How Each NBA Team's Star Player Compares to That Franchise's All-Time Greats

Whenever an NBA player first steps onto a court, they don't want to just be good. They want to be great, historically great in fact. 

After a bit of stellar play, or even a lot of hype, a player is elevated to a certain status, one that indicates they are the star player of their team. But that doesn't necessarily mean that player is one of his franchise's all-time greats. 

Some players that are currently stars are indeed the best players in the history of their franchise. Others aren't even close. 

Read on to see how each NBA team's star player compares to that franchise's all-time greats, but keep in mind that we're only looking at the part of the careers that were spent with that specific franchise. 

Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson

It's been quite a while now since a player other than Joe Johnson has been considered the star of the Atlanta Hawks. 

Ever since he joined the team six years ago, Johnson has scored points at an incredibly high rate, averaging 21.2 points per game during that time frame. He's been selected to the All-Star team for each of the past five years. 

Johnson is a great current player but he's not going to be remember as an all-time great. He has a long way to go before he ascends to the top of the ranks of Atlanta players. 

Right now, I'd put Joe at No. 6 on the Hawks' list, behind Dominique Wilkins, Bob Pettit, Pete Maravich, Lou Hudson and Dikembe Mutombo. 

Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce has quietly gone about his business for well over a decade now, serving the Boston Celtics exclusively since 1998. He's developed from a solid player at Kansas into a superstar during the middle and late portions of the 2000s, but he's now clearly on the decline. 

The Boston Celtics have as impressive a collection of great historical NBA players as any other franchise in the NBA, but Pierce is right up there with the best of them. After all, he's racked up a championship, a Finals MVP, nine All-Star selections and numerous other honors throughout his career. 

Pierce can't touch legends like Bill Russell or Larry Bird, but I'd argue that he's now the sixth-best player in the franchise's history, trailing John Havlicek, Kevin McHale and just barely behind Bob Cousy in addition to the two aforementioned all-time greats. 

Yes, that does put him ahead of Robert Parish, Sam Jones and Dave Cowens. 

Charlotte Bobcats: Kemba Walker

Kemba Walker is going to be the star in Charlotte from day one, but he's still suck at day zero right now. 

Therefore, he comes in behind all 14 players who have spent at least three years with the Bobcats. 

He'll move up quickly though. 

Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose

Historically, Derrick Rose is a bit of an enigma. He's only spent three years in the NBA, but then again, he finished the third season as the youngest winner of the MVP award in basketball history. 

I want to rank Rose extraordinarily high, but I can't simply because he hasn't played long enough. In reality, I can't put him any higher than ninth in Chicago Bulls history even though I'd bet everything I own that he will end up at least a little bit higher. 

In no particular order, he trails the unsurpassable Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Horace Grant, Chet Walker, Artis Gilmore, Scottie Pippen, Norm Van Lier, Bob Love and Jerry Sloan. 

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving

The same argument that applied to Kemba Walker now applies to Kyrie Irving. 

He'll shoot up the rankings as he starts to play, but Irving trails all 84 eligible players in Cleveland Cavaliers history. 

Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki

After leading the Dallas Mavericks to the first and only championship in the franchise's history, Dirk Nowitzki is unequivocally the best player in the team's history. If we included Jason Kidd's days with the New Jersey Nets or Steve Nash's days with the Phoenix Suns, it might be close, but we aren't here. 

Dirk has 6,000 points more than any other player in Dallas history. He also has a 3,800-rebound lead over second place in rebounding. 

The one-time MVP has made 10 All-Star teams and 11 All-NBA teams in his career. He's secure in his spot atop every other player to put on a Mavericks jersey. 

Denver Nuggets: No Star

Do the Denver Nuggets really have a star player? 

Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Nene Hilario (if he returns) and a few other players on the roster are all solid, but you'd never mistake any of them for stars right now. 

As for the rookies, Jordan Hamilton and Kenneth Faried could both be good, but no one expects them to become transcendently good. 

I'm abstaining from picking a star for the Nuggets. 

Detroit Pistons: Brandon Knight

You've seen this argument twice already now. Here comes the third time because Brandon Knight is going to be the No. 1 guy for the Detroit Pistons as soon as he gets to play. 

A total of 108 players have spent at least three years with the Pistons so Knight comes in at No. 109 right now. 

Golden State Warriors: Monta Ellis

Monta Ellis just barely nudges out Stephen Curry for the featured spot on this slide, but how many players can he nudge out of the way on his journey towards the upper echelon of historically great Golden State Warriors? 

Wilt Chamberlain, Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell, Rick Barry, Neil Johnston, Guy Rodgers, Paul Arizin, Chris Mullin and Nate Thurmond all stand in the way of Monta's march to the top, but Ellis is getting awfully close to being a top-10 player in this proud franchise's history. 

