Post by Funky George! on Nov 7, 2009 13:01:56 GMT -5
Parity is a recent phenomenon in BBS. It seems talent in the league is balancing out, as contenders have had hard times adding to their cores while staying under the Hard Cap. The beneficiaries involved have been teams with cap and flexibility, and a lot of teams have improved of late, but it is hard to point to truly great teams in BBS. However, parity has no correlation with the absence of superstars. Truly great players are still out there in BBS, and recently, some GMs have pronounced their guys the best player in the league. We take a look at the top talents in BBS, ranking them based abilities alone - keep in mind, value is not a consideration in these rankings.
1. Oscar Robertson, Phoenix Suns
A franchise piece nonetheless at Small Forward, Oscar is clearly best-suited at Point Guard. The Suns are misusing Oscar, but he is able to do things no player in the history of BBS has done before. DellJuan Pearson may outplay him at SF (this is debatable - Oscar shoots better percentages, records more rebounds and assists, and fewer turnovers than Pearson), but Oscar is coming off a season in which he put up 25 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds per game. This stat line is completely unprecedented in BBS. He is an efficient scorer, brilliant from the foul line, and one of the best defenders in the league. Oscar is approaching 100 career triple-doubles, which has to be a BBS record.
2. Jerry West, New York Knicks
West has a career average of 32.7 points per game. He has had the benefit of a late start to his career, but this is a full four more points per game than Pearson's career average. What this means is that we may be looking at the best scorer in league history. West has yet to average below 30 points in a season, and has done it on a career average of 49% shooting. And there really isn't a weakness in sight for West. He is a great passer, ball theft and defender in general. He also has low turnovers and a deadly three-point shot.
3. DellJuan Pearson, Portland Trailblazers
It seems that in ranking Pearson so low on this list, the writeup on him would need to criticize his game. I don't think that's necessary, but all I will say is that Pearson's offensive game isn't quite as efficient or really as good as the two guys above him. If he scores more points than they do, it's because he's going to take more shots. However, for all-around ability, it does not get better than Pearson. He's a great scorer and rebounder, and a guy capable of doing 4+ blocks and steals a night, combined. Pearson's a good passer, though his assist to turnover ratio isn't stellar. He may be the biggest name in BBS, but for now, I think there a few guys out there who are better contributors.
4. Bob Love, New York Knicks
Love is the first big man to appear on this list. He is hands down the best big in BBS, and right now is having the best year of this group of guys. I can't remember the last time a big man went for 33 points and 13 rebounds a night - perhaps it has not been done before in BBS? Love would be atop this list if he blocked more shots; he is a good shotblocker, but he is far from dominant, and the guys ahead of him fill the stat sheet in more ways than Love does. However, if he maintains his statistics this year, it will be hard to argue that he is not the best player in BBS. And given the lack of franchise-type pieces among BBS big men, he has to be the most valuable player in BBS. That's not a factor in these rankings, but it emphasizes that fact that the Sonics gave him up for far too little.
5. Jim Barnett, Washington Wizards
Barnett rounds out the top five as the best defender on this list. The Wizards have some deficiencies holding them back from dominating, but Barnett's presence guarantees their status as a contender. Barnett is a shutdown defender, and he will finish among the league leaders in steals. His offense is on par with his defense. He's one of the best scorers at the point guard position, and keeps a very impressive assist to turnover ratio - a ridiculous 5.5:1 last year. Barnett is an incredibly efficient player without a weakness - everything he is relied upon to do, he does exceptionally well. The guys above him may put up more overwhelming stats, but Barnett is awfully close, and there are facets of his game in which he excels over just about anyone in BBS.
6. Percy Jackson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Surprised? You shouldn't be. Percy has stepped his game up in recent years, and now is a bona fide superstar. Percy has somehow become a 30 points per game scorer, one of the best shotblocking wings in BBS, and a player without weaknesses. His field goal percentages have climbed their way up towards 47-48%, he doesn't turn the ball over, he steals and blocks, he rebounds and passes well, and he is one of the best scorers in the league. Percy has become a do-it-all who really isn't that far behind the production offered by guys like DellJuan Pearson and Oscar Robertson.
7. Andres Kemp, San Antonio Spurs
6 BPG+SPG from a Small Forward is just crazy. Kemp is the best statistical defend perhaps ever to play at his position. He offers pretty crappy efficiency offensively, having shot 42% from the field last year, and sitting at around 44.5% for his career. But for what he offers defensively, the fact that he can score in the range of 25 points a night puts him over the top as a player. Kemp keeps very low turnovers, is a good rebounder and passer for his position, and is a total shutdown defender. Everyone knows how much steals and blocks mean in BBS, so it's not hard to argue the Kemp is a superstar.
