Kevin Durant has finally surpassed LeBron as the sport's top player (ESPN)
I'm a few weeks late, I know, but better late than never!
MVP--Kevin Durant
I say it every year, but this is the year that Kevin Durant wins his first MVP award. But actually. KD's averaging 31 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting at the moment, both career highs if he can sustain them for the rest of the season. On top of that, he's become a better passer with Russell Westbrook out, averaging a personal best 5.3 assists per game. Mix in his strong rebound and good defense, and Durant's contributions add up to the best PER in the league. The MVP is his award to lose.
Rookie of the Year--Michael Carter-Williams
Despite missing 12 games thus far, Williams is miles ahead of anyone else from his rookie class. The 22 year-old point guard is one of Philadelphia's few bright spots, averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 assists per game. He also rebounds well for a point guard (5.4 boards per game) and gets lots of steals (2.2 per game). His shooting could use more polish, as he's hit less than 40 percent of his field goals thus far and is just a shade over 70 percent from the foul line, but it's clear he has the raw tools and athleticism to be a star for a long time.
Defensive Player of the Year--Roy Hibbert
Hibbert's improved upon his already stellar defense from last year, averaging 2.4 blocks per game (third behind Anthony Davis and Serge Ibaka) and maintaining an NBA-best 94 DRating. Nobody protects the rim better than the 7'2 Georgetown product.
Runner-up--Serge Ibaka
Sixth Man--Nick Young
The Lakers have been woefully short on offense without Kobe Bryant, so much so that Young, who typically comes off the bench and plays around 29 minutes per game, actually leads the team in scoring. He's pouring in nearly 17 points a game and while he doesn't do much else, the Lakers have to be glad they have somebody who can put the ball in the hoop.
Most Improved--Anthony Davis
The 20 year-old Davis has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in his sophomore year by improving on both ends of the court. He's embraced a larger role on offense as his playing time has increased, and his scoring has jumped from 13.5 points to 20.5 points per game without negatively affecting his field goal percentage (in fact, it's gotten better). He's also taking and making more free throws, always an encouraging sign from young players. The first pick of the 2012 draft has the NBA's fifth highest PER (26.7, up from his 21.7 showing as a rookie), most blocks, highest block percentage and most blocks per game. He's also a terrific rebounder, snaring 10.5 rebounds per night. The future looks bright for New Orlean's double-double machine.
Coach--Terry Stotts
The Blazers have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround under Stotts, who coached them to a 33-49 record last year. They're 35-14 as of this writing, good for the third-best record in the West. Stotts has leaned heavily on his young, talented starting five, and they've rewarded him. He's getting an MVP caliber season out of LaMarcus Aldridge, continued growth from last season's Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard, a career year from Wesley Matthews, improvement from Robin Lopez and more good things from Nicolas Batum. After a couple of lean years, Portland's reclaimed its proud status as one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
With the first half of another NBA season in the books, it's time to look back and recognize basketball's best performers.
Rookie of the Year-Damian Lillard
Given Anthony Davis's struggles to stay on the court, this one's a no-brainer. Portland's 22 year-old point guard popped off 23 points and 11 assists in his first NBA game and hasn't looked back. This year's Kyrie Irving is averaging a cool 18.3 points and 6.5 assists per game, blending his scoring prowess with an ability to facilitate on offense. He's yet to miss a game and leads the Trail Blazers in minutes. His 42.4 field goal percentage isn't great, but he's an above average shooter from downtown (drilling 2.3 triples per game--only Stephen Curry and Randy Foye are averaging more among point guards) and sinks over 83 percent of his free throws.
MVP-Kevin Durant
After losing James Harden the Oklahoma City Thunder still have the best record in basketball, and Durant's continued growth is a big reason why. Last year he improved his rebounding, defense and field goal percentage, but this season he's become even more efficient (29.3 PER while shooting 52-42-91 percent from the floor, three-point land and charity stripe) and is leading the league in Win Shares for the first time in his career. The NBA's top scorer is also passing more, too, getting his teammates more involved and setting them up for success.
Sixth Man-J.R. Smith
With Amare Stoudemire sidelined until New Year's Day, the New York Knicks leaned on Smith to provide firepower off the bench in the early going. Mike Woodson has used him so much that Smith leads the team in minutes, logging more than Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Jason Kidd. New York's second-best scorer is averaging 16.1 points per game, even if he doesn't always get them efficiently or consistently. He also rebounds surprisingly well (5.1 boards per game) for a two-guard.
Most Improved-J.J. Hickson
A profound disappointment in Cleveland and Sacramento, Hickson played well last spring after signing on with the Blazers. That late-season success turned out to be a harbinger of things to come, for he's evolved into a double-double machine alongside LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland's frontcourt. The former first round draft pick has cemented himself as one of the Association's ten best rebounders and is finally playing up to his potential.
Defensive Player-Tim Duncan
The Big Fundamental has turned back the clock this year and looks rejuvenated on both ends of the court. After regressing into an average defender during the past four years, Duncan is once again a force to be reckoned with in the paint, anchoring San Antonio's stingy defense with his elite interior D. He owns the NBA's top Defensive Rating and ranks third in both blocks per game (behind Larry Sanders and Serge Ibaka) and Defensive Win Shares (behind Joakim Noah and Paul George). His 3.3 swats per 36 minutes are half a block higher than his previous career high of 2.8
Honorable Mention: Joakim Noah
Coach-Mark Jackson
The Golden State Warriors finished the strike-shortened season (and Jackson's first year at the helm) 20 games below .500. This year, they're 26-17 and look like legit playoff contenders. The addition of Jarrett Jack and a healthy Steph Curry have helped, but Jackson deserves credit for his team's turnaround as well. His commitment to defense helped turn one of the league's worst defenses last year into an above average defensive unit this year without sacrificing any offense.
