10 NBA Stars in Need of a Prolific Sidekick

The landscape of the NBA has undoubtedly changed, but some players have fallen victim to their team's inability to jump on the bandwagon.

Gone are the days that a one-man show carries an organization to a championship. Such an era is not extinct due to a lack of individual talent, but rather because a majority of the league’s stars have made it clear they’d rather not lead alone.

Consequently, we know having pairings like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire and Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

Now more than ever, stars are teaming up, yet there are still plenty of heralded players who have been left in the cold in this regard.

Individual talent certainly carries weight, but attainment of championship hardware carries more, and there are still a number of star athletes in need of a prolific sidekick to help them obtain the elusive ring.

Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas Mavericks

Just to make it abundantly clear that no one is exempt from this list, let’s kick it off with Dirk Nowitzki of the reigning NBA champions Dallas Mavericks.

Nowitzki led the Mavs to a finals victory over the star-studded Miami Heat, seemingly proving the opposite of this argument, right? 

Wrong.

Yes, Dallas knocked off LeBron James and company, but keep in mind this was only Miami’s first season together. Also keep in mind that this Mavericks team is going to look much different next season.

Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea and Caron Butler all may have played their last game alongside Nowitzki. Additionally, none of them are superstars, and the remaining Jason Kidd and Jason Terry no longer are either.

Nowitzki is 33 and regardless of whether he continues to average 23 points and seven boards per game is irrelevant. With pairings such as the ones we see in Miami and New York emerging more frequently, Nowitzki needs a sidekick.

And a prolific one at that.

Deron Williams of New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets took a giant step in the right direction by acquiring Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz last season, but the star point guard arguably took a step backward in terms of championship aspirations.

Brook Lopez is a pretty good sidekick and a future star, but the key word here is "future," as he still needs to improve his rebounding and overall toughness before he hits that level. As of right now, Williams' 20.1 points and 10.3 assists per game are only half of an unfinished prolific duo.

Williams is one of the most productive point guards in the league. He's strong yet agile, makes quick and intelligent decisions and is almost as good a defender as he is a scorer. But he's virtually alone, and how far can he take New Jersey without a proven athlete to help carry the team's burden?

With Williams the Nets seemed poised to make a playoff run, but unless they pair him with a heralded running mate, the biggest splash they can make is an early postseason exit.

Not only that, but if Williams isn't provided with a prolific sidekick by next summer, it's likely he embarks on a mission to find his own by signing with another team. 

Chris Paul of New Orleans Hornets

Chris Paul is one of the most talented players in the game, but his surgically repaired knee can no longer propel the New Orleans Hornets into relevancy on its own—a notion he should not be ashamed of given the road this franchise is headed down.

The Hornets caught the attention of many in their hard-fought playoff battle against the Los Angeles Lakers, but there’s no upward mobility from there—especially considering Paul’s 22 points and 11.5 assists single-handedly carried them.

Both David West and Carl Landry are free agents, and neither one is a superstar. Even with Paul, New Orleans is the pillar of mediocrity, a classification that can only be changed if its star point guard has prolific target to dish off to.

Multiple star talents are becoming a necessity, especially in the talent-laden West, yet the Hornets have been unable to keep up with the times.

Paul is not going to be apt to spend the remainder of his days stemming off the label of mediocrity for this team, which is why, unless New Orleans brings in a star-caliber player to pair with him, next season will be his swan song to the Hornets.

Dwight Howard of Orlando Magic

Is there anyone in the NBA who needs an abundantly talented sidekick more than Dwight Howard?

Probably not.

Howard’s back has to be battered and bruised after carrying the Orlando Magic for so long. The team skated into the playoffs last year on the heels of its center’s 22.9 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.

Orlando is fully aware of the need to pair another star with Howard, which is why it traded for Gilbert Arenas last season. Needless to say that backfired, and Howard is no closer to a prolific sidekick than he was at the start of last season.

Will Howard prove to be enough to propel the Magic into playoff contention each season? Yes.

Is the talent Orlando boasts enough to convince Howard to re-sign? Not while he can look to his Florida rivals and see a dance party of superstar talent barreling its way toward an NBA title. 

What James and Wade have in each other is what Howard wants.

Scratch that, it’s what he needs.

Kevin Love of Minnesota Timberwolves

As the Minnesota Timberwolves prepare for Kevin Love to become a restricted free agent next summer, they ought to keep in mind his aptitude to sign a long-term deal fully depends on who they surround him with.

Currently, Minnesota boasts the likes of Michael Beasley, Luke Ridnour, Derrick Williams and Ricky Rubio—two of which are rookies.

Beasley is a fine role player, but he’s too unstable both on and off the court while Ridnour has always been a utility guy. Williams may eventually become a star in this league, but not from the starting line, and Rubio is destined for mediocrity.

