Who are the leagues TRUE Franchise Players?

[WiggyRuss]

How many TRUE franchise players are out there in the league right now? And how you define TRUE franchise player? I define it as a guy that can be the #1 guy on a team that can win a playoff series and get their team in the conversation to get to the NBA Finals

The obvious big time guys are these 9- some people would say these are the only "true franchise" guys in the league.....

1. LeBron
2. Curry
3. Davis
4. Durant
5. Westbrook
6. CP3
7. Harden
8. M. Gasol
9. Alridge

The next tier are great players....and i cant come to the conclusion they are not "franchise" guys

10. Paul George (dont forget how great he is)
11. Blake Griffin
12. John Wall
13. DeMarcus Cousins
14. Carmelo (maybe the hardest guy to rank on the list)
15. Al Horford
16. Kyle Lowry
17. Joakim Noah

now i get into some strange questions- Klay Thompson is great- I would rather have him than Dwade- but Dwade has been the DEFINIITON of a franchise player, but is just getting older and declining while Klay is not even his teams best player- and he is only getting better. How do you rank those guys? I think I give the nod to Wade still at THIS point. - and are EITHER "franchise guys" right now?

17. Dwayne Wade
18. Tim Duncan
19. Kobe Bryant
20. Dirk Nowitzki
21. Tony Parker

the next group is probably more talented than the previous- but just maybe have not yet hit their primes, or have not yet developed that IT factor to lead a team. Id certainly consider building a "franchise" around a lot of these guys though- does that make them "franchise players"? A lot of these guys would or have already gotten the "max" and many of them will someday get the "max".

22. Kyrie Irving
23. Klay Thompson
24. Damian Lillard
25. E. Bledsoe
26. Giannis A.
27. Jimmy Butler
28. A. Drummond
29. A. Wiggins
30. J. Parker
31. N. Vucevic
32. V. Oladipo
33. B. Beal
34. R. Gobert
35. D. Green
36. B. Knight
37. T. Harris
38. A. Whiteside
39. A. Len

This next group has a lot of players in it that are max guys- that are in their prime all stars- and many should be ahead of the other guys- but the other guys are young, cheap, the best young players in the league and if they hit their potential COULD be "franchise guys"....many of these next players DO deserve to be ahead of the other group- but I was trying to keep the groups somewhat the same. Some of these guys are "franchsie guys" - like an Al Jefferson- but arent GREAT players- they just make a ton of money on a mediocre team. Does being the highest paid player, and the go to player make you a "franchise guy"- i would assume when people think of the BobCats they think - Al Jefferson is their franchsie player....?

40. Kevin Love
41. Chris Bosh
42. DeAndre Jordan
42. G. Heyward
43. Ibaka
44. M. Conley
45. D. Howard
46. DeRozan
47. Dragic
48. Pau
49. Lawson
50. Korver
51. Milsap
52. Teague
53. Rubio
54. ZBo
55. Jefferson
56. K. Walker
57. D. Rose
58. J. Johnson

I am sure I missed a guy or two- and its a funky way of doing it- but like i said- im interested in knowing how people define a franchise guy- and how they look at young talented guys that COULD be. Like i said-maybe only the top 9 guys are FRANCHISE players....

 

[wildturkey]

Truthfully, you could probably stop at 7

 

[podsox]

is there such a thing anymore? number 1 on your list has left 2 teams

 

[gordontrue]

is there such a thing anymore? number 1 on your list has left 2 teams

Was Wilt a franchise player? How about Kareem? Shaq? Wilt? Dr J? Moses Malone?

Just a few guys off the top of my head that left their team in their prime.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

only one player in your top 17 has a ring with any team

None of them won anything for their franchise

only 4 have gotten out of the 2nd round for that matter

a lot of the 'CP3 lifetime achievement award winners'

 

[podsox]

Was Wilt a franchise player? How about Kareem? Shaq? Wilt? Dr J? Moses Malone?

Just a few guys off the top of my head that left their team in their prime.

nope

 

[trojanfan12]

Was Wilt a franchise player? How about Kareem? Shaq? Wilt? Dr J? Moses Malone?

Just a few guys off the top of my head that left their team in their prime.

Seriously?!? The only one of those players that you mentioned who changed teams in free agency was Moses Malone and even that wasn't until later in his career. He initially ended up in the NBA because the ABA folded and his team (The Spirit of St. Louis) wasn't one of the the teams that merged with the NBA. His rights were traded from the Trailblazers to the Buffalo Braves who traded him after 2 games to the Rockets. In 1982, the Rockets were rebuilding their roster and decided to allow Malone, who was a restricted FA, to explore his options. He accepted an offer from the 76ers, the Rockets matched and then turned around and traded him to the 76ers.

Wilt was traded from the 76ers to the Lakers.

Kareem was traded from Milwaukee to the Lakers. Although, to be fair, he requested a trade to New York or Los Angeles because Milwaukee didn't fit his needs culturally.

