Who are you five favorite current NBA Players?

[WiggyRuss]

TJ McConnell ... interesting guy for the 76ers ... saw him play for an extended time for the first time a couple of times this week. (but he wouldn't be close to my top 5)

It seems like Curry should be on everyone's list. He is a very unique/fun player. (Irving close.)

I really like watching Okafor & Towns show what they can do offensively. (new candy)

I think it is interesting to watch Leonard ... how is he really shutting down Melo & others ? Will it continue ? Beal had 25 against Spurs last night and I know Leonard guarded him some (like on the last play) -- not sure about the whole game. Beal had 5 buckets in the lane. (not just 3s) Porter also had 19 -- good game.

I like watching TT get offensive rebounds ... watching how he gets them while others don't. It isn't just effort ... he does a few other unique things.

Isaiah Thomas -- fun to watch. How much is his defense hurting the Cs ? I like watching the Cs in general to see the impact of Stevens' coaching -- is he really a great coach ... or is it just his rep ?

thats so crazy. I swear i didnt see your post before I said the stuff about Stevens coaching. lol...we said like the same exact thing basically except you had Isiah instead of Smart- which was really probably a good call since Thomas has been AWESOME since he became a celtic- albeit like u said - pretty awful defensively.

the TT thing is interesting too-- its just soo funny that towards the end of games- down the stretch its like he just has more energy and more spring in his step than everyone else on the court. Its like his hands are magnets for the basketball. Its really ridiculous...he has a little bit of Rodman in him rebounding wise at least.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Wiggy legit just wrote a 2 page MLA format double spaced essay on Kyrie with 12 sized Calibri font.

 

[bksballer89]

Wiggy legit just wrote a 2 page MLA format double spaced essay on Kyrie with 12 sized Calibri font.

Did you read it because I damn sure did not

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Did you read it because I damn sure did not

Nope

 

[Clayton]

1. Lebron. Fun to root for and against. Polarizing, super talented, full of himself, clutch...and sometimes hilariously unclutch.

2. Curry. One of the best college players to watch of all time. Possibly the best pure shooter ever.

3. Jordan Clarkson. Homer

4. Marc Gasol. A player good enough to completely flip conventional wisdom that the rest of the league has adopted.

5. Tim Duncan. Still grabbing 10 boards a game as a senior citizen.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Not including Suns players in mine, but if I were Bledsoe would be #1 and Knight somewhere on the list.Also leaving out ex-UofA players.

1. Steph Curry- No one more fun to watch in the NBA than him right now.
2. Andre Drummond- Absolute man child, old school type center.
3. Gordon Hayward- Fun to watch and he improves each year.
4. Kawhi Leonard- Hate to admit it since he's on the Spurs, but I met him when he was at SDSU and he was a really cool dude, not cocky at all. Great 2 way player.
5. Leading scorer against the Lakers

Not the biggest hoop fan these days, but come playoff time...I do follow it.

To piggy back off your list.

1. LeBron...possibly the best physical specimen to every play...size, strength, agility, etc...the whole pkg

2. Curry...amazing range, release and more complete player than Reggie Miller, whom I have as one of the best shooters in the NBA all-time.

3. Kawhi Leonard...lunch pale attitude, star skill set.

4. Tim Duncan...the quiet assassin, reminds me a bit of Kareem with his fundamentals, fitness, and longevity

5. Dennis Schroder...I wanted to put Jeff Teague here because it's that close...Schroder has quickly got a handle on the NBA game...has improved every year.

 

[trojanfan12]

Did you read it because I damn sure did not

I did. It said "Kyrie Irving, blah, blah, blah, slurp, slurp, blah."

Or something to that effect.

 

[SJ76]

Jimmy Buckets
D Rose
Deron Williams
Anthony Davis
JJ Barea

#6 Scottie Pippen


--my company has had season tickets to the Mavs since 1987. Dirk has got to go poor guy is done

 

[trojanfan12]

1. Pau Gasol - Not the most fun to watch, but he's my favorite current player.
2. Steph Curry - When he gets on a roll shooting (which has been pretty much all season) it just looks too easy.
3. Kawhi Leonard - Plays hard on both ends of the floor.
4. Julius Randle - He's a lot quicker than I thought he'd be, has attitude and won't back down from anyone. Plus, it's fun seeing a guy his size go coast to coast sometimes.
5. D-Wade - Getting older, but when he's on, he's still ridiculous.

