“The Best Class Of Them All”

“The Best Class Of Them All”

With all of the teams i was rooting for seemingly about to get knocked out, it’s time to turn our attention to the draft. We’re going to go through the three best classes, and do a “where are they now?” and look over their careers. In 2003, we were treated to the best draft class of all-time (questionably). There were 58 players drafted that year, 12 of them never made the league (with one, Greece’s Sofoklis Schortsanitis, that still has scouts trying to bring him over). Twelve more are out of the league now. That leaves 34 players from that draft still in the league!

Marcus Banks, Dahntay Jones, Brian Cook, and Matt Bonner are essentially bench-warmers. Though Marcus Banks will likely get a shot at a starting gig in Miami next year and Cook and Bonner may pick up some big playoff minutes in Orlando and San Antonio, they are all non-rotation players at this point.

That leaves 30 out of the 58 players drafting, that are still contributing in the NBA. That is completely nuts! I have separated these guys into five groups. Let’s take a look at how they all panned out:

Solid Contributors:

Three-point ace Jason Kapono (#31 overall to Cleveland) leads this group off. Washington’s picks, Steve Blake (#38 overall) and Jarvis Hayes (#10), have both turned into solid rotation guys for other teams. ZaZa Pachulia (#42 overall) is the third big on a playoff team. Luke Ridnour (#14) had one good playoff series a couple years ago. Carlos Delfino (#25) is a key role player for the Raptors, in their playoff run. And Brian Cook (#24) has been in and out of the lineups on different Laker and Magic playoff teams.

Top Of The Rotation Guys:

The Warriors’ Mickael Pietrus (#11) is definitely the most talented of this bunch. But Luke Walton (#32) is having an incredible series for the Lakers right now. James Jones (#49) has had the most playoff success as a defensive/3 point ace for the Suns and Pacers. Darko Milicic (#2) still has a chance, but he’s looking more and more like a bust every year. Yet he’s been good enough to stay in rotations in Orlando and Memphis. Willie Green (#41) is sporadic for the over-achieving 76ers. Keith Bogans (#41) has featured a reduced role this season, but still stays in rotation in Orlando. And Nick Collison (#12) has been a standard in Seattle.

Championship Level Starters (meaning that they’re good enough to be starters on championship teams

Kendrick Perkins (#27) has the best chance this season to end up a starter for a Championship team in Boston. Three point ace Kyle Korver‘s (#51) addition has Utah looking like a title contender as well. Kirk Hinrich (#7) had a down year for the Bulls, but last year at this time everyone was on his nutts. Plus he turned it around and had a stellar second half, but the team still stunk. Boris Diaw (#21) and Leandro Barbosa (#28) have tasted plenty of success in Phoenix, but don’t look like they’re quite on that championship level again. Travis Outlaw (#23) was perhaps the second best player on a good Portland squad. He hit a lot of threes and most of them were in clutch spots. Sasha Pavlovic (#19) developed into one of Lebron’s favorite running mates in Cleveland. And while Mo Williams (#47) took a step backwards this year, he’s still a very solid player for Millwuakee.

All-Star Level Players

Here we’ll start with Chris Kaman (#6), who has played at a just-below all-star level the past two seasons. The Caveman has plenty of jokes cracked at his expense, but has turned into quite a presence in the low post. He can score, rebound, and take a lot of pressure off Elton Brand. When together and healthy, Kaman and Brand can absolutely dominate the boards. In a weak league for centers (where all the best Centers consider themselves “Power Forwards), Kaman could definitely add an all-star appearance or two before he’s done.

The next here is TJ Ford (#8). Despite the media’s bias against him for supposedly being outplayed by Jose Calderon, Ford is still a top 10 point guard in the league. At his best, he is the second best player on this team and a potential all-star. At his worst he is still the third best player on this team (behind Chris Bosh – see later, and Calderon). And this team is in its’ second straight playoffs, in the second year since Ford arrived. Coincidence?

We’ll flip to the self-imposed pot-head Josh Howard (#29). I have the Black Gumby as the sixth best player from this draft, but he was the last pick of the first round, quite a diamond in the rough. He was an all-star last year and very well could have been one this year. He has the arms to give any player 1-4 trouble on the defensive end, and shoots the mid-range shot with ease on offense. And despite his struggles against the Hornets, he’s traditionally been quite a good playoff performer as well.

