SI's Best Player Alive...

[murksiderock]

My best player alive since 2000

2000: Shaq
2001: Shaq
2002: Duncan
2003: Duncan
2004: Garnett
2005: Duncan
2006: Kobe
2007: Kobe
2008: Kobe
2009: LeBron
2010: LeBron
2011: D-Rose
2012: LeBron
2013: LeBron
2014: LeBron
2015: Steph
2016: Steph
2017: Kawhi
2018: LeBron
2019: Kawhi
2020: Giannis

I mean this ain't the worst thing I've seen lol...

I'd give Giannis both this year and last, since the actual two best players were hurt and Giannis folded in the ECF, but because he had a better year than Kawhi up to that point, he still gets '19...

It's hard to give Steph any year because of how he got outplayed in both Finals, but I already spoke on that. Hell no for Rose in '11, come on lmao...

Anything from '07 backwards to '02 is a toss up that could go to one of at least two guys each year, but I all your picks make sense...

LeBron was also a DPoY runner-up in 2009.

This is Jerry West, Mr. Laker and the guy who discovered Kobe at the time calling LeBron the best player in the league...

1. LeBron was a much greater defensive player than he gets credit for in present day. And particularly the way he ramps up his defensive play every postseason most if not all of his career, is something that will be more commended when he's gone.

None of the superstars of the 2010s (and honestly mostly everyone of the 00s too, besides Duncan) reach that level in the playoffs, it's one of several differentiators that should be spoken of more and I think will be when he retires...

2. We all honor West's legacy as an evaluator and basketball head, and we all know if Logo was praising anybody else like this, it would be enshrined on a plaque around here...

LeBron was the undisputed best player in the world in 2013.

66 win season, 27 game winning streak, 27/8/7 on 57/41/75 splits, led the league in all advanced stats, won the championship.

I almost gave KD 2014 on my list. He was the best player during the regular season but he lost to the Spurs and got outplayed by Russell in the WCF.

My KD thing is similar to KG in '04, at least I'm consistent lol...

He had the best individual year. You can't come in and scoop best player from a guy who, to that point, not only wasn't showing decline but had proven to be a greater player than you since you entered your prime 4 years earlier. It's hard for me to say a guy is unseated as the best player unless a pattern is established, if the incumbent has a history of being the superior player...

The idea that KD was a better player than LeBron wasn't spoken by anybody in real time in '14, and is re-envisioned retroactively on this board for all of the reasons we know why...

 

[GreatestLaker]

2000: Shaq
2001: Shaq
2002: Shaq
2003: Duncan (Tough year to rank. Kobe, Shaq, KG and T-Mac all had strong cases that year.)
2004: Garnett
2005: Garnett (people usually leave KG off the list for this year because the Wolves missed the playoffs but he was just as good as he was in 04. He shouldn't be punished for having shytty teammates)
2006: Kobe
2007: Kobe
2008: Kobe
2009: Kobe
2010: LeBron
2011: LeBron
2012: LeBron
2013: LeBron
2014: Durant
2015: LeBron
2016: Steph
2017: LeBron
2018: LeBron
2019: Kawhi
2020: Kawhi

 

[ISO]

I mean this ain't the worst thing I've seen lol...

I'd give Giannis both this year and last, since the actual two best players were hurt and Giannis folded in the ECF, but because he had a better year than Kawhi up to that point, he still gets '19...

It's hard to give Steph any year because of how he got outplayed in both Finals, but I already spoke on that. Hell no for Rose in '11, come on lmao...

Anything from '07 backwards to '02 is a toss up that could go to one of at least two guys each year, but I all your picks make sense...



1. LeBron was a much greater defensive player than he gets credit for in present day. And particularly the way he ramps up his defensive play every postseason most if not all of his career, is something that will be more commended when he's gone.

None of the superstars of the 2010s (and honestly mostly everyone of the 00s too, besides Duncan) reach that level in the playoffs, it's one of several differentiators that should be spoken of more and I think will be when he retires...

2. We all honor West's legacy as an evaluator and basketball head, and we all know if Logo was praising anybody else like this, it would be enshrined on a plaque around here...



My KD thing is similar to KG in '04, at least I'm consistent lol...