Dr. J was traded from the Nets to the 76ers when the New York Knicks demanded a $4.8 million payment from the Nets for "invading" their territory. The Nets couldn't pay both the payment to the Knicks and give Dr. J the raise they had promised him. The Nets offered Dr. J's contract to the Knicks in lieu of the payment. The Knicks, in one of the worst decisions in NBA history, declined to accept that offer. The 76ers then offered to buy Dr. J's contract for $3 million and the Nets had little choice but to accept.

I know that you're not really a Cavs fan, nor were you a Heat fan, you're a Lebron fan. But the fact is that Lebron chose to leave Cleveland to go to Miami and then chose to leave Miami to return to Cleveland. So, Lebron has chosen to leave teams twice, while the players you listed were either traded or sold.

 

[trojanfan12]

As for the question. It depends on the definition of "franchise player." If by franchise player, you mean, the guy that the team is built around or the "face of the franchise." Often, they are the same thing, but sometimes they aren't.

For example, the first guys on the list are guys that you can build around, but there is some question about whether CP3, Aldridge, Durant, Westbrook or Gasol are the "face of the franchise."

Contrast that with Kobe, who at 36, is not someone who you would build a team around, but who is the "face of the franchise."

 

[gordontrue]

Seriously?!? The only one of those players that you mentioned who changed teams in free agency was Moses Malone and even that wasn't until later in his career. He initially ended up in the NBA because the ABA folded and his team (The Spirit of St. Louis) wasn't one of the the teams that merged with the NBA. His rights were traded from the Trailblazers to the Buffalo Braves who traded him after 2 games to the Rockets. In 1982, the Rockets were rebuilding their roster and decided to allow Malone, who was a restricted FA, to explore his options. He accepted an offer from the 76ers, the Rockets matched and then turned around and traded him to the 76ers.

Wilt was traded from the 76ers to the Lakers.

Kareem was traded from Milwaukee to the Lakers. Although, to be fair, he requested a trade to New York or Los Angeles because Milwaukee didn't fit his needs culturally.

Dr. J was traded from the Nets to the 76ers when the New York Knicks demanded a $4.8 million payment from the Nets for "invading" their territory. The Nets couldn't pay both the payment to the Knicks and give Dr. J the raise they had promised him. The Nets offered Dr. J's contract to the Knicks in lieu of the payment. The Knicks, in one of the worst decisions in NBA history, declined to accept that offer. The 76ers then offered to buy Dr. J's contract for $3 million and the Nets had little choice but to accept.

I know that you're not really a Cavs fan, nor were you a Heat fan, you're a Lebron fan. But the fact is that Lebron chose to leave Cleveland to go to Miami and then chose to leave Miami to return to Cleveland. So, Lebron has chosen to leave teams twice, while the players you listed were either traded or sold.

Well said. I didn't mean to imply that they personally chose to leave. Just that they did. My point was that all-time greats in the past have changed teams in their prime (willingly or otherwise) and are still considered not only franchise players... but all time greats.

Several of those trades were impacted by the player, though... especially Kareem like you mentioned. It wouldn't make sense for a team to trade an all-time great in their prime... unless that player was somehow pushing it for it. (I know the Warriors traded Wilt cause they didn't really like him, though... according to the owner). The Malone thing was technically a trade, but came about because of his FA activity with them.

Anyway... my point wasn't meant to imply intent by the player to leave.

 

[Clayton]

Not sure why your 17-21 list is so low considering they are the franchise players of the league with Lebron. I'm assuming this post is about moving forward in which case its:

1. Lebron
2. Anthony Davis
3. Durant

 

[trojanfan12]

Well said. I didn't mean to imply that they personally chose to leave. Just that they did. My point was that all-time greats in the past have changed teams in their prime (willingly or otherwise) and are still considered not only franchise players... but all time greats.

Several of those trades were impacted by the player, though... especially Kareem like you mentioned. It wouldn't make sense for a team to trade an all-time great in their prime... unless that player was somehow pushing it for it. (I know the Warriors traded Wilt cause they didn't really like him, though... according to the owner). The Malone thing was technically a trade, but came about because of his FA activity with them.

Anyway... my point wasn't meant to imply intent by the player to leave.

You don't think there's a difference between a player choosing to leave or forcing a trade and being traded outright?

 

[gordontrue]

You don't think there's a difference between a player choosing to leave or forcing a trade and being traded outright?

Of course there is.

One is being dictated by the team, the other by the player.

At first thought... you would think that superstar players dictating their movement from a team would be far more common than teams dictating the movement of superstar players from their team. Why would any team do that? But it isn't really the case.

I think it was because the Lakers and Celtics dominated the league for almost 50 years. They were bigger than any 1 player. Players wanted to play for them... and they did a better job and finding and acquiring talent than the other teams.

That's changed now. We still have storied teams... but Jordan changed the NBA into a league of players. No team is going to trade away a franchise player. Not unless he's kicking and screaming and posturing to get out of there.

In today's league... I much prefer the player that plays out his contract and leaves in FA to the one that manipulates his way out via trade.