Houston Rockets: Kevin Martin

Kevin Martin has the second-best per-game scoring average in the history of the Houston Rockets (22.9, trailing only Moses Malone's 24.0), but he's only spent two seasons with the Rockets. As a result, it's quite hard for me to put Martin among the elite players in this franchise's history. 

If he remains with the team for the remainder of his career, Martin could very well surpass some of the greats. He can't yet though. 

Guys like Moses Malone, Tracy McGrady, Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, Ralph Sampson, Yao Ming, Clyde Drexler, Steve Francis, Calvin Murphy, Rudy Tomjanovic and many more all stand head and shoulders above him right now. 

Indiana Pacers: Danny Granger

As amazing as this is for the underrated superstar, I can only think of seven Indiana Pacers that I'd rank ahead of Danny Granger. 

The forward has averaged 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game during his six seasons in Indiana. Amazingly enough though, he's only made one All-Star squad. 

Out of the 272 players who have laced up for the Pacers, 78 of which are eligible thanks to my three-year rule, only George McGinnis, Reggie Miller, Mel Daniels, Chuck Person, Detlef Schrempf, Clark Kellogg and Billy Knight rank ahead of Granger for me. 

Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin

Where in the world do you rank a guy whose biggest accolade is Rookie of the Year because he's only spent one season in the NBA?

I have no idea...

Is it ridiculous if I think that Bob McAdoo, World B. Free, Elton Brand, Ron Harper, Danny Manning, Corey Maggettte, Norm Nixon and a few other players are the only ones better than Blake Griffin?  

Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant

No matter where I place Kobe Bryant, I am 100 percent sure that some people will complain. The Kobe lovers will claim I didn't give him enough credit, the Kobe detractors will argue that he's overrated and I'll be perfectly happy with his ranking. 

The five-time NBA champion has spent his entire career in purple and gold (except for when he wears the Minneapolis throwbacks) and has racked up two scoring championships, 13 All-Star selections and way too many other awards to list here.  

Remembering that we're only looking at the part of the careers spent in L.A., Kobe is ahead of Shaquille O'Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, James Worthy, Elgin Baylor and even Jerry West. 

In fact, the only two players ahead of him are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, making him the third-greatest Laker of all time. 

Memphis Grizzlies: Rudy Gay

Interestingly enough, only 30 players have ever played at least three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and not all of them have been very good, making Rudy Gay's competition decidedly less than stellar. 

In fact, only Pau Gasol had a better tenure with the Grizzlies than Rudy Gay has enjoyed thus far. If he successfully returns to his pre-shoulder-injury form, Gay will be the best player in the franchise's history sooner rather than later. 

Miami Heat: LeBron James

LeBron James might be the second-best player (behind Shaquille O'Neal to put on a Miami Heat jersey) when you look at careers as a whole, but when you only consider his one season in Miami, he falls way down the ranks. 

As James continues to play with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, he'll shoot up these rankings, especially if he helps the franchise put up its second championship banner. 

But right now, he's well behind Wade, Shaq, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and many other players that have plied their trade at South Beach. 

Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Bogut

Andrew Bogut slightly edged out Brandon Jennings for the featured spot on this slide, but all that means is I get to pick on him a little bit and ignore the talented point guard. 

I'm not even going to bother giving Bogut a specific rank within the history of the Milwaukee Bucks. He's way too far behind a ton of players in the franchise's history and won't catch the vast majority of them. 

You're crazy if you think that Bogut will ever be better than Sidney Moncrief, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Glenn Robinson, Michael Redd, Ray Allen, Sam Cassel, Bob Dandridge, Terry Cummings, Ricky Pierce, Marques Johnson...and I think you get the point. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love

After just three years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the former UCLA Bruin has just one more player to pass before he's at the very top of the totem pole for the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Unfortunately for Kevin Love, that player is Kevin Garnett and it is highly unlikely that this rebounding machine will ever become a bigger ticket than The Big Ticket himself. 

Then again, if he puts up a couple more seasons averaging 20.2 points and 15.2 rebounds per game, who knows what will happen?

New Jersey Nets: Deron Williams

Since Deron Williams has played just 12 games for the New Jersey Nets, he's basically in the same boat as the rookies on this slideshow. It doesn't really matter that those 12 games were stellar, just that there aren't more than 12 of them. 

Even though the former floor general of the Utah Jazz is a historically great point guard, he can't be placed any higher than 89th here because there are 88 players who have spent at least three years with the Nets. 

New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul

Chris Paul is the best player to ever put on a New Orleans Hornets jersey. Period. End of story. 

The point guard is averaging 18.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game during his six seasons in the NBA and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. This is all despite the fact that he's never played with anyone better than David West. 

Sorry Alonzo Mourning, Muggsy Bogues, Larry Johnson and Baron Davis—you just can't compete with CP3. 