1. LeBron James
King James won his third MVP award in four seasons and continued to dominate during the playoffs, ultimately securing the championship that eluded him in Cleveland. Later in the summer he led Team USA to another Gold medal with his strong play. He was just named Sportsman of the Year by SI.
2. Kevin Durant
Durantala won his third straight scoring title, finished runner-up to LBJ in the MVP voting and led OKC to their first Finals appearance.
3. Kobe Bryant
Came back from experimental knee surgery in Germany to challenge Durant for the scoring title during the strike-shortened season. With all eyes on the Lakers, he's currently pacing the Association points and points per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor, which will set a new career high if he keeps it up.
4. Dwight Howard
Superman missed 18 percent of the strike-shortened season and still accrued more defensive rebounds, total rebounds and boards per game than anybody else. His production has sagged a bit with the Lakers but he's still averaging 17.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.
5. Chris Paul
CP3 was phenomenal in his Clippers debut by averaging nearly 20 points a game, leading the league in steals and placing third on the MVP ballot. With Derrick Rose still out, Paul's unquestionably the NBA's premier point guard.
6. Kevin Love
K-Love averaged 26 points, more than 13 rebounds and nearly two treys per game last season. His shooting has been a little rusty after he missed the first few weeks of the season with a broken right hand, but it's only a matter of time before he rounds into form.
7. Russell Westbrook
A rare breed of point guards that can pour in points and still rack up high assist totals. The indestructible athlete fearlessly attacks the basket and is one of the game's best at getting to the charity stripe, where he's a career 81.5 percent shooter.
8. Carmelo Anthony
'Melo disappointed in his first full season with the Knicks as he struggled to coexist with Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin. But with Lin on the Rockets and Stoudemire out with a knee injury, Anthony has regained his status as one of the game's elite players. His three-point production has tripled compared to his career average and his scoring has jumped from 22.6 points per game last year to 28.5 points per game this season.
9. Dwyane Wade
D-Wade has embraced his new role as Lebron's sidekick, the Robin to James' Batman. He's making more than half his field goals and has become a more efficient scorer. Not as explosive as he used to be, but still an incredible defender and superb all-around player.
10. Andrew Bynum
The oft-injured center managed to stay healthy during the abbreviated season and enjoyed a career year. Bynum set personal bests with 18.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game while displaying an improved post game and top notch defense. Since traded to Philadelphia, he's yet to make his Sixers debut as he recovers from a knee injury.
11. James Harden
Established himself as one of the top shooting guards in the NBA last season and was named Sixth Man of the year. Since being traded to Houston, he's become the focal point of the Rockets' offense and is putting up monster numbers as an everyday starter; 25.8 points, 5.3 dimes and ten free throw attempts per game.
12. Dirk Nowitzki
The lifelong Maverick posted his typically stellar all-around numbers last season despite averaging the fewest minutes per game since his rookie season. He missed the first third of this season recovering from knee surgery and struggled in his first two games back. Look for the German power forward to shake off the rust as he adapts to new teammates Chris Kaman, Elton Brand, O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison.
LeBron James finally has his NBA championship ring. It took him nine seasons, seven playoff runs and three Finals appearances, but he finally did it.
And, as much as I hate to say it, good for him. Deep down, I know he deserved it. He's put the time, work, and effort in. He paid his dues in the form of blood, sweat and tears. He (gulp) earned it.
Now, I've never been what you would call a LeBron James fan, and never will be. I began following basketball seriously during the 2006-2007 season, and by then he'd already established himself as one of the top players in the game, so I can't say I followed his meteoric rise to fame. At the start of that season he was just 22 years old, the age of your typical college graduate, and he was already a Rookie of the Year, an All-Star, an All-NBA 1st Team selection, and an All-Star Game MVP. He'd managed to transform a flawed NBA roster of Larry Hughes, Eric Snow, Sasha Pavlovic, and Drew Gooden into a playoff team that won 50 games and nearly upset the reigning Eastern Conference champs. While most kids his age were sitting in job interviews or backpacking through Europe, he signed a three-year contract extension (with a player option for the fourth year) worth $60 million that would keep him in Cleveland's gold trim into 2010. Then he would be an unrestricted free agent along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, fellow members of the 2003 draft class in which James was selected first overall. It was all part of the plan.
But nobody, not even Magic Johnson and his magic eight ball, could have possibly forecast "The Decision" in the spring of 2007. If you recall, that was when he led Cleveland past the Detroit Pistons, the same Pistons who'd knocked them out of the conference semifinals in seven games the year before. Granted, these Pistons weren't the same team; they were another year older, had lost Ben Wallace to the Bulls via free agency and won eleven fewer games than the year before. Flip Saunders' squad was clearly weaker but remained quite formidable with their veteran core of Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Rasheed Wallace still intact. They look poised to make a third Finals appearance in four years after grabbing a quick 2-0 series lead after back-to-back 79-76 wins at home, but the Cavs responded by taking the next two in Ohio to even the series as it headed back to the Palace for Game 5. James willed his team to victory in this pivotal swing-game by scoring 29 of their last 30 points, including a game-winning lay-up with two seconds left in double-overtime. He poured in 48 points to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists, a stat-stuffing performance that commentator Marv Albert called "one of the greatest moments in postseason history." Color analyst Steve Kerr concurred, adding that it was "Jordanesque." It wasn't the first time he had been compared to "His Airness," nor would it be the last.
