(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Over the last decade the NBA has seen a large collection of talent, and many players that are HOF worthy.
We've seen high flyers and ball magnets, rebounding gods and lights out shooters. This decade has been one of the best decades for basketball and probably only second to the Magic/Bird era of the 80's.
There is great debate over which players performed the best at their respective positions over the last decade (2000-2010) and here are the best and most influential players of the last decade, position by position.
-----Point Guard-----> Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd a.k.a Mr. Triple Double edges out Steve Nash and Allen Iverson as PG of the decade. No other point guard could match his statistical brilliance over the last decade. with a career total of 103 triple doubles he stands at number 3 for all time regular season triple doubles and second all time for playoff triple doubles which he has 11 of.
This gifted point guard has been a:
*9 time all star
*6 time All-NBA team
*9 time all-defensive team
*1995 rookie of the year
*5-time NBA regular-season leader, assists per game: 1999 (10.8), 2000 (10.1),2001 (9.8), 2003 (8.9), 2004 (9.2)
*3-time NBA regular-season leader, total assists: 1999 (539), 2001 (753), 2003 (711)
*NBA regular-season leader, total steals: 2002 (175)
*NBA All-Star Skills Challenge champion: 2003
Kidd was such a gifted player that Kobe Bryant publicly asked for the Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak "ship" Andrew Bynum's "ass out" when he was discontent with the management of the team.
He also
* ranks 2nd in playoffs triple-doubles (11)
* ranks 3rd in regular season triple-doubles (103)
* ranks 3rd in assists(10,199)
* ranks 4th in guard rebounds (7,398)
* ranks 6th in assist-per-game average (9.2,)
* ranks 7th in steals (2,198)
* ranks 9th in 3-pointers made (1,486)
* ranks 14th in steal-per-game average (1.99)
Kidd is the only player in NBA history to have a 700+ assist 500+ rebound season 7 times. Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson have only managed to do this 6 times.
He is also the only player to record at least 15,000 points, 7,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists in his playing career.
Kidd is only one of three players to average a triple-double for multiple playoff series he joins Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain who are the only other players to have achieved this. Also he was the first player in 10 years to record a triple-double for 3 consecutive games with 13 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds when he achieved this on August 1 2008.
Kidd has been an indispensable part of "Team USA" for some time now, being a team leader in the "Redeem" team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
-----Shooting Guard-----> Kobe Bryant
Yes, who else? No-one comes close to edging Kobe "Bean" Bryant out, when it comes to shooting guard of the decade... or player of the decade for that matter.
Not many players in the history of the NBA have achieved what this man has, he has shaped the game so much. He started playing basketball when he was just 3 years old in Philadelphia but when he was 6 his family moved to Italy. As a youngster he was an amazing basketball and soccer player and if he did not return to the USA he says he would of tried to become a professional soccer player. Luckily for all the Laker fans out there he didn't.
His long list of achievements includes:
*4 time NBA Champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009)
*NBA Finals MVP (2009)
*NBA Most Valuable Player (2008)
*11 time NBA All-Star (1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
*2 time NBA Scoring Champion (2006, 2007)
*7 time All-NBA First Team (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
*2 time All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001)
*2 time All-NBA Third Team 1999, 2005)
*7 time All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
*2 time All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 2002)
*NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1997)
*3 time NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009)
*NBA Slam Dunk Champion (1997)
Kobe Bryant was one of the few players who entered the NBA straight out of high school, though highly criticized for his decision, he proved his haters wrong and has taken part in the all-star game since his second year in the league.
Kobe Bryant has been the most prolific scorer the NBA has had over the last decade. He is only the second player in the history of the NBA to have 4 straight 50 point games, the only other player to do so was Wilt Chamberlain who had 7. Kobe also has the record for most points scored at Madison Square Garden in a game with 61. He averaged an amazing 35.4 points per game in the 2005-06 season and people started calling him a ball hog, but he was just doing what he had to do to win. That's what he does best.
And who can forget his 81 point game. No player will ever dominate a game the way he did in that game. I myself believe that Kobe's 81 was better than Wilt's 100. But his 69 points in 3 quarters and out scoring the entire Dallas Mavericks team has to be the most amazing scoring performance in NBA history. If he played in the fourth quarter, i believe he would have eclipsed the hundred mark.
Many people believe that by the time his career is done he will be remembered as the GOAT surpassing Michael Jordan. I don't know this for sure but i do know, there will never be another Kobe "Bean" Bryant.
-----Small Forward-----> Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce a.k.a "The Truth" was the easy option for me to pick as my Small Forward of the decade. LeBron James hasn't accomplished enough to have that honor and Grant Hill unfortunately never fully recovered from injury to be the dominant force he once was.
After the Lakers beat a Celtics in a regular season game in 2001, Shaquille O'Neal said "Take this down, My name is Shaquille O'Neal and Paul Pierce is the truth. Quote me on that and don't take nothing out. I knew he could play, but I didn't know he could play like this. Paul Pierce is the truth."