 

[SJ76]

1. Kyrie Irving- PG- Cleveland Cavaliers: He is simply electrifying to watch. He is the best ball handler I have seen personally in my time watching basketball. Its unreal the moves that he makes getting to the basket- and his finishes and the angles that he plays off the backboard are just insane. On a team with LEBRON JAMES- Kyrie Irving had the 2 highest scoring games in the entire league last year. Whenever he is put in a situation he exceeds expectations-

He was rookie of the year, he won MVP of the rookie game where he just went insane going 8/8 from 3 pt land- I totally admit- who cares- its the rookie game- but it was just so much fun to watch this guy just drill 3 after 3 and not miss. A year later Kyrie is in the REAL All star game- and you think before the game- ya know maybe he can do the same thing!- but deep down you think- no way- its the real all star game...he shoots 14/17 with 14 assists and just goes crazy and shows dribbling moves that should get him put in jail and wins the MVP of THAT game too-at the age of 21. JUST FUN to watch.

Those 2 games last year against Portland and San Antonio were just INSANELY fun to watch. No LeBron vs. Portland and Kevin Love was pretty much mia. Against Portland Kyrie Irving hits the GO ahead 3 pointer against Nicholas Batum right in his face- a guy PORTLAND purposefully puts on him because of his length. "His final shot was magnificent in so many ways. Dribbling the ball on the right side as the clock ticked down, Irving froze 6-foot-8 forward Nicolas Batum with a move toward the basket before stopping and sinking his 11th 3-pointer. Batum felt he had done all he could to stop Irving."He's so quick you don't want to get too close," Batum said. "You have to control the drive. I tried to contest the shot. I was on him, but he made a big shot."
Kyrie hits a Cavs record 11 triples. 55 points.

At this point- I was going nuts on Sportshoopla- and of course- the Cavs haters get out their cold water and throw it on me- saying FLUKE. Wont do it again- would never have done it if LeBron was playing.

What does Kyrie do for an encore? Goes for 57 against the SPURS in the Spurs building just a few weeks later. Kyrie goes 7/7 from 3, and 10/10 from the free throw line. Not bad shooting. lol. 5 assists and 4 steals. But the Cavs were down 3 with just enough time for one shot- clock running down. OF course it goes to Kyrie and he absolutely BURIES the shot in the soon-to-be DPOY KAwhi Leonard. Right in his grill. In a game that Charles Barkley said was one of the best regular season games he has ever witnessed- Kyrie played amazing- and "FLUKED" his way to a new career high- WITH LeBron on the court with him (and having his own really good game).

Fast forward to the Finals. Kyrie is obviously hobbled and no where close to 100% but hes gonna try. In his first Finals game of his career, on a bum wheel, he goes for 23 points, 7 boards, 6 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks - one of which was that insane block on Curry that saved the game at that point.

Kyrie LOVES having the ball when the game is on the line too- hes hit just a ton of game winners and buzzer beaters already in his career- Dallas, Boston, Thunder, Raptors, just off the top of my head-

Hes just so much fun to watch- and he always seems to give you more than you expected.

2. Russell Westbrook- PG- Oklahoma City Thunder- the term "explosive athlete" was invented because of guys like Russell Westbrook. He is just a relentless bowling bowl with spikes going to the rim. He plays above the rim- but can hit a 3. He can do everything. He has an insane work ethic and toughness. He is fearless and relentless and is not going to listen to other peoples stupid bullshit. I love his attitude and what he brings to your team. I love watching him play the game because you know you are getting every thing he has to give and you are likely to see at least 2 or 3 plays that leave you with your jaw dropped.

3. Steph Curry- PG- GSW- i hate picking only great players- but I watched a lot of that GSW Clips game last night- and after watching the Finals of course- it just baffles me how a guy can shoot that well off the dribble. He shoots on a level that other human beings cant. He is so much better at shooting the ball then anyone else in the world that it just seems like it shouldnt be possible. Not only that but he is a great kid, with a great attitude, his teammates love him, he keeps improving defensively- he had injury issues that he overcame and put to rest. It honestly just baffles me how a human being can be so much better than all his peers at shooting a ball.

4. Kinda cheating- but Brad Stevens and the Celtics- the Celtics dont have a per say star. They played REALLY great ball once they got Isiah Thomas- their whole team is a bunch of like 6th men in my opinion- besides Marcus Smart I guess- so I will say MARCUS SMART- because I loved how he played at OK ST. -- I think he has the potential to be Eric Bledsoe 2.0 with all nba level defense. But i just love how Stevens manages these guys and put together a TEAM of a bunch of above average players and makes them greater than the sum of their parts...