This one-man show for the ages had broken Detroit's back, and with Game 6 looming in Cleveland many left them for dead. But the Pistons rallied, refusing to wave the white flag. They battled even though "Big Shot" Billups failed to record an assist and Prince connected on only one of his ten field goal attemtps. Trailing by a single point after three, it wasn't hard to imagine the more experienced Pistons clamping down and forcing a Game 7, especially with James struggling from the floor; he missed eight of eleven shots. But like most older teams (the Celtics come to mind here) they ran out of gas in the fourth quarter, allowing Cleveland to build up a double-digit lead and put the game away. Detroit's usually strong defense bailed James out by sending him to the free throw line 19 times (he hit fourteen), and allowed little-known rookie Daniel Gibson to torch them for 31 points on five three-pointers off the bench. "Boobie" Gibson was the hero of Game 6, but there was little doubt that it was James who had pushed the Cavaliers into their first Finals appearance in franchise history. The clock struck midnight on their Cinderella season when they squared off with Greg Poppovich's battle-tested San Antonio Spurs of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. The Cavs had as much of a chance as an ant has against the bottom of your shoe. They couldn't even steal a win against the crew that put the finishing touch on their dynasty by sweeping them aside to win their fourth NBA title in nine seasons.
It was a watershed moment in James' young career. He'd reached new heights, raising the bar for both himself and his team. Personally, he'd vaulted himself into rarefied air with one of the greatest postseason performances of all time. With such a dazzling display, he'd convinced even the most skeptical critics that an NBA championship in Cleveland was no longer just a product of wishful thinking; it was well within the realm of possibility. As long as he was in the game, you couldn't count the Cavaliers out. The city worshipped their local kid from Akron. He was annointed the savior, the chosen one, like he was basketball's Jesus Christ. The irony is that all that pressure, the tremendous burden and impossible expectations that were placed on his broad shoulders, probably helped push him out of Cleveland. It must have worn him down, carrying that weight around day after day, game after game, year after year. And for that, I can't blame him.
Just as I can't blame him for trading Cleveland's frigid, snowy winters in for the warm sun and nightlife of South Beach. I can't blame him for wanting a change of scenery after spending seven years with the same organization. I can't blame him for getting fed up at the Cavs front office for not surrounding him with better players. I can't blame him for always coming close, but never getting to puff on the proverbial cigar. I can't blame him for wanting to play alongside his buddies Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh instead of Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams. I can't blame him for wanting to have fun. I can't blame him for wanting a fresh start. I certainly can't blame him for wanting to win the championship he so desperately needed to validate his career.
And neither should you. We have to remember that athletes are mercenaries, with no obligation to remain loyal to any one team or fan base. That's what makes the Derek Jeters, Chipper Joneses, Paul Pierces, and Tom Bradys of the world so special. Free agents pack up and leave all the time (Albert Pujols is still fresh in my mind). Normally money is the common denominator, but it wasn't in Lebron's case. All he wanted was a championship. Of course the manner in which he left Cleveland (tearing out a city's heart on prime-time television) was shallow, selfish, arrogant, immature, ignorant, bloated, and self-absorbed, pretty much every negative adjective you can think of. It reflected his inflated ego as well as his alarming lack of awareness. Cleveland's fans, who'd done nothing wrong except perhaps shower him with an excessive amount of love and adoration, deserved better. Just as he deserves every taunt, jeer, boo, put-down and profanity thrown his way. He horribly misjudged the situation and made a mistake that blew up in his face, but now it won't define his career. It's a scar that will always be there no matter what he accomplishes, but one that will also fade with the passage of time.
I think James knows that. He grew up this season, became a man almost overnight as he embarked on the long road to redemption. Last summer the Mavericks served him a big slice of humble pie, forcing him to swallow (or choke on) every last bite. After some time to reflect he realized his mistakes, and felt bad about them. And because of that, he made it a lot harder to hate him this year. He'd already suffered his commeuppance, lost some of that signature swagger. You could tell he wasn't the same arrogant, immature punk who thought he could assemble his own superteam and rule the NBA.
So in the land of second chances, it once again became possible to appreciate the fact that he's unquestionably the most physically gifted basketball player we've ever seen. Nobody can match his unique combination of size, strength, agility, and leaping ability. He's the total package who's next triple double is just waiting to happen. When he gets into the paint and barrels toward rim at full speed, he looks more like an NFL running back than anything else. He possesses enough raw talent to challenge Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time. And it is Jordan. You could make a case that Wilt Chamberlain was more dominant, that Bill Russell was a better leader, or that nobody could match Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's longevity, but that won't get you very far.
Granted, some of Jordan's greatness derives from the fact that his unparalleled marketing campaign helped him evolve into the planet's first truly global athlete. Aside from creating his own brand, he expertly used Nike, McDonald's, Wheaties, and everything else to become an American icon, one who'd grown much bigger than the game he played for a living (Space Jam pretty much sums it up). He received a level of exposure and attention that exceeded what any president, actor or rock star had ever enjoyed. In a way, it was what he did off the court that made him unique. Others scored more points and won more championships, but they didn't do it the way Jordan did. With his tongue sticking out and Air Jordans strapped to his feet.
