Player of the Decade
Tim Duncan
I know I am risking my reputation here as a friend right now, because I am sure that two out of three people who read this will say Kobe Bryant deserves to be in this spot. But I assure you, Kobe should not. Just to clear it up, I love Kobe Bryant, and think he is the best player in the NBA right now, and to tell the truth I have a dislike towards Tim Duncan because of the fact that I am a Nets fan and we do not take a liking to the Spurs what so ever. But Do me a favor, take Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, take away their jersey, take away their names, take away even their endorsements, and just look at the achievements, stats, consistency, and respect in basketball. Do this and you should be able to see Duncan as a consistent power machine.
Now for you fans saying “what about Shaq?” I say simply in return, what about him? Shaq will most likely go down as one of the best centers to ever play and most likely as the most dominate, but in a way, voyage from team to team was an advantage to some of his achievements. Unlike Kobe and Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal has been able to be traded from team to team playing with some of the best talents in the NBA. He has played with Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudimire, and now Lebron James, which compared to Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan who has been on the same team their whole career. For that reason I think it somewhat leaves him out of this duo competition between Duncan and Bryant because both players have had to play on the same team year to year, watch new players come in, teach young players to become who they are when they were the only talent they had besides them, and still play like stars even when their team had their struggling times.
Tim Duncan is the man on my list, and not by a landslide or anything like, because Kobe is dangerously right behind him. Though Kobe has the scoring titles, and he has the spectacular moves still that you always see on Sports Center, Tim Duncan is the is all basketball learning over the past 50 years put into one body. His fundamental dominate the league, to his post move hook shot, to his very basic backboard jump shot, that to an extent is as deadly as any other players best move. He has never had a season shooting under 50% from the field and is a two time MVP with Three championship rings in the decade. I don’t think there is a better player to learn off of right here, he can with ease go down as one of or the best power forwards to ever play the game, and today still dominates the game showing the simplest basketball tactics and skills can control a team, or even a league.
PPG REB AST BL FGP
Tim Duncan
Career Stats: 21.4 11.7 3.2 2.3 .509%
Decade Achievements:
9 time All-Star
2 time Most Valuable Player (2001-2002, 2002-2003)
3 time NBA Champion (2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2006-2007)
2 time Finals MVP (2002-2003, 2004-2005)
The Decade Team
G: Jason Kidd
G: Kobe Bryant
F: Tim Duncan
F: Kevin Garnnet
C: Shaquille O’Neal
6th man: Allen Iverson
Every player shown on this list has shown their dominance through out their careers and has carried their time for long stretches of time with their individual talents. Yes as you noticed I did add a 6th man spot; because the truth is that you can not leave Allen Iverson out of this list, or Jason Kidd. With out angering thoughts, or comments, let me explain. Jason Kidd and Allen Iverson could be easily switched, but I do believe as a player Jason Kidd has shown dominance maybe not in scoring but everything else, and with his leadership he has been able to help or carry teams to places they have never experienced. He has made player gone from your typical player to a factor that opponents would have to deal with. To sum it up Jason Kidd is that rare point guard that comes around not so often and shows that you don’t have to be a scoring machine to be a Hall of Fame prospect.
Other than that, the other spots should be very clear to any fan of the sport. Garnnet and Duncan have both shown their offensive and defensive force on the court as they dominated the power forward spot for most of the decade. Shaquille O’Neal has shown a player that would bring the center position dominance back on the map, as he would easily muscle his performance on any opponent, and Kobe Bryant, his once team mate, showed a guard like player that could accomplish any thing when he had the ball, that hasn’t been shown since the good ol’ Jordan days.
Team of the Decade
Los Angeles Lakers
As a browse many other lists and opinions like the one I am writing now, I see the Spurs stealing this spot on most occasions, but I find myself seeing it differently. If this list was about what team has shown consistent dominance every year through out this decade then I would check the Spurs on that one. But that is not the question. The question is “What was the best team this decade?” and that should and is the Los Angeles Lakers.
When you are a team looking to win it all every season, going out fighting your hardest and trying to win that championship, that describes the Lakers right their, who have won 4 NBA championship compared to the Spurs 3 NBA championships. The Lakers have been to the NBA finals six times in the past ten years and out of that six won four of them, where the Spurs have only been to the finals 3 times. Now you could easily throw out that the Spurs at many points showed better seasons and more consistent winning records then the Lakers who missed the Playoffs on year in the somewhat recession Shaquille O’Neal left them in, I say to that, Lakers won more Championships, and have been to the finals more times then the Spurs.
So when you break it down just know this, there is no moral victory, it’s not about what you did in the season, for these kinds of teams it’s if you won it all that really matters at the end.
