Power Ranking the Top 5 Superstars in the NBA Today
Who do you think are the top five superstars in the NBA today?
Today on the popular show "First Take" on ESPN2 the crew had an extremely interesting question and debate regarding the NBA in the "1st and 10" segment.
Skip Bayless and John Ireland debated the topic of whom they thought the five best players were in the NBA.
The criteria for this encompassed everything from stats to clutch-ability, to wins and losses. Really anything that you can argue that would make someone the best was factored in.
Here is what they thought.
John Ireland:
2. LeBron James
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Derrick Rose
Skip Bayless:
1. Dwyane Wade
2. Dirk Nowitzki
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Kevin Durant
Now, I don’t agree with either of their lists completely, even though I do agree these are all great players in the NBA.
I think it’s important to factor in this past season and the results of the playoffs, but to also not forget the performance history, as some of these players will eventually go down as Hall of Famers.
Here are my power rankings of the top five players in the NBA.
5. Dwyane Wade
1 of 5Had the Miami Heat been able to hold on to their momentum in the 2011 NBA Finals I don’t think anybody would have argued with the fact that Dwyane Wade deserved the MVP award.
At times he looked absolutely unstoppable, but I think the poor team dynamics eventually stifled him.
Wade is one of the most talented players in the NBA, but serious questions arose about his ability to be truly clutch as he once was, especially in the waning moments of the finals.
He averaged 24.5 points in the 2011 playoffs and 26.5 in the finals.
He definitely deserves a spot on this list.
4. Derrick Rose
2 of 5I would be absolutely crazy if I didn’t put the league MVP on this list, and some might argue he needs to be higher.
While I don’t think Derrick Rose is the reason the Chicago Bulls lost in the playoffs, I do think he needs a couple more pieces around him though, which makes it hard to call him truly dominant at this point.
But we haven’t seen the best of Rose yet, so he has the potential to climb this list in time.
3. Kevin Durant
3 of 5I truly believe Kevin Durant will eventually be the No. 1 player on this list, and he is No. 3 right now based off his potential alone.
Potential for the future aside, he still deserves to be right here in the present.
He averaged 27.7 points this season and 28.6 points 8.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in the 2011 playoffs before being bounced out by the eventual NBA champion Mavericks.
Durant is scary good, and he will only get better.
2. Kobe Byrant
4 of 5There is almost no other player in the world I would want to have on my team, and if this list was a lifetime achievement award for current NBA players he would no doubt be No. 1.
When healthy, Kobe Bryant is the most dangerous weapon in the NBA, but unfortunately his health has declined.
If I need somebody to hit a last second shot to win me a game or force overtime, I want Bryant.
If I need somebody to completely take over a game and single-handedly win me a game, I would still pick Bryant.
Bryant is clutch-defined, and to be honest he is a champion defined as well.
1. Dirk Nowitzki
5 of 5At this very moment in time there is no better player in the NBA than Dirk Nowitzki.
After years of being scrutinized and criticized for being “soft” or not coming through when needed, he finally stepped up in the biggest moments of his career and proved all of his doubters wrong.
Plain and simple, without Nowitzki there is no NBA championship ring for the Dallas Mavericks. I’d take it one step further and say without Nowitzki the Mavericks wouldn’t even get into the playoffs.
He can beat you from the paint or from behind the three. He can score from a stationary position, on the move, driving the lane or on the fast break.
Oh, and he’s clutch.
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