He had the best individual year. You can't come in and scoop best player from a guy who, to that point, not only wasn't showing decline but had proven to be a greater player than you since you entered your prime 4 years earlier. It's hard for me to say a guy is unseated as the best player unless a pattern is established, if the incumbent has a history of being the superior player...

The idea that KD was a better player than LeBron wasn't spoken by anybody in real time in '14, and is re-envisioned retroactively on this board for all of the reasons we know why...

2014 is when I first started hearing rumbles of people thinking KD was better. I had them neck and neck. LeBron had been coasting through the season meanwhile KD had carried OKC through a Westbrook-less stretch and had the most dominant regular season. In the playoffs Westbrook then went onto outplay KD.

2015 was LeBron's first year in Cleveland. That regular season for his standard marked a decline he was struggling with back issues and was looking less explosive than in previous years. In terms of the 'lytics it was one of his worse seasons since the early part of his career. That year also marked Steph's ascension by leading the Dubs to 67 wins and winning the championship I have to give him the best player alive title. I also feel he got robbed of the Finals MVP.

And while Steph choked the title in 2016, his regular season dominance and really his dominance up to those last 3 Finals games can't be ignored. 73-9, 30 points, 7 dimes, 2 steals, 50/40/90. What LeBron and Kyrie did to ramp up like that and avalanche the Warriors it was special.

I gave '11 to Rose off a personal vendetta I got with the '11 version of LeBron. D-Rose led a 62 win team, was the best crunch time player in the game that season, put up 25/7, he had the highlights and narrative. LeBron had lost some of the explosiveness he had in Cleveland and the hiearchy in Miami between he and Wade hadn't been established. LeBron went on to go out sad in the Finals. He was technically the best player though.

 

[Sccit]

LeBron not in your top 10 then? Because I know nobody is putting Dominique Wilkins in their top 10 that's for damn sure

NO BUT THATS DUE TO THEIR LACK OF SUCCESS FROM A CHAMPIONSHIP PERSPECTIVE

LEBRON WOULD BE RANKED MUCH HIGHER AT 5/9 INSTEAD OF 3/9

 

[murksiderock]

2014 is when I first started hearing rumbles of people thinking KD was better. I had them neck and neck. LeBron had been coasting through the season meanwhile KD had carried OKC through a Westbrook-less stretch and had the most dominant regular season. In the playoffs Westbrook then went onto outplay KD.

2015 was LeBron's first year in Cleveland. That regular season for his standard marked a decline he was struggling with back issues and was looking less explosive than in previous years. In terms of the 'lytics it was one of his worse seasons since the early part of his career. That year also marked Steph's ascension by leading the Dubs to 67 wins and winning the championship I have to give him the best player alive title. I also feel he got robbed of the Finals MVP.

And while Steph choked the title in 2016, his regular season dominance and really his dominance up to those last 3 Finals games can't be ignored. 73-9, 30 points, 7 dimes, 2 steals, 50/40/90. What LeBron and Kyrie did to ramp up like that and avalanche the Warriors it was special.

I've been on record here as '14 was the time Durant entered the conversation with Bron, I remember that. But it was, "is this guy as good as LeBron", not "this guy is better than LeBron". The latter wasn't a popular opinion until KD won in '17, and even then wasn't a consensus...

I do remember thinking '15 was the sign of decline from LeBron, and being a little upset that I wasn't a fan before the '13 chip (I routed fir SA that Finals), feeling like I spent his prime disliking dude without warrant, and now he was done...

Then the '15 playoffs came and reasserted himself...

Steph deserved FMVP but wasn't the best player on the floor; this interview was given during the postgame G5 '15 and literally nobody in real time disagreed with it. All the talk that Finals was how Bron shouldered the task of shifting his game to give the Cavs a shot, as normally he's a much more efficient player. Nobody disagreed in real time that he was better than Steph:



'16 for sure, Steph was iconic, his GOAT year my be the best individual year I've ever seen. And that year, coming off MVP and a chip and steamrolling to another one, he was argued as the best player in the world for sure. I'd give it to him if they held on, but watching him be outplayed not only by Bron in two straight Finals, but also by his match, with the widely held belief that were Kyrie healthy in '15 he gets his shyt ate too, I can't give it to Steph...

