supersonics franchise is ecstatic about their impending move to Oklahoma City, and why shouldn’t they be? Buster Gunning, a Seattle native, recently took a trip through “The Big Friendly” (it is really called that) and can whole-heartedly agree with the players' excitement.
MOCK DRAFT: 2008 NBA Mock Draft, Version 13.0 (Draft Day Edition)
Weeks and months of waiting has finally come to an end, and Draft day is officially here.
PLAYER RANKINGS: Ranking The Best Players Of The 2008 Playoffs
Which players have played the best through the Conference Finals?
TEAM RANKINGS: The RealGM.com Final NBA Team Rankings For 2007-08
Which teams were statistically the best in 2007-08? Which teams improved the most from 2006-07? Some of the answers may surprise you.
CLASSICS: Hakeem Vs. Ewing: Who Was The Better Center?
Born within six months of each other in opposite corners of the world, two seven footers who are finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame this fall are two of the best ever to play the center position.
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By Andrew Perna
I took over the reigns from the very-talented Nick Obergan a few weeks ago when I highlighted the best players taken eleventh and twelfth in the NBA Draft. As we break into the top ten, the competition has gotten extremely closer. This edition, featuring the ninth and tenth picks, is dominated by active players.
10. Joe Johnson – No. 10 in 2001 (Boston)
I opted to give Johnson the tenth slot over Caron Butler, who was choses by Miami in 2002, Joe has played 130 more games than the former UConn star. Johnson has respectable averages of 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists through the first 544 games of his NBA career. He has also made two All-Star appearances and represents the veteran presence on a young, talented Hawks' team.
Boston traded Johnson to Phoenix midway through his rookie season, and the guard/forward made a name for himself as a member of the high-scoring Suns. He averaged a career-high 25.0 points with Atlanta in 2006-07, but played in just 57 games. He is also a member of the United States national team.
9. Charles Oakley – No. 10 in 1985 (Cleveland)
Oakley was drafted by his hometown Cavaliers but was traded to the Bulls before ever suiting up for Cleveland. He finished his career owning averages of 9.7 points and 9.5 rebounds, with a majority of his productive years coming as a member of the New York Knicks . He ranked among the top-ten rebounders in the league five times over an eight-year period.
His best statistical effort came in his second season, 1986-87, when he averaged 14.5 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists over the 82-game campaign. He averaged more than ten points a game nine times and ten or more rebounds on six occasions, over his nineteen-year career. He was named to the All-Rookie Team (1986), All-Star team (1994), NBA’s All-Defensive First Team (1994,) and All-Defensive Second Team (1996) during his run as one of the most intimidating big man in the game.
8. Horace Grant – No. 10 in 1987 (Chicago)
Grant gets the nod over Oakley for the team accolades he earned in Chicago and Los Angeles, namely those four NBA Titles and six Finals appearances. Grant backed up Oakley at the beginning of his career, an interesting link between two members of this list. Grant posted career averages of 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds and enjoyed his best season in 1993-94, his final year with Chicago (15.1 points and 11.0 boards).
In addition to all the team achievements, he was named to an All-Star team in 1994 and made the NBA’s All-Defensive Second team for four-consecutive years (1993-1996). He shot over .500 from the field through his first ten seasons, a tribute to his dominance around the rim. He is most remembered for his years alongside Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan during the Bulls’ first three-peat.
7. Reggie Theus – No. 9 in 1978 (Chicago)
The current coach of the Sacramento Kings was a very productive player during his career, posting 18.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game. He set career-highs in points (23.8 per game) in 1983 with the Bulls while dishing a career-high 9.6 assists in 1986 with the Kings. He is one of only seven players in league history to accumulate 19,000 points and 6,000 assists.
He left the NBA in 1991, and played two years overseas before calling it quits. He never averaged fewer than 12.2 points or 4.7 assists in a season over his thirteen-year career. Theus and Magic Johnson are the only players in NBA history over 6’6” to post more than 750 assists in a season. He was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 1979 and made two All-Star appearances (1981, 1983) during the early portion of his career.
6. Amare Stoudemire – No. 9 in 2002 (Phoenix)
Who knows how high Stoudemire would have placed on this list had the early parts of his career not been littered with lingering knee issues. He has played in fewer than 400 games in his career, but his averages of 21.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks showcase just how good he is and can still be. He was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2003, and has been named to three All-Star teams (2005, 2007, 2008) when healthy enough to produce.