Where does that leave Love? Alone, void of the possibility of contending for a championship.

Love’s 20.2 points and 15.2 rebounds per game last season were the sole reason to even give this team a second look.

Without a prolific sidekick to convince him otherwise, Love may be liable to forgo a second glance at the Timberwolves as he ponders his future next summer. 

Danny Granger of Indiana Pacers

The Danny Granger-led Indiana Pacers did snag the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot last season, but they do not appear to be a team prepared to do much else next year.

Granger is a phenomenal player and his average of 20.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game are a major reason as to why Indiana was able to win any games last season. The lack of a supporting cast is holding him back though.

Roy Hibbert and Darren Collison are very talented athletes, but neither is a heralded superstar—the kind that Granger would thrive alongside.

Both Hibbert and Collison are still developing, and Granger needs someone accomplished by his side to help relieve some of the burden as well as push this organization to the next level. Time is a terrible thing to waste and, at 28, that’s exactly what Granger is doing by playing without a prolific sidekick.

Steve Nash of Phoenix Suns

Steve Nash is already defying the limits of age, a feat being wasted on a lowly Phoenix Suns team that has as much a chance of making a playoff run as the city of Cleveland does of forgiving LeBron James. 

Do you see his dilemma?

Nash averaged 14.7 points and 11.4 assists per game last season, an unprecedented level of production for an athlete 37 years of age, yet his talent is clearly being wasted in Phoenix.

The Suns have a few bright spots in Channing Frye and Marcin Gortat, but Frye has reached his full potential and it will be at least a year or two before Gortat is ready to be considered any kind of prolific.

Nash doesn’t have that kind of time.

The point guard may maintain that he is happy with the Suns, and that may be true, but he would be even happier with a heralded sidekick to pass the rock off too. Put Nash alongside any superstar and that team becomes a legitimate title contender.

No, the dwindling talents of Vince Carter do not qualify.

Al Jefferson of Utah Jazz

Deron Williams not only took the Utah Jazz’s playoff hopes with him to New Jersey, but left Al Jefferson without another star to team with.

Jefferson averaged 18.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game last season, emerging as quite the team leader after Williams’ departure, but the burden on his shoulders is only going to increase next season.

Paul Millsap is quite a talent, but he is no superstar and it is unlikely he makes it through the whole year with Utah, as the Jazz seem ready to favor the younger Derrick Favors.

And where does this leave Jefferson? Alec Burks is an incredible talent, and while his skills are comparable to that of Stephen Curry, he has quite some time before his production is.

The Jazz are being forced to rebuild once again and although they have some promising pieces in place, they don’t have a talent worthy of forming a tandem with Jefferson just yet.

And unless they tend to bring in one, expect to see a blitz of Jefferson trade speculation head our way.

Derrick Rose of Chicago Bulls

Even though the Derrick Rose-led Chicago Bulls made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the reigning MVP is not exempt from needing a prolific sidekick to help lead his team reach the next level.

Chicago thought that Carlos Boozer would serve as that star partner, but he proved to be not only an injury risk, but also a major liability on defense last season. His rebounding and offense were strong, but not strong enough—especially during the postseason.

Rose has one of the best supporting casts in the league with the Bulls boasting the likes of Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Kyle Korver in addition to Boozer. However, not one of them is a heralded star and after a meltdown against the Miami Heat in the playoffs, another star may be just what Rose needs.

It doesn’t matter that Rose put up 25 points and 7.7 assists per game. It doesn’t matter that he is one of the best players in the league. What does matter is he cannot win a championship alone. 

Rose currently lacks the type of sidekick that both Wade and James have in each other. And as the Bulls continue their search for a shooting guard, they would be doing themselves a great service by keeping this in mind.

John Wall of Washington Wizards

John Wall had the type of rookie season that made it clear even greater things are to come, but such accomplishments are unlikely to include a championship if the Washington Wizards don’t bring in another star talent to play alongside him.

Wall averaged 16.4 points and 8.3 assists to lead the Wizards to 23 victories last season, and while few expected much else, this is an expectation that may become painfully recurring if nothing is done.

Players like Andray Blatche, Jordan Crawford, JaVale McGee and Nick Young are talented, but are any of them comparable to Wall? No.

Crawford could be someday, but such an occurrence is at least two seasons away from becoming a reality. Wall needs a prolific partner who is ready now so that his abilities are not put to waste on a lowly Washington team.

The Wizards took a giant step in the right direction by trading away a franchise-crippling player in Gilbert Arenas, but now it's time to find Wall a fecund running mate.

You can follow Dan Favale on Twitter here @Dan_Favale.