New York Knicks: Carmelo Anthony

Sorry 'Melo, you've got to play more than 27 games for the team before I'm going to list you amongst the all-time greats. 

Carmelo Anthony, like Deron Williams, will rise up the rankings as he plays more, but he can't hang with Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier and the rest of the New York Knicks legends right now. 

Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant

Through the first four years of his career, Kevin Durant has averaged 25.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game en route to back-to-back scoring titles. He's only getting better too. 

Despite his youth, the former Texas Longhorn has already surpassed some great players in the history of this franchise, formerly located in Seattle. 

The only person left to surpass is Gary Payton. 

Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard

Other than Shaquille O'Neal, has anyone really been better as a member of the Orlando Magic than Dwight Howard? 

I really don't think so. After all, the second coming of Superman has made five All-Star teams, won the last three awards for Defensive Player of the Year and has averaged 18.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game during his first seven seasons. 

You could make arguments for Tracy McGrady or Penny Hardaway but I really don't think they'll hold up. 

Philadelphia 76ers: Andre Iguodala

The history of the Philadelphia 76ers is littered with great players, enough so that a tremendous all-around swingman like Andre Iguodala can't possibly work his way into the top 10 quite yet. 

After all, Iggy hasn't even made an All-Star team yet despite his career averages of 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. 

He just can't touch Chet Walker, Bobby Jones, Billy Cunningham, Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, Maurice Cheeks, Hal Greer, Charles Barkley, Dolph Schayes or Julius Erving. 

Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash

There hasn't been a more consistently successful player than Steve Nash in the history of the Phoenix Suns. Kevin Johnson comes in at a close second, but I'll take Nash's long hair and run every day of the week. 

For those of you who will bring up Charles Barkley, yes, Chuck's four-year stretch with the Suns was the most dominant of its kind, but he only played for four years and not nine like Nash. 

Portland Trail Blazers: LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge isn't going to be snubbed here like he was on All-Star ballots last season. 

The former Texas Longhorn is only just now entering into the best years of his career but he's already one of the better players in the franchise's history, even if he can't surpass a current teammate quite yet. 

Aldridge is now the star of this team, but Brandon Roy is the better player historically. So too are Jim Paxson, Sidney Wicks, Maurice Lucas, Rasheed Wallace, Terry Porter, Bill Walton and Clyde Drexler. 

Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans

Once more, it's too early to have this discussion about Tyreke Evans, even though he's unquestionably the star of the Sacramento Kings right now. 

Evans is one of the few players ever to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game during his rookie season. That alone puts him in elite company even if his sophomore campaign wasn't quite as impressive, thanks to a few injuries and a reduced level of production. 

But if Evans' career plays out as we expect it to, he'll be up there with some of the greats. Right now though, I don't feel comfortable putting his name in the same sentence as Oscar Robertson, Tiny Archibald, Chris Webber, Mitch Richmond, Jack Twyman and many other players who have suited up for either the Kings or the current team's predecessors. 

San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan

George Gervin and David Robinson both deserve mentions here, but there's no way that anyone can top Tim Duncan here. 

Duncan is a top-10 player of all time, regardless of the franchise of the players being considered. 

The Big Fundamental is the greatest power forward ever, a tremendous contributor on both ends of the court. The memorable moments, statistics and championships that he's brought to the San Antonio Spurs are simply unbelievable. 

Toronto Raptors: Andrea Bargnani

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit here that I really just don't like Andrea Bargnani. In fact, I think he's tremendously overrated. He doesn't play defense, doesn't provide his team with a post presence and only scores a lot because he's used a lot.

There's a reason that he's only accumulated 13.9 Win Shares over his entire five-year career. As a reference point, LeBron James, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul all provided more Win Shares in just the last season alone. 

With all of that said, it should come as no surprise when I tell you that Bargnani comes in well below Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, Damon Stoudamire, Jalen Rose, Doug Christie, Antonio Davis and Jose Calderon. 

Utah Jazz: Al Jefferson

Al Jefferson has spent just one season in a Utah Jazz uniform and despite the fact that he averaged 18.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game last year, he still finds himself well below many members of the Utah Jazz's history. 

After all, this franchise has boasted the services of Karl Malone, John Stockton, Adrian Dantley, George Gervin, Carlos Boozer and quite a few other great players. 

Washington Wizards: John Wall

After averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game as a rookie, I'm completely ready to endorse John Wall as a future all-time great. 

In fact, I'm willing to go out on a limb, as weak as that limb may be, and say that Wall will retire and be thought more highly of than Earl Monroe, Walt Bellamy, Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, Chris Webber and Gus Johnson. 

But as for right now? Not a chance. 

Adam Fromal is a syndicated writer and Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on  Twitter.

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