James had a similar aura about him in Cleveland, when he convinced us that we were watching something special. Then he threw it all away by turning the whole nation against him and becoming one of the most hated athletes in recent memory. His failure to win a championship remained the glaring hole on his otherwise stellar resume, and it provided plenty of ammunition for talking heads and casual fans alike. There had been much speculation where James would rank in history if he could never get over the hump. What would his legacy be? Would he still compare favorably to Jordan, Larry Bird, Kareem, and all the rest? Or would we demote him to the tier of ringless stars that includes Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton and Karl Malone, as well as contemporaries Steve Nash and Allen Iverson? Fantastic players, sure, but not winners. And in sports, at the end of the day, that's all we really care about, right? Who wins and who loses. It's simple--there's no gray area, no room for debate--and we like it that way, because the rest of life is just too complicated. All the arguments and player analysis and fantasy teams are fun, but they ultimately amount to little more than a sideshow, a distraction from what sports are all about. Competition. That's why you play the game. Not to score 25 points, throw a couple TD's or belt one out of the park (though that's all admittedly fun). We play to win.
Of course, winning a ring is more a reflection of circumstance than a true barometer of talent. Everything has to break your way, and sometimes it's better to be lucky than it is to be good. You have to stay healthy. You have to get the bounces, the calls, the 50/50 plays. All you can do is put yourself in the best position possible to win. It's rare, but every now and then you'll get a team that's so good, so flawless that a title almost seems preordained. That no matter who gets in their way, they're going to wind up on top. Not even Denzel Washington and Chris Pine can stop them. The 1927 Yankees. The 1985-'86 Bears. The 1995-'96 Bulls. Teams of destiny. But more often than not, you have teams that weren't expected to win the championship at the beginning of they season, but they got hot at the right time. You can't tell me that the 83-win St. Louis Cardinals were the best baseball team in 2006. Or that the 2011 Mavericks were better than the Chicago Bulls. Or that the New York Giants were the best football team last season. The best teams don't win championships; it's the teams that play the best when a championship is at stake.
That's why the whole "he needs a ring to be considered great" idea has never held much water with me. A player is just one man, a cog in a machine. So many factors are outside of his control. Teams win championships, not individual players. Plenty of the greatest athletes of all time have failed to win a championship. Ernie Banks. Ted Williams. Barry Bonds. Dan Marino. Barry Sanders. The aforementioned crew of Barkley, Malone, and Ewing. Before the advent of free agency, many great athletes toiled for losing teams their entire careers, helpless to change their fortunes. Eli Manning has won twice as many Super Bowls as his older brother, but even the most passionate Giants fans would have to admit that Peyton Manning is far and away the superior quarterback. The best athletes of all time are not the ones who won the most; they are the ones who best combined talent with winning. Babe Ruth. Wayne Gretzky. And then, of course, there's Michael Jordan with his gaudy stats and half dozen championships.
Their careers, which would have overlapped had Lebron entered this world a year earlier and/or if Jordan had bothered to hang around for another season with the Wiz (imagine that match-up!), share several notable parallels. They both possessed off-the-charts athletecism, wore the number 23 (though James changed his to six after moving to Miami), received multiple MVPs and won their first championships at the end of their age 27 seasons. Last summer I compared James to Alex Rodriguez, another superstar who also struggled to win a ring. Now I will stack him up against the greatest basketball player of all time through his age 27 season/first championship. I value traditional counting stats like rebounds and assists. I value rate stats like field goal, free throw and three-point percentage. I value advanced stats like true-shooting percentage and PER, which is fast becoming the WAR of basketball.
The most significant difference is that James came to the NBA straight out of high school, one of the last great players to do so. Jordan followed the more traditional path by attending college. Like James, I'm sure he would have handled the leap just fine. He spent three years honing his skills at UNC, where he won a national championship and established himself as the best college player in the nation. As a result, through the same age James had played an additional two-plus seasons of NBA games, so many counting numbers are skewed in his favor. That explains why I used per game averages instead of career totals. Lastly, it's important to remember that James is a small forward. Jordan played some small forward, especially during his brief stint with the Wizards, but spent the majority of his career as a shooting guard.
I'll use ten categories to rate each out of ten, with 7.5 representing average. Think of it like a report card; a 7.5 is a C, an 8.5 is a B, a 9.5 is an A, so on and so forth.
Some last food for thought; the player basketball-reference ranks as most similar to James is Barkley. Jordan's closest comp is OsC.R. Robertson.
Durability
James 39.9 minutes per game, misses roughly four games per season
Jordan 38.7 minutes per game, missed roughly nine games per season
LeBron James is indestructible, probably because he's built like an M-1 Abrams Tank. He's already led the league in total minutes played two times and minutes per game once. That he's averaged 40 per game for nearly a decade in the modern age of pampered athletes is simply mind-blowing. He's never missed more than seven games in any season. It's interesting, then, that he's failed to play all 82 games in a season before, topping 80 only twice. That means Kevin Martin, who's made of glass, has as many seasons with 80 games played as Lebron does (go figure). I would have bet almost anything that he had a couple seasons where he didn't sit out. But he tends to miss a handful of games because his aggressive style of play leads to plenty of hard collisions and awkward falls. Over the course of a draining basketball season they add up to a sore, battered body. And, just like the rest of us, he actually gets sick from time to time. So I'll cut him some slack.