8. Rory Davis, Utah Jazz
Rory has gotten old, but he is the second best big man in BBS to this day. He remains one of the best scorers, rebounders, and shotblockers at his position. Trace your finger across his stat line and everything he does will impress you: his 22 points per game are among the most for big men; same for his 11.6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3.6 blocks, 51% FG and 88% FT rates. He's not a sexy pick, and he's often overlooked, but Rory's production is undeniable, and although he's lost his value at 33, he remains a dominant player.
9. Nate Archibald, Utah Jazz
The point guard position is getting weaker, but Archibald has stepped up this year as a force at the 1. His 7:1 assist to turnover ratio is almost unprecedented in BBS - he ranks among the likes of DJ Augustin in his efficiency as a distributor. Tiny has also developed into a dynamic scorer, doing 22 points a night. Point guards are what make great teams tick in BBS, and Tiny ranks among the best scorers and passers we've seen at the position. His star is rising fast, as the Jazz are riding a low turnover, high octane offense to great play through 41 games.
10. Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Boston Celtics
KAJ continues to develop, and right now, he has become the second best center in BBS. His game needs to continue to grow, but he does 24 points and 12 rebounds a night for the Celtics. Those numbers are too rare to not make this list. He does above two blocks a nigh and is incredible from the foul line. Jabbar has a long way to go before being considered among the all-time greats, but he puts up numbers that no other center is doing right now, and given his team's dominance, he belongs on this list.
Honorable Mention-
Walt "Clyde" Frazier- a brilliant passer, scorer, and defender, but his turnovers are quite high, ranking him just below Tiny among PGs.
Eldridge Webb- A great, very efficient PG, but not an amazing scorer. He just misses this list, and might make it if his team were any good.
Charles Beasley- See above, basically. Beasley is a beast scorer, but his assists are a bit low and his turnovers a bit high for this list.
Amon Cummings- Might be the second best scoring big in BBS, but he's playing like shit this year, and isn't a great shotblocker.
Artis Gilmore- His rebounding and shotblocking are all-world, but he needs to be better from the field. Might be the most promising piece to build around in BBS.
Rick Barry- We've seen what he's capable of, but his production has tailed off considerably.
Dmitri Maximov- It's much the same for Maximov. He's a great point guard, but his production has been much better in the past.
The Next Generation
These are guys who I think will make this list at some point in their careers, but are not yet ready: Pete Maravich, Dan Issel, Spencer Haywood, Julius Erving, Bingo Smith
1. Oscar Robertson, Phoenix Suns
A franchise piece nonetheless at Small Forward, Oscar is clearly best-suited at Point Guard. The Suns are misusing Oscar, but he is able to do things no player in the history of BBS has done before. DellJuan Pearson may outplay him at SF (this is debatable - Oscar shoots better percentages, records more rebounds and assists, and fewer turnovers than Pearson), but Oscar is coming off a season in which he put up 25 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds per game. This stat line is completely unprecedented in BBS. He is an efficient scorer, brilliant from the foul line, and one of the best defenders in the league. Oscar is approaching 100 career triple-doubles, which has to be a BBS record.
2. Jerry West, New York Knicks
West has a career average of 32.7 points per game. He has had the benefit of a late start to his career, but this is a full four more points per game than Pearson's career average. What this means is that we may be looking at the best scorer in league history. West has yet to average below 30 points in a season, and has done it on a career average of 49% shooting. And there really isn't a weakness in sight for West. He is a great passer, ball theft and defender in general. He also has low turnovers and a deadly three-point shot.
3. DellJuan Pearson, Portland Trailblazers
It seems that in ranking Pearson so low on this list, the writeup on him would need to criticize his game. I don't think that's necessary, but all I will say is that Pearson's offensive game isn't quite as efficient or really as good as the two guys above him. If he scores more points than they do, it's because he's going to take more shots. However, for all-around ability, it does not get better than Pearson. He's a great scorer and rebounder, and a guy capable of doing 4+ blocks and steals a night, combined. Pearson's a good passer, though his assist to turnover ratio isn't stellar. He may be the biggest name in BBS, but for now, I think there a few guys out there who are better contributors.