The best of this group is David West (#18). While he is a VERY good player, i would not quite consider him a franchise guy. It would be interesting to see how good he was without Chris Paul, however. But as it stands now, he is a slightly smaller, more athletic Elton Brand. He is money with that 12-15 foot jumper, and plays off the ball very well. He also has very good chemistry with Paul, and was rewarded with his first trip to the all-star game this season.

Franchise Guys

The Raptors saw their two best players drafted in this draft. While they had to trade for Ford, they drafted Chris Bosh (#4), and he became the franchise player. “Lefty KG” as I like to call him, has led them to two straight playoffs, and is now a three-time all-star. If not for the team’s location in Canada, he would probably get alot more spotlight in a bigger market. He is one of the most exciting players to watch in the league, and has quite a fun rivalry with the Magic’s Dwight Howard.

Despite calling out his team this weekend, Carmelo Anthony (#3) has thus far been a franchise player on the court. He has had his share of incidents off of it (including one on it), but his talent is enough to always take a chance on. He is absolutely unstoppable when he faces you up within 12 feet. But he could learn to pass better and play better defense in order to be among the league’s truly elite players.

Dwayne Wade (#5) is one of the most fun players to watch in the league. He is among the fastest, and can jump out of a gym. Plus he’s not afraid of contact. When he’s on (as he was from the end of the 05 playoffs through the point he was injured last year), he’s another Jordan on offense. Defensively, he could use some work. But he’s still an above average defender and used to (before the acquisition of Shawn Marion) draw the best offensive wing player on the other end of the floor. He’s a top 5 player in the league today when fully healthy, but as much as it pains me to say this, he’s not quite as good as….

The King, Lebron James (#1) was picked first overall in this draft, and is the second best player in the league today.

 

Shoot First…

ask questions later.

There’s been a lot of recent debate, with the surging Rockets, Manu catching fire, and Wade having an off year, as to the top Shooting Guards in the league. Well my friends, I am here to stop all this talk. I’m going to tell you who the 20 best Shooting Guards in the L are….dig….

20. Anthony Parker, TOR (12.2 pts, 2.0 ast, 45% 3 Pt FG)
One of the more slept-on players in the league, Parker plays great defense, shoots a high percentage on threes, and does a lot of the intangibles. If you remember, he and Ford were the only two guys who played well in the playoffs for them last year when Bosh went M.I.A. If he can develop a driving game or a mid-range game, he should become a lot better. But he isn’t as young as you’d think, so this may be as good as he gets.

19. Ronnie Brewer, UTA (11.9 pts, 54% FG, 1.8 stl)
Ronnie does all the small things for Utah. He was an upgrade on Derek Fisher, who played the under-sized two for them last year, when everyone thought they’d get worse. What’s most incredible about Brewer is that, even though he has no jump shot to speak of, he gets so many lay-ups that he’s got an unworldly 54% Field Goal percentage. Only in his second year, Brewer will only get better.

18. DeShawn Stevenson, WAS (11.1 pts, 3.1 pts, 3.0 rb)
That he even makes this list is a tribute to his work ethic. A couple of years ago, he was considered the worst offensive starting SG in the league. Now, he’s shooting a respectable 36% from downtown, and holding the Wizz down while their two best players on hurt. And he’s always been a very good defender. Of course, everyone still only seems to remember him for losing a shooting contest to a one-handed-Gilbert Arenas.

17. Mike Miller, MEM (16.7 pts, 6.4 rb, 51% FG, 44% 3Pt)
If you were one of those people who, at the trade deadline, were wondering “Why do so many teams want Mike-freakin-Miller?”, perhaps you should take a look at those last two numbers. Those are extremely efficient numbers. Plus, as Hubie Brown would say, “And you love the 6.4 rebounds!” So it almost makes up for the fact that he sometimes struggles at creating his own shot, and can’t defend a chair.