Jordan was every bit the Iron Man that James is with a single exception; his sophomore season was marred by a broken foot that caused him to miss 64 games and limited him to just seven starts. Outside of that one year, though, he missed one game in his other six seasons. One. Four times he played more games than anybody else. Three times he led the league in minutes played, twice leading in minutes per game. Throw that one season out the window and he was like the Cal Ripken Jr. of basketball; nothing could keep him out of the starting lineup. Given his unmatched competitive streak, I'm not surprised one bit that Jordan showed up to play everyday. Keep in mind this was "before" the Flu Game.
James: 9.5
Jordan: 9.5
Passing
James: 6.9 assists per game against 3.3 turnovers, 34.1 AST% against 12.1 TOV%
Jordan: 5.9 assists per game against 3.1 turnovers, 27.1 AST% against 10.3 TOV%
What makes James' assist totals so astonishing is that he compiled them despite playing on horribly constructed teams. He could have (and probably should have) pulled a Kobe Bryant circa 2006, taken one look at the guys around him and said "Screw this. Just give me the ball and let me do my thing. I'm not passing unless I absolutely HAVE to." But that's just not in his nature. He's too selfless, and he's at his best when he's getting his teammates involved. Just watch him run a fast-break. Last season he averaged 6.2 dimes, on the low side for him, and that figure was still more than full-time point guards Brandon Jennings, Jameer Nelson and Russell Westbrook. His proficiency in this aspect was on full display in the Game 5 clincher against OKC, when he kept slashing into the lane, drew the defense in and then delivered pinpoint passes to Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier on the wing for open treys. He piled up 13 assists despite scoring 26 points himself. Like Kevin Garnett, James has been accused of being selfless to a fault, giving the ball away to lesser players and passing up shots in situations when he should be more aggressive, when the score demands that the best player on the court has the ball in his hands.
Jordan never had that problem. He earned a reputation as a selfish player early in his career because of his prodigious scoring totals. But as with Kobe Bryant, those figures undermined the fact that he could be a great facilitator when he wanted to be. In 1988-1989, for instance, he averaged eight assists per game. He was a scorer first, but once sidekick Scottie Pippen matured and the organization surrounded him with better role players such as Kerr he gained a better understanding of passing.
James: 9.5
Jordan: 8.5
Rebounding
James: 7.2 rebounds per game (5.9 defensive, 1.2 offensive), 10.5 TRB%
Jordan: 6.3 rebounds per game (4.5 defensive, 1.8 offensive), 9.4 TRB%
Given Lebron's reputation as an excellent rebounder, I would have guessed the difference between the two would be greater than one measly rebound per game. But Jordan was a good rebounder in his own right, too. I don't put quite as much stock in defensive rebounding because it seems more opportunistic. Obviously it's still a skill--just ask Kevin Love--that requires strength, footwork, positioning, and an innate sense of where the ball is going. Ultimately, you still have to be in the right place at the right time. You can get great positioning, box out and get low, but ultimately you're at the mercy of the ball's bounce. Still, just by being involved in the game and having a pulse, you're probably going to grab a couple rebounds unless refuse to go inside the three point arc, or your name is Nick Young. Anybody can get them. Rebounds are also a product of playing time--the more you play, the more you tend to get.
I've always been much more impressed by players who excel at offensive rebounding. These kind of rebounds are worth their weight in gold, because they extend possessions and create second chance opportunities. Nothing's more demoralizing than playing great defense for twenty seconds, forcing the other team to take an off-balance jumper...and see them get the ball back with a fresh 24. It's like hitting the reset button on your XBox and wiping out all the progress you just made on that Call of Duty mission. In order to get them, you have to aggressively crash the boards. You have to work for them. You make your own luck. Offensive rebounds don't just fall into your hands the way defensive rebounds do.
So you could make the argument that Jordan, despite grabbing fewer boards, is the superior rebounder. I'll call it a wash.
James: 9.5
Jordan: 9.5
Scoring
James: 27.6 points per game, .483 FG%, 115 ORating
Jordan: 32.6 points per game, .529 FG%, 121 ORating
This one's a no-brainer. LBJ had one season, 2007-2008, when he won a scoring title, and has never led the league in total points scored despite pouring in at least 2,000 seven times. Had he remained in Cleveland, he probably could have won the scoring title in each of the past two seasons, when he finished within one point per game of Durant (who already has three consecutive scoring titles). Now that he's part of a Big Three, he's taking fewer shots so the chances of him winning another scoring title have been reduced drastically unless either a) Durant gets hurt or b) Chris Bosh and/or Dwyane Wade miss extensive time, thereby allowing 'Bron to handle the ball more and average more than 20 shots per game as he was with Cleveland. The odds seem to be against him and I think it's very unlikely that he wins another one, but you never know.
For what it's worth, Jordan wasted no time establishing himself as the game's premier scorer. By this point in his career he had reeled off five straight scoring titles, pacing the league in total points every year except his second. In his third season, he scored racked up over 3,000 points while averaging 37.1 per contest. Had he not taken two years off to pursue a career in baseball and had he not retired prematurely following his sixth championship, I sincerely believe he would have amassed more than 40,000 career points.
