Post by Skillz on Jul 9, 2020 13:05:46 GMT -8
The Players Who Matter – The Best Players in BBS (2004)
After some of the debate we had in trade threads the other day, and in an effort to chart the relative depth of every position in BBS, I thought it would be a fun exercise to rank the relevant players at every position in the league.
This is NOT a value ranking, but an ordering of the BEST players in the league this year at every position. In an effort to put some perspective on the depth of each position, I only listed the players I deemed as above-average starters.
In other words, if a player appears on this list, it means that a GM should be at least comfortable with that player starting for him in the playoffs – provided the context around him is sound.
I also separated players based on four position groups, not five or three, to reflect how players are used.
Let’s get to it…
Point Guards:
THE ELITE:
I’ve had 3 of the 4 here. Chauncey is my favorite, since he’s a two-way player who can rebound. Arenas is a star in the playoffs. Tony has some rebounding and modest turnover issues, but he can score inside and out and can defend pretty well too.
1. Chauncey Billups
2. Gilbert Arenas
3. Jamal Crawford
4. Tony Parker
THE EXCELLENT:
Nash is still amazing, but his defense and rebounding haven’t improved and he no longer benefits from dominating a weaker group of Point Guards. I think he is off the top tier. Kidd is enigmatic but a huge asset in a playoff series.
5. Steve Nash
6. Jason Kidd
THE VERY GOOD:
God damn, Jason Williams has really turned into something! Both he and Bibby are very good 3rd starters, which is all you want out of a Point Guard.
7. Mike Bibby
8. Jason Williams
THE GOOD:
I’m not hyping Pacce. Try to find another Point Guard in BBS who has a 2:1 stock/TO ratio. There isn’t one. Pacce is at 3:1 and rebounds like a menace. The other 4 on this list are opposites – excellent offensive players who can produce volume but have problems handling the ball. After this group, I wouldn’t feel comfortable starting any other PG in the playoffs. Calderon is a stretch but his volume is pretty great.
9. Paccelis Morlende
10. Leandro Barbosa
11. Jason Terry
12. Baron Davis
13. Jose Calderon
Wings:
THE ELITE:
Nothing unique to add here. Other wings are elite, but in order to separate at the league’s deepest position you need to be welllllll better than the mean.
1. Kobe Bryant
THE ALMOST ELITE:
Hot doggy, this is a long list! Could you separate these guys into tiers? Probably. But all pretty much serve the same purpose. Championship quality # 1 options when paired with a decent roster. Manu does indeed have better stats than VC and T-Mac. I struggled with Houston and DD, who are A+ offensive players but don’t have good positional defense.
2. Allen Iverson
3. Manu Ginobili
4. Allan Houston
5. Dimitris Diamantidis
6. Ray Allen
7. Vince Carter
8. Tracy McGrady
9. Big Dog Robinson
10. Ricky Davis
THE FUTURE
Are these guys clearly better than the players on the next tier? Maybe not. But I feel like their versatility props them up. Both of these guys will be superduperstars in a year or two, but currently are still filling into their respective games.
11. Dwyane Wade
12. LeBron James
MEDIUM VOLUME, TWO-WAY PLAYERS
This is a group of awesome defenders who help teams win and are ridiculously high-level 4th starters or pretty good 3rd starters. These are really the only four “defense-first” wings who have been able to put up enough volume to climb that nect value tier.
13. Andrei Kirilenko
14. Josh Howard
15. Ron Artest
16. Tayshaun Prince
HIGH-VOLUME SCORERS WITH QUESTION MARKS
Some of these guys are “sexier” than the players listed above, but either have turnover concerns (Peja), defense and rebounding concerns (JJ), or haven’t filled out yet (Deng, Butler, Anthony). Hill and Arvydas are good players but you probably aren’t going to win a title with them as your # 1 or 2 options and both are liabilities on defense.
17. Peja Stojakovic
18. Joe Johnson
19. Stephen Jackson
20. Grant Hill
21. Arvydas Maciuaskas
22. Luol Deng
23. Caron Butler
24. Carmelo Anthony
LOW VOLUME, TWO-WAY PLAYERS
These guys are similar in archetype to the Artest/Prince group, but have not found a way to put up volume yet. I still think they deserve to be on the list because you can absolutely construct a roster with one of these guys starting in a playoff series as a 4th/5th starter and hope to win a title.
25. Richard Jefferson
26. James Posey
27. Shane Battier
FORWARDS
I struggled with this position because I didn’t know how to group these players so just made up a “forward” position. These guys can play the 3 or 4.....
THE ELITE
Dirk is amazing. As a SF, he provides a unique rebounding advantage and can score as well as anyone. At PF, he provides a comparative advantage as a shooter. Really great either way.
1. Dirk Nowitzki
THE ALMOST ELITE
KVH is not a wing, even though we allow him to break the rules. I relegate him to the Forward part of the list! He’s taken a little step back but is still pretty good. Z-Bo is kinda amazing and no one gives him enough credit b/c he’s on Kobe’s team.
2. Keith Van Horn
3. Zach Randolph
FUN TWEENERS
These guys are seriously flawed, but if you are a smart and creative GM, you can make them huge assets to your team. All can provide immense value as defenders and rebounders (and even offensive players!) if you play to their strengths. But you need to cater your DC towards them.
4. Shawn Marion
5. Jerome Moiso
6. Rasheed Wallace
7. Gerald Wallace
LESS FUN TWEENERS
These guys are also seriously flawed, but you need to be REALLY smart and creative to make any use out of them. Just worse versions of the players above.
8. Lamar Odom
9. Antoine Walker
10. Antawn Jamison
11. Brian Grant
BIGS
THE ELITE
These guys are so good it hurts. Nothing unique to add here.
1. Tim Duncan
2. Kevin Garnett
THE VERY GOOD
Alonzo developed a turnover issue, so he’s docked from elite status temporarily. Ben Wallace is the best 4th starter in BBS by a mile. Camby is good at everything. Bosh is going to be a top 10 player, and is already a great scorer and stock/TO machine. Shaq is dominant and frustrating. Yao may be overrated in this tier but I am going to be nice to Steve.
3. Alonzo Mourning
4. Ben Wallace
5. Marcus Camby
6. Chris Bosh
7. Shaquille O’Neale
8. Yao Ming
GOOD RATIO GUYS!
As 4th starters, all of these guys boost your ability to win. None of these fellas turn it over, and some even add some punch offensively. Every GM in the league would be happy to have them as starters.
9. David West
10. Udonis Haslem
11. Chris Kaman
12. Jermaine O’Neale
13. Tyson Chandler
HIGH VOLUME, HIGH FRUSTRATION
These guys are more talented than the “good ratio guys” but are objectively harder to win with. They take too many shots and turn the ball over. You can win with them if you have the right team around them – and they can exploit matchups in playoff series – but they can often be more trouble than they are worth.
14. Elton Brand
15. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
16. Chris Webber
SLIGHTLY WORSE GOOD RATIO GUYS!
These players can easily be in the “Good Ratio” group but are just slightly worse for a variety of reasons. Good 5th starters, all of them.
17. Kenyon Martin
18. Eddie Griffin
19. Theo Ratliff
20. Samuel Dalembert
INTERESTING YOUTH
These guys are all going to get better but would be frustrating to count on in a playoff series tomorrow.
21. Mehmet Okur
22. Amar’e Stoudemire
23. Dwight Howard
24. Eddy Curry
25. Pau Gasol
All comments appreciated!
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65552195/tyler_parker_5_guys_kings.0.jpg)