16. Larry Hughes, CHI (13 pts, 2.7 ast, 1.6 stl)
Shhhh, don’t tell anyone…but….Larry might be the best player on the Bulls. I know, i know….he’s not even the highest ranked Bull at Shooting Guard on this list! Well, we have to penalize him for the past couple years. But watching them lost to Detroit and Boston recently, he’s been the only one that doesn’t give up. He goes to the rack, shoots mid-range jump shots, and place intensive defense. Exactly what the Bulls need, a former all-star level player, who has no quit in him.

15. Mike Dunleavy, IND (18.0 pts, 5.3 rb, 48% FG)
I know this would seem like a sin to any Warrior fan. But, Dun’s having a career season. You see the points, rebounds and Field Goal percentage, but he’s also played better defense (but then again, anything’s better than what he was playing), and shoots right around 40% from downtown. He’s been arguably the best player on the Pacers (i know, i know, that’s not saying much). Their problem is, he plays the same position as the only other guy playing well for them, so they slide him to the two.

14. Ben Gordon, CHI (19.6 pts, 40% 3 pt, 43% FG)
This is a perfect example of a case where the stats are misleading. He has overall, pretty solid stats again. But what the stats don’t show that he gives up on plays. The stats don’t show that he doesn’t make much of an effort on defense. The stats don’t show that he has his head down for most of the game. The stats don’t show that he seems to have mailed the season in. He gets this high on his scoring ability, but what else can he do?

13. Joe Johnson, ATL (21 pts, 5.4 ast, 4.6 rb)
This is one of the more overrated players in the league. I would argue that despite his stats, he’s only been the third best player on a team that’s 10 games below .500. Joe has turned more and more into a “chucker” every year. Despite having three guys who are more efficient offensive players, he still chucks enough shots to score 21 points at a tad over 40% shooting. However, he does do a lot of other things for this team. He is the unquestioned leader, and plays hard on defense and runs the point a lot more than he should. So maybe he’s just looking bad because he’s had to spend so much time out of position at the point. We should see now that they have Bibby.

12. Leandro Barbosa, PHO (16.2 pts, 46% FG, 2.9 rb)
While his numbers from last year are down across the board, Barbosa is still having a pretty decent season. In case you are wondering, he is a two. He cannot run the offense, as Phoenix eventually figured out and just decided to live with. He has neither the court vision or ball-skills to run the point. His big downside is most twos can physically dominate him. But damn if he ain’t fast. And damn he sure can score.

11. Michael Redd, MIL (23.4 pts, 44% FG, 4.5 rb)
My how the mighty have fallen. This guy probably would have been top 5 last year. And his numbers aren’t down That much. So what gives? Well for one, his team is much worse with essentially the same pieces. His defense (never his calling card anyway) is a worse, and he’s just generally down across the board. Another big stats guy who can’t lead a team. And when shooting is your calling card, and you shoot only 38% from downtown, what gives?

10. Ray Allen, BOS (18.4 pts, 3.1 ast, 40% 3 pt)

Just as much as Redd and Johnson’s stats make them look better than they are, Allen’s stats don’t tell half of what he’s doing for this team. For the first time in his career, he’s given in to a defensive scheme. He’s also been a great leader for a championship-caliber team. He has diversified his game, going from a franchise player to a third-gun. He’s now doing all the little things that we used to criticize him for not doing. He’s proving to be just a winner. And you need guys like that to win titles.

9. Brandon Roy, POR (19.7 pts, 5.8 ast, 4.8 rb)

Roy has emerged as one of the league’s better shooting guards in only his second season. While his all-star birth was a little premature, there is no doubt he is on his way there. He has all the intangibles that people talk about, he can shoot, pass, rebound, defend, and run the offense. But while he might get there, he’s not better than any of the top 8. He typically gets all the credit for how good Portland’s gotten, but Aldridge, Outlaw and Jack have all been heavily slept-on. Nevertheless, Roy is their leader and best player.

8. Rip Hamilton, DET (17.9 pts, 4.2 ast, 45% FG)

He’s the leading scorer on, what i view as, the best team in the league. His numbers are down as a whole (mainly due to the emergence of the Piston bench), but his percentages are all up. So what does that say? He’s a better player this year, and he’s not going to be as worn down come playoff time.