James: 9
Jordan: 10
Three Point Shooting
James: 33.1 percent on 4 attempts per game
Jordan: 28.6 percent on 1.2 attempts per game
Not exactly a fair comparison because at the same point in their careers, James has jacked up nearly 2,800 three point attempts wheras Jordan had taken just 625, roughly one-fifth of James' total. But even with the much smaller sample size, it's clear that Jordan was no Ray Allen or Reggie Miller. In fact, for the first four seasons of his career, he was about as much as a threat to score from behind the arc as Rajon Rondo, averaging fewer than one attempt per game while shooting a pitiful 16.4 percent when he did fire away which. Simply put, he hadn't developed that part of his game yet. But great players always find ways to make themselves better, and it was only a matter of time before MJ added the long-range bomb to his arsenal. The following year, 1988-198), he launched nearly twice as many threes as he did the previous season, but his success rate more than doubled. From that point forward he remained a capable three point shooter, only getting better with age like Jason Kidd.
Throughout this timeframe, about five percent of MJ's shots were threes. By comparison, approximately one out of every five field goal attempts from James is a triple, and in this regard he has been fairly steady. Since shooting a Jordanesque 29 percent his rookie year, he's consistently remained in the low-to-mid thirties, cementing his status as a league average three point shooter. After coming to Miami his three point attempts have dropped precipitously because his focus has shifted on improving his post up game and taking more efficient shots closer to the basket. This is a move in the right direction for James, who's a streaky outside shooter to begin with, and the strategy is working. This season his 2.4 attempts from downtown represented a career low, but his 36.2 percent success rate and .531 field goal percentage were personal bests.
Check out the trend
2009-2010 5.1 3PA .503 FG%
2010-2011 3.5 3PA .510 FG%
2011-2012 2.4 3PA .531 FG%
James: 7.5
Jordan: 6.5
Free Throw Shooting
James: .746 percent on 8.8 attempts per game
Jordan: .849 percent on 9.6 attempts per game
No surprise here, given that James has been nothing more than an average free throw shooter throughout much of his career. In his defense, he has improved this area of his game throughout his past four seasons, knocking down 76.9 percent of his shots from the charity stripe compared to his 72.8 percent clip throughout his first five seasons. Still, he had one season, 2006-2007, when he dipped below 70 percent, and there's an 8.1 percent gap between his career highs and lows. He mitigates this inconsistency with his sheer volume of attempts; three times he averaged more than ten shots from the free throw line. Jordan, on the other hand, was as steady as they come, never falling beneath 84 percent and topping out at 85.7 percent. Even more impressively, he maintained that high level of success while averaging nearly ten freebies per game, a combination of efficiency and volume matched only by Kevin Durant amongst today's players. Two times he led the league in free throws made and in his third season he averaged a whopping 11.9 attempts per contest.
James: 8
Jordan: 9.5
Defense
James 1.7 steals, 0.8 blocks, 102 DefRating, 4 NBA All-Defensive 1st Teams
Jordan 2.8 steals, 1.1 blocks, 104 DefRating, 4 NBA All-Defensive 1st Teams, 1987-1988 Defensive Player of the Year
If this was baseball, both these guys would have a mantle topped with well-deserved Gold Gloves. James has a reputation as one of the best defenders of the new milennium, along with Andre Iguodala, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard. His size, strength, and overall athleticism make him a nightmare for opposing small forwards. Just ask Paul Pierce, who struggled mightily in the Eastern Conference Finals. But I would never, not in a million years, have guessed that Jordan swatted more shots than James, who gives opponents nightmares about his electrifying chasedown blocks. But Jordan produced back-to-back seasons in the late '80s with more than 125 blocks and 1.5 per game, a rate that surpasses what notorious stonewalls Marcus Camby, Joakim Noah and Tyson Chandler averaged this year. That, combined with his quick hands and sharp reflexes, helped him win the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year. He also led the league in steals twice, and didn't have to gamble too much to get them.
Both are defensive stalwarts who could still contribute something even when they weren't feeling it on offense. Getting back to baseball it's like comparing Roberto Clemente to Al Kaline, Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt, Carlos Beltran to Andruw Jones. It comes down to personal preference and more than a few split hairs. You can take James and I'll take Jordan.
James: 9.5
Jordan: 10
Individual Honors/Awards
James: 3 MVPs (4.39 shares), eight All-Star games, six All-NBA First Teams, two All-NBA Second Teams
Jordan: 2 MVPs (3.85 shares), seven All-Star games, five All-NBA First Teams, one All-NBA Second Team
Both players were highly decorated; it's safe to say their talents did not go unnoticed (though it is worth noting that James somehow failed to make the All-Star team his freshman year).. Jordan had a tough time winning the Most Valuable Player award early on because Bird and Johnson dominated the voting just as much as they dominated the NBA Finals, combining for five MVPs during his first seven seasons. All he could do was bide his time and settle for a pair of runner-ups and a third place finish. Twenty years later the league has more talent and competition than ever before, so as a result the award has been more up for grabs recently. KG, Steve Nash (twice), Dirk, Kobe, and Derrick Rose have all been named winners during Lebron's career, and Durant is knocking on the door. MJ would win five trophies in all, but considering that Lebron's already 60 percent of the way there at age 27, with quite a few prime years in front of him, I like his chances of matching and exceeding that number some day.
Basketball sabermetrics has lauded James for his efficiency, and according to PER he's been the best player in basketball each of the past five seasons. But had such statistics been popular twenty years ago, those same number-crunchers would have gone bananas over Jordan. His numbers blow away Lebron's, which are already stellar in their own right. Neither player needs sabermetrics to prove their greatness; the numbers merely reinforce what we already know.