Ever since Pierce was picked up by the Celtics in the 1998 NBA draft he has been a starter and a solid player. Paul Pierce has averaged 22.9 points over his 11 year NBA career and in 2008 was a valuable asset to a stacked Boston Celtics team that recently acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
In the 2005-06 NBA season Pierce exhibited his dominance when he had the highest points-per-shot average among the top 30 scorers in the league. He proved his efficiency to the league and asserted himself as one of the top players in the East.
He was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after the Celtics' 131–92 victory in Game 6 on June 17, 2008 against the Los Angeles Lakers (which i still hate him for).
His accomplishments include:
*8-time NBA All-Star
*1-time NBA Champion (2008)
*NBA Finals MVP (2008)
*All-NBA Second Team (2009)
*3x All-NBA Third Team (2002, 2003, 2008)
*NBA All-Rookie First Team (1999)
*NBA regular-season leader, total points: 2002 (2144)
*NBA regular-season leader, free throws made: 2003 (604)
* Most consecutive free throws made, playoffs: 21 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round).
* Most free throws made in one quarter, NBA Finals: 10 (Game 5, 2008 NBA Finals).
There aren't many players around that can score, rebound and play defence the way that "The Truth" does.
-----Power Forward-----> Tim Duncan
Timmy D.......Who else? How could i not go for the best Power Forward of all time to be the Power Forward of the decade. Duncan's name is up there with the best of the best and even if some people might still have some objections, he will go down as the greatest Power Forward to play the game.
The 6ft 11 118 kg Tim Duncan only started playing basketball in the ninth grade, he started out as a swimmer until Hurricane Hugo destroyed the only good swimming pool on the Virgin Islands where he was born and raised.
Ever since the San Antonio Spurs picked him up with the first pick of the 1997 NBA draft, Timmy D has been an extremely valuable and consistent leader that they could always rely on. In fact it was his consistency and passiveness that led to his nickname "The Big Fundamental". He teamed up with David Robinson who was the Spurs Center when he got drafted and formed the "Twin Towers" which was a force to be reckoned with in the league until Robinson retired and Tim Duncan became the core and leader of the Spurs. Since Tim Duncan joined the Spurs they have been a dominant team in the league and have won 4 NBA titles.
Eleven-time NBA champion Bill Russell compliments Duncan on his passing ability, and rates him as one of the most efficient players of his generation, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, 19-time NBA all-star agrees.
Time Duncan's acomplishments include
*2 time NBA MVP (2002, 2003),
*4our-time NBA champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007)
*3 time NBA Finals MVP (1999, 2003, 2005).
*1998 rookie of the year
*1998 All- NBA rookie team
*11 time NBA All-Star (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
*12 time All-NBA Team (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
*12 time All-Defensive Teams (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
Duncan is also one of only four players to receive All-NBA First Team honors in each of his first eight seasons (1998–2005), along with Hall of Famers Bob Pettit (ten seasons), Larry Bird (nine seasons), and Oscar Robertson (nine seasons),
And he is the only player in NBA history to receive All-NBA and All-Defensive honors in his first twelve seasons (1997–98 to 2008–09)
The Big Fundamental has been a dominating force ever since he stepped foot in the NBA and will be regarded as the greatest Power Forward of not only this decade but of all time.
-----Center----->Shaquille O'Neal
"The Diesel", "Shaq Fu," "The Big Aristotle," "The Big Daddy," "Superman," "The Big Agave," "The Big Cactus," "The Big Shaqtus," "The Big Galactus," "Wilt Chamberneezy," "The Big Baryshnikov," "The Real Deal," "Dr. Shaq", "Shaqovic" It really doesn't mater what you call him, Shaquille O'Neal is the best Center of the decade and probably the most dominant player ever. You just couldn't stop him. He single handedly changed how the game is played.
Shaq was so dominant that people had to come up with the "Hack a Shaq" technique in order to stop him from getting easy points by forcing him to shoot free throws which he is terrible at. Shaq once said his atrocious free throw shooting was god's way of saying not everyones perfect. His dominance is due to his 7 ft 1, 325 lb frame, and he wears extremely large size 23 US shoes.
O'Neal is the fourth-ranked player all-time in free throws taken, having shot 10895 in 1117 games through the 08-09 season.
On December 25, 2008, O'Neal missed his 5,000th free throw, becoming the second player in NBA history to do so along with Wilt Chamberlain. Not exactly the record that you want to hold but hey not everyones perfect.
Shaq destroyed the competition and led the Los Angeles Lakers with a young Kobe Bryant to 3 straight NBA titles. And aided Dwayne Wade to his first one, in Miami.
Some of O'Neal's achievements include:
*4-time NBA Champion
*2000 NBA MVP
*1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year
*3-time NBA Finals MVP
*2-time NBA Scoring Champion
*3-time All-Star MVP
*14-time All-NBA Selection
*15-time All-Star
*1994 FIBA World Championship MVP
When it comes to dominance no Center in the last decade or, in the history of the NBA does it better than Shaquille O'Neal. He along with the other 4 players on my list will go down in the HOF as a legend.
With all the exiting up and coming young players such as LeBron, Wade, CP3 and Dwight Howard, I look forward to seeing where next decades players rank. The sky's the limit.
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