I guess I'm able to compartmentalize shyt differently, like I recognize guys having better individual runs, but there has to be a pattern for me to unseat an incumbent!

 

[stepbackj34spud]

Couple things:
Garnett was definitely the best player in the league in 04. From what I remember, there was little argument that he was the mvp and the best in the league in 04. The whole story was that he finally had some help with Sprewell and Cassell.

Nash, CP3 and Dirk were never the best players in the league. Dirk losing in the first round as a #1 seed(even though it was a matchup nightmare) is unforgivable and should be held against his legacy. How many different allstar teammates did Dirk have throughout his prime?

 

[Ben.]

fukk 2011 Bron

cmon Breh I know the Finals fukked his shyt up but before that he was still seen as the #1 player before that.

Faced the two best defenses in the NBA (both of which had below 100 DRtg, like some shyt you would see in the deadball era) and averaged 27/8/5/2/1.8 on 46/41/76 in the ten games against the Celtics and the Bulls. DWade was the better player in the Boston series but Bron wasn't no slouch in that series either and Bron was much better than Wade in the series vs. the Bulls while playing elite level defense. His reg season was not great for his standards and he had a lot of low moments but 2011 is a weird year to give someone best player cuz Rose, Wade, Dirk, and Bron all had good cases.

Also 2017 Kawhi (I would think Durant or Bron) and Curry '15 and '16 (Although I'm more against 2016 due to Curry being injured most of the playoffs and poor performance in the Finals).

 

[Yayo Toure]

Kevin garnett so overrated. Great player but he could never close games. The man couldn't get out the first round until Cassel and Spree came along. Talk about his supporting cast all you want but not getting out the first round is very telling, especially if you are a MVP caliber player. Same goes for TMac

 

[ISO]

Kevin garnett so overrated. Great player but he could never close games. The man couldn't get out the first round until Cassel and Spree came along. Talk about his supporting cast all you want but not getting out the first round is very telling, especially if you are a MVP caliber player. Same goes for TMac

Yeah it’s very telling that their teams were garbage

 

[Devil Plisken…CMS]

Kevin garnett so overrated. Great player but he could never close games.

Do you mind talking your shyt for a minute? Please elaborate because that's the EXACT same guy I remembered from years ago

 

[Dwight Howard]

What case does Kobe have over Garnett in ‘04?

He averaged 24/5/5 it was one of his least efficient seasons 44/32/85 splits. He played poorly in the Finals in a loss.

He straight up did not have a better year than Garnett and did not impact the game as much as a two-way beast like peak KG.

Kobe’s aesthetic game, accolades to that point, and popularity may have had him as the best player especially to casual fans. But he has no case over KG who had an All-Time great big man season.

KG is underrated from playing with trash supporting casts in Minnesota.

Nobody is taking KG over Kobe in 04. You dudes rely WAY to heavily on stats cause you obviously werent watching basketball back then.

 

[Dwight Howard]

In real time, nobody saw Steve Nash or Dirk or Chris Paul as the actual best player in the league even when they had MVP seasons. Nobody was calling Kawhi the best either last season until the end of the Finals, Giannis was looked at as the best all year long. The criteria here seems iffy but as long as it gets clicks

Giannis has never been considered better than KD

 

[Dwight Howard]

You most have a shytty memory then. You couldn't watch ESPN, Fox sports or any basketball without them calling KG the best player in 04. That was the only year where he was the consensus best player.

Cap

 

[xXMASHERXx]

Its seems like a lot of people are confusing having the best season with being the best player. Maybe that's why Kobe isn't getting the credit he deserves and some others are getting way more credit than they do. Kawhi and Steph have never been the best player in the league.

 

[GreatestLaker]

Kevin garnett so overrated. Great player but he could never close games. The man couldn't get out the first round until Cassel and Spree came along. Talk about his supporting cast all you want but not getting out the first round is very telling, especially if you are a MVP caliber player. Same goes for TMac

KG was surrounded by trash every year in his career when he was in Minny except for 04. You really here hyping up a 34 year old Sam Cassell and a 33 year old Sprewell breh?