Fittingly, both were named Finals MVP after winning their first rings. James finally seemed to turn the corner this postseason, starting about halfway through the Indiana series and not letting his foot off the gas pedal until a championship was secure. With Wade banged up and Bosh out with an abdominal strain, James stepped up and took control of the playoffs. Until then, he had been too up-and-down for a player of his caliber. He put the Cavs on his back in 2007, single-handedly carrying them to a Finals showdown with the San Antonio spurs, but quit on them against the Celtics three years later. In 2011 he methodically disposed of the Celtics and Bulls, only to disappear as Dirk Nowitzki and an inferior Mavericks squad upset his Miami Heat. Much of the criticism surrounding his crunch time play was overblown, but he did appear timid at times and seemed to shy away from the moment. His ability to execute in the clutch was called into question, and he was slapped with the reputation as a choker. That monkey is off his back now.
Jordan's postseason heroics are legendary, even when you omit the Flu Game and The Shot. His stats and reputation speak for themselves. He enjoyed what has to be considered the greatest individual postseason performance of all time when he stepped onto the parquet floor and et a playoff record with 63 points in a double-overtime loss against Boston's juggernaut in 1986, a performance that inspired Larry Bird to comment that they had all seen "God disguised as Michael Jordan" (I like how Lebron is likened to Jesus, but MJ is compared to God). It just took a while for the rest of his team to catch up with him.
James: 8.5
Jordan: 10
Conclusion
Total
James: 89.5
Jordan: 93
It's close, with James coming out ahead in several areas (three point shooting, passing, rebounding), but overall the traditional stats and advanced metrics make it clear that Jordan is still the superior player. No surprise there. But 'Bron is definitely on the right track; the fact that we've been making these comparisons for years, long before Lebron ever won his ring, is a remarkable achievement in and of itself. He's not there yet, but if he can maintain this level of play for at least another half decade, he's going to give Jordan a serious run for his money. Could he surpass the greatest athlete of all time? I think he could.
But then again, he'd probably have to win five more championships to convince Jason Segel.
For much of the past decade, the debate over the title of the NBA's top player revolved around the Association's two marquee superstars; Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. They will be remembered as two of the best players the game had ever seen, and the hoop gods had aligned the stars so that their peaks overlapped for a stretch of time. Fans became entrenched in two separate camps (I've always been the Bryant side), and passionate arguments reminiscent of the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird days ensued. Bryant's supporters claimed that their guy was a superior pure shooter (especially from the line and downtown), a lights-out closer in the same vain as Mariano Rivera and above all, a winner with five championship rings, the Derek Jeter of the NBA. The King James disciples, and there were a lot more of them two years ago, replied that their guy was a better passer, rebounder, defender, and more efficient scorer. Bryant fans rebutted that James played for weaker teams and could pile up counting stats more easily, and James fans fired back that Kobe was selfish and a poor teammate, while LeBron made the other four guys on the court better. Statistically speaking it was very close, but you had to give the nod to James because of his more impressive all around numbers. But if you measure players by the number of titles they've won, and many people do, then the Black Mamba held an overwhelming advantage over his ringless peer.
But last year, the arguments died down as the two players seemed to be heading in opposite directions. James teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and immediately promised myriad championships, while Bryant battled age and ailments during Phil Jackson's final season. His creaky knees prevented him from practicing with the team, and at 34 minutes a night he was getting the lowest amount of PT in his career since becoming a full time starter in the '98-'99 season. While James seemed poised to win multiple rings, Bryant's numbers dipped across the board and it looked like his best days were behind him. Miami absorbed all the attention and media coverage, whereas LA seemed to have been surpassed by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and an up-and-coming Thunder team. During the postseason, LeBron's Big Three made it to the NBA Finals, Kobe's Lakers got swept out of the conference semifinals by a Dallas team on its way to an unlikely championship. And for the first time since 2006-2007, neither Kobe nor LeBron walked away with the league MVP trophy (apparently some guy named Derrick Rose won the thing).
At the age of 33, when many of his contemporaries are beginning to slide down the slippery slope of their career arcs, Bryant has re-emerged as an MVP candidate and is back on LeBron's level. His offseason knee surgery in Germany has rejuvenated him and an early season wrist injury hasn't derailed Bryant's white hot start to the lockout shortened season; Kobe's currently leading the Association in games played, minutes played, field goals made, field goal attempts, free throws made, points scored, and points per game, pretty good for the seventh best player in the NBA according to ESPN. His usage rate is higher than it was in 2005-2006, when, at the peak of his selfishness, he averaged 35.4 points per game and jacked up more than 27 shots a night because the Lakers surrounded him with Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, and Chris Mihm (seriously, other than Lamar Odom and an 18 year-old Andrew Bynum, Kobe had zero help. He would have killed for the Mo Williams, Antawn Jamisons and Anderson Varejaos Bron Bron left behind in Cleveland). And even though Bryant is taking nearly 25 shots a game, he's still racking up nearly six dimes per game, too, so he's not playing like a total ballhog. But because he's handling the ball so much in an attempt to carry the offense, he's also leading the league in turnovers, which is pretty hard for a non-point guard to do.
Even so, Kobe's not the only one who's getting better. James returned this year with a much improved post game and is scoring more efficiently. He stopped hoisting up threes, too, and is down to 1.5 attempts per game. He's picked up the slack with Wade sidelined and has re-established himself as a frontrunner in the MVP race, along with Bryant and Durant. As long as Kobe can stay healthy (a tall order given his age and 37 minutes per game), there should be a three-way battle for the honor as the top player in the NBA. No matter who you prefer, at least Bryant has made things more interesting, allowing us to debate the merits of Kobe vs. Lebron once again.