 

[trojanfan12]

Of course there is.

One is being dictated by the team, the other by the player.

At first thought... you would think that superstar players dictating their movement from a team would be far more common than teams dictating the movement of superstar players from their team. Why would any team do that? But it isn't really the case.

I think it was because the Lakers and Celtics dominated the league for almost 50 years. They were bigger than any 1 player. Players wanted to play for them... and they did a better job and finding and acquiring talent than the other teams.

That's changed now. We still have storied teams... but Jordan changed the NBA into a league of players. No team is going to trade away a franchise player. Not unless he's kicking and screaming and posturing to get out of there.

In today's league... I much prefer the player that plays out his contract and leaves in FA to the one that manipulates his way out via trade.

I agree. Personally, when it comes to players leaving, I'd like to see more Kobe's and Timmy's and fewer Lebron's. But given a choice between a Lebron and a Shaq, I'd prefer more Lebron's. At least Lebron fulfilled his contracts before he left.

Unfortunately, I think the Kobe's and Timmy's are going to be pretty much non-existent going forward.

 

[tducey]

Lebron, Durant, Curry

 

[purguy12]

I agree stop at 7 for Franchise players. Also I would put a player like Butler in the top 20. Also LBJ wouldn't be my #1. i would go with Curry, Harden , Davis , Westbrook and Durant as my Top 5 to build around(not in that order) Don't get me wrong LBJ is still great but I really think he has took a step back and he needs 2 stars for him to win.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

I'll go out on a limb here and say Duncan is by far the greatest "franchise player" since Jordan.

 

[thunderc]

Truthfully, you could probably stop at 7

Yes, and that is about how many max contract guys there should be in the league as well.

 

[FORKWDEVIL]

How many TRUE franchise players are out there in the league right now? And how you define TRUE franchise player? I define it as a guy that can be the #1 guy on a team that can win a playoff series and get their team in the conversation to get to the NBA Finals

The obvious big time guys are these 9- some people would say these are the only "true franchise" guys in the league.....

1. LeBron
2. Curry
3. Davis
4. Durant
5. Westbrook
6. CP3
7. Harden
8. M. Gasol
9. Alridge

The next tier are great players....and i cant come to the conclusion they are not "franchise" guys

10. Paul George (dont forget how great he is)
11. Blake Griffin
12. John Wall
13. DeMarcus Cousins
14. Carmelo (maybe the hardest guy to rank on the list)
15. Al Horford
16. Kyle Lowry
17. Joakim Noah

now i get into some strange questions- Klay Thompson is great- I would rather have him than Dwade- but Dwade has been the DEFINIITON of a franchise player, but is just getting older and declining while Klay is not even his teams best player- and he is only getting better. How do you rank those guys? I think I give the nod to Wade still at THIS point. - and are EITHER "franchise guys" right now?

17. Dwayne Wade
18. Tim Duncan
19. Kobe Bryant
20. Dirk Nowitzki
21. Tony Parker

the next group is probably more talented than the previous- but just maybe have not yet hit their primes, or have not yet developed that IT factor to lead a team. Id certainly consider building a "franchise" around a lot of these guys though- does that make them "franchise players"? A lot of these guys would or have already gotten the "max" and many of them will someday get the "max".

22. Kyrie Irving
23. Klay Thompson
24. Damian Lillard
25. E. Bledsoe
26. Giannis A.
27. Jimmy Butler
28. A. Drummond
29. A. Wiggins
30. J. Parker
31. N. Vucevic
32. V. Oladipo
33. B. Beal
34. R. Gobert
35. D. Green
36. B. Knight
37. T. Harris
38. A. Whiteside
39. A. Len

This next group has a lot of players in it that are max guys- that are in their prime all stars- and many should be ahead of the other guys- but the other guys are young, cheap, the best young players in the league and if they hit their potential COULD be "franchise guys"....many of these next players DO deserve to be ahead of the other group- but I was trying to keep the groups somewhat the same. Some of these guys are "franchsie guys" - like an Al Jefferson- but arent GREAT players- they just make a ton of money on a mediocre team. Does being the highest paid player, and the go to player make you a "franchise guy"- i would assume when people think of the BobCats they think - Al Jefferson is their franchsie player....?

40. Kevin Love
41. Chris Bosh
42. DeAndre Jordan
42. G. Heyward
43. Ibaka
44. M. Conley
45. D. Howard
46. DeRozan
47. Dragic
48. Pau
49. Lawson
50. Korver
51. Milsap
52. Teague
53. Rubio
54. ZBo
55. Jefferson
56. K. Walker
57. D. Rose
58. J. Johnson

I am sure I missed a guy or two- and its a funky way of doing it- but like i said- im interested in knowing how people define a franchise guy- and how they look at young talented guys that COULD be. Like i said-maybe only the top 9 guys are FRANCHISE players....

Durant is the best Franchise player actively playing the game. Before that is was MJ Magic and Kareem in that order

 

[The Derski]

I see no one mentioned Brian Scalabrine.

 

[HammerDown]

Legit!