7. Monta Ellis, GSW (19.4 pts, 4.6 rb, 53% FG)

In another column i will un-earth the Ellis/Martin debate. But for now I’ll just say that Monta has already become one of the 5 best mid-range shooters in the league, one of the top 5 quickest players in the league, and somehow, despite being vastly undersized for the two, he still pulls in almost five boards a game. He began the year as a purely offensive, but horrible +/- guy. Now he’s just a great player. He checked in on D, stopped taking those threes (21%), drives to the rack, runs the offense almost equally with Baron, and gets to the line. The Warriors better just give him the max and let his pending free agency stop there, ‘cuz this kid really is the future.

6. Kevin Martin, SAC (23.1 pts, 4.6 rb, 41% 3pt)

As i just said, the Martin/Ellis debate gets its’ own column later. But for now, K-Mart is already one of the best shooters in the league. Despite his unorthodox (to say the least) shot, he’s among the league’s most efficient players. He stays in front on defense, but lacks the bulk to avoid getting bullied. He gets better every year, and has already been decided as the Kings’ franchise player. Let’s put it this way, in an effort to stay in Sac, Ron Artest tried to persuade his way to stay by telling the Kings how much Martin loves him. He’s been top 5 for most of the year, but Iverson and T-Mac are making quite a surge.

5. Allen Iverson, DEN (26.8 pts, 7.3 ast, 45% FG)

This is how good this position is in the NBA: Iverson, a former NBA MVP, is having one of his best seasons and barely cracks the top 5 at his position. You have to love how, after 9 years in the league, he all of a sudden decided to become efficient. That was a couple years ago, and he’s shooting a career high percentage this year. Oh and, did i mention that he’s third in the league in scoring?

4. Manu Ginobili, SA (20.7 pts, 4.5 ast, 5.0 rb)

The most efficient player in the league. It seems like every year, his minutes go down and his numbers go up. This year he has been the Spurs’ best player. It was a joke that he wasn’t an all-star, but Baron Davis knows how he feels. Career highs in scoring, rebounding, 3 point shooting, assists, but also turnovers. Even though he seems like he’s playing less, he’s also setting a career high in minutes. One of the “in” observations for this year is that he’s the quietest superstar in the league. And unlike most of the “in” observations, this one’s pretty true.

3. Dwayne Wade, MIA (24.6 pts, 6.9 ast, 47% FG)

Yes he’s having a down season and his team stinks, but you are not going to convince me that Ginobili or Iverson are better than Wade at this point. Those were just factors in him going from being the most efficient player in the league (for two consecutive seasons) to being the third most efficient two-guard (behind Ginobili and Mr. #1). Plus he leads a generation of a new position. The “Lead Guard” who really plays both guard spots, didn’t become “en vogue” until Miami won the title on his back. Now there’s 5 of them in this list’s top 10 (Roy, Martin, Iverson, Wade, T-Mac, Kobe – Although to be fair, Kobe and Mac always did that). Unfortunately, the ultimate efficiency player, is now out for the year. So we have to wait ’til next year to see if he can turn that franchise around.

2. Tracy McGrady, HOU (22 pts, 5.7 ast, 4.9 rb)

There was a time when this guy was considered a cancer. Where he had a rep for hiding from defensive assignments and being a coach-killer. I talked about this in the Rockets column a couple days ago. But now, when you watch the Rockets, Mac is a true superstar. He defers to his teammates when their hot or he’s double teamed, he plays hard on D, gives out directions while still interacting with his teammates as one of them, and takes over the game when needed. It used to be that he wasn’t as good as his numbers. Now his numbers don’t even tell half the story. But he’s still not as good as the guy he’s always been compared to…..

1. Kobe Bryant, LAL (28.1 pts, 5.3 ast, 6.1 rb)

Kobe will win the MVP this year, finally. One thing to watch is the re-emergence of his old buddy T-Mac. At one point they claimed to be best friends, and they were always compared to each other. They are the only fits to be traded straight up for each other. Nevertheless, the bigger debate today is Kobe vs. Lebron. Unfortunately, everyone writes about that, so I’m not going to.