Over the summer I argued here that Kevin Durant had surpassed LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the league's top talent, and since the start of the regular season he's done nothing to prove me wrong. All he's done is average a ridiculous 38.8 minutes per game while providing elite production across the board; 31.3 points, 7.3 boards, 4.5 dimes, 2.3 treys, a steal and a block, numbers that any fantasy owner should salivate over. With star point guard Russell Westbrook bricking shots and committing turnovers, the lanky small forward has picked up the slack and carried the scoring load for the Thunder. Check this stat out, courtesy of ESPN's TrueHoop Blog; KD has racked up 125 points thus far, while the other OKC starters combined have scored 135. He's confronted Westbrook about his subpar performance, drained a game-winning buzzer beater against the defending NBA champions, and helped the Thunder beat tough teams such as the Magic, Grizzlies, and Mavs (sorry Timberwolves, but you don't qualify as a "tough team") and claim the title of the sole 4-0 team in the Association at the moment. He's emerged as a leader and seems to have a more powerful court presence; the Thunder are his team, and he's finally starting to act like it.
Granted, the NBA season isn't even a week old yet, but if Durantula maintains his prolific scoring, the 2010 MVP runner-up should be the frontrunner in the Most Valuable Player race. Consider that he's just the fourth player, along with Kobe, Michael Jordan, and Adrian Dantley, in the last 30 seasons to reach 30 points in his team's first four games of the season. With offense already suppressed by the lockout and likely to stay down as teams limit the minutes of their stars, the 23 year-old's amazing abilities to stay on the court and put the ball in the hoop become even more valuable, so he'll make a great case for himself if he can at least match his numbers from the past two seasons while keeping Oklahoma City at the top of the Western Conference.
Obviously Durant has a long way to go, but so far, so good for budding superstar.
Around this time last summer, Kevin Durant was absolutely tearing it up for Team USA in a mindblowing, FIBA World Championship winning performance that marked the latest development in the lanky shooter's swift rise to superstardom. The former number two overall draft pick in 2007 (obligatory shout-out to Greg Oden here) had gone from good to great to elite in a matter of his three seasons and had just led the Association in scoring, games and minutes played, field goals made (and attempts) and free throws made (and attempts, at an otherworldly 10.2 per game). He also grabbed more than his fair of rebounds, blocked shots with his 7'5" wingspan, and drilled long three pointers with an effortless shooting stroke. The kid, barely old enough to drink and the youngest player ever to win a scoring title, seemed on the cusp of undeniable greatness, and his summer romp made you believe he could do whatever he wanted to on a basketball court. The scary part was (and sill is) that KD hasn't even hit his prime years yet; it's very possible that he hasn't reached his ceiling yet and could actually improve. Not surprisingly, the MVP runner-up was drafted first in the majority of fantasy basketball leagues last year ahead of halfway decent ballers such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard.
And while "Durantula" had another great season for the Thunder, he actually seemed to take a small step backwards. I wouldn't call it a "down year" because he still led the league in scoring and free throws made, but he regressed in several key areas including field goal percentage, free throw percentage, three point percentage, rebounds, and scoring. It could have just been a result of the natural fluctuation that occurs with sports statistics, but there could have been other factors that played roles in his slight decline. Perhaps he had grown content after inking a five year, $86 million contract extension the previous summer. Maybe he conceded more opportunities to talented teammates Russell Westbrook and James Harden, especially once opposing defenders keyed in on him. Nothing was blatantly wrong with Durant's game; he was most likely a victim of setting the bar too high too soon. As a result his season's shine just lost some luster and got lost in the shuffle with all the hoopla over the Heat and Blake Griffin.
And as far as media attention goes, playing in the OKC certainly isn't a boon in that regard.
But earlier in the week we were reminded of his considerable skills when he dropped 66 points at Rucker Point in Harlem. There he was again, calmly pulling up and raining a barrage of three pointers that would have made Ray Allen and Reggie Miller proud. It was an unforgettable performance, regardless of the setting or competition, and it confirmed my belief that Kevin Durant is currently the best player in the NBA, last year's mildly disappointing season notwithstanding.
Some of you might be nodding in agreement, and I'm sure others will claim LeBron or Kobe to be superior. In my opinion, athletic freaks such as LeBron and Wade are overrated because they are more football players than basketball players. They're average shooters (at best) who succeed because they can put their heads down, barrel into the lane and draw a foul, dish to open shooters or posterize some poor, unsuspecting center. They're great for SportsCenter highlight reels and can make your jaw hit the floor on any given play, but at the same time you realize that they're dominating more on God-given natural athletic ability than basketball skills. When you clog the lane and turn them into jump shooters, they become far less effective basketball players because they force up bad shots and don't move well without the ball. As for Kobe, probably the best basketball player of the past decade, he still has something left in the tank but is clearly past his prime and should continue to decline with those creaky knees of his.
That leaves Durant, tall, skinny, and awkward, the antithesis of James and Wade. He's not exceptionally quick or graceful and can't jump out of the gym or stun you with flashy plays, yet he is smooth and can contribute in all facets of the game. He's unquestionably the best pure scorer in the game today, a much more potent offensive weapon than James or Wade, and at 22 he still has plenty of time to polish his game and improve with increased experience (he can start by crashing the boards a little more frequently).
Durant isn't the most exciting player out there right now, but he's still number one in my book.