4. Bob Love, New York Knicks
Love is the first big man to appear on this list. He is hands down the best big in BBS, and right now is having the best year of this group of guys. I can't remember the last time a big man went for 33 points and 13 rebounds a night - perhaps it has not been done before in BBS? Love would be atop this list if he blocked more shots; he is a good shotblocker, but he is far from dominant, and the guys ahead of him fill the stat sheet in more ways than Love does. However, if he maintains his statistics this year, it will be hard to argue that he is not the best player in BBS. And given the lack of franchise-type pieces among BBS big men, he has to be the most valuable player in BBS. That's not a factor in these rankings, but it emphasizes that fact that the Sonics gave him up for far too little.
5. Jim Barnett, Washington Wizards
Barnett rounds out the top five as the best defender on this list. The Wizards have some deficiencies holding them back from dominating, but Barnett's presence guarantees their status as a contender. Barnett is a shutdown defender, and he will finish among the league leaders in steals. His offense is on par with his defense. He's one of the best scorers at the point guard position, and keeps a very impressive assist to turnover ratio - a ridiculous 5.5:1 last year. Barnett is an incredibly efficient player without a weakness - everything he is relied upon to do, he does exceptionally well. The guys above him may put up more overwhelming stats, but Barnett is awfully close, and there are facets of his game in which he excels over just about anyone in BBS.
6. Percy Jackson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Surprised? You shouldn't be. Percy has stepped his game up in recent years, and now is a bona fide superstar. Percy has somehow become a 30 points per game scorer, one of the best shotblocking wings in BBS, and a player without weaknesses. His field goal percentages have climbed their way up towards 47-48%, he doesn't turn the ball over, he steals and blocks, he rebounds and passes well, and he is one of the best scorers in the league. Percy has become a do-it-all who really isn't that far behind the production offered by guys like DellJuan Pearson and Oscar Robertson.
7. Andres Kemp, San Antonio Spurs
6 BPG+SPG from a Small Forward is just crazy. Kemp is the best statistical defend perhaps ever to play at his position. He offers pretty crappy efficiency offensively, having shot 42% from the field last year, and sitting at around 44.5% for his career. But for what he offers defensively, the fact that he can score in the range of 25 points a night puts him over the top as a player. Kemp keeps very low turnovers, is a good rebounder and passer for his position, and is a total shutdown defender. Everyone knows how much steals and blocks mean in BBS, so it's not hard to argue the Kemp is a superstar.
8. Rory Davis, Utah Jazz
Rory has gotten old, but he is the second best big man in BBS to this day. He remains one of the best scorers, rebounders, and shotblockers at his position. Trace your finger across his stat line and everything he does will impress you: his 22 points per game are among the most for big men; same for his 11.6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3.6 blocks, 51% FG and 88% FT rates. He's not a sexy pick, and he's often overlooked, but Rory's production is undeniable, and although he's lost his value at 33, he remains a dominant player.
9. Nate Archibald, Utah Jazz
The point guard position is getting weaker, but Archibald has stepped up this year as a force at the 1. His 7:1 assist to turnover ratio is almost unprecedented in BBS - he ranks among the likes of DJ Augustin in his efficiency as a distributor. Tiny has also developed into a dynamic scorer, doing 22 points a night. Point guards are what make great teams tick in BBS, and Tiny ranks among the best scorers and passers we've seen at the position. His star is rising fast, as the Jazz are riding a low turnover, high octane offense to great play through 41 games.
10. Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Boston Celtics
KAJ continues to develop, and right now, he has become the second best center in BBS. His game needs to continue to grow, but he does 24 points and 12 rebounds a night for the Celtics. Those numbers are too rare to not make this list. He does above two blocks a nigh and is incredible from the foul line. Jabbar has a long way to go before being considered among the all-time greats, but he puts up numbers that no other center is doing right now, and given his team's dominance, he belongs on this list.
Honorable Mention-
Walt "Clyde" Frazier- a brilliant passer, scorer, and defender, but his turnovers are quite high, ranking him just below Tiny among PGs.
Eldridge Webb- A great, very efficient PG, but not an amazing scorer. He just misses this list, and might make it if his team were any good.
Charles Beasley- See above, basically. Beasley is a beast scorer, but his assists are a bit low and his turnovers a bit high for this list.
Amon Cummings- Might be the second best scoring big in BBS, but he's playing like shit this year, and isn't a great shotblocker.
Artis Gilmore- His rebounding and shotblocking are all-world, but he needs to be better from the field. Might be the most promising piece to build around in BBS.
Rick Barry- We've seen what he's capable of, but his production has tailed off considerably.
Dmitri Maximov- It's much the same for Maximov. He's a great point guard, but his production has been much better in the past.
The Next Generation
These are guys who I think will make this list at some point in their careers, but are not yet ready: Pete Maravich, Dan Issel, Spencer Haywood, Julius Erving, Bingo Smith