He received MVP consideration in 2005 when he posted 26.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks a game. After playing in just three games during the 2005-06 season and still regaining his explosiveness the following year, he returned to elite form with 25.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per contest this past season. Better health just might have placed him higher on this list than former teammate Shawn Marion.
5. Shawn Marion – No. 9 in 1999 (Phoenix)
No one can discount Marion’s status as one of the most versatile players in the game today. Throughout his career he has averaged 18.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in addition to 1.9 steals and 1.3 blocks. He made four All-Star teams as a member of the Suns and represented the United States during the 2004 Olympics in Athens where he took home a bronze medal.
Phoenix traded him along with Marcus Banks for Shaquille O’Neal in February of 2008, but his future remains in doubt as he holds an early-termination clause in his contract. In 2005, he became the second player in league history to rank in the top five in both rebounding (11.5) and steals (2.0). He achieved the same feat in 2006, this time with averages of 11.8 boards and 2.0 thefts per contest. During the 2006-07 season, Marion was one of two players to rank among the top 40 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, blocks, steals, and minutes per game (the other being Kevin Garnett).
4. Paul Pierce – No. 10 in 1998 (Boston)
Pierce will go down as one of the greatest players in Celtics’ history, no easy feat considering the type of talent Boston has enjoyed over the years. He has started for the team in all of his seasons, averaging 23.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists over his career. He made the All-Rookie First Team (1999), named to three All-NBA Third Teams (2002, 2003, 2008), and represented the Eastern Conference on six occasions at the All-Star Game.
He has never averaged fewer than 16.5 points in a season, his average during his rookie year, and posted a career-high 26.8 per game during 2005-06. He enjoyed his least-productive season since his rookie campaign this past year but was more efficient than ever before as Boston posted the NBA’s best record. His field goal percentage (46.4) and foul shooting average (84.3) in 2008 were the highest marks of his lengthy career.
3. Tracy McGrady – No. 9 in 1997 (Toronto)
Perhaps the most amazing thing about McGrady’s career is that he didn’t begin playing at an elite level until the 2000-01 season when he took home the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. He has made seven-consecutive All-Star appearances (2001-2007) during his time with both the Magic and Rockets. During that seven-year period he also made the All-NBA First Team (twice), Second Team (three times) and the Third Team (twice).
His career averages of 22.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists are amazing alone, but the consecutive scoring titles he took home in 2003 (32.1 ppg) and 2004 (28.0) showcase just how explosive a player he can be when healthy. If you don’t take his first three seasons with Toronto into account, his career scoring average spikes up to 26.4 points per contest. At 29, such a scoring average would place him seventh on the NBA’s all-time list alongside Bob Pettit, but he’ll have to settle for twenty-fifth (tied with Dirk Nowitzki).
2. Mel Daniels – No. 9 in 1967 (Cincinnati)
Once again I’ve used my journalistic privileges to include one of the greatest players in the history of the game Daniels, who played all but eleven of his games in the ABA. Mel was the ABA’s Rookie of the Year in 1968 while playing for the Minnesota Muskies. He was, however, drafted by the NBA’s Royals with the ninth pick in the 1967 draft but decided to play for the Muskies instead. After one year with Minnesota, he was dealt to the Indiana Pacers (of the ABA) and enjoyed the best years of his career.
His combined career averages in both the ABA (628 games) and NBA (11) are an astounding 18.4 points and 14.9 rebounds per game. He was twice named the MVP of the ABA (1969 and 1971) and led Indiana to three ABA titles during his time as a Pacer. He also was named to seven ABA All-Star teams. During his first three years in Indiana, he averaged 21.3 points and 17.4 rebounds per game. He is also the ABA’s all-time rebounding leader and one of only four players to have his number retired by the Pacers.
1. Dirk Nowitzki – No. 9 in 1998 (Milwaukee)
Nowitzki, drafted by the Bucks in 1998, never played a game for the team as they dealt him to the Mavericks on draft night. He endured some growing pains during his rookie season, averaging 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds but bounced back during the 1999-2000 season and never looked back. With Dallas, he has become a seven-time All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA selection, and the NBA’s 2007 Most Valuable Player. He was the first European-born player ever to win the award.
He has bounced back to average 22.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over his career despite his difficult debut in Dallas. During his MVP season (2006-07), Dirk averaged 24.6 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Mavericks, who posted a 67-15 record. In addition to all he has accomplished in the NBA, he has shone brightly for his home country of Germany, as well. He was the MVP of European Championships in 2005. Nowitzki, at 29 years of age, is a mere ten points shy of 17,000.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com and would love to hear what you think about this list. Feel free to e-mail him at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