Year Performance of the Decade
Allen Iverson
The Philadelphia would have been a weak team this decade if it wasn’t for one guy giving them a great start in the new millennium. That would be of course Allen Iverson who was one of the best scorers in the league and with that fact carried the Philadelphia 76ers to the Finals in the 2000-2001 season against the Los Angeles Lakers where he would average 35.6 points per game in the series. Unfortunately they lost the series 4-1, but Iverson’s deserving MVP season was not forgotten. Allen Iverson proved right their, as he won yet another scoring title and led in steals that season, that he was probably one of the best scorers and smallest players to ever play the game.
PPG AST REB STL
Allen Iverson
2000-2001 Stats: 31.1 4.6 3.8 2.5
Rookie Performance of the Decade
Lebron James / Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose was the first pick of the 08-09 draft and proved why he was. Though he didn’t score 20 points per game like many other rookies of the decade it’s the other factors that were spectacular. He shot a higher field goal percentage then 7 of the other 8 rookie of the years the decade (Okafor, Roy, Lebron, Miller, Durant, Amare, Paul) only Rookie of the Year who had one higher was Pau Gasol. He showed huge performances in the playoff and in a way led the Bulls team deep into the first round of the playoffs. Now it got complicated for myself to choose between these two, so I had to make it a tie. Lebron James quickly came into the league in that 03-04 season and showed a solid glimpse of exactly what he was capable of. He was the only rookie out of three others to average 20 points per game, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, their rookie season. Oh and just to mention the other two rookies were Michael Jordon and Oscar Robinson, so I wouldn’t say that’s too shabby. Both players showed similar but different talents, Rose became a smart point guard as a rookie and showed his talents along with his leadership for his new team already, as Lebron struggled with being consistent with becoming consistent with leadership and his skill, but he still went all out and showed the possibility of what to come from him.
Player PPG AST: REB FGP TO
Rose: 16.8 6.3 3.9 .475 % 2.4
James: 20.9 5.5 5.9 .417 % 3.4
Game Performance of the decade
Kobe Bryant
Probably the only one were you don’t have to involve much thinking and problem solving. Kobe scored 81 points and outscored the Toronto Raptors by himself. Enough said.
Shot of the Decade
Robert Horry
Any other shot this decade didn’t bring a shoot of adrenaline and excitement as the shot Robert Horry made against the Kings in 2002 playoffs. All that happened was a desperate tip out by Shaquille O’Neal with less then two seconds left and a quick release by Robert Horry that kept the Lakers in the Playoffs, and added to his name “Big Shot Rob”. People overhyped the shot that Lebron James made on the Magic in the 2009 playoffs series, which they still lost 4-1, but the only other shot that could be here is Devin Harris’s half court game winner against the Sixers in 2009.
Best Draft Picks of the Decade
Name Pick Draft
Marc Gasol Pick: 47 2007 Draft
Rajon Rondo Pick: 21 2006 Draft
Paul Millsap Pick: 47 2006 Draft
Monte Ellis Pick: 40 2005 Draft
Danny Granger Pick: 17 2005 Draft
David Lee Pick: 30 2005 Draft
Josh Smith Pick: 17 2004 Draft
Kevin Martin Pick: 27 2004 Draft
Mo Williams Pick: 47 2003 Draft
Carlos Boozer Pick: 35 2003 Draft
Luis Scola Pick: 57 2002 Draft
Tony Parker Pick: 28 2001 Draft
Gilbert Arenas Pick: 31 2001 Draft
Michael Redd Pick: 43 2000 Draft
Worst Draft Picks of the Decade
Name Pick Draft
Shelden Williams Pick: 5 2006 Draft
Shaun Livingston Pick: 4 2004 Draft
Rafael Araujo Pick: 8 2004 Draft
Darko Milicic Pick: 2 2003 Draft
Kwame Brown Pick: 1 2001 Draft
Trades of the Decade
Trail Blazers traded the rights to Randy Foye to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rights to Brandon Roy
Alright now that we see this Draft trade was not the best idea for a rebuilding T’Wolves orginazation. Randy Foye so far looks only as good to be a solid mediocre starter as for Roy who is turning out to be one of the best guards in the NBA.
Los Angeles Lakers traded Caron Butler, and Chucky Atkins for Kwame Brown
Obvoiusly this one went on the Wizards side of it. Caron served as player who was still growing in talent and showed his scoring skills once he landed on the Wizards as Kwame served as that draft pick who never was and Atkins just played little minutes on the side
Jason Kidd for Stephon Marbury
Well lets put it this way, Suns took the shoot first point guard in Marbury and sent away the all around talent player in Kidd who would take the Nets to two championships right after this trade.