5. This would be Michael Kidd-Gilchrist but hes out all year. --- So ill give it to Rubio...now if you know me- I ahve been critical of Rubio in the past because of his shooting ability- but that looks improved- and how much fun is it to watch this guy give passes to guys like Wiggins AND Levine, AND Towns...an AMAZING creative passer like that- with those kind of athletes running the floor with him? That is the definition of fun to watch.

Nice novel wiggs

 

[mr.hockey4242]

I actually laughed out loud.

Of course he wrote an essay on Kyrie Irving.

 

[handicappers]

Dirk
S. Curry
LeBron James
Westbrook
Isiah Thomas

 

[Black Adam]

Too long. But I noticed you spent half the essay on Kyrie.

"but he stays hurt" would've been the more concise response...

 

[logic]

I'm not going with favorite 5 as I'd just pick 5 Pistons as a homer, but 5 guys that I could watch every night.

Andre Drummond--Homer pick, but he has started this season on fire and has great energy and dunks
LeBron James--It truly pained me to type that, A LOT, but he is still currently the best in the association and an amazing player
Steph Curry--Just plain fun to watch
Reggie Jackson--well, I watch a lot of Pistons, and while it can be frustrating to watch him dribble around for 20 seconds at times, he does some amazing things at times. I'm still coming around on him, but he is fun to watch
Tim Duncan--Just the fundamentals please. It is still amazing: you know what he is going to do, it looks like he is moving in slow motion, and yet you still can't stop him. Seems like he has been amazing forever, and just does pretty much everything the right way.

 

[Agent Orange]

1. John Wall -- I thought he was severely overrated coming out of college and that he would be a bust. Has done nothing but prove me wrong. I love his game, I've always been a bigger fans of point guards who distribute the ball as opposed to those who look to score most of the time.

2. Kyle Lowry -- I've been a fan of him since he was at Villanova. I didn't think he got a fair shake in Memphis, but he's even remarked on how he need to grow up. He's really grown into a leader these past couple of years, which is good to seen since he acknowledge it was a problem. He can be a chucker at times but I'm glad he found the right fit in Toronto

3. Andre Drummond -- The hope of Detroit Basketball and man-child. I remember when he was drafted there was issues about his maturity and I thought "Oh Jesus we drafted Boogie Jr.", but I've never heard those type of complaints about the guy. SVG seems to be doing a good job of developing his raw talent, but I'm impressed by the start he's gotten off too. I'm a big fan of true centers so it's good to finally have one on my home team. Way more athletic than I thought he'd be

4. Isaiah Thomas -- After an outstanding career at Washington he gets overlooked and is the last player drafted in his class. He's basically shown that he was NBA caliber since day one. I'm just glad he seems to have found a home where his skills can be utilized.

5. LeBron James (with no regard for human life) -- after that his performance in game 5 of the ECF in 2007, I've had nothing but respect for his individual talent. He's easy to make fun of but nobody denies his greatness. Except for a Wiggy from bizarro world.

Honorable mentions: Bradley Beal, Hassan Whiteside, and Andre Iguodala

 

[GNG]

Where is your explanation?

Does he need an explanation?

 

[GNG]

Green- best dunker in the league and it's not close
McConnell- undrafted rookie who no one thought had a chance is leading the sixers in assists and steals and playing like a beast.
Andre- a do it all player that is willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team, also his sixer days were awesome.
Kyrie- probably the closest thing to a steph curry type of player in this league. Handles and ball control are ridiculous. Plus uncle drew is badass.
Dirk- class act, his prime in Dallas was amazing. Best tall man shooter in league history.

I'd add Tim Duncan to your list.

 

[ChrisGar15]

By the way ... HurricaneDij39 ... nice topic. props

 

[Hangman]

Kobe
D' Russell (he is growing on me, I was not a fan at first, but he is improving a lot each game)
Jordan Clarkson
Julius Randle
Westbrook

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

1. Jimmy Gets Buckets- the guy can do it all. I think he is going to be the leader of the Bulls before long. He can D up with the best of them and also score 20 points a game.
2. Anthony Davis- He's just incredible and he's only going to get better.
3. Steph Curry- Just pure entertainment at all times.
4. KD- This guy can just shoot over anybody.
5. Damian Lillard- He's just a baller.